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Chapter 889  Deborah Steele

The visit had been emotionally taxing, but it had also been a journey of emotional release and unexpected encounters. One such encounter replayed vividly in his mind as the plane took off, the ground below shrinking away.

Aaron leaned back in his seat, a smile on his face as he closed his eyes and his thoughts drifted to the lounge where Tom and Lucy had dropped him off so he could have his solo celebration for the end of his deceptive marriage.

Four Days Earlier

The lounge was an elegant mix of old-world charm and modern sophistication, with plush leather seating, dim lighting, and soft jazz playing in the background. The place had been organized in such a way that each patron had as much privacy as they wanted.

Aaron had been pleased when he walked in since it was exactly what he sought- a quiet spot where he could toast to his newfound freedom without any form of interference or disturbance.

As he sipped his whiskey, savoring the warmth it spread through him, a middle aged woman approached his table. She was strikingly beautiful, with an air of familiarity that tugged at the edges of his memory.

"Mind if I join you?" she asked, her voice smooth and her smile confident.

Aaron looked at her, surprised by the approach, and even though he didn\'t want company, he gestured to the empty seat across from him. "Not at all."

She smiled, taking the seat. "You\'re Aaron, right?"

He blinked, trying to place her face. "I\'m sorry, do we know each other?"

She laughed, a melodious sound that sparked a distant memory. "It\'s Debbie. Formally Deborah Hart but now Deborah Steele. We used to know each other a long time ago, before... well, you got married. Remember me? We used to live in the same block."

Recognition dawned on him. And the image of a bright eyed and cheerful young Deborah with a light sprinkling of freckles on her nose flashed before his eyes.

"Debbie? Wow, it\'s been ages. How have you been?" Aaron asked, pleasantly surprised to meet someone from such a long time ago.

"I\'ve been good, mostly. I was so surprised to see you walk in," she said, her smile touching her eyes.

Aaron smiled. "I\'m surprised too. I didn\'t expect to run into anyone I knew from back then."

Diane\'s eyes softened. "How have you been? I hope the years have been kind to you?" She asked, searching his face as though she was trying to find the answer to her question on his face.

Aaron wasn\'t sure how to answer that question so he merely nodded and smiled, "Yeah. Mostly. What are you doing here?"

"I own this lounge," she said, waving a hand around the room, "I like to spend most of my time here."

"I see," Aaron said, not sure what else to say as he picked up his glass and took a sip.

"Is this your first time here? I\'ve never seen you here before. Do you live in Ludus now?" She asked, very much interested in having a conversation with him.

"No, I don\'t. I came here for… business. Decided to have a drink to celebrate the success of my business," he said and she smiled.

"Why then are you celebrating alone? Mind if I join in the celebration?" She asked, and Aaron chuckled, wondering what she would say if she knew what he was actually celebrating.

"Sure. It\'s not every day you run into someone from that long ago. But can you stomach whiskey?" he asked and in response Deborah signalled to come over.

"Get me a glass," she ordered and as the waiter walked away she turned to Aaron.

"So, how is your wife doing? Last I heard you both had a baby before relocating," she asked, and watched as something flickered in Aaron\'s gaze.

"I\'m not married to her anymore. My kids are fine," he said and she smiled.

"I see. You know, I had quite the crush on you back in the day. I was really disappointed when I found out you were dating Sara," she said with a small smile.

Aaron looked at her, taken aback by the revelation. "I had no idea."

She smiled, "I know you didn\'t know. You were quite clueless. And I couldn\'t bring myself to tell you about it either. I was  just too shy then," she admitted.

"I guess you\'re not so shy anymore," Aaron said and she laughed softly.

"No, I\'m not," she said as she the waiter returned with a glass, and Aaron poured her a finger of whiskey.

"So, you\'re married now?" He asked, since she had referred to herself as Deborah Steele instead of Hart.

"Was. Lost him two years ago," she said, and Aaron flashed her an apologetic smile.

"I\'m sorry to hear that."

"Thanks. That\'s why I love spending my time at the lounge. I can\'t bring myself to sell the house because it holds a lot of precious memories, and at the same time, it\'s lonely being there."

"No kids?" Aaron asked and she smiled.

"I do. I have a son. Ronnie. He\'s married. I welcomed my first grandchild some weeks ago," she said with so much pride in her voice that Aaron couldn\'t help but grin.

"So, you\'re a grannie," he teased and she laughed.

"That I am. Hold on, you should see a picture of my princess," she said and scrolled through her phone for pictures of her granddaughter.

Aaron smiled as he watched the pictures, "She\'s a beauty," he said and Debbie beamed with pride.

"That she is. What about you?" She asked, and Aaron\'s eyes gleamed with mischief.

"Me? I am a beauty too," he said, and Debbie looked at him in confusion for a moment before laughing out loud.

"I meant how are your kids? Any grandkids?" She asked, and Aaron grinned even as his eyes lit up.

"My kids are fine and all doing well for themselves. I have three of them. Harry, Candace, and Andy. And I have a grandson, Jamal. He\'s

"Why do those names sound familiar?" She asked with a frown.

"Probably because they were all on Eric Howell\'s show last week," Aaron said and watched as her jaws dropped.

"The Jonas sibling? Those are your kids?" She asked in disbelief since that interview had made quite the buzz.

"Yeah," Aaron said, and he watched as she processed it and tried to remember what could from the interview, and then her eyes widened.

"No way! That Sara they talked about was your Sara? She left you, sold one of your kids and abandoned the other?" Debbie asked in disbelief.

