CHASING MY EX-WIFE

CHAPTER 77

Arabel's POV

I open my eyes again to land them on Caleb, who is sitting opposite Ashley and me. I turn to Ashley, and she wraps a hand around my shoulder, understanding what my look means.

I'm blaming myself already.

What if he dies? How could I live with that, knowing full well that I forgave him but not fully? Knowing full well that I caused it?

I sob.

The lump of dread stuck in my throat has refused to go down.

The doctors won't let us in.

We were just lucky enough to see him when he was brought out of the surgery room. There were tubes all around him, and I almost collapsed at the sight.

Richard was hale and hearty an hour ago. Smiling at me. Kissing me.

And now he is bedridden. Unconscious.

How can I possibly cope with that? What do I tell Daisy? What if she asks him? Is this a punishment for me to value him more than I currently do?

I blame myself because I keep pushing him away. Forgiving him was one thing; forgetting everything was another; and giving him another chance was on a whole new level.

I was avoiding that. I was scared. Even though I know deep down that I still and will continue to love him,.

No man has made me feel the way he makes me feel. My heart never beats for anyone else, except for him.

That fact alone always irks me, which makes me overreact when he tries to get close to me or keeps me on the run because I am scared of falling again.

Falling. And getting hurt again.

But right now, it doesn't matter. I just want him to open his eyes, just like I did now, and tell me everything is going to be fine.

I want him to smile at me and peck my lips. Tell me what I mean to him and how much he loves me. How much he regrets his decision to let me go and how he would make up for everything for the rest of his life.

The running sound of someone jerks into my thoughts, and Ashley stands up quickly, her hand dropping off my shoulder.

When I look up, I see mother, looking distraught in her nightwear. When her gaze falls on mine, I break down into tears again.

“No!” She shakes her head and slumps to the floor. "Tell me he's okay. Tell me he is okay, Arabel.”

I want to tell her, but words fail me. I can't even look into her eyes because of my conscience. How do I tell her I caused it? How do I tell her he was in an accident because he was searching for me so he could explain that what I was wasn't the truth?

How do I tell her how responsible…

“Arabel, where is my son? Where is Richard? What the hell happened?!”

Ashley and Caleb help her up.

“He is out of surgery. We are waiting for the doctors to come and tell us how successful it was. But I believe he will pull through,” Caleb assures her, helping her sit next to me.

I am still crying. Loudly. Uncaring of the hospital's no noise policy, My heart is on fire, burning bit by bit at the realization that life is this simple.

Within a twinkle of an eye, the people we love, value, and appreciate can be gone. Within a second, we can lose what we love most.

In just a minute, everything can change, and our lives will never remain the same. Just like how my life can never remain the same if Richard doesn't make it out there alive.

If life is this little and full of mysteries, why then do we let our emotions of anger, hatred, and hurt take up most of what should be love and adoration?

In just an hour, everything about my life has been turned upside down. Richard is laying there lifeless, and I am here crying out of my eyes and praying hard for him to survive this.

Just this once, and everything will change.

Everything will return to normal. I will forgive him wholeheartedly and forget everything about our past.

I don't care what he wants from me, but I will do his bidding the moment the words leave his mouth.

I will tell him how much I love him and how I never stopped loving him. That love metamorphosed into the so-called hatred I thought I had for him.

It wasn't. It was love.

And anger.

I was angry, filled with rage because I didn't stop loving the man who hurt me so deeply.

How could I stop loving him when everything reminded me so much of him? If not everything, our child is enough of a of a reminder.

She looked just like him, right from the moment I stepped out of the labor room and saw her wiggling her toes in the air.

Her eyes. They reminded me of the man I loved and divorced.

She was his replica. As she grew, I prayed so hard for her not to look like him but like me.
Yet, nothing worked.

If she were a boy, I believe he would have known the moment he saw her that he was his. But Daisy's feminine side hides how much they looked alike. Which was why Ashley never suspected she was his until that night.

A hand wraps around my shoulder again, but this time it is mother's.

I hug her tightly as we continue to shed tears. Tears of regret. Tears of sadness. The tears were filled with a single hope—the hope of a second chance at life.

For Richard.

For us all.

Everyone deserves that. A second chance.

When regrets set in and people admit their faults and mistakes, ready to change for the better, then a second chance is needed.

Should be allowed.

They deserve that.

Just like Richard and I. He deserves a second chance at life, and I deserve a second chance at love.

“I'm sorry.” I find myself muttering an apology. “I'm sorry.”

“It's not your fault. Don't blame yourself," she replies quickly and disengages from the hug, wiping her tears with the back of her palm as well as mine. “This is no one's fault. Richard is a strong man. He would come out of this stronger. Just be with him. I believe you are the only source of inspiration for him. As long as you are here, he will be fine.”

At the last word, she begins to sob again. She can't control it anymore.

She wants to comfort me while she is inconsolable. I would also be inconsolable if anything ever happened to Daisy.

This is what makes me a mother, and it leads me to believe that mothers are the strongest creatures on earth.

Aside from having to go through the pains of labor and bringing a child into the world, we also go through the pain of always wanting them to be safe and not hurt. When they are hurt, we get hurt too.

That unconditional love makes us mothers and the strongest of all creatures.

I hug her again, desperate for our prayers to be answered and for Richard to walk out of the ward like nothing happened so we could go home, laugh about it and I can get to kiss him again.

But nothing is happening. No miracle.

And as the minutes pass, my hope begins to diminish.

“Mrs. Portillo?” Someone calls to me, and I stand up quickly, letting go of my mother, who has suddenly gone quiet.

“How is he?” I ask the tall middle-aged man who is wearing the usual blue surgical wear with a mask over his nose, which he pulls down.

“I needed some signatures to be signed, but there is a bit of a problem.” He doesn't answer my question, and my heart skips a beat.

I exchange glances with Ashley and Caleb.

“What is it?”

“You are Mrs. Portillo, right?” I nod gingerly. “Not Mrs. Giodano?”

Realization dawns on me, and I shake my head slowly. “But she is,” I reply, turning to my mother.

He shakes his head. “Are you his wife or not?”

I glance at Ashley again, and she signals for me to nod. I do so.

“Why is there someone else claiming to be his wife then?”

“What?!” We all exclaim, including mother, who shoots to her feet immediately.

“He is not married to anyone at the moment. This is his mother, and I am his ex-wife. I believe she has the ability to sign anything you want, right?” I get a grip on myself and explain, wanting him to get whatever it is signed and heal him.

But he is hesitant.

“It would be better if his wife signed it. She claims to be Mrs. Giodano, and you aren't, so I believe that leaves us with…”

“No…”

“Who the hell is this person claiming to be married to my son without my knowledge?!”

Mother and I speak at the same time. Stepping backward, I give her room to face the doctor.

“He is my son. This is his wife. Either she signs it, or I do. Don't bring a stranger in to sign anything on behalf of my son. Aside from that, I am his mother, so I will get to sign whatever it is. What sort of hospital is this anyway?!”

The man does not look threatened. “We want to follow protocol. There is no evidence to prove that any of you are members of his family when none of you were here when he was rushed in. She came in with the men who rescued him, and that says enough. I just need to know who is and who is not real, and let's get the papers signed so we can proceed further with his treatment.”

His explanation leaves us with mouths agape and curious about who the person is.

The clacking sound of heels pulls me out of my thoughts, just in time for the person to appear next to the doctor.

“Mrs. Giodano,” he calls to her with a smile as she stands confidently, looking from me to Mother and from Mother to Ashley and her husband.

“Eve Rogers?!” I exclaim in loud disbelief.

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Do you believe this story? What is Eve doing here again?

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