CHASING MY EX-WIFE

CHAPTER 115

Arabel's POV

A YEAR LATER

A smile radiates from my face as I give my reflection one last check.

Unable to ignore the blushes on my cheeks, I remain conscious of the excitement fluttering in my stomach, making me feel like a young adult getting married for the first time in her life.

Because the first wedding wasn't real, it felt like the first time. We didn't tie the knot out of love, but this time we're marrying because we love each other.

It took me birthing Andrew Giodano to realize what I wanted: to have a family with Richard.

He never mentioned marriage to me again until a week after the birth of Andrew, when I asked him when he would propose to me again.

His jaws dropped in surprise, but quickly disappeared as relief took over. Before I could do anything, he swept me up in his arms and spun me around.

Before he could drop me back on my feet, I bit his shoulder.

Everything feels surreal.

This is indeed happening. This time, I won't stop myself from telling him how much I love him. I won't let my fears get in the way. And I won't hurt him like I once did.

“Bella?” Ashley's familiar voice reminds me of reality as I spin around to see her, entering with a smile on her face. “You ready?”

With a grin, I nod gingerly. “Yes.”

Ashley gave birth to Daniel six months ago, and I had Andrew three months ago. It only took two weeks to prepare for this wedding, which will take place right here at the mansion.

Richard and I decided to keep things low. We decided to get married quietly and go for a honeymoon in Germany, just as I had always desired.

Our new nanny would come along to look after Andrew.
He is my prince charming. Cute and quiet. He doesn't cry all the time, unlike Daisy when she was younger.

All he does is smile at me, and eats till he is satisfied before going back to sleep. Watching him while he sleeps reminds me of Richard. I have a feeling these kids will only look like Richard, not me.

Andrew also has blue eyes. I can't believe he didn't take my eyes. It would have been a fair division.

A chuckle leaves my mouth at the thought as we approach the front door, leading to the garden where the wedding is going to be held.

Ashley gives me a knowing look, and I nod in the affirmative. Then she opens the door, and I step out.

The first thing I saw was the well-built man wearing a tailored Italian suit with suede shoes, standing nervously and glancing around till his eyes caught mine.

His jaws drop agape, and I smile again.

Ashley is my maid of honor, while Caleb is Richard's best man.
While I am wearing a white lace wedding gown with a pointed toe lace shoe, Ashley is wearing a tea-length blue satin gown with pointed heels.
Daisy appears, bearing the wedding bouquet. When she flashes me a smile of satisfaction, my heart stutters and beats wildly in happiness, knowing full well I am doing what my daughter wants and wishes for.

A complete family.

Her daddy. Mommy and her little brother.

What more could I ask for? After the years of being apart, the whirlwind of emotions, the accidents, and the kidnapping, here we are, ready to renew our vows, with determination in our hearts to make things work this time.
  
Richard’s mouth forms a round shape, and I catch wind of what he just whispered. “Wow.”

Pride fills my insides.

I step closer to the garden porch where the priest is waiting and finally stand in front of Richard who is staring at me with pure admiration.
“You look stunning,” he murmurs, smiling widely like a teenager wooing his crush.

“You don't look like yourself,” I reply back sharply, and he throws me a wink.

I almost laughed and hit his arm.
 
The priest starts to talk about the wedding while I am lost in watching Richard's eyes brimming with hope and happiness. After a while, the priest asks us to exchange our vows, while Caleb stretches the wedding ring for Richard.

He takes it without moving his eyes away from me. He looks like he's ready to devour me any minute now.

“Arabel Cooper, I promise to do everything in my power to make you happy and to support, shield, and respect you. This lovely smile on your face is what I hope to see every morning when I wake up and every single day that we have together. I pledge to be there for you in times of need. I swear to be by your sides through good times and bad, in health and illness, till death do us part. I love you and I promise to do so till my last breath.”

A tear rolls down my eyes.

The vows.

They stir up something inside of me.

I can feel the sincerity in each word. This is different from the vows we exchanged during our first wedding.

The words are flowing straight from his heart to mine.

