I'm so happy, this story has reached it's 50K reading mark & 2K votes mark, along woth #22 on Chicklit & #77 on Humor! :D

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CHAPTER - 15

LOVE IS... PAINFUL

'Love is the most beautiful thing to have, hardest thing to earn and most painful thing to lose.'

"I don't know what you are talking about." I tried to play the fool here. I could give it a shot, couldn't I? Maybe Ashton would let it go and never bother me by asking questions about Nolan.

He rolled his eyes, clearly not believing me and said, "You very well know that I'm talking about your 'boyfriend' Nolan and the very pregnant girl with him, who I'm quite sure was not his sister."

"So you were pretending?" I asked him with raised eyebrows in a low voice.

Smirking, he told me, "I am an expert at pretending, Liana."

Grimacing at him, I told him, "My sob story is not that interesting."

"I am all ears."

Honestly, I felt like I owed telling the truth to him. I had lied to him about my relationship status. He had caught my lies and maybe, now was the time for me to tell him everything. "It's a long story," I mumbled, feeling a bit uneasy as I recalled that night and prepared myself to talk about it with Ashton.

"I am all ears, Liana," he repeated.

"Maybe we should get some alcohol and drink that incident down," I suggested weakly as I knew that I didn't have the courage to use my vocal chords to voice out everything that had happened that night. Maybe some alcohol would help in slurring out everything from my system. It was a different matter that alcohol and I never got along. I had never actually liked alcohol and the last time I had dared to get it mixed up with my blood had been a night that I couldn't recall at all.

Laughing lightly, he shook his head and declined my offer. "I'm interested in hearing this from a sober Liana."

"How about some coffee?" I tried again to delay the story telling and coffee always helped.

He let out a loud breath and hissed, "You had one hardly half an hour back."

I grimaced, again and started, "I didn't lie to you when I told you that Nolan and I had been dating since last six years. We met in University and for me it was a huge crush at first sight." As expected, Ashton rolled his eyes at me which made me chuckle at his actions. Like this I started telling him roughly about Nolan and my happy relationship. I told him the important events, the events that mattered because knowing Ashton, he lacked the patience of a good listener and I really doubted that he would be interested in the little details. At last, I reached the night that changed everything...

#******#

'Today William and Lily are eighty two and seventy eight year young, respectively, and out of these years of their lives they have spent sixty three years together, knowing each other, seeing their kids and grandkids grow, watching the buildings around them change structures immensely, seen the government and laws change, the world changed but what didn't change is their love for each other. In the one week that I spent with them, I witnessed them irritate each other to the core, I saw them fighting over little issue and I watched as Lily got upset from William over his annoying habit of not keeping things at their proper places. But then I, also, witnessed the joy they had while irritating the other, the care that was hidden in those silly fights and the smile that William made sure would spread on Lily's face after being upset with him. They showed that love is not about the excitement that we feel in the first few months of a relationship. They proved that love is all about being with your partner even after knowing all of their flaws and being completely okay with them. Love is about being together through the many thins and thick. Love is..."

The noise of key being inserted in the key hole and subsequent opening of the door interrupted me from writing my article any further. I looked up from my laptop towards the door and saw Nolan shutting the door behind him.

"How was your day?" I smiled as I watched him walk towards me with a tired smile on his face.

"Exhausting," he mumbled and pecked my lips. "Are you feeling any better?"

On cue, I sneezed and told him, "Better than before. Working from home is actually not fun." I frowned at the end and took a sip of warm water that was placed on the coffee table beside me.

He chuckled while sitting beside me. Tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear, he told me, "But it's necessary. Your cold just seems to be increasing." I nodded with a smile as I stared at his face. He looked really tired. "What's your article about this time?" he asked, pointing towards my laptop.

"William and Lily," I answered, mentioning about the couple who had moved next to my parents' home. I had visited my parents about two months back for a week and met them every day. They made the most adorable couple I had ever seen; the most adorable 'happy' couple. So, I decided to give them space in 'The Love Column'. My readers had to have this opportunity to know about love that lasts till death. He nodded his head slightly, and I mumbled, touching his cheek, "You look tired, baby. Go and take a bath. I'll make dinner."

