"if only it were that simple..."
Initially, Demi wasn't gonna go to Isabella's dance recital. She was a human being and because of that, she was completely aware of how she had made Wilmer feel in Paris because it was the exact same way that Nick had made her feel when he announced that he wanted to divorce her. He didn't listen to a word that she had to say and didn't even consider any other options. He didn't consider making it work or remaining as a father figure to the twins. And that was exactly what she had done to Wilmer. She didn't consider that maybe she found so much comfort in him and maybe the real reason why she had slept with him was because she loved him too. Or maybe it wasn't love. But it was something. But she just wasn't willing to consider that because she was so worried about fixing things with Nick.
Demi couldn't even count on her hands that amount of times that she had dialed Wilmer's number in the past two months, but then deleted it and completely shut off her phone. Something about talking to him and getting everything off of her chest made her want to throw up. She was terrified. Terrified of receiving the same rejection that she had received from Nick, terrified of receiving the same reject that she had given to Wilmer when she thought that she could still fix things with Nick. Of course she knew how to deal with rejection but she didn't want to, which was why she never got the guts to actually hit the green call button.
Demi wasn't gonna go to Isabella's recital and instead just send Marissa in her place to present the scholarship but that would've been terrible optics. And a part of her did want to see Wilmer. She wanted to see how he was doing and everything because she had gone from seeing him every single day to breaking his heart and not seeing him at all. It was an abrupt transition that left her feeling uncomfortable and extremely guilty. Because, after all, she was human.
While she was entertaining Mrs. Halloway's small talk about things she didn't care about, she impolitely let her eyes roam the room, pretending like she wasn't searching for one person and one person only but knowing deep down that she was. Finally when her eyes landed on his form she saw Isabella attack him with a hug and begin rambling in the way that Demi had missed. She didn't realize what an impact Wilmer and Isabella had had on her life in such a short time until they were out of her life.
"Excuse me, but I'm going to talk to Isabella and her father. It's been a lovely evening," Demi cordially dismissed her, exchanging those awkward cheek kisses with Mrs. Halloway before she made her trek across the room. Her hand smoothed over her gelled down ponytail and she rubbed her lips together to make sure that her lipstick was even. Was her skirt too tight? Was she wearing too much black? Black seemed to be the only color that she wore nowadays, whether she was doing it subconsciously or on purpose; it was hard to tell.
"Demi!" Isabella squealed, attaching her with a hug as soon as she was within their range. Demi gladly accepted it and hugged her tight just like she did on stage.
"I just wanna say thank you again. You have no idea how much this means to me and how happy you've made me!" Isabella sincerely gushed as they pulled away and Demi nodded her head. She did understood how much it meant to her. She was giving a child a chance to accomplish her dream without having to worry about the costs, something that she had always yearned for, especially when she had begun to pay off her student loan debts.
"I understand completely but you deserve it. They say dancers are made but I think you were born to do this. Just don't forget me when you make it on Broadway, okay?" Demi giggled as Isabella nodded but then turned to face her dad. For a few seconds, Isabella looked between her dad and Demi, waiting for them to say something to each other because she knew they needed to. But nothing happened.
"Let's go out to dinner!" Isabella blurted. She knew that her dad wasn't planning to go to some overpriced restaurant to celebrate her scholarship but she knew the perfect place to go, where all of her friends were going. It meant that she could sneak away from the table and give her dad and Demi the alone time that they desperately needed.
"Isa-"
"Daddy, please! Everyone is going to Valentino's to celebrate and I'm starving because I haven't eaten since lunch and I'm sure Demi's hungry too!" Isabella begged, poking her pink bottom lip out as crocodile tears flooded her brown eyes. She knew that she was being dramatic but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, especially if it meant getting her dad and Demi together.
"Isabella, I have a lot of work to do. You can go out with your friends and maybe Demi will go with you, but I really need to get home." Wilmer didn't want to turn down dinner with his daughter after such a huge night but he really didn't want to be around Demi either. Not after what she had done to him.
"No Wilmer, you should go celebrate with your daughter. I have the twins with me anyways. We'll probably just get something back at the hotel," Demi offered, even if she didn't want to go back to that suffocating hotel that she seriously needed to get out of, but she didn't have the time to look for a new house and a part of her didn't want to.
Isabella huffed when she realized that her plan wasn't working. Demi and her dad really didn't want to be around each other but they didn't realize how much they actually needed to be. The hall was beginning to clear out and Isabella was getting restless. She was exhausted and she was hungry and she really needed her plan to work out.
"Then you should come over our house! My dad is a super good cook and it's the least we can do for everything you've already done for us!" Isabella said as Wilmer rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. Isabella was not gonna let this go.
"If it's okay with your dad..." Demi mumbled, chewing on her bottom lip to hide the smile that she wanted to spread across her face.
"Fine," Wilmer huffed as Isabella squealed and clapped her hands together.
Today was just working out perfectly.
