Chapter 12 : True Colors Revealed

**Cat POV Leon parked in the driveway, and I collected the skirts on my dress, sliding out of the car. "Thank you, Leon," I said as he held a hand out for me. "It was my pleasure, miss. You seem… upset," he said as he helped me from the car. "It's been a long day," I muttered with a sigh. Glancing at the guest house, I noticed all the lights were still off. Either Aaron was still sleeping, or he'd left already. If he was still there, I'd have to confront him about what I'd heard. My stomach shifted uncomfortably, and I grimaced. "Leon, do you think you could hang out here for a little while?" I asked. He creased his brow. "I don't understand. Will you need a ride somewhere else?" "Oh, no. I just… I'd feel better having someone else on the property for the time being," I admitted, my cheeks getting hot. "Then, of course, I will stay. Mr. Carter told me to take good care of you," Leon said. Smiling shyly, I nodded and headed up to the guest house. If Aaron was still asleep, I didn't want to wake him immediately. I eased the door open and took off my shoes before sneaking inside. Aaron was softly snoring on the couch. I rolled my eyes. How had he slept for the entire afternoon? It was late at night now. For a moment, when I saw how soft and peaceful he looked while sleeping, I almost forgot about Fiona and her pregnancy. It all flooded back, and I cringed, wrapping my arms around myself. I began pacing back and forth, my bare feet brushing silently against the carpet. What could I say to Aaron? Did he know Fiona was pregnant? Had he known when he'd come here to beg for forgiveness? I couldn't work all the pieces out. He'd seemed so sincere, but he'd also lied about how long his thing with Fiona was going on. Was his rush to make up with me to keep me from finding out about her pregnancy? I rubbed my hands on my thighs as I paced. What was I supposed to think now? All I knew was that Aaron had lied. Maybe that was the best place to start. Sighing heavily, I went up to the couch, and I gently shook him awake. "Huh… what? Oh, Cat," Aaron said, smiling at me. I turned the nearest light on, bathing the living room in a soft glow. When Aaron sat up, I moved away. "What's wrong, babe?" he asked. I crossed my arms and shifted my weight to my right leg. "Aaron, I heard that Fiona is pregnant." "Huh? Pregnant?" he asked. He rubbed his fists in his eyes. "Did you know anything about that?" I asked. "How would I know? I told you, it was a one-time thing, and she wouldn't know if she was pregnant from that…" I scoffed and shook my head. "According to her, the two of you have been together for three months, at least." "What?" Aaron asked. He stood up and tried to get closer to me. I backed away. Aaron's face fell. "You really believe her? She's just trying to come between us." "She wasn't talking to me. She didn't even know I was there, she was telling a friend. Why would she have to lie to a friend?" I asked. Aaron was silent. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and stared at the floor. My stomach sank like a rock. Until that moment, I'd held out some hope that what Fiona had said was a lie. I'd still clung to the sliver of light that Aaron was telling the truth, and we could make things work. Now, I saw the truth. "You lied to me," I gasped, covering my mouth with my hand. "Again." "Cat, it's not like that. I really want to be with you. I just didn't want to hurt your feelings. You didn't need to know the details, just that I want you, not her," he said, lifting his pleading eyes to mine. "No. That's not good enough, Aaron." I shook my head and sliced that air with my left hand. "Come on. Please don't. Not after everything. This afternoon, you were willing to give us another chance," he said. He came toward me again. I tried backing away and my back came up against the cool glass of the living room window. "That was before I found out you lied again," I said. "It was a lie to protect you. To keep you from hurting more than you already were," he pleaded. "That doesn't matter. This afternoon was your chance to come clean. Instead, you continued to lie." I shook my head and held my hands up to keep Aaron away. He took my hands in his and sighed, turning them up and kissing the palms. "Don't!" I snapped, pulling away from him. "Aaron, we're done. You had your chance to make things up to me and you blew it. Besides, what are you going to do about the baby?" "I don't care about the baby!" Aaron snapped. He threw his arms in the air. "I just want you." "How can you say that!? That's your baby, Aaron," I argued, keeping myself pressed against the window. "I don't want a baby with Fiona. I want a baby with you. I want my life to be with you!" Aaron snarled and started waving his arms around. He was getting worked up, and his hand came within an inch of my face. Gasping, I slid down the picture