Cheshire | Sequel to Home

Chapter 19: Turning Point

Present

"They are trying to end things in the most amicable way possible and navigate through their divorce without a lot of attention from the press keeping the well-being of their son Arthur as their first priority, but it's hard for Olivia when Harry is all over the news with a different woman each time and they argue a lot. At this point all she wants is out of the relationship to carry on her pregnancy in peace, she is not concerned about co-parenting or even being a single mom if that means she can finally find peace," a source close to the couple told DailyMail. 

"What a bunch of bloody wankers," I grunt while slamming my laptop close, anger blinds me and I can't even finish reading the rest of the article.

Jeff's eyes leave his phone for a beat studying me for a while before calmly saying, " I honestly don't understand why you keep on reading that bullshit, H."

" 'Amicable way', my balls! No source close to us will ever say that fucking shit!" I insist, oblivious to his words of reproval. I know I'm not supposed to read these cheap tabloids but I can't help it, Liv is so much better at staying away from the rumors. The past couple of weeks had been hard with news coming out on a daily basis, linking me with any random female that walked past me in the past three years. I never answer, never react but I cope by becoming silently obsessed with any piece of news related to us.

"Because they lie and create fake statements. You know this quite well by now, stop torturing yourself, dude," Jeff explains as if I were some sort of four-year-old who can't understand the basics of how media operates.

"I want the statement out today, I want to silence this bullshit...Fuck! I want us on the cover of Vanity Fair saying we are the happiest family in the world if we have to!" I declare and almost simultaneously, my phone vibrates on top of my desk. It only takes me a glance to know it's a message from Liv.

" We've just arrived home, are you coming for dinner?"

I quickly check my watch and realize it's almost 8:30 PM, I've been so engrossed in this drama that I couldn't see that it's already pitch dark outside. I can hear Jeff saying something as I quickly type a response, "Yes, I'll be there around 9."

The phone buzzes in my hand almost immediately.

" Okay, I'll wait for you, see you then."

"Okay, great."

I send the message and hesitate for a breath before finally typing," I love you."

I wait for a couple of seconds but the answer never comes and it pokes at the open wound in my heart.

"...and Nick Richardson called me today," I catch the last part of Jeff's sentence.

"What for?" I utter.

He looks at me with narrow eyes, clearly annoyed, "Like I said seconds ago, to book a meeting for next week and sort out the statement and the overall media strategy. You'll have to wait until that before booking a family portrait photo shoot."

I roll my eyes and huff a breath before standing up, "I better get going, Liv is waiting for me to have dinner," I say, and those words give me some sort of reassurance. Despite our problems, she's waiting for me, and right now that matters more than any other thing.

We walk together outside my office and say goodbye as soon as I reach my car. He doesn't leave before reminding me of our meeting tomorrow, I wave him off and close the door, finally breathing in peace.

The drive back home is easy, not many cars are on the streets and I'm so focused on the music blaring around me that the route feels somewhat shorter. A car is parked across the street from our house but I can't recognize it so I assume is a guest at our neighbor's house. I get inside the garage and turn off the engine, I can't hear any music or cartoons playing inside the house and I feel a little bit sad to know Archie must probably be asleep by now.