Adriana exited the building, and she got inside the car where Ralph was still waiting for her.
"How did you test go Ma'am?" he asked.
"It went well. Just like I predicted, Briana's father is inclined in bringing his wife down. He's stupid, thus the perfect chess piece. I asked him to make an official engagement between Briana and Noah."
"Isn't that the opposite of what Mr. Sanders wanted?"
"Well, Ralf, since when do I do what Mr. Sanders wants? Anyway, isn't it more fun if Briana thinks she's got what she wanted?"
"Besides, it will thicken the wall between them. They already have trust issues, imagine if Briana's family suddenly pushes for an engagement? What will Noah think?" She smiled and closed her eyes to rest.
Ralf shrugged, knowing she was on point with her calculations.
...
"These little brats.…" Adriana thought, sitting on the grand piano in the middle of the room.
She placed the drink down and her fingertips on the keys. "I need to have a long talk with both of them." She mumbled to herself and started playing a song. A song she had heard a few times and memorized.
It was what calmed her down and never failed her.
She couldn't help but think about how things took a turn. It made her upset that her daughter had done something so dangerous, but it was her daughter after all.
It would be a surprise if Aria ever took a vacation from all of her naughtiness.
"What do I do?" She asked herself and stopped playing the song.
She didn't want to be too harsh on her kids, but what they had done was risky and it truly made her angry.
Adriana was never a super strict parent, and she didn't want to put too many restrictions on them because she wanted them to enjoy their childhood. Still, she felt like she had gone too easy on them.
Being a parent was something she was still not used to. She was still learning every day and trying her best to be the best mother she could ever be.
But sometimes she felt like it wasn't enough.
She gulped down the drink with a deep sigh.
This was a hard decision. She didn't want to take any risks, but she also didn't want to hurt her children.
Would Noah believe me, would he accept this? Of course not.
When he finds out she kept two children hidden from him, he will be angry at her. How could she do such a cruel thing, right?
"How about this? I'll open up to you when you stop being an idiot, okay?" She closed the piano and laid her head on top of it with a laugh.
"I missed you." She mumbled again.
Was it the alcohol getting to her? Maybe.
Something came up to her, and she stood up.
She ran upstairs and started looking through all the shelves.
"Where is it?" She continued looking in a rush.
When she reached the last part of the shelf, she took notice of the album there.
She rushed towards it and opened it. Inside were their memories, but before they got married, it was a time when they were just dating. It was a time when things were beautiful and simple.
'Two young people madly in love, married young, and made stupid mistakes.' She thought as she flipped the pages.
She then looked at the empty spot on the shelf, there was a small square-shaped velvet box. She picked it up and opened it.
An image of his laughter this morning passed through her eyes in a flash. She then looked down at the promise rings inside the box.
She wondered if he still had the wedding rings with him.
After she had asked for a divorce, she handed him her wedding ring and walked away. The next day they met at the marriage registration office where they signed their divorce.
Where their story ended.
Yes, she had asked for the divorce, even insisted on it. He wanted to talk things out, but she didn't listen. She was too scared. She thought this was the only way.
It was a horrible day; it was heartbreaking to even imagine his expression when he signed it.
She couldn't look at him, she avoided eye contact as much as possible.
When they had already signed it and exited the building, he looked at her. He didn't say a thing, but he pulled her in for a kiss.
Adriana took a deep breath, and she placed everything down on the bed. She then walked towards a mirror on the wall that stood tall in front of her.
She tilted her head and touched the tattoo of the fish behind her ear. She smiled, knowing it was the only tattoo on her body that could make her smile.
The rest were just blankets to cover her scars. She meant that literally, of course.
She stretched her hand and slowly removed her dress.
The pattern she had on her dress was the same as the one on her back. It started in the back of her neck and spread through her spine and her right shudder.
That car accident didn't leave her unscratched, of course.
She could remember the muddy road and the pouring rain. It was all still vivid.
What stood out to her the most was a purple flower. The water had buried the rest of the plants under the mud, but this one flower stood tall.
Maybe it was a hallucination, but the flower was strong, and she wanted to be like that beautiful flower. She also wanted to be strong and stand tall.
That's why she had tattoos with a pattern and the flower on her back, which covered her scars. It was something significant for her.
It was special because she had never wanted to live as much as she did when she saw that flower.
She sighed and covered her body again. Putting the dress on, she laid on the bed and closed her eyes.
He had not commented on her tattoos this morning, she was thankful for that. Actually, he had not said much about anything. He was listening to her and trying to forget everything that had happened while the two were alone.
It was a good process but they both knew it wouldn't last.
She had no intention of diving too deep into her memories so she took a deep breath and tried to clear her mind before she went home to her kids.
Believe it or not, she was happy. It was a painful time in her life, but she was happy
She became stronger, and she learned more about herself. She had more faith in herself if that actually makes sense.
It's a weird feeling to explain, but she felt like that accident taught her a lot. She was sure that she would never give up again. She learned to become a fighter.
Adriana stayed there in silence for a few minutes until a smile bloomed on her face.
Most people would hate Noah. Anyone would blame him for whatever happened, but she didn't.
God, she loves this man too much.
Even if she ended like that because she loved him, it wasn't his fault he had a super manipulative snake by his side. Sure, he was stupid for not noticing it, but she knew he would do anything to protect her.
And he would be damn angry if he ever found out the truth.
But this is something she wanted to do herself. She didn't want him to protect her or to avenge her. She wanted to do it herself. It was something she wanted to do for herself. For once she wanted to fight for herself.
While she played with the rings in her hand, she let her thoughts drive her away despite her earlier protest to not swim too deep in her memories.
She just couldn't seem to get him off her mind today and she had thought about him many times before, but this time it was different. She was thinking too deep into her memories and much more than she had ever thought before.
Adriana didn't blame Noah but that didn't mean she was okay with it all. With all that happened everyone deserves what's coming to them, Noah included. He would have to face the truth of how his blindness affected her life and the life of their children.
This was the punishment she had prepared for him because she knew how he would react.
Sigh.
Was it wrong? Was it wrong that she wished for the simpler days?
That she missed a bit of the past?
As if something clicked in her mind, she snapped out of her daze and she started going through her purse until she found her phone.
She had something she wanted to ask him.
She too had hurt him and done him wrong multiple times. Back then she thought she was protecting him because she was afraid, but she just dug a deeper grave for herself.
She had lied to him and said horrible things. That's why when she found out he had looked for a hypnotist to wipe her off his memory, she didn't blame him.
It hurt, but she didn't blame him at all. She too had broken his heart. He just acted cool and pretended to not remember those horrible words she told him.
As she thought of those things she had said, she realized there was something she wanted to ask him before she left for Paris.
When she turned her phone on, it blew up with notifications, so she had to mute it. She also received an incoming call from him.
She mumbled a curse when she realized she had answered instantly.
'I really need to get back on my main focus, this isn't good for me or anyone.'