Smiling at me, he stood up and complied with what I had said. The last two years of living with Nolan had been pure bliss. He had always been really caring and loving. He helped me in the kitchen and never let me do any work alone. It had taken me a while to get a job after moving to New York. My friends and family often told me that moving to New York for Nolan was a stupid move on my part as I had to leave a very good job back in Illinois. But I never thought so. Yes, I was unemployed for over one and a half year, during which Nolan completely supported me and after which I got a job with 'We are the Divas'. I had always wanted to be a writer... an author to be more precise. But that required loads of guts and I didn't think I had enough. Starting with writing about 'Love' was the perfect opportunity for me to get introduced to the writing world. And, honestly, I loved writing 'The Love Column'.

Ringing of bell brought me back from my thoughts and I stood up to check who the guest was. I peeped through the peep hole and caught a glimpse of a red haired girl. Without any further delay, I opened the door. "Yes?" I asked with a smile. Her eyes widened slightly as she saw me and suddenly, she looked very, very nervous. She didn't say anything which made me frown in confusion, and I asked, "How may I help you?" Her cheeks were red due to the extreme cold weather of the New York City and she had covered herself in a fur coat, which surely was giving her much needed warmth. Her face, other than the redness of her cheeks, looked dull.

"Is... Is Nolan inside?" she asked, stammering a bit and peeking inside the living room.

"Yes, he is. But he is in the washroom right now. Who may I say is at the door?" I asked, tilting my head slightly as I welcomed her inside.

"Um... Kelly," she mumbled and came inside, looking at the apartment quite uneasily.

"Sure. I'll let him know," I told her politely and offered her something to eat or drink which she declined.

"You are Liana?" My eyebrows shot up in surprise at the stranger's question and I nodded.

"How do you know?" I asked with a little smile.

She smiled slightly and said, "Nolan had mentioned about you many times."

My cheeks turned slight red as I realized that Nolan talks about me with almost every other person he meets. He really did love me. "I'm sorry, but I can't recall hearing your name," I told her in a low voice.

She chuckled slightly and mumbled, "Why would he ever mention me?"

"Pardon me," I said, frowning in sheer confusion.

Before she could say anything further, Nolan entered the room. He probably didn't notice Kelly as her back was facing him. "Who is it, sweetheart?"

Kelly turned around to face him and there was no need for me to answer his question. His expressions told that he knew her and was shocked to see her here. His eyes widened as if he couldn't believe that she was here. I watched as he literally turned into a statue, not removing his eyes from her.

"Hello, Nolan," she said in a low voice and that seemed to bring him back to the apartment.

With wide eyes, he snapped his face towards me and suddenly his face was full of emotions that I had never seen on his face ever. Fear. Guilt. But why?

"What are you doing here?" he asked her in a strained voice, after what seemed like a decade.

"I've to talk to you about something," she mumbled but was loud enough for both of us to hear.

As curious and worried I was, I couldn't interfere in their conversation. Giving space was one of the most important fundamentals of a good relationship. "I'll be in the bedroom. Okay?" I told Nolan in a calm voice.

He nodded, and I walked past him inside the bedroom. I shut the door from inside and waited patiently even though I wanted to barge outside and know what they were talking about. Why did Nolan look like he had seen a freaking zombie upon seeing Kelly? What was so important that they had to talk about in private? And the most important question, who was Kelly? Many such questions were racing in my mind and no matter how much I tried to draw my own answers, I wasn't satisfied with any. I wanted to know the truth and my patience was wearing off.

After about half an hour, there was a knock on the door and I jumped to open it. "What's wrong?" I asked the moment I saw Nolan's distraught expressions.

"I've to talk to you," he mumbled, not looking into my eyes.

"Is she gone? Who was she?" I asked in a whisper as I finally let my curiosity get out of my system.

He came inside and locked the door. "She is still outside."

I frowned again and waited for Nolan to clear up every unsaid question that was swimming in my head. When he didn't say anything, I asked, "What's the matter, Nolan?"

He sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose radiating the immense tension from his body. After about a moment, he opened his eyes and stepped towards me. He held my hand in his and looked straight in my eyes with his blue ones. But this time, his eyes were moist. That just added heaps to my tension. "Before I tell you everything," he started, "I want you to know that I really, really love you, okay? I want you in my life. I love you, Ana. You hear that?"

"You are worrying me, Nolan. Tell me what it is," I ordered him as many terrible thoughts started floating in my head.

