Derek’s POV
I wasn’t sure I was a very great liar, but I tried to be once everyone started asking about my wife and child. Damn it, I had been so confident that lissa would be by my side right now. But what can I do? She was seriously ill and needed rest.
"Mr. Derek sir? Your wife isn’t here with you?" Asked another person, a junior staff.
"Um, no she isn’t. She’s in Tokyo as we speak right now. Work related." I put in my best smile to conclude the lie. It didn’t feel great to tell everyone my young wife was sick at ho because she had a spike in her blood pressure. No, I wasn’t proud of that at all.
Then I saw her, and this little kid again. And who was that other lady? But no man was with her. Why did I just feel a sense of relief now? I mustered up the courage to walk up to her and...just to say hi. Besides, she said we needed to talk anyway.
"Mr. Derek, I need to talk to you sir." said one of my close guards. He was one of my eyes and ears.
I frowned. "Now? It’s a party and we’re busy."
"It’s a bit urgent sir." He insisted.
"Fine, what is it?" As we both walked to a corner together, I still turned to confirm Tara was there alone. She didn’t actually co with a man, huh. Sothing in began to play with y the thought that maybe Tara was bored already and needed a man. She needed .
Too bad lissa and I were very good together now. I might have spared her another chance and maybe gotten back with her. Who would protect her and that child when there was no man in her life?
"Sir, I don’t even know how to say this." He said, scratching his head, which was starting to annoy already.
"What is this, Han? Just talk already, I have a lot of guests to say hi to." I said to him not hiding my anger at all.
He breathed in heavily before handing over an envelope to . With furrowed brows, I glanced at the envelope and back at him before snatching it from him. "What is this?" By the ti I opened it, I was shocked to find three pictures there. I didn’t understand at first, then Han went ahead and said,
"It’s about your wife."
I didn’t hear him well. "Okay? What about her?"
Then I looked again at the images before and my mouth widened in shock. "When were these taken?"
"This morning sir. We even matched the location to make sure of it."
"That’s not her. I an, she’s sick at ho. I left her asleep." I was talking more to myself than to Han.
"I’m sorry sir but this is today. We wanted to make sure it was accurate so we didn’t say anything until we got there pictures from the hotel’s security footage ten minutes ago. I rushed down here to tell you this sir."
I stopped listening to what Hans was saying at so point and kept on imagining what this scenario was turning out to be. It wasn’t real of course.
"There’s more sir." Han’s voice was firm and bold that it got my attention at once. "This man, this was who she went to visit."
"Wh--what man?" I managed to ask.
"Donovan Chistiel, or at least that’s what we think his na is."
Another picture was shown to with my own wife wrapped in the arms of another man so delicately that it gave goosebumps. That bastard son of a bitch!
"You’re done here. Go." I said, almost like a bark. Once I saw he had disappeared, I did what my instinct was telling to do by calling lissa’s number at once. Just what I had expected. Her number was switched off! "You bitch! How can you do this to !"
My whole body was shaking now as I didn’t know what or how to react in an instance like this. Sothing in my heart was pounding and then, it made wonder what Tara must have felt when she found out about lissa and I. Was this how heartbroken she was?
I dialed my mother’s number to find out where Nina was, "what do you an she isn’t with you?"
"Hey slow down, what’s gotten into you? Is Nina supposed to be with ? Your wife said you all were at that rich people party. It’s a family thing, isn’t it? Why are you thinking Nina is here with ?"
Quickly, I hung up. I wanted to just ignore and be by myself, maybe run out now away from the crowd. But sothing told mother would just keep on calling, thinking sothing was wrong. So I called her back.
"Hey mom, I must have had a few things to drink. Nina is with lissa, they’re taking a picture."
"A little drink? Seriously? You scared the hell out of right now, what is wrong with you?"
"Sorry mom, bye. Gotta go." Heaving in deep sigh, I brought the phone’s screen back to my face and tears I did not know began to drip down my face. How was I feeling this hurt and betrayed? She lied to . She said she didn’t know this bastard and now she was in the hotel with him? Maybe he set her up. That must be it.
"Derek,"
I jumped up, hearing that sweet voice that I knew I could recognize anywhere. Instantly, I wiped my eyes, rasing my head to face her. She looked at like I was a ghost. A scary one at that. Had she seen crying?
"Tara. You’re here." I said, wanting to slap myself for the foolish remark. Of course she would be here, she invited !
"I said we needed to talk. Let’s get right into that." She said, leading into the hall, but away from where all the crowd were.
When we were alone, though the lighting and music was still so loud--and Tara would not stop introducing to everyone!--but finally, we sat down and I couldn’t be more happy. I started to wonder how I managed to keep a straight face through the night though.
"Before you say anything, you are my business partner and it’s only right that I introduced you to people, don’t you think?" She completed her comnt with one of her charming smiles.
"Okay. Thank you." I clearer my thought, trying so hard not to look moody or anything. "You look beautiful tonight Tara. That’s lovely, the way you manage to take care of a child all by yourself. It must be really tough, and working too. You’re a strong woman..." I was forced to halt now seeing she had frowned. "What? I’m just saying."
"You should have kept that to yourself. And by the way, I’m doing alright. Thank you for your care."
"I never stopped caring, you know?" I decided to add that because it was true. Even though it still surprised why I cared.
"I have sothing to tell you, and I don’t want you to panic."
"Okay, when have I ever panicked? You should rephrase that, rather, why are you the one who’s shaking right now?" It was true. I just started to observe now that she looked terrified. "What? What are you about to tell ?" Deep down, my heart was beating so abnormally fast already. I can’t believe this day would actually co.
My eyes were fixed on her, and it stopped right on her lips... mories were rushing back in. lissa lied to anyway so why couldn’t I just say yes to Tara now?
"Yes."
She blinked, definitely taken aback by my response. "What?"
"You heard ." I said proudly. "We might have to do sothing about that child though. I an he might be cute but I can’t raise another man’s child."
Suddenly, her eyes flared up. "Another man’s child? What do you think I’m here to talk to you about, Derek?"
With the way she acted and looked so angry now, I was beginning to doubt in my confidence skill. "What is it then?" I swallowed, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"Derek, that child, that sweet little angel, his na is Richard. And...and he’s your son."
There. I heard her say sothing but I didn’t understand too clearly.
"Wait what?" Confusion engulfed as I began to puzzle everything she had just said.
"When we were going through our divorce, I was pregnant. You wouldn’t listen though, you didn’t even care back then so I said nothing." she said with pride in her eyes.
"And now? What’s changing? Why are you telling now?"
"Because seven years has past now, and Richard is a big boy. He’s been asking of his father. Also, this is a mont for to spit out my guts and sleep decently at night knowing that I’ve told you this. aning that you’ve just heard about this, and maybe once in a year I can let you et your son and pretend you’re a good person to him or not.
I was in a situation where one would be said to have been tongue tied. "W-how--wait... Huh?"
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