Episode 543: Blue

Adria shivered at the memory that would unabatedly change her life forever. At first, her father had been so cold. He’d called her disrespectful and conniving. And every kind of word there was for disappointment, every reason she knew she shouldn’t go home to Ryley no matter how much she’d ached to be with him.

Oh, had she ached to when Ryley showed up, and unlike her dad, he’d immediately taken her in his arms and told her everything would be okay. She’d stayed there, savored his embrace, all the while telling herself to stop, it would not be okay. Not for him. Not if he was stuck with her for the rest of his life the way she was, every kind of word for disappointment.

Ryley deserved better. And Adria was determined to become the woman he deserved. She couldn’t do that with him. He was too supportive of her for his own good, whereas her parents would steer her in the right direction without any kid gloves. They’d get her where she needed to be for him. She’d get there by herself though, if she had to.

But just as she’d worked up the willpower to do what was right and pull away from her husband, her dad had piped up in her corner. It had felt good to have him back, and horrifically bad to walk away from her marriage.

It was a huge risk. The biggest she’d ever take in her life. Ryley was smart, and handsome, and the most loving person she’d ever known. Other women would be swarming all over him. And he’d be free to be with them. She couldn’t ask him to wait. She could only hope that when she was ready to be the partner he deserved, he wouldn’t already have found someone else.

By the time Adria entered the kitchen for a glass of warm milk, the tears streamed down her face. At just that moment, her mom, finally home from the clinic, walked in, and desperate for comfort, Adria launched herself into her mother’s arms. Only to find herself pushed away.

Episode 544: Step By Step