Aaron nodded slowly. "Yeah," he said, and he took a deep breath, deciding to share his reason for being there since she had been honest with him, "I actually came to Ludus to see her. I came here to finalize my divorce from her. That\'s what I\'m celebrating."

Debbie\'s eyes widened slightly. She felt sorry for him even though she was curious to know why he waited for so long to divorce her.

"Oh, Aaron, I\'m so sorry. It all must have been incredibly hard for you," she said, reaching across the table to squeeze his hand.

He nodded, a mixture of relief and sorrow in his gaze. "It was. But it\'s also a relief. I\'m celebrating tonight."

"Well, in that case, I don\'t think whiskey should be the celebratory drink," she said and called a waiter over, asking them to get them a bottle two flutes of champagne.

When the waiter arrived with the drinks, she smiled at Aaron, "Congratulations," she said, raising her glass. "To new beginnings."

Aaron smiled as he raised his glass to hers. They clinked glasses, and for a while, they sat in comfortable silence, sipping their drinks.

Aaron felt a sense of peace he hadn\'t felt in a long time. Talking with Debbie was like reconnecting with a piece of his past, one that was untainted by the chaos that had followed.

"You know, life has its way of surprising us. When I watched that interview last week, I felt sorry for your kids and their poor. I never imagined that poor father would be you," she said and Aaron shrugged.

"Same way I never would have imagined running into you here," Aaron said, and she nodded, her expression understanding.

"So, what have you been up to all these years?" Debbie asked after some time.

Aaron sighed, leaning back in his chair. "After she left with all my money, I had to pack up my studio and focus on taking care of my son, Harry. It was... tough. But we managed. I was able to start afresh and I\'m doing well for myself now."

Debbie reached out again, placing a comforting hand on his arm. "I\'m sorry you had to go through that. It must have been incredibly challenging."

"It was," Aaron admitted. "But we got through it. And now, I have Candace, Andy, and Jamal with me. I\'m really happy. Right now I just want to focus on them and make up for all the time we lost."

Debbie smiled. "Yeah. You should. Tell me more about them." Debbie\'s eyes twinkled with curiosity.

As they shared stories about their families, Aaron found himself relaxing more and more. Debbie\'s presence was comforting, a reminder of a simpler time.

He learned that she had lost her husband two years ago, a blow that had left her reeling but determined to carry on.

"You know," she said after a while, "I really enjoyed this conversation. Would you like to come home with me? I\'d love to host you."

Aaron hesitated, feeling a pang of uncertainty. "Debbie, I appreciate the offer. But I have no intention of getting into a relationship. I need to focus on myself and my family, especially Candace and Andy until they get married, and then on Jamal."

Debbie\'s expression softened. "I understand. And you don\'t have to worry, I\'m not looking for a relationship and I don\'t wish to remarry either. Maybe we can keep things casual, just enjoy each other\'s company as friends without any strings attached. You could see me whenever you\'re in Ludus, and whenever I visit Sogal I can do the same if you want me to."

Aaron considered this, a smile tugging at his lips. "That sounds... nice. I\'d like that."

After that, he had followed her back to her place, and he had let her convince him to spend some extra days with her. They had spent the last four days together, until he decided to return to Sogal.

When she first made sexual advances at him, he had been hesitant and scared because he was afraid that he was going to embarrass himself and disappoint her since he believed he was rusty in that department because he had not been with a woman in almost three decades, but she had asked him to relax and let her take care of things.

It had been wonderful, being with a woman after so long. Aaron smiled at the memory as the plane soared through the skies.

Those four days in Ludus had been transformative. Meeting Debbie had been an unexpected but welcome twist, a reminder that life could still hold pleasant surprises. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

The time he spent with her had been refreshing. They had kept things casual, enjoying each other\'s company without the pressure of future commitments. It was exactly what Aaron needed at this point in his life.

He recalled their conversation the previous night before he left Ludus.

They sat on the terrace of her home, the night air cool and filled with the scent of blooming flowers. Aaron felt more at ease than he had in years.

"I\'m glad we reconnected, Debbie," he said, looking out at the twinkling lights of the city.

"Me too," she replied, her voice soft. "It\'s been nice having someone to talk to, someone who understands."

Aaron nodded, feeling a deep sense of gratitude. "You\'ve helped me more than you know. I\'m heading back home with a clearer mind."

Debbi reached out, taking his hand. "You helped me too. And if you ever need a break, you know where to find me."

He squeezed her hand, feeling the warmth of her friendship. "Thank you, Debbie. I will."

Aaron opened his eyes, the memories of Ludus fading as the present came back into focus.

The plane began its descent, and he felt a mixture of excitement and anticipation. He was eager to see his family.

He had not told them he was coming back because he didn\'t want them to expect him. He wanted to surprise them, Aaron thought with a grin.

This was the first time he would be having people waiting back for him at home since Harry became an adult and left the house. He was looking forward to it.

He could imagine the joy that would be on Jamal\'s face when he sees him. He knew Jamal would have a thousand stories for him when he gets home. He chuckled as he imagined Candace nagging him and asking lots of questions about where he was and what he did, while Andy would smile and ask if he had fun and then tell Candace not to nag him.

As the plane touched down in Sogal, Aaron felt a renewed sense of purpose. He had faced his demons, closed a painful chapter, and reconnected with an old friend.

The future, uncertain as it might be, no longer seemed daunting now that the burden of his past had finally lifted. Instead, it felt filled with potential, waiting to be explored.

He gathered his belongings, feeling a lightness in his step as he made his way through the terminal. He was ready to step back into his life, stronger and more determined than ever.

He was happy to be home.