The Billionaire's Forsaken Wife

Chapter 20

ZYRAN’S POV

My head throbbed with a sharp pain.

I opened my eyes slowly. The ceiling of my private study came into view, I lay flat on the floor. My chest heaved, and my shirt was soaked with sweat. The memory of the burning car and the ashes was fresh in my mind, making my hands shake.

I pushed myself up off the floor, my breathing was heavy.

"Roosevelt," I rasped, my voice hoarse.

I looked around the room, the study was completely empty.

I glanced at the door, It was wide open.

I held the table to steady myself.

I patted my pockets. The brass key was gone. She must have taken it while I was out.

"No," I whispered. "No, no, no."

I scrambled to my feet and ran out of the study. The mansion was a mess. Paramedics rushed through the front doors with a stretcher, and my security guards shouted orders.

"Mr. King!" my head of security yelled, running toward me. "You are awake! Mrs. King called us and said you collapsed—"

"Where is she?" I roared, grabbing the guard by the collar of his uniform. "Where is my wife?!"

The guard’s eyes widened in fear. "Sir, we... we don't know. We were focused on getting the medical team inside for you, the back gates were left unguarded for a few minutes."

I shoved him away and pulled out my phone. My hands shook so much I could barely type. I opened the mansion’s security camera app and checked the back gate footage.

My blood turned to ice.

The black-and-white video showed Roosevelt running into the dark street. She looked so small and terrified, she hid behind the old oak tree. A few minutes later, a black car pulled up to the curb.

Maverick Sterling stepped out of the back seat.

I watched my wife take the hand of my biggest rival and climb into his car.

A violent roar ripped out of my throat. I threw my phone against the wall, shattering the screen into pieces.

"Get the SUVs!" I shouted at my men, my voice echoing like thunder through the hallway. "Track Sterling’s car! Lock down every road leading to the private airstrips! If he puts her on a plane, I will kill every single one of you!"

I didn't wait for them, I ran to my private safe, grabbed my gun, and sprinted out to my car.

I drove like a madman. I didn't care about the speed limits, I didn't care about the red lights. The only thing in my mind was the terrified look in Roosevelt’s eyes when I locked her in the study.

I had lost my mind. I had let my jealousy and blind me. I treated the woman I loved more than my life like a prisoner, I pushed her right into the arms of another man.

I cannot lose her, I thought, gripping the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white. I will die if she leaves me.

My security team radioed in. They had located Maverick’s car heading toward the narrow bridge on the edge of the city.

"Block the bridge," I ordered through the radio. "Do not let that car pass."

When I arrived at the bridge, my five black SUVs were already parked sideways, completely blocking the road. The freezing night wind whipped through my hair as I stepped out of my car. I walked to the front of the barricade, holding the gun by my side.

A minute later, Maverick’s black car appeared in the distance.

The driver saw my barricade and slammed on the brakes. The tires screeched against the road, stopping just a few yards away from me.

The bright headlights blinded me, but I didn't blink. I didn't move. I stared at the dark windshield, knowing my wife was sitting right behind it.

I pulled out my backup phone and dialed Maverick’s car line.

He answered on the second ring.

"Unlock the doors, Sterling," I commanded. My voice was calm, but my heart raced. "And hand over my wife. Or I will shoot you right here and now."

There was a short silence. I saw the reverse lights of Maverick’s car flash red, he was shifting gears. He was going to try to ram his way out.

I raised my gun, pointing it directly at the driver’s seat. If he tried to take her away, I would pull the trigger. I didn't care about the consequences, I only cared about Roosevelt.

But suddenly, the reverse lights turned off.

The car stopped moving.

I held my breath, the wind seemed to stop blowing.

The back door of the car opened.

Roosevelt stepped out into the cold night.

She wore a simple beige dress. She shivered, hugging her arms tightly around her chest. Her face was pale, and the red mark from my mother’s cruel slap was still visible on her cheek. She looked so fragile yet incredibly brave.

As soon as her feet touched the road, Maverick’s driver slammed on the gas. The car screeched backward, spun wildly, and sped away into the dark.

Maverick was gone.

But I didn't care about him anymore. I didn't care about my pride, my anger, or my billionaire status.

The gun slipped from my fingers.

I ran.

I ran across the bridge as fast as I could. When I reached her, I didn't grab her arms.

My knees hit the freezing, hard road.

I dropped to the ground right in front of her. I wrapped my arms tightly around her waist and buried my face against her stomach.

"Roosevelt," I choked out.

A loud, broken sob erupted from my throat. My shoulders shook violently. I couldn't hold back the tears anymore, I cried like a child.