Nick couldn't believe that he had actually filed for divorce. He couldn't believe how easy it had been. On one side, it was like the weight of his broken marriage had been completely lifted off of his shoulders and everything was better now. It was like he had less stress to deal with and he didn't have to worry about keeping up a failing marriage for the media or his family. But on the other hand, he was devastated. He had been so in love with Demi and he just couldn't believe how she could betray him in the way that she did.
He tried not to think about it often but it just haunted him. Why would Demi lie about being raped instead of just coming clean and admitted that she had led Kevin on and slept with him? Why would she make up such an elaborate lie and keep it up for so long? Is that why she despised Kevin? Because she was constantly reminded of what had happened between the two of them and she just wanted to forget? He had so many questions but he didn't want to talk to Demi. She tried to reach him, probably something about the kids, but he wanted nothing to do with her.
"Sir, your sister-in-law is here," his new assistant, Dana, stated as she opened one of his glass doors. Nick nodded and waited for Danielle to come in since that was the only sister-in-law he had. Nick had to give props to Kevin because Danielle was gorgeous. She didn't have anything on Demi, but she was beautiful in her own way. She walked into his office in her signature Burberry trench coat with a Celine bag hanging off of her right arm. She smiled at him and went to sit in front of him, which seemed like a struggle as she slowly lowered herself down into the chair.
"Are you okay?" He questioned, referring to how long it took her to sit down when she usually didn't have a problem with it.
"Actually, that's why I came to see you. I figured you could use some good news. I'm pregnant, almost five months along! You're gonna be an uncle...again!" Danielle exclaimed. Nick smiled, trying to seem as happy as he could. He was happy for them but it just reminded him of Nolie and Nicholas and how excited he had been when he learned about them even when Demi wasn't. And now he knew why.
"But I also came to talk to you about something else..." Danielle was soft spoken and she was quiet, the complete opposite of Kevin. They complimented each other well in an odd type of way. He did all the talking and major decision making and she just went along with it, barely kicking up a fuss and seemingly fading into the background.
"Why weren't you mad at Kevin too...when you found out about what happened with him and Demi? You were so angry at her but you weren't even the slightest bit upset with him and he's your brother," Danielle questioned, tucking some of her wispy brown locks behind her ear as Nick leaned back in his chair.
Now that he thought about it, he really hadn't been upset with Kevin. All of his rage and anger had been directed at Demi because it directly affected their kids and she was his wife. She was supposed to be loyal to him and instead she cheated on him with his brother and tried to cover it up by crying rape. That's why he was so pissed off.
"Because Demi lied to me for years and the kids that I've been raising aren't even mine. And then she made up this bogus story about being raped as if I'm supposed to believe her. It's ridiculous," Nick shook his head, feeling himself becoming upset all over again. This was why he tried to not to think about it, to think about her.
"Kevin is my husband but...I know Demi, okay? I've known her for a long time and Demi is smart and she's genuine and she's...she's a good person Nick, a good woman, and I think you should've considered that maybe she could've been telling the truth. Demi loved you with every fiber of her being and she probably still does. I just think you jumped to conclusions because you were so desperate for a way out that you didn't even consider that she could be telling the truth," Danielle explained, more tone and firmness in her voice than he had ever heard before. Why did it matter to her? It did involve her husband but still, why was she defending Demi instead of sticking up for her husband?
"What? You believe her even though she's calling your husband a rapist? That's a serious accusation, Dani." He watched her squirm in her chair and cast her eyes downward, going back to her shy and recluse self.
"I wouldn't put it past him..." Her voice was so low that he barely heard her but when he realized what she had said, he furrowed his eyebrows.
"Dani...what does that mean?" Dani stood up and placed her bag on her right arm, shooting Nick a look that he couldn't quite decipher.
"You graduated from Columbia University at the top of your class...I'm pretty sure you can figure it out," and then she left his office like she hadn't just dropped a bomb that was too devastating for him to handle.
For dinner, Wilmer had cooked Chicken Alfredo and his was better than any restaurants' that she had ever been to, and she had been to a lot. At first, it took a while for Nicholas and Nolie to warm up to him. But after Wilmer asked Nolie to help him with the garlic bread and showed Nicholas how to use his camera, they were practically all over him. Instead of sitting next to her at the six chaired dining room table, Nicholas sat next to Wilmer and asked him all about his pictures. He was fascinated with Wilmer's job. And Nolie was already talking about what color leotards she was gonna buy when she started taking dance lessons just like Isabella. It was just so...natural.
For one minute, Demi allowed herself to drift off into dream world. And in that world this was her family. It was her, Wilmer, Isabella, and the twins. On Saturdays, they always had some type of pasta for dinner and Nolie would help make the garlic bread. Nicholas and Isabella would set the table and Demi would help distribute the food. They ate at the table like a normal family and discussed the highs and lows of their week and what they were looking forward to in the week ahead. They discussed going to church in the morning and what needed to be done after dinner so that they could be ready for it.
