Chapter 74

Zayden

She wasn't answering my calls, she wasn't replying to my text.

Fuck!

I don't even know where she was. The house was empty, all her things were gone. The only thing she left behind was her wedding ring which she left on top of the divorce papers attached to a copy of our contract on our matrimonial bed.

I didn't sign it, I just tossed both papers into the fireplace and watched it burn.

All this happened while I was battling with my father in the office the following day.

It was like a part of me was paralyzed. I couldn't feel a thing apart from this heavyweight and void in my chest. It weighed me down to the point I couldn't even get out of bed.

Remember how I said I couldn't imagine going to sleep without her and waking up every morning without her? Well, I couldn't sleep at all.

I had to start taking pills after I temporarily broke down.

My lacrimal glands had been leaking a lot. The weight of the divorce was crashing down on me like an anvil, making it hard to breathe or even think.

It occurred to me that I might never see her again. We would never be together again and our baby, I'll never get to be a dad. I don't deserve it anyway but I had looked forward to when our baby would be born.

I even ordered a crib from China weeks ago, which came in just yesterday. All I did was stare at it and wish for what could have been if I hadn't messed up.

My mind was in a turmoil of emotions- anger, frustration, sadness and despair. I haven't gone to the office ever since.

My dad had been bombing my phone with calls and texts. I've missed important meetings with potential clients and cancelled projects. I honestly don't care what happens to the company at this point.

It's been a week now, and every single minute has been haunting. I don't even know how I survived up till this point.

Everywhere I turn, I see her. Her red hair, those freckles. Her pretty blue eyes and heart-shaped lips. Her cherry scent still lingered in the house.

I haven't been able to contact Jade. She only picked up my call once and said she was going to kill me when she saw me.

You know what was worse? My dad put her on the headlines, that I divorced her because she cheated on me with some lowly man that didn't even exist. Her photos were all over the internet, and most of them were fabricated. He completely destroyed her reputation, nothing was painted on me or the company.

They called her a gold digger and a whore and what did I do about it? Absolutely nothing!

And what was my excuse? My dad had some incriminating evidence that could put me behind bars.

I'm a coward.

I couldn't even fight for her. I couldn't even fight for myself. I couldn't fight for us.

I couldn't imagine how she would feel wherever she was.

I placed my body weight on my feet, staggering to gain balance.

I groaned, pain shooting through my skull. My stomach rumbled, I couldn't even remember the last time I ate. I've been living on water and chips. I can't go out, I don't have the strength to order some food.

I went into the kitchen and made the one thing I learnt from her. Fried eggs.

I couldn't even take a bite.

I collapsed on the island, my eyes incredibly heavy.

I want her back.

I want her back or I don't think I would be able to go another day.

Someone drove into the lawn, and for a moment, my eyes lit up with hope that it might be her, which broke the moment Oliver rushed into the kitchen with Noah following behind him.

Oh great!

Now they're both going to see me at my lowest.

" Jesus Christ! You look like trash." Oliver yelled smacking my arm.

I didn't respond.

" Are you just going to sit here and rot?" He questioned, making me sit upright.

Noah hissed." At least he's not drinking or taking drugs."

" I don't do drugs." I managed to say.

" You've been absent from the office for a week. The board members are angry! Why the hell did you end the project." He yelled in my face.

Oliver doesn't yell because I always punch him if he does but right now, I don't have the strength for that.

" I quit!"

He raised a brow." What?"

" I said I quit. Aiden can have the position. I no longer want to be CEO."

He chuckled." You've lost your mind."

I only nodded, and then the next moment, his fist connected with my face.

I groaned; honestly, I didn't feel a thing. Another one came, and I lost balance; the stool swerved, and I landed on the tiled floor.

" I'm going to keep punching you till you regain your senses." He yelled, connecting his fist with my chin again.

I didn't fight back and just took all the blows till I felt blood slip done my nose and lips.

Now it hurts.

" Oliver, that's enough," Noah spoke, holding the young man back.

He spat out." You bastard! If you quit then where the hell are you going to get money?"

I shrugged, rubbing my bruised chin." I have enough to last for the next ten years. I'll be dead before then."

He raised his leg and landed a kick to my stomach. Pulling me by my sweatshirt, he lifted me till I was on my feet.

" Listen to me carefully. You are not giving up your position just because your wife left you. And you are not going to sit here and rot when your pregnant wife is out there dealing with the weight of being pregnant all alone!"

I stared at him, my chest heaving up and down." She might not forgive you yet but she's carrying your child. The least you can do is be there for her even if she doesn't want you to."

