CHASING MY EX-WIFE

CHAPTER 75

Richard's POV

My hand freezes halfway to my ears, allowing my phone to crash to the floor, as soon as my eyes flash to catch sight of her red car driving off.

Shit!

She must have bumped into Eve downstairs.

Without hesitation, I grab the phone and run back into the living room to get my shirt and car keys before heading out.

Shit!

That bitch. I wonder how she got to know this place. I'll make sure she never steps foot here again.

With that determination, I dash out, not bothering to take the elevator, and quickly descend the staircase before sprinting to the car.

My insides are in disarray. My mind is jumbled.

What exactly am I supposed to tell Arabel for her to believe me? That bitch had never stepped foot in here; this is her first, but I am sure Arabel won't believe it.

When I am inside my car, I angrily slam my fist on the wheels. My phone begins to ring, and I pick it up.

“What?!” I bark into the phone, reversing out of the gate and turning onto the road at a high speed.

“I wanted to let you know she was in the car for a few minutes without coming out…”

“I know!” I bark again. “So?”

There is a note of hesitation in his voice, and I stop the car abruptly, fear skating across my face.

He wouldn't call if it wasn't important. He would never call for any intangible information like this. Definitely, something is up.

“What the hell happened?!” I snap at him, expecting a quick response.

“We lost her,” he announce suddenly, making my jaw drop in disbelief.

“What?!” I almost lose control of the wheel when I realize that Arabel doesn't want to be found. She wants to disappear again, like she once did, and I won't allow that.

She needs to hear me out. I have nothing to do with that bitch. She came on her own accord. Throwing herself cheaply at me, like some whore.

“Call Luca, no one is allowed to come out of that house, especially Daisy, and let me know if Arabel appears there, ok?” I shout out my orders with implacable authority and impatience.

Arabel can't disappear without Daisy, so definitely she would go to Ashley's place. That's where Daisy is.

At first, I thought of finding her at my mom's, but now I know she can't be there. Not when something like this has happened. She would never go tell my mom. She would just disappear into thin air.

I lost her once. Not again.

Increasing the speed limit, I make my way to Ashley and Caleb's home. That is where Daisy is spending the night. I had to split the men trailing Arabel for days since their arrival in New York.

Two of them are with Daisy at Ashley's, and two are following Arabel, whom they have just lost.

Ten minutes later, I drive roughly into Caleb's parking lot and rush out, racing to the door and banging on it so loudly.

A puzzled Ashley throws the door open to see me right on her porch, panting.

“Is Daisy in?” With hesitation, I ask, and she nods.

“What happened?” She asks, her face displaying a mix of confusion and curiosity.

“What about Arabel? Did she come here?”

“Bella?” She asks, and I nod intermittently, calmly waiting for her to talk. “No, she only came to drop off Daisy. She isn't back yet. Is everything okay?”

My heart sinks.

Where has she gone?

“Is everything okay?" Caleb appears by the door in his pajamas, making me realize it is already late. Daisy must already be asleep.

“I will explain everything when I am back, but do me one favor. Call me if she comes here. Don't let her know, but please call me, ok?” I glance from Caleb to Ashley, both looking confused and curious to know what was happening.

Without waiting for their response, which I am sure won't come until I explain everything, I race back to the car and drive out.

Grabbing my phone, I dial her number, and it rings several times before going to voicemail. I know she wouldn't pick, I just wanted to try my luck.

Right now, I don't even know where to find her. Ashley doesn't know anyone except for me, Ashley, and her mother. Or Alex.

For Alex, I know she won't go there. She won't go to him, and that leaves us with our mother.

With the car speeding to nowhere in particular and my eyes darting left and right to possibly find that red car hanging somewhere around, I dial mother's phone.

“Hello,” Mother's sleepy voice reaches my ears. “Richard?”

“Is Arabel with you?” I ask her, imagining her jumping out of bed with her eyes wide open.

“What? What happened? Did you two fight? Is she missing?”

