Begin Again novel Chapter 162

Isaac went out of his way to make sure she's happy and comfortable even though the ride to her place was relatively short. He put on some upbeat music and turned on the heater to warm her up.

They drove in silence for a kilometre or two until Eden grew restless, and she found herself babbling away to distract herself. She was so afraid that her hurt and anger would take over once again if she stayed still too long.

She'd cried enough for Liam for one night.

So she faked a huge smile on her face as she asked Isaac random questions. He was happy to answer them all while he negotiated the car through the nearly empty streets.

Eventually, the conversation moved on to their respective jobs, and Isaac updated her on his latest divorce case, a couple with mega millions on the line, but the only thing they wanted to wrangle over was their ten-year-old Sphynx cat.

"I get it," Eden said. "I would have fought for Snow, too, if I knew there's a custody battle going on."

"Who's Snow again?"

She was happy to fill him in on the very brutal ending of her engagement to Simon and their weeks-long battle over the Maltese poodle they'd jointly adopted.

"What a dick!"

"I know, right!" She chuckled, amazed that she could laugh about it now. There was a time when she thought she'd die from her heartbreak, and there were days when she couldn't imagine a life without Simon. But now, her ex was nothing but a memory, and perhaps her biggest lesson learnt and a beautiful mistake. A mistake she was so afraid she could very well repeat with Liam if she was not careful.

Aware of the broody direction her thoughts were taking, Eden forced herself to snap out of her gloomy mood.

She clasped her hands on her lap and murmured. "To be fair, I think I was more of a tacky-ass dick than he was."

"How so?" Isaac asked, glancing at her briefly before focusing on the road again.

"I kept the ring, and I wore it for two years. My friends pawned it for me just a few weeks ago, and I got a nice payout for it. But I still feel guilty for keeping all that money, so I haven't touched it."

Isaac laughed. "Think of it as compensation for all your pain and suffering. I mean, if you guys were married and ended up divorcing, you'd have gotten a settlement of some sort."

"I guess," Eden chuckled. "Thank you, your wise counsel!"

"I wish I took stuff from my ex. But it was either that or Zoe."

"You did good," she touched his arm to reassure him. "You did right by her."

"Thanks," he nodded, his eyes narrowing when they turned into her street, and they saw the long line of cars parked outside her place. "I didn't know Lydia is such a megastar she moves with an entourage!"