The Unspoken Vow

Chapter Twenty Three

Ivan

      Eliana informed me the night after Nyah and I fought, that Nyah went to stay with her uncle. Now, I was driving behind Eliana's dark red Cadillac to the property because I have never been there before.
      It was the first week of September and the breeze was making way to fall, the sun was still burning hot but the air was getting cooler, but none of this was making me feel any less stressed out.
      When we got to the gates, Eliana spoke to a guard, the guard looked at me, then nodded at Eliana. After that, he let us through and I parked behind her car on the large, brick driveway.
      Unable to keep waiting, I got out of the car and rang the doorbell. Eliana stood beside me silently, her arms crossed over her chest. Minutes later, Devon opened the door himself and frowned at me.
      "Good afternoon, Eliana," he smiled at my sister.
      "Hi, uncle Dev," she grinned back.
      "Hello, Ivan, I'm assuming you're looking for my niece." He said in a voice of finality that all the warmth he showed towards Eliana was gone immediately when he spoke to me.
      "Where is my wife?"
      "Well, I'm afraid she isn't here," he said.
      I scowled at him, then looked at Eliana whose brows were raised in question too.
       "What do you mean she's not here?"
       "I went out for a meeting, came home and she's no longer here," he answered, simply, as if there was nothing wrong about the fact that he left Nyah unattended and came home with her gone.
        "Why the fuck haven't you told anyone?" I asked, losing my patience and unable to control the anger coming off of me.
        "I was about to do that-"
        "Wait, are her books still in her room?" Eliana asked, cutting him off.
        "No, every single one's gone." He answered.
        "What the fuck does that have to do with anything?" I asked, looking at her.
        "Nyah would never leave her books anywhere, she's fine. She's not kidnapped," she answered. "Okay, uncle Dev, sorry for intruding on this fine Friday afternoon but we've got someone to find." She smiled, grabbing my arm.
        He just nodded, his face remaining grim towards me.
        "I'm sorry," I uttered, feeling guilty beneath his gaze.
        "I'm not the one that needs an apology," was his response.
        "Right," I mumbled, getting in my damn car.
        I haven't felt like a little kid in a long time because I fucking wasn't one but the look he was giving me made me feel like I was a child that got caught stealing candy. It was a good thing Nyah had him to protect her too.
        "We'll go to the Villa, maybe she went home, try to call her,"

~~~

       I called her several times and it all went straight to voicemail. Fucking hell, now I knew how she felt when I didn't answer any of her calls.
       When we got to the Villa, her car wasn't there, Eliana went to her house just in case Nyah decided to stay there and I went to Nyah's bedroom, found it empty, the bookshelves void of all books. Then I checked mine and she obviously wasn't there either.
       Eliana came into my bedroom her phone in hand. "I tried calling, it went to voicemail, have you tried?"
       "Yes, I have, Eliana," I answered, my patience running impossibly thinner.
       "Well check your messages, maybe she told you where she is?" She suggested.
       I went to Nyah's texts and read through a bunch of apology messages and her asking me to call her and immediately felt an ounce of guilt with each text that I didn't read before.
       Fuck, why did I have to be so fucking stupid?
       "No she didn't, the last text was yesterday," I said, panic taking control of me.
       "What did she say?"
       "She was asking me to call, that's it," I answered.
       "She wouldn't go to her parents house, I know that for sure. I'll call Mal, maybe he knows, and I'll check my hotel, maybe she went there."
      "Call me if you find her,"
      "Yeah, asshole."
       Fucking hell.
       I run my hand down my face, not knowing what to do and all I could think about was her in danger. Her alone somewhere out there. What if she got in a fucking car accident with nobody to fucking help? What if she got kidnapped?
       Where else would she fucking go?
       I sat on the bed and felt something hard underneath. I flipped the covers and found my e-reader and as if one of Eliana's slaps, it hit me that she may have gone to the lodge.
      I grabbed my car key, sent Eliana a quick text letting her know that I went on my own search and drove off.

~~~

      I didn't give a fuck about the state of my parking, all I needed was to see my wife and if she wasn't here I didn't know what I was going to fucking do.
      I yanked the door open, and the house was quiet, the lights were off and nothing was moved. I felt another wave of panic take over and I went all over the house. Checked the kitchen, the patio, the rooms upstairs, nothing.
      I called her again but it still went to voicemail.
      I went back to the kitchen, poured myself a glass of water and drank the whole thing as if that would make me feel any fucking better.
     I leaned back against the counter and stared out the window, looking out at the lake, the clock ticking behind me making everything so much worse and I almost threw the glass at the damn clock, had my phone not rung.
      When I picked it up, it wasn't Nyah calling but a person I titled 'construction'.
      I answered, feeling the need for a distraction. "What?"
      "Good afternoon, sir, we tried to reach you the last few days but we couldn't get a hold of you. We just wanted to let you know that the library is finished and is ready to be used,"
      The fucking library.
      "Thank you,"
       I was already out of the house before I even ended the call. I walked the whole way to the damn lake then the library beside it, in its full glory, the lights inside bright and I saw her through the window. In a loose purple sweater and a white skirt, putting books on her damn shelf.
     Slowly, I opened the door and she looked at the door, the book she was holding dropping to the ground.
     "Ivan?"
     "Nyah,"
     I went to her, pulled her to me and kissed her deep. My hand going to her waist and the other at the base of her neck, holding her close.
     I pulled back, pressed my forehead against hers and close my eyes, immediately feeling comfort in her being in my arms.
     "Nyah, I'm sorry," I mumbled against her skin.
     She pushed me gently, "are you?" She asked.
     "Yes," I kissed the top of her head as she wrapped her arms around me again. "I'm sorry for being stupid," I whispered. "And I'm sorry for not answering you when you called, for not replying to your texts and for blaming you for something you didn't do." I told her, rubbing my thumb over her cheek. "I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me, I read every single one of your texts, love, and I hated myself with every single one that I didn't answer."
      "I forgive you, I wouldn't be here if I didn't, would I?" She asked, kissing me on the cheek. "And I'm sorry, too. For telling you that you didn't deserve me, you do. You deserve every good thing this life could ever give you and I'm so grateful to have you." She sighed. "I was angry and you were angry and we both said things we didn't mean and I wish it never happened and I really don't want it to happen again, so please, from now on, can we just talk things out when we're angry?"
      I kissed her again, grateful for the fact that I had such an understanding woman.
      "I love you, Nyah, I love you more than I love myself."
      "And I love you more than I love my books," she said, that playfully smile back on her lips. "Which is saying something because I really love my books,"
      I laughed at that, "God, I missed you," I said, framing her face with my hands and pressing a kiss to her lips.
      A smile bloomed on her beautiful face and she wrapped her arms around my neck pulling me down. "Prove it, then. Show me how much you missed me," 
      "I'd spend the whole night doing that, love, be careful what you ask for,"
      "I know exactly what I'm asking for, I want it,"
      My wife gets what she wants.