When he slips the ring onto my finger and his hand brushes against mine, I ignore the buzzing electric current and blink back the tears threatening to spill.

“Richard Giodano, I love you, as I have always loved you. I promise never to doubt you or misunderstand you. I promise to stand by you through thick and thin, support you with love, for better or worse, in health and sickness, for richer or poorer, till the very end.”

A round of applause resounds, drowning out the priest's words, as Richard slams his mouth against mine before the priest can pronounce us man and wife.

When the claps die down, he pulls away, his eyes drowning mine. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“I love you more.”

I chuckle, flustering all over. “I know.”

“Thank you for loving me despite my shortcomings.”

“Shhhh!” I place a finger on his lips.

I love this man, and nothing can stop me from loving him till eternity.

Hand in hand, we thank all of our guests before sitting down for a round-table lunch with everyone.

We planned the occasion for just 100 guests. Gonzales, the man who rescued me when Alex kidnapped me, flashes me a grin from the other side of the table, and I smile back with a nod.

I didn't have the opportunity to thank him for his help. Now that I've seen him, it brings back memories of a friend turned enemy.

And tears spring from my eyes.

“Babe, are you okay?” Richard’s concerned tone reaches my ears, and I nod intermittently, pushing back the tears. I manage to convince him when I plaster a smile on my face.

After dinner, Richard speaks with some of the guests for a while as they begin to leave.

Natalie told me she wasn't going to miss the wedding for anything in the world, and she is here.

Suddenly, Richard appears beside me, grabbing my hand and whispering into my ears. “Let's go.”

I want to ask him where he is taking me, but I can't because he is just walking briskly without sparing me a glance.

Quietly, we manage to slip away from the party. As soon as we are indoors, in the bedroom, I raise a suspicious brow at him.

“What happened back there?” He asks me suddenly, and I shake my head.

“Nothing…”

Then he sweeps me up into his arms and takes long strides to the bed.

"Richard," I chuckle, slapping his arm, as the idea of consummating our marriage while the celebration is still going on hits me.
When he drops me, humor is absent from his face.

“You remembered him, right?” As soon as the words leave his mouth, I know he has figured it out.

Quietly, I nod and the sadness resurfaces.

He hugs me again. “He was a bad person, Bella. You shouldn't feel guilty for what happened to him.”

I nod.

“It's our wedding day. We should be happy. You have me, I have you, and we both have Daisy and Andrew. We should be grateful, shouldn't we?”

I nod again, this time with a wide smile on my face.

“And we should...” He kisses my lips briefly before slowly shifting his gaze to my legs as he rubs his hand over them.

“Richard, the party is still on,” I remind him, but the dark desire behind his eyes does not disappear.

“I don't care,” he says, rising sharply and slamming his lips on mine.

There is no point in fighting him off. We will not be missed at the party. Aside from that, people were already leaving before we slipped in.

Furthermore, I want this as much as he does.

His tongue delves further into my mouth, urging me to open up, and I did, as I taste him too, with a slight moan leaving my mouth.

When he pulls away to stare at me, I see nothing but love, desire, happiness, and respect radiating in his eyes.

He is no longer the man who didn't care about me. I am no longer the woman who was pretending to be someone else.

This is the new beginning of our lives. A new chapter. A new marriage.

And I know it will be worth it all.

We lose ourselves in a world of desire, pleasure, and passion as my mouth meets his again.

THE END

****

We have come to the end of CHASING MY EX-WIFE. Thank you for reading, voting and commenting.

For those complaining about the dragging, the outline had to be followed accordingly. Getting back with her ex who broke her heart wasn't supposed to come so easily, hence the prolonged bantering.

Writing comes with a lot of effort and sleepless nights. At the end of the day, we always hope it is worth it.

The comments always encourage me, whether negative or positive.

Pardon me, and thank you so much for giving this book your time. There is another new book I am already working on, and I hope to gain the courage to bring it here on wattpad.

See you soon. Let's say our farewell to Arabella, Daisy and Richard.

Goodbye and lots of love❤️