Vickson's Pov
The words hung in the air, heavily pregnant with all the unspoken. "I can't do this alone, Vickson. I never could"
She had finally admitted it.
It was like a shard of light breaking through a cloudy sky. But that wasn't enough. It didn't mean she wanted me back, what she was saying was that she couldn't carry the burden of everything on her shoulders alone anymore. And hell, that hurt.
I had let so much time slip away believing all the lies I told myself that I was doing the right thing by walking away. But here she was standing in front of me stronger than ever. Her resilience was something I admired.
Something I always had but now it felt like a chasm between us.
"Hailey" I said softly, rejecting the very emotion I had just betrayed "You're not alone anymore. I want to be in your life again. All of you... I want to set things straight"
She negated with a quivering lip.
"You can't just come back after everything, Vickson. You can't erase the years of being hurt and betrayed"
"I'm not asking you to forgive me overnight" I replied quickly "I'm asking for a chance to prove that I'm not the same man who walked away from you.
It's not about picking things up where we left off but about the opportunity to start again. For you, for them and for us"
I watched her eyes flicker, the struggle within clear. She was torn and rightly so but I wasn't going to give up. Not this time.
"What about Ava?" she choked out barely above a whisper.
The question landed like a punch to the gut. Ava... she'd always been the shadow hanging over us. The one who manipulated and twisted everything. The one who had pushed me to make choices I regretted now.
"Ava doesn't matter anymore, Hailey," I said, my voice steady though the worry tumbled in my gut like a drunkard. "What we had... it wasn't real. Not in the way I thought it was. It was all just a lie. She's out of my life for good."
Her eyes narrowed a fraction. "Oh really? Because last I heard, you were still dating her. And that doesn't just disappear overnight."
I felt my patience slipping, but I stayed firm. "I'm done with Ava. This—" I waved my hand over the space between us, "—this is what matters now."
Yet again her eyes softened but it was as though she saw me from a distance. I could read that she was weighing the possibility of getting back to trust me. I wasn't going to blame her. Despite everything, in my place, I wouldn't trust me either.
"I don't know if I can let you back in," she finally said, breaking just a little the steadiness of her voice. "I built a life without you. It's not about me anymore, Vickson. It's about them."
"I know" I said and my throat was raw more than I had intended. "And that's why I'm here. For them, For you and For us"
I wanted to reach out, to take her hand but I knew better. The Distance was there for a reason. It had to be bridged carefully, one step at a time. If I pushed too hard, she'd shut me out completely. If I stood back too much, I'd lose her again. I had to find the balance.
"I'm not asking you to forget," she said, looking into my eyes. "I'm asking you to give me a chance to show you that I'm not the same man as before. Not the one who left you and kids. Please Hailey let me try. Let me make it right"
She was silent for what felt like an eternity. I saw the struggle between her past pain and the hope that glimmered however faintly in her eyes.
Finally, she let out a sharp breath "I don't know how you do it Vickson. But... I'll give it some thought. I can't promise anything but I'll think about it"
That was all I needed. Just a small hint of what is to come. It is like having a peep into the room through the keyhole "That's all I'm asking for" I whispered.
She nodded, her face giving nothing away and a knot of tension twisted a little tighter in my chest. But it was at least something.
Later that evening outside my office, the city lights flickered and miraculously reflected off the walls while I sat inside, all by myself, in the room's silence. My head kept replaying everything that had been said between me and Hailey. There was no certainty; no guarantee that she would ever trust me again.
I ran a hand through my hair, frustration and guilt were all that was left. I felt like and proved myself a fool. And I did know it well. But it wasn't possible for me to turn back time. What was here now was what I could do. All he could do now is move forward.
The phone hummed on my desk, creating a break in the flow of my thoughts. It was a text from Ava. She was the last person I wanted to hear from.
"Vickson we need to talk. I know what you're planning and you need to remember who you belong to"
I clenched my jaw and my fingers were tightening around the phone.
She didn't catch it. She didn't realize that the past is no more. That I was through with her manipulation. But the message was a threat and I knew it.
Ava wasn't going to let go as a matter of ease, and she would stop at nothing to drag me back to her world.
I had to be careful. I had to stay focused on Hailey and the kids, no matter how much Ava tried to derail everything.
My phone buzzed again but this time it wasn't Ava. It was Hailey.
"Vickson, I have been thinking. I need you to meet me tomorrow because there is something important that I want to tell you"
A relief and a tension hit me at the same time. She was ready to talk. There was hope.