STEP ASIDE EX- HUSBAND: The rise of Liana.

LIANA'S POV

The streetlights fuzzed as I drove. My fingers wrapped tighter than they had to around the steering wheel, but I didn't care. Dominic hadn't called. No text. Not a single missed call. Nothing.

And really? That hurt worse than I anticipated.

I knew that he was proud. I had known that he had always felt the world would revolve on his whim. But that he could sleep beside me one night, betray me the next and not even be bothered enough to ask where I went?

That was what shattered me all over again.

I rolled into the driveway of my childhood house at a little past 10 PM. The porch light was still on, most probably because my mom was still watching "Sam and Cat" on Nickelodeon. I turned my headlights off, and for an instant, I simply sat there staring at the house.

The house where I had witnessed my first heartbreak, my first scraped knee and my awkward adolescence. And here I was today, an adult woman, crawling back with nothing but a dead phone battery and a bruised ego.

I got out of the car and hadn't even reached the first step before the front door opened.

"Mommmmeeeee!"

A tiny blur with puffy pigtails and dinosaur pajamas came running towards me.

"Whoa!" I just managed to duck in time, catching her mid air as she tackled me in a hug. Her little arms wrapped around my neck like a vice, and I inhaled the scent of bubblegum shampoo and graham crackers.

"You flyin'?" she asked, peering at my face.

"I was flying?" I grinned. "No, you were flying. Are you trying to knock Mommy over?"

Camilla's brows furrowed, her face serious. "You take long."

"I know, baby. I'm sorry, but I'm here now."

She shifted back a little, looking at me through narrowed eyes, then poked my cheek with a chubby finger. "You crying? You cry?"

My throat closed up. "No. Not anymore."

She tilted her head, not believing me. "You look… sad."

I smiled gently, wiping at my eyes. "Just tired, pumpkin."

"Hmm…" she looked me over, then said with all the wisdom of a two-year-old, "You need cookie."

"Do I?

She nodded, very sure. "And big blankie. The one with pink stars."

"Wow. Aren't you a therapist sweetie?" I asked, kissing her.

She smiled, proudly, then scrunched up her nose. "Mommy smell like fries."

"Excuse me?"

She placed her hand on my chest. "Fries. And mad…"

"Fries and mad?"

She nodded again. "You 'mell like mad fries."

I couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled up. "Okay. I'll see what I can do about that."

She crept up close and whispered, "We have cookies."

"Oh really?"

"But…" She touched her lips. "Gramma say, 'no eat when dark.' But I ate one. Shh." She brought her finger to her mouth, indicating to me to stay quiet.

My mom's voice came from the doorway. "Of course she rattled on herself."

I looked up, and there she stood, robe wrapped tightly, raised brows, crossed arms. Classic Mom stance.

“Hi, Mom," I said.

She waved towards the house. "You're gonna come in, or you wanna go have a melt down on the lawn first?"

"Inside," I muttered. "Yeah, definitely inside."

Camilla raised her hand. "Me too! I wanna tell inside!"

"You're just here for the cookies, honey" I said.

She gasped. "Nooo.I tell you mummy."

My mother rolled her eyes as she backed away. "Y'all are a mess.".

Camilla tugged on my hoodie as I entered behind my mom. "Mommy?"

"yeah?"

"You stay now?"

I hesitated. Knelt down. "Yeah, baby. I'm staying."

She held her arms around my neck again. "Good." Camilla grinned. "You're welcome."

By the time we had wrestled Cam into her unicorn-print comforter, the room had darkened and was snug. I sat on the edge of her bed, brushing a curl from her forehead.

She looked up at me and asked, "Mommy, did Daddy make you sad again?"

My breath stopped.

I looked into those big, wondering eyes and saw how little she actually understood, how I wished I could shield her from it all.

"Yes," I whispered. "But it's not your fault, okay? Nothing about this is your fault."

She leaned over and smacked me on the cheek like a miniature wise old grandma. "He's a booger head. You'd find superman one day."

I grinned through the pain. "I'll take it as a prophecy."

She yawned, bundling herself up in blankets. "Tell Superman I like waffles."

"Will do." I kissed her forehead. "I love you more than waffles.".

As I left the room and closed the door, my mom had already appeared in the hallway with two mugs in her hands. One of them was marked with my name. The other had the caption Wine Disguised as Tea.

I took the latter. "You know me too well."

"Sit," she said, motioning towards the couch. "Now tell me everything. And don't leave out the juicy stuff."

I collapsed into the cushions with a sigh, drinking a long draught. The tea was luke- warm, and comforting.

I glanced at the steam rising from the mug. "He cheated on me, again."

Silence.

"He returned home with his arm draped around another woman," I continued. "Lipstick on his collar. No apology. Only this smug, cold indifference.

That was our anniversary dinner but instead of fixing us, I spent it sitting across from him on the table and watching him have a good time with another woman."

My mom did not gasp and clutch her pearls. She leaned back and took a sip of tea. "Well, I'd say I'm shocked, but then I'd be a liar."

Tears stung at the backs of my eyes. "I thought we were okay. I thought we were getting better. I fought for us. I forgave him more than I should have. And he didn't even have the decency to honor our anniversary."

She reached out and took my hand. "Baby, you've always been the fire. He was just the smoke. You couldn't breathe around him, and you didn't even realize it until the room cleared."

I laughed, a sobbing, broken sound. "That was beautiful. Have you been reading Pinterest quotes again?"

"Maybe."

We sat there for a long time in silence. Just the two of us. Two generations of heartbreak, drinking lukewarm tea.

And she asked, "Are you staying here for a while?"

I nodded gradually. "Yeah. If you don't mind."

"Of course it's okay. I recently ventilated your room. And stocked your favorite ice cream when you were in the room with the princess. I also told the neighbor on my way in that I’ll need help with the garbage because my daughter is going through a detox.”

I laughed hard and full, the first time in days. "You're unbelievable."

"That's why you love me."

She stood and leaned down to kiss my forehead. "Now go to bed. You look like your soul's been in a street fight."

"It has."

"Then tell it to drink some water."

I climbed the stairs slowly, each step heavier than the last but my heart was just a little lighter.

By the time I reached my old room, I didn't even undress. I crawled onto the bed in my clothes, pulled blankets up over me, and curled into a ball. Just as I did when I was fifteen and heartbroken over some boy who didn't call me back.

But this time, it was not because I was unwanted, though. It was about finally walking away from someone who never deserved me in the first place.