"I am so sorry," I wept, my voice muffled against her dress. My grip on her waist was so tight. "God, I am so sorry."

She stood completely still for a second. I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for her to push me away.

"I don't know what came over me in the study," I cried, "I lost my mind. The thought of you leaving me... the thought of you with him... it made me crazy. I am so sorry I handled you roughly. I would never hurt you. I swear, I would never hurt you. Please, please forgive me."

I held onto her, terrified that if I let go, she would vanish again.

Then, I felt a soft, warm touch.

Roosevelt slowly raised her trembling hands. She buried her fingers in my hair, gently stroking my head.

"I am here, Zyran," she whispered. I heard the tears in her sweet voice. "I am not going anywhere."

A wave of relief washed over me. I let out a gasp, pulling her closer. She stayed, she actually stayed. She loved me enough to forgive me.

I kissed her stomach through the fabric of her dress, thanking God for giving me a second chance.

I slowly stood up, my eyes were red and burning. I quickly took off my suit jacket and wrapped it tightly around her shivering shoulders. I pulled her against my chest, burying my face in the crook of her neck. She smelled like vanilla.

"It is over now," I whispered fiercely against her soft skin. "I promise you, Roosevelt. Everything is going to change. I am sending Mina away tomorrow, she will never come between us again."

Roosevelt closed her eyes and hugged me back. I felt her body relax against mine.

"The guards said her penthouse caught on fire," Roosevelt murmured softly into my chest. "Is she okay?"

"She is fine, she wasn't there," I said, rubbing my hands up and down her back to keep her warm. "The penthouse burned to ashes, she has nothing left in this city. It is the perfect time for her to leave."

I meant every word. The fire at the penthouse was a sign. Mina had only brought chaos and pain to my marriage. I was done trying to save a woman from my past, my only priority was the woman in my arms.

I pulled back slightly, cupping Roosevelt’s face in my hands. I wiped a tear from her cheek with my thumb.

"Let’s go home," I whispered, leaning down to kiss her forehead gently. "I will make everything right. I promise."

Roosevelt nodded, a small, tired smile touching her lips.

I wrapped my arm around her waist and walked her toward my car, my guards opened the back door for us.

Just as I was about to help Roosevelt into the car, my phone buzzed loudly in my pocket.

I frowned and pulled it out. It was a message from my head of security.

“Sir, the fire department just finished putting out the flames at the Lakeview Penthouse. The fire investigator sent us the security footage from the hallway cameras right before the fire started, you need to see this immediately.”

I stopped walking. A strange, cold feeling settled in my stomach.

"What is it, Zyran?" Roosevelt asked, looking up at me with worried eyes.

"Just a security update," I said softly. "Get in the car, love. It's freezing."

I helped her into the back seat and closed the door. I stood outside in the cold and opened the video file attached to the message.

The video loaded, the camera angle showed the front door of Mina’s penthouse.

The door opened from the inside.

My breath caught in my throat.

Mina stepped out into the hallway. She was wearing her hospital gown. The thick white bandage was still taped to her cheek. She looked perfectly calm, she wasn't crying.

She was holding a large, red plastic gas can in her hands.

I stared at the screen in awe.

Mina poured the gasoline all over the expensive rug in front of her own door. She poured it on the walls. Then, she reached into her pocket.

She pulled out a small, sparkling object.

The camera zoomed in automatically.

It was a diamond tear-drop earring. The exact same earring I had bought for Roosevelt. The earring Roosevelt had worn to the Charity Gala.

Mina smiled, she dropped Roosevelt’s diamond earring right in the middle of the gasoline puddle.

Then, she lit a match, threw it onto the rug, and calmly walked away as the hallway exploded into flames.

The video ended.

My phone slipped from my hand.

My entire world shattered into a million pieces.

Mina didn't just set her own home on fire. She planted my wife’s jewelry at the scene of the crime, she was freaking trying to frame Roosevelt for arson and attempted murder.

And the most sickening, gut-wrenching realization hit me so hard I almost fell to my knees again.

If Mina was crazy enough to burn down her own penthouse just to frame my wife... then Roosevelt was telling the truth all along.

Mina had sliced her own face with those scissors.

I had looked my innocent, terrified wife in the eyes, called her a monster, and kicked her out of our bedroom, all to protect a woman who was actively trying to destroy her.

I turned slowly and looked through the tinted window of the SUV. Roosevelt was sitting quietly in the back seat, wearing my coat and trusting me to take her home.

A wave of self-hatred washed over me that I couldn't breathe. I was the monster and I had absolutely no idea on how I was ever going to make this right.