CHASING MY EX-WIFE

CHAPTER 58

Richard's POV

My heart couldn't take it.

Seeing Arabel in the arms of that jerk as he leans forward to peck her forehead like a man would do to his wife.

My heart felt like it was going to break into half pieces. It makes me seethe in anger.

Before I can do anything, my phone rings, jerking me back to life as I divert my gaze away from the sight.

Asking her for friendship was an alternative to telling her how much I loved and cared for her. I had never been so scared in my entire life. I dreaded what her answer would be.

Friendship was all I could ask for.

When I did, I thought she was going to let her guards down and transform overnight into the caring and loving woman I used to know.

My heart gives a little twist as I rise from the table to excuse myself. My face burns with fury as I make my way out of the hall where the after-wedding lunch is taking place.

Betrayal has hit me square in the face.

Back in there, when the vows were being exchanged, I saw the way she was staring at me with so much intensity, which made it quite impossible for me to look away.

That stare spiked a lot.

It emitted anger. Sadness. Most importantly, I observed how she gazed at the couples, and I imagined her reminiscing about our wedding day.

That must have been the happiest day of her life. For me, the day was filled with sadness. I wanted it not to happen.

But now I want that more than anything else. I would sacrifice everything I could to take back the hand of time, have another wedding, and begin life afresh.

I would love to erase every bad memory from her head and recreate new, beautiful ones. I doubt I will ever have the opportunity to do this.

“Why is the best man standing here alone and looking like someone who just got his heart broken?” A voice interrupts my thoughts.

Before I can turn, he stands next to me with a smile.

Fernando.

I stand upright with my hands still in my pants pocket, careful not to show him how jealous I am to have seen him with my ex-wife.

I would do anything to be in his shoes.

“Are you ok, Richard?” He demands again, this time with more concern than smiles.

“Yes,” I reply sharply, so he doesn't get the wrong idea. “I just came out to receive a call. I will be back inside in a jiffy.”

“But you don't look like you want to go back in there, do you?” He inquires, looking intently at me.

I don't reply to him.

From my peripheral view, I see him smiling and looking ahead, just like I am. After a moment of silence, he clears his throat and folds his arms around his bosom.

“I see you like her too,” he blurts out, making me turn to him quickly. He turns to face me squarely, still smiling. “You don't need to deny it. It's obvious you do. I saw it in your eyes the moment you saw her. You two know each other from way back, and who knows, perhaps you had a past with her, but that is definitely none of my business.”

Then what is your business? I want to shout at him.

He sighs, and his eyes leave mine as he shifts back to face ahead. "I also like her. I really, really like her. She is beautiful, smart, bold, independent, and lovely. Ashley speaks well of her, and I wouldn't mind dating her if she agreed to go on a date with me. Also, I am not here to play around with anyone. Ashley knows me well enough, and she knows I want nothing else but to settle down…”

“Hey!” I cut him short suddenly. “Why are you telling me all these?”

My tone is harsh, and my hands are itching to slam my fist into his jaws, tell him to stay away from her and get lost.

Find your bride elsewhere!
Arabel is mine!

He flashes me a smile again, which I find really annoying. “I just want you to know so you can back off if you are here to play.”

With a threatening gaze, I step towards him. “Well, I am not. I am also willing to marry her off if she accepts me this instant."

He looks surprised for a while before his face breaks into a smile.

“Bravo. Really? Does she even know you have feelings for her? I remember how she totally ignored you when you saw her. That was what gave me the go-ahead. I don't date women who are confused and don't know what they want. I date go-getters, and that woman in there…”

"That woman in there is someone I know more than anyone else. Do you think you know her? Just because she ignored me doesn't mean we are not on good terms. Do you remember seeing her last night after I left the party?” I smirk at this, noticing a hint of doubt clouding his expression. “Do you still know her more than I do?”

“Richard, I am not here to fight…”

“Me neither. You came on to me, remember?!”

He clenches his jaws and drops his folded arms before turning away. I am thinking he will stalk off and pretend this never happened, but he remains.

“How do you know her?” After a moment of silence, he finally inquires. “Where do you know her from? What form of relationship exists between you two?”

A small smile forms on my lips. “Which of these do you expect me to reply to first?”

“How do you know her?” He asks sharply, curiosity dancing in his eyes.

I shrug, determined to play this game with him. He thinks he can get me to back off, but he is wrong. He is the one who is going to back down.

Arabel is mine.

Shrugging again, I answer, “For as long as I can remember. Probably since childhood.”

His eyes bulge open in surprise, and I suspect he must already believe that we used to have something together in the past.

Well, that is the idea. He needs to know she isn't his.

Gulping down with his Adam's apple popping back and forth, he asks again. “Where do you know her from?”

I answer with a mischievous smirk, delighted by the question. “My house.”

The answer does not have as much effect on him as I thought it would. But I am glad he is getting the answers, and the questions are going to be an advantage to me.

“What form of relationship did you two have?”

At this point, I remain silent. Arabel pretended not to know me because she didn't want anyone to know we were married and divorced.

Telling him she was my ex-wife is going to be a bad idea, and she won't take it lightly with me. I don't intend to ruin the opportunity to be friends with her, not when we've just started.

“The usual. Pretty close. Good friends.”

I grit my teeth as I reply. I want to give him the impression that we used to date or be together, but at this point, I can't.

Doing that would reveal the truth. He might want to question her about it, and she would be mad at me.

He starts to laugh. “Really? So I was scared for nothing? Oh, Goodness!”

He breathes out a sigh of relief, making me realize just how much he must have fallen head over heels in just a day of meeting each other.

Jealousy slashes like a knife through my heart.

There are other men who would appreciate her, like her, and want her to be their girlfriend or wife. Men who are courageous enough to make their moves. While I am here, bearing the title of just an ex-husband and forced to pretend as if our past never existed, harboring the feelings of loving her.

Everything I did is coming back to me.

The pain. The hurt. The betrayal.

Everything, and it hurts so damn much. It gives me headaches and heartaches.

How do I get her back before someone else asks her to be with him? Fernando looks desperate, like a man who will propose to a woman on the third date.

Would Arabel accept being with a man she barely knows? Someone like Fernando?

Before I can speak, the familiar, sweet voice I always crave to hear every night before I go to bed and each morning when I wake up, shouts from the entrance. “Fernando.”

We both turn to see her waving with a big smile on her face. She waves for him to come.

Everything I didn't value, I value now. Including seeing her every second of the day, which I crave with every deepest thing in me.

Watching her speak and smile.

Seeing her walking around the house while I wait for her to ask about my day at the office.

When my heart squeezes, I blame myself once more, realizing she doesn't even spare me a glance.

I shouldn't have let her go. I shouldn't have asked for that silly divorce. I should have been more patient, more accommodating, and more willing to give our marriage time.

I shouldn't have let her go.

Fernando grins widely like a boy who has won a trophy of a big chocolate before running over to her while I stand there, staring and relishing that one moment I had her in my arms because I wanted it.

That night.

I should have known I liked her. I should've known I needed and wanted her.

Everything was going to change that night. And it did.

Now I am left to pick up the pieces of my heart and accept the fact that Arabel will never look at me the way she used to, and she might never love me again like she once did.

This is a lost love.