Run, Girl (If You Can)

Chapter 364: A Good Friend

Keeley couldn't stop worrying about her friend all throughout the babies' bedtime routine. Once they were asleep and she and Aaron were back downstairs he managed to distract her by being in such a good mood. He sighed contentedly with his arm around her on the couch.

"I can't believe they're actually a year old. We've come a long way."

Despite her stress, she had to smile. They really had. Neither of them had thought they would be parents together after losing the first baby. Now they had two children that were getting bigger every day and there would be more to come.

She snuggled closer. "We certainly have. They're so beautiful."

"Only because they take after you," he said before pressing a kiss against her hair.

"Oh please," Keeley laughed. "Everyone says Violet looks more like you."

"Just her coloring. I'm sure she'll take after you more as she grows up."

She rolled her eyes. Aaron had been so insistent while she was pregnant that if they had a daughter, she should look like her. At this point she was willing to bet any resemblance would be subtle but she didn't mind. She had hoped at least one of the twins would look like her handsome husband.

"We'll see. Personally I'm interested in seeing how much Kaleb continues to look like my brother. If you look at his baby pictures, they're practically identical," she said casually.

Aaron's hold tightened. Despite her casual tone, he knew where her thoughts were going. "No matter what, he'll be a cute kid."

"They both will."

They sat there cuddling for a few minutes before Aaron suggested they watch a movie. Keeley agreed on the condition that they keep cuddling. She wasn't done soaking up the love yet. It had been a long day.

===

Alice knew she shouldn't have said anything but she couldn't help it when she felt the warmth of her friend's hug. She kept quiet about it throughout the entire party because she didn't want to ruin the mood but just had to go blabbing at the end.

It wasn't supposed to happen this soon. Brock was taking her to court because he didn't want to agree to her relatively simple and reasonable terms. He didn't want to lose.

Everything was scheduled out and her lawyer was confident they would win the case since they had a stronger leg to stand on and Brock was simply being petty. Out of the blue, he signed the divorce papers she had served him agreeing to her request to return all of her things and give her an appropriate amount of alimony.

Stunned, she had asked him why. He told her that his mistress was pregnant and he wanted to marry her immediately. Alice was an obstacle in the way and he was tired of dealing with her.

She really shouldn't have been hurt by his words. She had always known she was unwanted. Still…describing her as someone he was tired of dealing with was harsh.

Brock was such a proud, snobbish person but would rather have her out of the way quickly than keep his pride. That was a low blow.

"Alice, are you alright?" Roger asked after several minutes of silence in the car.

Of course he would notice something was off with her. He had been extra solicitous today. But how had he known before she let anything slip?

"No. Brock signed the divorce papers today because his mistress is pregnant and he's tired of dealing with me," she said bluntly.

Her friend went silent in shock. Well, she had just dropped a bomb on him with almost no emotion in her voice. That would be fairly shocking.

When he finally got his bearings, he sounded firm. "I'm sorry he's such a jerk. He never deserved you in the first place."

Alice let out a dry laugh. She got exactly what she was groomed for since birth. It wasn't a matter of deserving it or not. Every woman in high society went through the exact same thing even though no one ever talked about it.

Men could do whatever they wanted while women were expected to look pretty, sound smart, and cater to whatever their husbands needed for career advancement. They were nothing more than beautiful, empty-headed tools.

"Thanks for saying that. You're a good friend," she managed to get out rather than revealing her true thoughts.

"A good friend, huh?" Roger murmured so quietly she nearly missed it.

"Yeah, you're my best friend. Probably the best one I've ever had."

He had been an angel since she left Brock. Roger took her out to eat at least twice a week, taught her how to cook a few simple meals, and tried to include her every time he did something with his friends. She had spent more time with him than anyone else.

As much as she tried to be independent, there was still a learning curve going from pampered princess to working woman. He had helped her through it by being someone she could depend on.

Alice appreciated his help so much because unlike with the Hales, who had their children to worry about, she never felt like a bother to him. She probably depended on him a little too much to be perfectly honest. But how could she not? When her world was falling apart he took it upon himself to help her create a new one.

Roger went quiet after that, which she found a bit odd. Normally by this point he would be joking around with her and offering to treat her to ice cream or something to cheer her up.

She was the one whose divorce was just finalized. Why did he seem even gloomier than she did?

When he dropped her off at her apartment he bid her goodnight and offered his standard "if you need anything, call me" before driving off. Even that goodbye, which she had heard a hundred times, sounded off to her.

For some reason Alice felt even worse seeing him go like that than she did about the cruel things Brock had said. What was going on with Roger?