Chapter 153 - Aaron Ibarcena
It was cruelly ironic that everyone around her was getting married right when Keeley discovered that her ex-husband's consciousness and memories still existed. Although, if she was being technical, they had never gotten divorced. She didn't sign the papers before her death.
They weren't married anymore though since their marriage certificate didn't exist in this timeline. So Aaron was still her ex-husband in a way. They used to be married but now they were not. Thinking about it made her head hurt.
She wasn't sure which was the most shocking piece of information he dumped on her even after having over a week to think about it. That he loved her all along? That he was capable of learning from his mistakes? Or that Alistair Hale had hated her so much that he arranged to kill his only grandchild?
If she ever saw either him or Lacy Knighton again she would punch them in the face and screw the consequences. It was the least she could do for her lost child.
It's funny how much you feel like the world has been pulled out from under your feet when you find out just how wrong your perceptions are. Keeley still didn't know what to make of it all.
She had no proof beyond what Aaron said but there was no way he knew how to fake tears. He had to be telling the truth.
What hurt the most about all of this was that he hadn't trusted her enough to be honest about the problems they were facing. If he had only told her, they could have figured out something together.
Their marriage certainly had its problems back then but at that point she still loved him. It could have been salvaged.
Or could it? If she had known back then that his own father was the reason she couldn't have children anymore, she may have hated him for it.
She shook her head to get rid of the unwanted thoughts. Aaron didn't matter now. She was alive, her father was alive, and her future hadn't been ruined yet. She needed to focus on her work. The animal trials were coming along, slowly but surely.
Classes were too. It was crazy to think this was her second to last semester of classes ever. Normally she participated in the summer session but this year she needed to focus on finishing her research instead. Having a little break from academia would be nice.
Fitting in her friends' weddings into this crazy schedule would be extremely difficult. Lydia's wedding was in April and she would be missing a couple days of class for it. At least Jennica would be getting married here in New York so she wouldn't have to travel.
Unfortunately she had been asked to be a bridesmaid by both of her friends so she needed to be involved in the planning, either in person or over the phone.
She really didn't have the time but how could she turn them down? She loved both of them.
Keeley sighed. Jennica's engagement party was this weekend and she still hadn't gotten her a present. She and Valentina were planning on pitching in together to buy her a Crock Pot but neither of them had time to make it to the store yet.
Why they even bothered having a wedding registry when Cameron was so rich…He could afford anything they needed to set up house. Keeley supposed it was the principal of the thing.
She hadn't had a registry. People in the Hales' social circle gave them gifts of antiques, priceless paintings, and large donations to charity in their names. It had been completely overwhelming. She would have been thrilled with a normal gift like a Crock Pot.
After work, she met up with Valentina (who had a rare night free) to go pick out the gift. Their choices were staggering.
"How many kinds of Crock Pots do they need to have?! Did she mention specifically which kind she wanted?"
Valentina pulled out her phone to double check the list online. "She wanted the eight quart capacity one…how many people is she expecting to feed?"
Keeley shrugged. "They're probably planning on having kids at some point. It could work for inviting guests over too."
"Which color do you think she would like? They have black, white, and silver."
"Probably silver. She says Cameron's kitchen appliances are silver so it would be best to let them match."
Valentina frowned. "What are we going to do without her?"
"It's not like she's going off to die…we'll still see her sometimes."
"No we won't. Newlyweds are only interested in each other. We'll be lucky to see her every few months at best."
She had a point. Keeley's newlywed life had been filled with social events because she was in demand as the newest member of the circle but she had several classmates who suddenly stopped coming to group activities after getting married even though they promised they wouldn't fall off the radar.
Jennica had only been with them for two years but she was a vital member of their apartment. They would even miss all the show tunes rehearsals.
"Well, she is older than us. It makes sense she would settle down first," Keeley tried comforting her friend. "Moving on is a part of life. It's unrealistic to think we all would have been roommates forever."
"I know," Valentina sighed. "I'm just going to miss her."
She patted her roommate on the shoulder. "Me too. Come on, let's get this Crock Pot wrapped up and then we can go home and drown our sorrows in that new telenovela that came out last month."
Her friend's eyes lit up. "Oh, that reminds me! My cousin called; they started shooting your telenovela last week. Do you want to see pictures of who they cast as everyone?"
Keeley had completely forgotten about this with everyone else that had been going on in her hectic life lately. She was most curious to see who they had cast as Aaron and whether or not the actor would pull off his icy demeanor properly.
Valentina held up her phone and showed her pictures of the main cast.
"You never named them so the station did it for you. The reincarnated girl is Luz Corrales played by a new talent named Rosa Lamadrid and the rich guy is Aaron Ibarcena and they actually got my hunk Hector Garza to be him! The uh…what did you call her? Side chick? Is named Lorena Murillo and she's being portrayed by the beautiful and seductive Sofia Romani."
Of all the names in the world did they seriously have to pick the right one for Aaron's character?!
"…is Aaron really a Peruvian name?"
"Oh yeah, it's super popular! I know at least three Aarons back home. Why do you ask?"
"No particular reason," Keeley lied. This was too much of a coincidence.
She examined the photos closely. Rosa Lamadrid was pretty but gave off a sweet, naïve vibe. That would fit Keeley in her first life. She had seen Sofia Romani portray a seductress in another telenovela; she was a good choice. As for Hector Garza…he was handsome but could he be cold enough?
"How long do you think it will be before it airs?" she asked.
Valentina's brow furrowed. "Not sure. These things go quick; they shoot 18-20 pages of script per day and edit and release as they go rather than film everything beforehand like in American television. According to my cousin, they are going to release two episodes a week for about a year."
It would be interesting to see how much they changed Keeley's life story. Especially now that she knew the truth was different than she believed when Valentina submitted that proposal for her. How much would it align to reality?