"The girl outside is Kelly. I met her two months back when you were at your parents' place for a week." I nodded my head and he continued, "I... we... God, this is so tough." He groaned and shut his eyes as if in pain, while it was me who was in pain as I started understanding where he was going with this conversation. But I wanted him to say it to me. My intuition had to be wrong. Of course, it was wrong. Nolan could never do something like that to me. Why would he? He loved me. But with his next sentence, he turned all my fears into bitter reality. "I cheated on you, Ana."

Air refused to enter my system as I gasped and looked at him with wide eyes that were way too quickly filled with tears. I couldn't say even a single word. I couldn't comprehend anything. He continued, "I don't know what happened to me? I really don't know. She is... or should I say... was a hooker."

My mind stopped working as his words reached my ears. It didn't matter to me that she was a hooker or not. All that mattered was the fact that Nolan had cheated on me. Period.

Tears stained my cheeks as I kept on staring at him. "I was drunk the first night you were away. Completely wasted. On my way back to home from the club, I spotted her and brought her here." I shut my eyes tightly as everything he was saying was getting imprinted in my head and heart; as everything he was saying was forcefully being pictured in front of my eyes. "But I brought her here for the entire week and I wasn't drunk on any of those nights."

That was the cue for me to break down and let my tears flow freely. Cheating was not okay, definitely not. But his confession that he had intentionally cheated on me repeatedly for seven nights broke me; it broke me to the core.

Hurt. Pian. Agony.Betrayal.

"She is pregnant, Ana," he said, staring at me. As if I needed to be broken down any further. "Say something, Ana," he pleaded.

Instead of saying something, I cried. I cried harder and louder than I ever had. I cried for I don't know how long and it actually didn't matter to me anymore. He tried to make me stop by saying a series of 'sorries' but the truth was even that didn't matter anymore. Wiping my tears with the back of my hand, I managed to say, "You did the one thing I asked you never to do." He shut his eyes in remorse and I saw a few tears running down from his eyes. "You did what my Dad did with my Mom," I whimpered as new tears came out of my eyes.

"I was a fool, Ana. I love you. I never meant to do any of it." He held my shoulders trying to make me look at him.

"Don't say that," I hissed, narrowing my eyes at him in agony. If he really did love me, he would have never done something like that even after knowing my hatred for cheaters and my fear of living in a broken home, which I had lived in my childhood. I loathed cheaters. They did nothing but broke homes after getting blinded by their selfish pleasure. "You did it in compete consciousness, Nolan. Of course, you wanted to do all of it. God! Why is this happening with me?" I rubbed my hand over my now wet face as I waited for some kind of answer that could magically undo everything that just happened with me. My head started spinning and my cold just got a lot worse as I continued to cry.

Abruptly, I stood up from the bed when I realized that he had cheated with me on this very bed, in our bedroom, in our apartment. I couldn't stay here. Not now!

Wiping my tears with the back of my hand, I told him, "I have to go."

"What?" He held my hand to stop me, and I made an immediate attempt to let it free. "Where are you going? We need to talk about it, Ana. You can't just go away," he shouted a bit in desperation.

"Talk?" I scoffed. "There is nothing to talk about now, Nolan. The deed has been done. Do you, seriously, need me to say that 'it's over'? Isn't it obvious to you?" His eyes widened at my declaration and I freed my hand from his. I told him in a softer voice compared to earlier, "I can't be with a cheater, Nolan. I can't." Before I could break down again, I turned around and unlocked the door.

Kelly was sitting on the couch very uncomfortably as if she could hear everything that was being said inside the room. Her head snapped towards me and her eyes widened when she saw my tear stained face. She stood up in an instant. "I'm really very sorry. I never meant to break your relationship," she said, looking genuinely apologetic.

I shook my head and told her, "You can't break something that is already broken, Kelly."

With that I dashed out of the apartment in my sweatpants and an over-sized sweater without even glancing back. How was it Kelly's fault? She was getting paid for doing her job. She must have been really very good as my boyfriend decided to sleep with her for an entire one week. If our relationship was that strong, Nolan would have never cheated on me. Maybe it was my entire fault. Of course, it was. Why else would he feel the need to find someone else? Yes, it was already a broken relationship and, probably, I was too naive to realize that.