window, further away from him. "Can you please calm down?" I asked. "No! I'm not going to calm down until you listen to me and really hear me. I love you, Cat. Please forgive me," he begged. "I can't. I thought I could, but the more I learn, the more I know I can't." "Why does it matter if I slept with her once or for three months? If you could forgive one indiscretion, why not the rest?" he cried out, flailing his arms more. Sweat trickled down the back of my neck, and my hands trembled. I was trapped in a small house with an enraged man throwing his arms around. This wasn't good. I flicked my eyes to the front door. Aaron was right in the way. If I ducked around him, there was a chance I could… "Are you even listening?" Aaron cried. I shifted my eyes back to him. "Y-yes," I stammered. Aaron scoffed and rolled his eyes. "You're not. I can tell. Why won't you believe me?" "Because you just lied to me a few hours ago. I don't know what to believe anymore," I admitted with a sigh. "You're doing this on purpose aren't you? Just to torture me?" Aaron asked. "What?" I gasped. "No." I shook my head and shrank away from him even more. "You're just making up these things to see what you can get me to admit to, isn't that it? Is this some kind of sick test to see how much I love you?" "No, Aaron. I'm not playing games. I've thought it through, and I can't forgive you," I said firmly. "You're such a b*tch! Leading me on, giving me false hope!" Aaron grabbed a picture frame off the TV stand. He pulled his arm back. "What are you…" I held my arms over my face as he threw the picture. It wasn't aimed at me. The picture hit the window, and the glass shattered, exploding all around me. Glass raked across my arm, sending a stinging pain up my shoulder like I'd been stung by a bunch of bees. "Oww," I groaned. I clamped my hand over the cut. Knock. Knock. Knock. "Miss Walker, are you alright?" Leon's voice called through the door. "I… come in, Leon!" I shouted back. Without hesitation, he opened the door, and his eyes bulged. Aaron was still standing close to me, menacingly. The window was shattered behind me, and I had blood trickling down my arm. "Step away from Miss Walker," Leon ordered, sliding between me and Aaron. "Oh, my God, Cat! I'm sorry. I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to lose my temper," Aaron begged. He dropped to his hands and knees again, bowing his head. "Miss Walker, are you injured?" Leon asked. "I'll be fine. Can you please get this man out of here?" I asked, nodding to Aaron. "No, Cat. Please, I'll do better. I promise. I'll never hurt you again. I'm so, so sorry," Aaron begged, sniffling and crawling toward me. "You heard the lady," Leon said. He grabbed Aaron by the elbow and hauled him to his feet. "Let's go." I followed behind as Leon dragged Aaron outside. It was a good thing I'd asked Leon to stay. Aaron might have been furious, but I didn't think his intention was to hurt me. Still, I didn't want him anywhere near me, now. "No, please. Don't send me away," Aaron said, still crying. Leon had him on the walkway. Aaron suddenly bent his knees and sank to the ground. Leon tried to pull him back up, but he'd become dead weight. "Aaron, what are you doing?" I snapped, running up to him. I had to keep one hand over the cut on my arm because it was still bleeding. "I"m not leaving until you forgive me," Aaron insisted, looking up at me with watery eyes. I looked at Leon for help. "I'll call security," Leon said, taking out‌ his cell phone. "Cat, I can't leave. I need you. I'll die without you," Aaron pleaded, crawling toward me again. "Maybe you should have thought about that before having an affair and getting another woman pregnant!" I snapped. Two security guards ran up the walk, one with a flashlight, the other with a pair of handcuffs. "Alright, mister. You're coming with us," the one with the cuffs said. He wrestled Aaron into the cuffs and pulled him to his feet. "You're trespassing on private property. We'll take you to the precinct and see if Mr. Carter wants to press charges," the second one said. "No! Don't let them do this to me, Cat!" Aaron said. He started struggling against the guards. "Do you know this man?" the guard with the flashlight asked. I nodded. "But I don't want him here. I've repeatedly asked him to leave." "You heard her. You're not welcome here." They started dragging Aaron away. He kept cussing and struggling and calling out to me. I ignored him. Headlights on the street caught my attention. No one else lived here yet, so it had to be Luke. There were two cars though. A bright red, convertible top, two-seat sports car cruised smoothly into the driveway. Luke hopped out of the driver's seat. Seconds later, a limo pulled in, and three people stepped out of it. I didn't recognize the two older ones. Then my eyes fell on the third person, and my breath caught in my throat.