Haven Harbor • a.i. •

Chapter 55

Ari had come over a little bit after I had sent Ashton the text telling him to not come back that night.

I sent Gracie up to my room to play while I talked with Ari. I could tell the little girl was confused but I honestly didn't know what to tell her.

"Hey." Ari said as she walked through the front door, a half smile on her face.

"Hey." I replied from where I sat cross legged on the sofa.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Not really." I answered.

"Stupid question, I know." She said and sat down next to me. "I'm sorry I left. I was just too angry. Did you and him talk?"

"Not entirely. More like I yelled at him. He wanted to talk about it but I didn't want to." I sighed lightly. "What did you say to him."

"That he was a horrible person for doing this to you."

Biting my lip I rested my head against the cushion.

"Is he coming back?" She asked.

"Not tonight. I told him to find somewhere else to stay."

She nodded.

"What are you going to do?" Her voice asked softly.

"I don't know. I mean I want answers but I don't think I'm ready to face him."

"What's there to face? He lied to you Carter. Not only to you but to Ender, Gracie. That's not good, I think you should just break it off."

"I love him Ari...it's not that easy."

"I never said it was easy, I said it's not good to be in a relationship with someone like him."

"You don't know him like I do." I said defensively.

"Well you obviously don't know him as well as you thought you did." She said and I blinked. She wasn't wrong.

"You're right."

Here I was defending him after he had been lying to me about who he was for the past six months we had been together.

Why hadn't he just told me when we first met? Did he think I would only be into him for his money?

It explained so much though.

Why he always left for a week or two at a time. Why he always took business calls or calls from the guys in another room or outside the house.
How he always put on sunglasses and a hat whenever we went outside in public places together.

How whenever I'd ask him about work he'd give me short, no content answers.

It explained why those girls were surrounding him when we were at the zoo, and when the girl asked for our picture in the grocery store.

But it never felt like he was hiding something from me, I guess that's how he wanted it. I had no idea until today, not even an inkling of suspicion.