Any good place wouldn't have let me enter in the state that I was in - crappy clothes, ruined face, swollen eyes, running nose, and tear stained cheeks. Hugging myself as tight as I could and crying my heart out, I reached a not so high-end bar. That night, I drank to make sure that all my pain and sorrows were buried deep, deep inside never to resurface again.

#******#

I wiped a few tears that had managed to escape from eyes as I completed my sob story.

"What happened between your parents?" he asked the most unlikely question of all, without commenting on the main part of the story; the part about Nolan's infidelity.

"Huh?" I pondered over telling him the truth, but did it really matter, especially after I had told him everything about Nolan? "My Dad cheated on my Mom and had an extra marital affair when I was four years old. When Mom found out about it, she left his house with me and we went to live with my grandmother. For about next three years, Dad didn't even try to mend things. He did come to meet me, but never tried to make things okay. But he came back to Mom after that woman got married. Mom didn't want to reconcile because of obvious reasons, but a stronger reason made all those reasons look really small."

"What was it?" he asked.

A sad smile covered my face and I answered his question, "Me." A low chuckle escaped Ashton's lips as he understood the sacrifice my mother had made because of me. 'A child needs a father in their life to grow up' was what everyone told Mom. "Things became better as time went by. My parents are fine now but I don't think that they can ever erase the pain Mom faced in those two years and the selfishness that Dad displayed after his lover got married. Nothing can erase the spots it left on my childhood. That woman is my cousin Seth's aunt and she would be there at the wedding tomorrow," I mumbled the last part as I told him why I kept forgetting about Seth's wedding. It was because I didn't want to see her face ever.

Ashton remained quiet and I looked at him to find him staring at me. "My Mom was courageous enough to forgive Dad. I don't have the same courage," I told him my reason of leaving Nolan.

"As opposed to what you said, your story was actually quite interesting," Ashton commented, making me chuckle.

Apparently, empathy, as well, was a foreign word for Ashton Parker. And honestly, I couldn't even imagine him attempting to wipe my tears away. He was like that. This kind of behavior was what I expected from him.

"Love is painful, Ashton," I told him the definition of the day in words that expressed what I was feeling at that moment.

"Then why do it when you know that it is painful?" he asked this rhetorical question and before I could say anything, he continued, "What did you get from love, Liana? Nothing but pain and betrayal. Love left you with nothing but tears. Love is a useless and senseless emotion that only weak feel. Love is nothing but a waste of time. Erase that f*cking emotion from your heart and you'll live a life much more happily and without any pain. Love is bulls*it, Liana. Nothing but bulls*it"

Amidst giving his passionate lecture, Ashton had came and sat by my side. I stared at his grey eyes as he showed that he really hated love, just like me or maybe more.

"You remind me of someone," I whispered, acknowledging his words.

His eyebrows rose in little surprise at the sudden change in topic and he asked with mild curiosity, "Who?"

I roamed my eyes from his eyes to his bearded chin, while my mind recalled every word he had just spoken. "I don't know," I mumbled, feeling foolish.

He rolled his eyes at me and declared, once again, "You are an idiot." Sighing, I looked back at my lap and he asked, " So you won't be going to the wedding tomorrow?"

I frowned in confusion at the sudden change in topic but shrugged in reply, "I don't want to but I have to."

He hummed and got up from the couch. He started moving towards the kitchen when an idea struck in my mind. "Will you go with me?" This way I'd have company and I'd be able to avoid her and also, Ashton and I could check out some prospective girls for him. What was a better place for matchmaking than somebody's wedding?

I had expected Ashton to straight out decline with a rude reply, instead he asked, "Would there be an open bar?"

My eyebrows shot up in surprise at his question and chuckling lightly, I told him, "Yes."

He smirked, turned around and while entering the kitchen, said over his shoulder, "Count me in." A huge smile covered my lips as I stared at door where he had entered.

Despite of his expected reactions and replies, Ashton was a package of surprises.

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A/N

Fastest update ever! Lol... I'm on a rolllll!!! XD

And this was Liana's story - infidelity by father, infidelity by boyfriend. Of course, she couldn't give a second chance to Nolan.

Liked it? Loved it? Lol... Hope convey of emotions was kind of okay in this chapter as I wrote it in hardly two days. :)

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Thank you! <3