I swallowed painfully. The aftermath of his punches finally settles in. " I don't even know where she is. I already gave up, I'll just...."

He punched me again, this time harder."Ouch! God, stop doing that!"

He shook his head." The next time you mention giving up again, I'll beat you up with a baseball bat."

He can't actually beat me up, I've kicked his ass numerous times but I was at my weakest here.

Noah clears his throat." He's right, Zayden; you have a lot on your hands right now. And you have to fix it somehow."

My thoughts were finally beginning to align." But sage?"

Oliver sighed " A date for your wedding has already been fixed, it's on Saturday."

My eyes widened, Saturday is four days from now." What! When did that happen."

He snarled, raising his hands to throw a punch at me again but Noah held him back.

" Maybe if you had been paying more attention then you would have noticed. It's all over the news, for fucks sake!" He yelled again." This is so not you, Zayden; get yourself together!"

I tensed, he was right. This wasn't me at all." Hell, no. I'm not marrying her."

He nodded." Exactly, you're not going to marry her but have it at the back of your mind that you'll be in jail if you don't show up at the wedding."

I tugged my hair. Jesus Christ! I had no idea that things had gotten to this.

He placed a hand on my shoulders." Look, you're not in this alone. We've got your back."

I never imagined myself becoming emotional, but here I was.

Noah stepped forward." We have a plan, actually, but you might have to forget about Lillian for a short while and get yourself out of this mess first."

Oliver nodded." Yeah, the cops can't arrest you if they don't know where you are right?"

I swallowed, nodding my head. My priority should be Lillian but it would all go down the drain if I end up behind bars.

" Good, so I've been doing some digging and I stalked Aiden a little. I went through his cams, and it turns out he was fucking my sister." He continued, bringing out photos from his jacket.

I stared at them, my heart racing." Does this mean...."

" No! The DNA test was positive, and you did sleep with her."

Noah added." How sure are you that that Test wasn't fabricated?"

Oliver sighed, turning to face Noah." Because I paid close attention and I took her to the hospital myself."

Noah only nodded, his eye calculating.

I just stood there watching them do all the work. Watching them find solutions to a mess I put myself in. It then occurred to me that maybe, I've still got a chance.

This isn't over yet; I can't let my father win so easily; Lillian wouldn't want that.

I wiped my blood-stained face with my sleeve and then sat up." Am I supposed to be in hiding for the rest of my life? Because there's no way I'm doing that."

Oliver pulled out a stool and made himself comfortable." He has solid evidence against you."

" Evidence of crimes I didn't commit." I countered.

" He's right." Noah phrased." I brought him up his entire childhood. He didn't step foot outside of those walls so that evidence of him killing kids in high school is fake."

" And your mother?" Oliver raised a brow.

I only scoffed." I barely remember what happened."

Noah remained silent.

"I've lived with your parents till your mother passed on. Even before the incident, some things didn't add up." He suddenly spoke.

Oliver and I turned to face him." What do you mean?" I inquired.

He took a deep breath before speaking." You were barely nine. You were such an innocent and sweet soul, so when the whole thing happened, I couldn't just believe it. Besides, she died in the bathroom; where the hell did a kitchen knife come from? Plus, you were too short to reach the kitchen counter."

I couldn't keep up because my memories of that day were all blurry. I didn't really appreciate him calling me innocent or short.

"When I heard the scream, I rushed to the bathroom. You were kneeling over her, crying with a bloody knife in your little hands. Your father was also there with blood on his hands. His face..." He paused, taking a breath before continuing.

" His face wasn't that of a man who just lost his wife. The other butlers started coming to the scene, your brother did too. I wanted to take you, kids, away; your father let me take Aiden but not you. You were resistant. You were terrified of him, I noticed it. I took Aiden back to his room and by the time I returned, I was told that you fell down the stairs and rushed to the hospital."

He suddenly chuckled." You know what was even funny? The CCTV footage suddenly went missing, all of it."

I stared into space and then Oliver and I met gazes." Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Oliver whispered.

" But.. why didn't you say anything for so long? You could have at least told me." I inquired.

" You were beyond broken, that's no way to treat a child."

I took a deep breath, my emotions going haywire.

Oliver sighed, his face turning serious." There's only one way to end this. I have a plan."

I nodded. I was still processing the whole thing. I knew there was more to the way he treated me. My father doesn't hate on his son completely, and for so long, it just wasn't done.

Looks like I might actually have to put Lillian aside for a short while, or I might lose her completely.