“No, mom. I just want to know if she is there. I want to talk to her about something, and she isn't at Ashley's,” I tell her, hoping she doesn't suspect anything.

I know mom. If Arabel were there, she wouldn't pretend she wasn't. She would nag and scold me until I could bear it no more.

Shit!
I slam my fist on the wheel again, my head spinning with questions about where she must have gone. And why did she have to get the guards off her trail?

What if something bad happens?

Regret. Fear. Anger fills my inside.

I shouldn't have made her so upset to the point of running out. If she hadn't, maybe she wouldn't have seen Eve, and this wouldn't be happening.

If I hadn't raised that sensitive topic after she had warned me several times not to, perhaps she would still be in my apartment when Eve appeared, and she would have seen and heard everything I told the bitch.

I cut the call and dial Arabel's number again. It starts to ring and goes to voicemail again.

I don't stop calling. It doesn't stop going to voicemail. But I am determined to keep it up until she picks up.

Finally, someone picks it up, and I take it off the loud speaker, gluing the phone to my ears so I can explain myself clearly and have her listen to me.

“Arabel, I swear to you, there is nothing between Eve and me. I don't even know how she found my address or why she was there in the first place. I sent her out as soon as she appeared. Nothing happened between us. I don't want you to misunderstand…”

“I never said you two did anything together, did I?” Her low voice cuts me short. “Did I?”

“No.”

“How did she know about your penthouse? I didn't even know that place was yours as your wife and even as your ex-wife until I bumped into you after making my payment. How the hell did she know?” Her voice is raised now. She is panting, and I assume she is crying, too.

“I don't know, I swear…”

"I also saw her at your mother's party, Richard. Stop with all the lies. No one is preventing you from being with her, so why are you telling lies?"

“You don't believe me? I've got nothing to do with her. I haven't seen her in years until that night at my mother's party. This is the second time I have seen her in years. She means nothing to me, believe me. She is nothing but a bitch, trying to pitch her tent…”

“Oh, really? What proof do you have to support any of these claims? You didn't invite her, how did she know about the party then? You didn't give her your address, how did she know? That is what I don't understand, Richard.”

“Bella, I swear. Believe me. I would never do anything to hurt you, I told you that already. If you don't believe me, think about it again. Why would I invite her when you're with me? Isn't it obvious I didn't even know she was coming?”

If I was deceiving her and I was truly dating Eve again in secret, I wouldn't invite her when I knew Arabel was in New York. I have never been a player, and I can't be one now when all I am chasing after is a second chance with her.

“I want us back,” I say, realizing my words have already gotten to her due to her long silence. “I would never jeopardize this for anything else in the world. You mean everything to me, Bella. I would never ruin this the second time. Not for anyone. You and Daisy mean the world to me. I won't let you go. I won't jeopardize having my family back for a worthless being like Eve. She means nothing to me. Wanting to keep my commitment was what made me hurt you, and I won't do that again. I would never have asked for a divorce if I knew the commitment meant nothing, and I was such a fool for wanting to keep my promise. I love you. I have loved you, but my desire to keep to my promise and not let go of her because you are suddenly in the picture made me so scared of confessing my feelings for you. If I didn't love you, Arabel, I wouldn't have made love to you. We made love. Remember how passionate it was? That was love. I was just being a jerk, not telling you how I felt that night. I love you, please…” My words trail off when a trailer makes a sharp bend, coming straight at me.

In fright, my eyes widen as I let go of the phone, making it drop to the floor. I struggle to maneuver my way through the narrow lane to avoid crashing into the trailer.

But it seems it was meant to come for me.

No matter how much I try to move to the other lane, it approaches me, and I halt the car abruptly, waiting for the unexpected.

It crashes into my car, and a scream leaves my mouth before I jerk backward into the broken car seat.

Darkness invades my existence.

****
Is this planned? Is Richard going to survive this? Is Arabel's dream manifesting already?

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