Maybe Wilmer did have something to offer to her, not just his love. What did she need his money for anyways? She had her own and she had enough to last all of them for the rest of their lives. Why did she ever tell him that his love wasn't enough when she was sitting in his humble apartment dreaming about the life that they could have if she had never broken his heart? For one minute, this was her normal, and she wouldn't have left that daydream if Nolie wasn't tugging on her sleeve asking her to cut up her noodles.
"I've got it Nolie," Wilmer offered, taking her plate from in front of her once he noticed the weird trance that Demi was just now shaking herself out of. She had been like that since she arrived at his home; dazed, in a trance. But he didn't say anything because he didn't really want her there in the first place. He was in love with her and he probably always would be, he just didn't want to be around her.
"Mommy, are we gonna go see daddy after this?" Nicholas asked as Demi shook her head, almost like it was a reflex. The twins probably asked about it so much that she had become accustomed to that response. A shake of the head. A dismissive "no." A tired "daddy's busy today." He felt bad for her because she had put so much faith in Nick that he didn't deserve and now her kids didn't have a real father figure and she was getting divorced. But then again, some of that was her fault.
"I'm full," Nolie yawned, raising her arms above her head I am overdramatic way before slouching back in her chair.
"I'll help Wilmer with the dishes and then we can go," Demi said, and before Wilmer could protest she was gathering dishes off of the table and taking them into the kitchen. Wilmer didn't have a dishwasher because he said it took up too much water so they had to do it the regular way. She didn't mind though. It was more time that she got to spend with him even if it was in complete silence.
The twins retreated to the living room with Isabella to watch TV while the two of them washed the dishes. He washed, she rinsed. Her hands were growing pruny and her manicure was ruined but she didn't mind when she normally would. There was an entire space between them filled with everything that they weren't saying to each other and Demi wanted to break the ice, wanted to apologize, but every time she tried she just closed her mouth. It was just like when she started to call him but then shut her phone off. She wasn't the type of person to confront things head on, not until it got super bad, and it was hard to change that about herself even if she desperately needed to.
Just as she finally built up the courage to actually talk, Wilmer reached out in front of them to turn on the old school radio that was sitting on the window sill. Surprisingly, the sound was clear and the song that was playing was "Hello" by Adele. Demi hated this song. It reminded her of her situation with Wilmer and how it was all her fault that things were the way they are now.
"How have you been?" Demi questioned after she had reached forward to turn the radio down so that it was more of a buzz in the background.
"Fine. I've been fine. The final cut for your documentary is finished so we just have to schedule an appointment so that you can view it. Marissa says you're extremely busy though," Wilmer replied with much more information than he intended to. He wasn't planning on having a full blown conversation with her but it would be rude to ignore her and he wasn't the rude one in the relationship. Not that they were in one...but still.
"I can't wait to see it. I'm sure you've done a phenomenal job with it," Demi said with as much as enthusiasm as she could muster up. She forgot that it was the documentary that had brought them together in the first place.
"Wilmer..." Demi turned to face him as she dried her hands off. They were finally done with the dishes and Demi needed to apologize. She had to. She had been putting this off for two months and she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she didn't.
"Everyday for the past two months I've picked up my phone and dialed your number, but I never had the guts to actually call you. I just...I wanted to apologize. I had so much faith in Nick and I was so in love with him and just wanted to fix our marriage...I broke your heart, the same way that Nick broke mine. And I know how it feels. It sucks. It feels like every part of your body is broken and it's difficult to even get out of bed. I don't sleep anymore and today is the first time I've really sat down and eaten a full meal..." Demi realized that she was rambling and stopped to take a deep breath.
"My point is that I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for what I said to you in Paris and for not even considering giving us a chance. I'm sorry for being selfish and stupid and I'm sorry for breaking your heart. I hope you can forgive me because I need your forgiveness. I feel awful for what I said to you and I've realized that you do have things to offer to me, things that Nick can't I mean-"
"You can stop," Wilmer interrupted her, a hard look on his face as his jaw set and he finally faced her.
"You want me now because Nick didn't take you back, because he served you divorce papers and it took you losing your husband and the man that served as a father figure to your children to figure out that I actually have something to offer to you. I admitted that I loved you and you acted as if it meant nothing, as if my feelings meant nothing to you. And I am in love with you, I'm desperately and deeply in love with you but I'm not gonna allow that to cloud my judgement of you because at the end of the day, you're not ready to be in a relationship. You can't give me what I deserve and I deserve so much better than you, Demi, just like you deserved better than Nick. And I know that's not what you want to hear but it's the truth. What you did in Paris was cruel and it was wrong," Wilmer ranted as Demi's smile dropped and she stepped back from him. She wasn't expecting him to jump into a relationship with her but she wasn't expecting all of that either. He was still upset. He still didn't forgive her. And it was clearly gonna take a while for them to repair whatever friendship that they had before when he was still so hurt over what had happened between them.
*insert apology for not updating in a while but desperately begs for feedback*