The Wife He Never Loved

Chapter 8

Adams POV

Recap

Leo: Mr Tyler, there's good news!... I found something

The moment I heard Leo's statement over the phone, the undeniably loud noise in the bar faded immediately.

“Good news? What did you find?” I repeated, straightening slightly in the uncomfortable bar stool. My heart thudded harder than normal.

Dylan looked at me intensely. “What is it, Adams?” He asked, looking all confused but I held up a finger, signaling him to wait.

“I'm listening, Leo” I said into the phone. “What did you find?”.

“I was able to trace her last location to the airport sir and after a few minutes, the tracking signal failed. But before the airport, she made a stop at a small lodge at the outskirts of the city which is even barely recognised. She lodged there for a couple of days before heading to the airport”. He stated carefully but his voice never loosing it's professionalism.

“My grip tightened around the phone. “Where you able to find out which flight she boarded?”

“I was able to access every CCTV cameras at the airport and also check out the names of every passengers whose flight was booked for that day, I found nothing sir.” He said. “ It looks as though she never left”

“What then would she be doing at the airport? Are you sure you haven't missed something?” I asked even though I deeply know how good Leo is at his job. He hardly make mistakes and that is because he's keen to details.

My chest tightened. “Look deeply into it, Leo” I ordered, deeply doubting he'd find anything again. “Look into Evie Torres and not Evie Tyler.” I requested. Since she signed the divorce papers, she’ll definitely cuts herself off from everything I own. I thought.

“Alright sir. I'll get to work immediately” he spoke over the phone.

“How long will that take?” I asked him, closing my eyes briefly

“ 3 days max, Mr Adams” He replied.

“That's way too long. Get your informations ready by the end of tomorrow.” I ordered, spitting every words with every strength I had left.

I ended the call before he could argue. I stared at my phone long enough till I heard Dylan's voice.

“Did he find anything?” He curiously asked. I told him everything Leo passed across to me over the phone.

“If the airport is her last seen location without any sign of her travelling. It could be two things. She is still in the country or she changed everything you know her to be, including her name and appearance” he said quietly

I laughed. It was a bitter one. “She could barely decide what to eat without apologizing. I doubt she'd go that extra length. She doesn't even have a family”

“That is exactly what you think of her,” Dylan replied. “You clearly do not even know your wife, Adams”

I drained the rest of my drink and stood.

“I’m going home.”

Dylan frowned. “You sure that’s a good idea? You're tipsy already which is not safe for you drive”

“I need to think.”

“Let me drop you home. C’mon man” he said, assisting me to get up and walking out of the bar.

_____

The mansion felt colder than it had ever been. I loosened my tie and walked through the living room. I slowly began to notice things I had ignored for years. I looked at the framed photo hanging on the wall, a picture we took on the wedding day. One could see how unsure she was from her looks. She looked like someone who is really scared of what she was getting into. But the question on my mind is …Why then agree to this marriage when even uncertain and clearly knowing how unhappy you'll eventually be?

I stopped in the kitchen, her scent already fading, but still there. I looked over to the dinning table. My jaw clenched. It felt odd without her presence.

I sank into one of the chairs.

“She didn’t leave because she stopped loving me,” I muttered to the empty room. “She left because I broke her” and for the first time, that truth didn’t feel like an accusation, but instead, It felt like a sentence.

Evie’s POV

“Can you stop doing an eye stare competition with the wall?” Elena spoke, jolting me back from whatever realm I've travelled to.

“Elena…” I blinked and turned to face her.

She sighed and sat beside me. “You’ve barely spoken since you arrived and I feel so worried”

“I don’t have much to say.” I responded averting my eyes from her.

“That’s a lie,” she said gently. “You just don’t know how to say it yet.”

I stared at my hands. They were steady and that alone surprised me.

“I thought leaving would hurt less,” I admitted.

She took my hands in hers. “It hurts because you loved him deeply. That’s not a weakness, Evie.” I swallowed.

She continued speaking “I know it's painful, I know how devastating it can be when the person you have grown to love as your husband, never treated you as one” she held my two hands, squeezing it like it is ever going to make me feel better.

“But Evie, the only thing you can do for yourself now is to brace up, begin the journey of being the woman you've always dreamt to be” she sighed looking straight into my eyes with all the care in the word. Just the way, I've always yearned for Adams to look at me.

“You don’t need to rush healing,” Elena continued. “You just need to survive this part.” I nodded slowly, allowing every word to sink in.

“For now,” she added, squeezing my hands, “you rest and then you rebuild. Slowly and on your own terms".

“Thank you Elena” I drew closer to her, closing the space between us as I hugged her. “Thank you for always being there” Finally letting the tears roll down my face. I cried out all of the pains, feelings and emotions I've bottled up inside of me.

“You're going to be fine, Evie. You'll be fine” she said softly, patting my back like she always does to Bella, my cute niece.

“I don’t want to disappear,” I whispered. “I just don’t want to hurt anymore.”

“And you won’t,” she said softly. “Not like that again.”

I didn’t fully believe her.

But for the first time, I wanted to.