Chapter Five

Aiden's POV

“I'm sure our engagement announcement is going to top the charts for months. Everyone is talking about how good we look together. I don't know why we waited for so long to do this.” Elena kept talking. My head was banging hard and I wished she would keep quiet for a second.

“That's because you were angry.”

“Ah! That's right and I'm glad I forgave you.” She said and moved to kiss me. I don't know why but it suddenly felt weird to me and I turned my face slightly making the kiss land on my cheeks. The smile on her face faltered.

“James will drive you home.” I told her as we approached my car.

“But you said…”

“I'm sorry. Today's been a rough day. We will see tomorrow. I’ll ask my secretary to deliver the new necklace I bought for you tomorrow.” I placed a kiss on her forehead and gave instructions to James, my personal chauffeur.

Maybe, if I drive faster I might meet her before she leaves even though it was in my best interest not to. I don't know why but I felt like I hurt her too much even though the goal was to hurt her. She doesn't have anywhere to go so I'm sure she will still be at home. 

She was the one who betrayed me so I did the right thing by firing her and serving her divorce papers but why did I feel guilty? Why does my heart ache so much? Why does it feel like I'm the one in pain instead of her?

There's nothing wrong in ensuring your ex-wife's safety right? It was humane and every man in my position would do the same thing.

I stopped the car in front of the mansion. My gaze went immediately to the flowers. The roses she planted round the house were gone and replaced. Why would she replace them when she's allergic to chrysanthemum flowers? 

I pushed the door open and no one came to greet me nor did the scent of home made food welcome me. I moved my eyes to the couch where she would sleep off till I arrived but she wasn't there. Maybe she's upstairs. The room was devoid of her things. It felt like her presence was erased from the mansion completely. I could see traces of Elena's stuff even though I agreed with Elena that she won't move in till after the wedding.

The flashy ring on the table drew my attention. It was the ring I gave her on our wedding day. The one that fit her finger so perfectly even though I never got the courage to tell her so. I picked up the paper it laid on top and confirmed the documents. 

I don't know why my chest tightened and felt hollow at the same time when I saw her signature. The one I was so accustomed to due to our work.

She was gone and that was the reason the mansion didn't feel like home when I stepped inside.

I held my chest as the thought of her in the streets filled my mind. My phone rang and a text from an unknown number popped up my screen.

Unknown number: You just wiped us away from your life. Be sure to regret it.

I stared at the text in confusion. Who sent it and what did they mean? My phone started ringing and an unknown number flashed the screen. I picked it up hesitantly.

“Is this Mr. Kensington?”

“Yes. Who is this?”

“I'm calling from the State's General Hospital.”

“If you need me to make a donation, go through my secretary.” I paused when I recalled that I recently fired my secretary. I guess bad habits don't die quick.

“This is not about a donation. There has been a fire incident and your name was the only one on the emergency contact list of one of the victims. We would like you to come and confirm the bodies.” My ears rang and I forgot how to breathe for a moment.

“I think you have the wrong number.”

“We were able to retrieve a half burnt document that looks like a pregnancy test result of one Mrs. Maya Kensington…” His voice strayed off and the phone fell out of my hand.

Pregnancy test. Mrs. Maya Kensington. Those two sentences kept repeating in my head. Was she pregnant? 

I tried to calm myself down. There were so many people in this country with the first name, Maya. This was just a coincidence. I reached for my phone again and dialed Gideon's number, the chauffeur I hired for her. He would be with her because I made sure to tell him that protecting her was one of his job descriptions.

But the line was switched off. My heart hammered against my chest. Many thoughts filled my head. I held the counter to support myself.

My phone rang again and I hastily picked it hoping it would be her.

“This is the State’s General Hospital and the owner of this burnt document was involved in a fire incident and you are listed as one of the emergency contacts of the individual when we ran the documents on the system. We will appreciate it if you come and identify the body.”

“W-what?”

“This burnt document we recovered was found beside one of the crushed victims and we will like you to identify the body.”

I stared down at my shaky hands. This is not happening. Never have I ever felt the way I was feeling now.

“Hello, Sir.” The woman at the other end of the phone kept repeating till the line went dead.

I grabbed my keys and drove speedily to the hospital. Even as I drove, I wished that it was a lie. Even as I stared at the bodies of the victims, I wished I was hallucinating. Their bodies were burnt beyond recognition.

“This was found at the scene. The rest were burnt to ashes.” The doctor handed over a necklace and a half burnt paper to me. I recognized the necklace in my hand. It was the one I gave her as her wedding gift. The one that looked so pretty on her neck and she never took off.

I read through the papers and the room felt too small when I saw that she was five weeks pregnant. 

Oh God!

My phone rang and I switched it off when I saw that it was my mother. She wouldn’t stop harassing my line until I spoke to her and I was in no position to do so.

“Can I see the bodies?” I asked the mortuary attendant and he nodded and uncovered their faces. I just stared at their bodies, unable to recognize them. They were burnt badly.

I moved away from the bodies as I held my chest. 

Yes, she did betray me but she didn’t deserve to die this way.

I couldn’t help but wonder if she’d still be alive if I didn’t force her out of the office.