Page 38 of Vitamin Sea

Sophia definitely knew about Chloe, but she also knew that it took two to tango. If Liam hadn’t wanted to try and pursue someone else, Sophia, the physical embodiment of temptation, wouldn’t have pulled him away from Chloe.

Still—they could rebuild. Like that Japanese art form, the one where they take broken pieces of pottery and piece them back together by filling the cracks with gold—kintsugi.

Their relationship wouldn’t be the same as it was before; it would be something different.

But it could transform into something beautiful; something better than it had been.

Although, given Liam had strayed from her in the first place, didn’t it stand to reason that the strong, resilient relationship she thought they shared didn’t technically exist?

It was a bit depressing to consider. But that was the crazy thing about relationships.

The crazy thing, really, about people. You never could be too sure about them or about what was going on in their head.

Never be quite too sure about how they were experiencing something or felt about it.

Unless of course the person was totally honest.

Honesty was a trait she valued, and Liam hadn’t been honest with her about his feelings. As devastating as the breakup had been for Chloe, it could provide her and Liam with the opportunity to rebuild things, starting with a stronger, more open and honest and structurally sound base.

And if she was honest with herself, she could kind of understand why Liam had strayed.

Understand, yes. But not quite forgive.

The concept of marriage, even if one has been in a committed relationship for several years, is scary. Aside from being legally bound by one person for the foreseeable future, there was also the possibility of a nasty, financially ruinous divorce.

A case of cold feet on the part of one partner before they realized that the grass isn’t greener on the other side could do a lot to a person.

It could make them realize the error of their ways.

And now that Liam knew the error of his ways, he knew for certain that he should not have dumped Chloe for Sophia.

There was a good chance that he had learned his lesson.

That he would be content and happy with what he had with Chloe.

Or would he?

Another cliché that always rang true was that people often don’t know what they have until it’s gone. She had always felt that the cliché needed to have a second part added onto it. Something about trying to appreciate what you have while you have it.

To Chloe, it seemed that oftentimes when people stop appreciating what they have, when they take what they have for granted, that’s when they lose something they didn’t fully appreciate in the first place. And the regret sets in later.

She held all the power in this situation.

Which was not something she took lightly.

She and Liam had had their entire lives mapped out together.

They knew they would get married, knew they would have kids, and they knew, barring any kind of horrific accident or disease, they would grow old together.

He had thrown that all away on a hot (Chloe was objective enough to admit it) coworker before he had come crawling back and begged for another chance.

Even as recently as one month ago she would have loved nothing more than for Liam to realize his mistake and beg her to take him back.

She would have done anything to have him back.

Dignity momentarily abandoned, she would have immediately jumped into his arms—the hurt he had caused her would have been instantly forgotten

But that was one month ago.

And this was now.

He had blown up their future together because of someone he met at work. Who was to say he wouldn’t do it again?

Chloe loved Liam, yes. But something in her had fundamentally changed since her trip.

Lala had dragged her out of her depressive state before that, yes.

But the change of pace and scenery of Costa Rica had done wonders for her perspective and inner peace.

And while she was enjoying the time she was spending getting to know Jack, she knew he wasn’t the sole source of her feelings.

She had realized something.

Inner peace and happiness couldn’t come from another person. It had to come from within.

She didn’t know where things with Jack were going, but she was sure of one thing—if she managed to find love again, she would approach it from a much different perspective.

The love of her life might be hit by a bus when crossing a street one day. That could just as easily put an end to her happily-ever-after the same as an affair could. It was one of the infuriating things about life—you never know just what curveball it was going to throw at you.

Liam looked at her expectantly.

“Chlo?” he said softly, shaking her out of her reverie.

She shook her head.

“Look, Liam,” she began. “This is a lot. This is a lot to drop on me out of nowhere. Umm . . . I need time to process this,” she said seriously.

“I understand.” He nodded. “That’s why I hoped to talk to you the other night at our—your—condo.”

Chloe glanced at her beer.

“Not to pry,” he said tentatively, “but who was that guy who was there with you? It’s been eating me alive,” he confessed. “The thought of you with someone else. Knowing that I let you get away and that someone else found you.”

“He . . .,” Chloe began. “His name is Jack. I met him on my last work assignment.” She paused. “He’s a lawyer.”

Liam looked stone-faced.

“I can hardly blame him,” he said with regret. “I had the best thing that ever happened to me and I let her slip through my fingers.”

Chloe took a deep breath.

“Do I have a chance, Chlo?” He looked at her with pleading eyes. “I just need to know. If there is even a one in a billion chance, I want to do everything I can to get you back and to make it work.”

For the umpteenth time that night, Chloe was dumbfounded.

Things like this happened in movies and romance novels. Things like this didn’t happen in real life. Things like this didn’t happen to normal, everyday girls like Chloe.

“I don’t know,” she said regretfully. “I need to think about all of this. You need to give me some time.”

Liam nodded—he looked resolute.

“I understand,” he said. “Is it okay if I check in with you every couple of days?”

Chloe nodded. “Yes. That would be okay.”

He offered her another drink, which she declined, and the cheque came shortly after.

Outside the restaurant the two of them stood there awkwardly. They weren’t friends, they weren’t lovers, they weren’t a couple. What was the proper parting protocol for two people who knew one another inside and out but who were now almost strangers?

Liam took care of the awkward moment by reaching out for a hug.

“Just a hug, Chlo,” he said. “I’m going to respect your space and boundaries until you make up your mind.”

Her heart fluttered and she gave him a genteel hug that was just short of affectionate. Her Uber pulled up seconds later and she got in without a backwards glance to her ex- boyfriend.