Chapter 8. Lost Her

Victor POV

I was about to leave the conference room when it suddenly opened, and my father came in, looking determined. 

He had been trying to corner me for days, but I guess the dodging had to stop now.

I can't run and avoid him forever. 

“What do you want?” I barked, rising from my seat for leverage.

I had learned over the years that it was the only way to deal with my father.

Seeing what I had done,  Benedict Gunner tutted. 

He did not answer me right away, and instead asked a question that we both know the answer to.

“How did the meeting with the Bennetts go?” 

I gathered my things, impatient for the pleasantries. I was tired. I had been up all night, preparing for the meeting. It also did not help that my argument with Pepper still weighed heavily in my chest. 

I was angry at her for keeping things from me. But I knew it was more my fault than hers. 

I was pushing her away. 

A wince formed on my lips when I remembered how she looked last night after I confronted her for keeping vital information from me. 

I turned around to leave, but every part of my body protested.  Every muscle aches. 

“Hold it right there. I am still talking to you, young man.”  Benedict Gunner barked, making me stop in my tracks. 

I took a deep breath and faced him squarely.

“I am already the CEO of the company. You can’t just bark an order and let me dance to your tune.” I informed him without turning my head. 

My father laughed. It sounded sarcastic and lacking in genuine amusement.

“You may be the CEO, but that was just a title. I still pull the strings around here, and if you want to maintain your title, you will stay and listen to me.” 

I gritted my teeth, trying to restrain the anger that rose unbidden in my chest.

I waited as Benedict Gunner skirted the conference table to stop behind me. 

For a while, no one said a word between us as we tried to feel each other out. 

Then, my father broke the silence between us. 

“I heard your wife is still not pregnant. You should divorce her. You only need to get her signature, and I will do the rest.” 

My jaw tightened. The same thing goes with the muscles in my arm as I gripped my free hand into a fist. 

“This is nonsense. We are done talking here.”

My father was not done talking, but for me, this conversation was over, so I marched out of the conference room as if the d*vil was hot on my heels. 

When I reached my office, Maggie was there to greet me.

“How did the meeting go?” 

“It’s fine,” I said, loosening my necktie while slumping on my executive chair. 

The weight of my father’s warning is still fresh in my head. 

For three years, my father believed that I had made a mistake in marrying Pepper, my wife, and had been convincing me to divorce. 

When Maggie came back to the picture, he became more determined in his persuasion tactics. 

"Water?" Maggie disrupted my thoughts. 

She looked worriedly at my face, and before I could nod my assent,  she was already coming back from the fridge bringing a tall glass of cold water. 

I grimaced when she put the glass in front of me.

For the nth time, Maggie keeps forgetting that I no longer drink cold water. I used to, when we used to date, but not anymore. 

Subtly, I rose from my executive chair and went to the pantry to get myself a mug of hot water. 

The warmth seeped into my palms, leaving a trail up to my arms. 

When I reached my desk, it was only then that I noticed the divorce agreement that my father had given me. 

My eyes widened in alarm when I saw that aside from mine, it now has another signature. 

“Did Pepper come here?” I asked Maggie rather sternly. 

She took a step back, and I realized I had addressed her sharply, but that was the least of my concerns right now. 

I took the divorce document and examined the signature closely. It was indeed Peppers. 

“She dropped by and saw the divorce agreement and signed it. I tried stopping her, but she only snarled at me.” 

My chest heaved as if something hit it. 

“Get out!” I snapped at Maggie.

When she left, I hastily looked for my phone and called Pepper.

“The number you dialed is out of coverage. Please try again later.” The voice prompt said. 

I tried calling again, but like the first time, I couldn’t get through. 

Frustrated, I sent her a message. 

“Why did you sign the divorce agreement? Are you out of your mind?” 

I waited for her response, but it never came. 

At home, I tried waiting for her, but she did not show up. 

“Stop that tantrum and go home.” I sent her another message, but she remained unresponsive.

“Stop making me worry. This is not funny anymore.” I sent her another message, but this time, the app sent me a notification message saying that my message failed to deliver.

Panicked-stricken, I checked her social media sites, but I couldn’t trace her. 

“Pepper blocked you.” James, one of my friends adept at platform management, concluded. 

What worries me is his next comment. 

“It seemed like she disappeared. I can't trace her anywhere.” A cold sheen of sweat beaded on my forehead when I heard this. 

I was about to report her disappearance to the police when a lawyer came to the office to serve me the final divorce papers. 

“Where’s Pepper?” I asked Samuel Burke, ignoring my copy of the divorce papers.

“She’s gone.” 

The panic rose again. This time, I knew that this was a serious matter. 

“I need to talk to her. If she wanted to divorce me, she should at least meet with me to discuss the division of our properties.” I said to the arrogant lawyer, but he only shook his head. 

“Pepper does not need your money. You can have it.” 

I wanted to laugh, but no words came out of my mouth. 

Didn't Pepper marry me for my money? Now, this lawyer is telling me that she did not want it?

"No." I shook my head.

“Pepper will not divorce me,” I said, sounding as if I needed to convince myself of the fact more than him. 

“But she did.” He insisted. “The copy in your hands is your proof that she was serious about it.” 

I stared at the paper in my hand, feeling its weight.

Images came unbidden into my head - of my wife looking harassed in exploring all avenues to get pregnant, and the hurt in her eyes every time I play father to Colter. 

Shame and remorse filled me for what I had done. 

In the blink of an eye, I lost her. I lost my wife.