We’re just going to be honest here, we kind of forgot all about the fourth member of this little love square.
Ever since we learned Ariana Grande had moved on with a MARRIED Wicked co-star, our focus has pretty firmly been on Ethan Slater and Affair-days-before-new-broke/”>his suddenly-estranged wife Lilly Jay. After all, with certain sources coming out claiming they were already broken up before the affair — and Dating-after-both-separated-from-significant-others/”>every other piece of evidence seemingly contradicting that — we’ve been trying to get at the truth of the this sordid timeline.
That’s left Ari’s ex, Dalton Gomez, as kind of an afterthought. We already knew they had split up, that marriage wasn’t broken up by this on-set tryst, right? Huh. Let’s actually rewind and take another look…
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OK, so on Thursday a fresh source told Us Weekly that Dalton, improbably, “hasn’t given up hope” on his marriage:
“Although Dalton knows Ariana has moved on with Ethan, he still hasn’t given up hope that they can make things work.”
WHAT?! That’s a far cry from the word we’d been hearing that he had moved on and been dating around for months. Makes us kind of wonder about the source saying that now…
The insider added that Dalton has been left in a tough spot:
“On one hand, Dalton wants to give Ariana her space, but on the other, he’s been trying to remain in contact with her.”
Yeah. Doesn’t sound like someone who’s moved on. This source does corroborate that Dalton’s been dating around though — just with a different framing, clarifying:
“What they had was the real deal and he’s still coming to terms with the fact that they’ve split. His friends have been trying to set him up with people and although he’s been dating, he’s still holding out that him and Ariana will get back together.”
See, now that sounds like someone who got dumped, right? Not like two folks who grew apart, not a conscious uncoupling, that’s the description of a man in denial after being left… right? Maybe… left for another guy?
Related: Ariana Held Lilly Jay’s Baby While Having An Affair With Her Husband?!
What we do know now is that little Hail Mary he pulled in January, flying to London to see Ari while she was filming? That was never going to work — because she was already all over Ethan! Production insiders spilled on Thursday that the co-stars were really obviously into each other right from the start of filming! That means by the time Dalton tried his grand gesture, his wife had already found her (thank u) next!
Starting to sound like the timeline isn’t so crystal clear on Dalton and Ari either, right? Hmm…
We aren’t holding out hope for Dalton here. (Nor would we put money on Ethan lasting, tbh.) But just his alleged desire, the way his heart was apparently broken… it’s saying a lot, isn’t it?
What do YOU think, Perezcious dating experts??
[Image via Ariana Gomez/Ethan Slater/Instagram.]