For Worse or For Better- Book #6 in the WF Series

Chapter 9: Family

♡ Alaiya's POV: ♡

I cry so much during the night that I don't even feel an ounce of drowsiness come over me which is odd because I thought my eyes would've been tired by now. It's 6 a.m. now, which means I have to go wake Autumn up for school.

I walk to the restroom and don't even have the energy to jump back at my reflection in the mirror. My eyes are as puffy as can be, my cheeks are bright red, as are my eyes, and the mascara on my eyelashes from last night is now stained down to the middle of my cheek.

I look horrific, but that's also how I feel.

I grab my face wash and rub my face so that Autumn can't see how horrible her mother looks.

Since the face wash doesn't really help, I grab my glasses instead of putting in my contacts like usual and leave our bathroom after brushing my teeth. I walk into the closet, throw on a pair of leggings and a T-shirt, and walk downstairs to start making her breakfast. My headache is quite literally killing me because of how much water I lost, but I try to push through it as I flip the pancakes over.

Once I'm done, I walk upstairs, wake up Autumn, give her a quick shower, do her hair, dress her, and take her downstairs so she can eat breakfast.

"Is dad driving me to school or are you?" Autumn asks as she's putting her shoes on.

"Rider is going to pick you up." I force a smile, attempting to look happy to the best of my ability.

Roman appears from the basement door.

His eyes have light eye bags underneath them, meaning he probably stayed in the basement and worked the entire night which only makes the guilt intensify. There's no bed down there so even if he did sleep for a few minutes, it was most likely in his office chair.

He lied to you, Alaiya. You shouldn't be the one feeling guilty. But what I did didn't feel right either.

Roman looks over at me and I simultaneously look over at Autumn who needs help with her shoes. I walk over and help her put them on which also helps because I can look at the floor and blink away the water starting to gather again. Autumn kisses my cheek right after I'm done which actually does manage to get me to smile. Maybe not fully, but more than I thought I was currently capable of.

"Are you having allergies again?" she asks as she helps me adjust the glasses on my face.

I nod, kissing her cheek in return. "Tell Rider thank you for driving you."

She shakes her head before walking out the front door and to their car. Once I've seen she's made it safely and has driven off, I walk back inside, so I can go back upstairs and cry some more before Dayton and Aubrey wake up.

"Alaiya," Roman calls my name as I feel him follow behind me. "Please wait." He grabs me by my hand in the gentlest way possible right when I'm near the steps, turning me around softly to look at him.

My vision becomes blurry the minute I look into his eyes and I feel like breaking all over again, but I won't do it in front of him.

"You promised you would never do something like this to me," my voice cracks, his eyes turning even softer if that's humanly possible.

"Baby, I can't explain where I was right now, but-."

"No, you don't get to call me that." I shake my head at the nickname, tears falling uncontrollably.

"Alaiya, please. I want to tell you. I just-."

"I don't want to talk to you right now." I pull away from him, unable to keep my composure from just that first sentence. "I don't even want to look at you."