After All The Betrayal We Chose Love

Chapter 7

Eleven Years breezed by .....

"Mommy… Mommy, I'm tired," Adrian called out sleepily as he walked into the living room wearing his light blue pajamas. His eyes were heavy with sleep, and he rubbed them lazily as he searched for his mother.

"Where's Daddy?" he asked softly.

Annabel immediately bent down and lifted her eleven-year-old son into her arms, holding him close as she gently soothed him.

"Daddy went out with his friends," she replied carefully, brushing her fingers through his hair.

Adrian blinked slowly at her words before speaking again.

"Daddy has a girlfriend, right, Mommy?"

Annabel froze instantly.

Her heartbeat quickened as she stared at her son in shock.

"How… how did....who told you that honey?" she asked slowly, trying to keep her voice calm.

Adrian looked down innocently, unaware of the tension suddenly filling the room.

"I hear Daddy talking to her on the phone all the time," he answered quietly. "And one day, I saw them together."

Annabel's expression darkened slightly.

"How long have you known this?" she asked carefully.

But Adrian only tilted his head and looked at her curiously.

"Mommy," he said softly, "why are you asking me so many questions? Daddy really has another girlfriend, doesn't he?"

Annabel shook her head "You are not answering me honey how long have you know this?"

"Remember that time you traveled for a business trip and asked daddy to take care of me?" Adrian began his his sleepy voice barely above a whisper, his small hands closed around her neck.

Annabel nodded slowly, already feeling uneasy.

"Daddy brought her home that day," he continued. "She kept trying to get close to me."

Annabel's expression immediately hardened.

"Did she say anything to you?" she asked quickly.

Adrian shook his head. "No, Mommy. She didn't." He yawned softly before adding, "I stayed in my room the whole time."

A wave of relief washed over Annabel, though the anger burning inside her only deepened.

Her grip tightened around him a little then looked into his sleepy eyes. "Listen to me carefully, sweetheart," she said softly but firmly. "Don't let her touch you,or even come close to you,okay?"

Adrian nodded obediently.

"Okay, Mommy."

A faint smile appeared on Annabel's lips as she stroked his hair lovingly.

"Tomorrow is your twelveth birthday," she reminded him gently. "And I want my little boy to be happy."

She patted his head softly and hummed quietly rocking him gently in her arms until he fell asleep.

After making sure Adrian was fully asleep, Annabel carefully tucked him into bed before quietly leaving the room.

A few minutes later, she entered her study.

The room was dimly lit, silent except for the soft clicking of keys as she logged into her company's secured financial system. Without hesitation, she transferred a quarter of her shares into Adrian's trust account — an account fully managed and protected by her.

Once she was done, she leaned back slowly in the swivel chair and let out a long breath.

Her eyes wandered across the room until they landed on a small framed photograph sitting on the desk.

It was a picture of her and Jones during their honeymoon years ago — smiling, looking like the picture perfect couple.

Annabel stared at it for a long moment before a cold smile slowly formed on her lips.

"Showtime, Jones," she whispered quietly, her eyes filled with determination and revenge. "I've been waiting for this moment."

BACK IN ENGLAND.....

"I'll be flying to New York in two weeks," Derek informed his business partner over the phone as he stood beside the large window of his office, staring out at the city lights.

On the other end of the line, a deep middle-aged voice responded warmly.

"Of course. We can't wait to finally meet you in person, Mr. Travis," the man said before ending the call shortly afterward.

Derek lowered the phone slowly and slipped it into his pocket.

Just then, Blake — his best friend and long-time business partner — walked over holding two glasses of wine. He handed one to Derek before studying him carefully with a knowing smirk.

"So tell me honestly," Jake said as he leaned casually against the table. "Are you really going to New York for business…" He paused briefly and raised an eyebrow. "Or are you going because of her?"

Derek remained silent for a moment, swirling the wine slowly inside his glass.

At the mention of Annabel, a flicker of emotion crossed his face almost instantly.

Jake noticed it immediately and chuckled softly.

"Man, it's been years," he continued. "And you still look at her name like it's carved into your soul."

Derek let out a quiet breath and finally took a sip of wine before answering.

"Don't get things twisted I'm going there for strictly business only" Derek replied

Jake shook his head with a faint smile.

"So after all this success, all this money, all these new opportunities… Annabel Dutchman is still the woman occupying your heart?"

Derek stared silently at the city lights for a long moment before replying,"Blake, how many times do I have to tell you?" Derek said with an exhausted sigh as he loosened his tie. "I don't love Annabel anymore."

Blake raised an eyebrow and smirked knowingly. "Oh really? If that's true, then why haven't you dated anyone since moving to England?"

Derek rolled his eyes and took a sip from his drink.

"I'm just not ready for another commitment yet," he replied casually.

Blake let out a short laugh and leaned back in his chair. "Not ready for commitment… or still waiting for Annabel?" he teased with a grin.

"Blake, come on," Derek groaned. "Can you quit it already?"

But Blake only laughed harder.

"Man, you're too easy to read," he said. "Every time someone mentions her name, your whole mood changes."

Derek shook his head, trying to ignore him.

Blake suddenly grabbed his jacket from the couch and tossed Derek a playful look.

"Forget all this emotional drama for one night and come with me to the club," he suggested. "You'll be leaving England in six months anyway. Let's enjoy ourselves while we still can."

But Derek immediately shook his head.

"No chance," he replied firmly. "I still need to inspect the newly chopped wood shipment and check on the finished furniture pieces before tomorrow."

Blake stared at him in disbelief for a second before bursting into laughter.

"You seriously need help," he muttered jokingly. "Who chooses furniture over a night out?"

Derek smirked faintly.

"A man with priorities."

Derek picked up his laptop bag and shook his head with an amused smile.

"Just admit you're still in love with her man, I mean there's no type of woman even the ones even I could not bag dawn over you" Blake told him taking a sip of wine.

"We both know I'm not the one to tell jokes and for the last tim, I'm over her" Derek downed the contents of his glass in one go,without waiting for another argument, Derek turned around and walked out of the lounge.

Blake watched him leave and burst into quiet laughter.

"This guy and his job are like oil and water," he joked to himself, chuckling softly as he took another sip of his drink.

Meanwhile, inside his car, Derek opened his laptop while waiting for his driver. Almost absentmindedly, he found himself scrolling through Annabel's social media page once again.

Photos of Annabel filled the screen.

She looked elegant, successful, and seemingly happy. In most of the pictures, she stood beside Jones, smiling like the perfect wife and mother.

Derek stared at the images silently for a long moment.

"She really looks happy," he murmured quietly to himself.

A faint ache settled in his chest as he continued scrolling.

Maybe Blake was right.

Maybe it was finally time to move on.

Derek leaned back in his seat and sighed heavily.

"I should probably find someone too," he muttered under his breath, though even he didn't sound convinced by his own words.

After another glance at Annabel's smiling face, he finally closed the page and forced himself to focus on work instead.

Soon, he joined a virtual meeting with a new client who wanted a custom luxury furniture design, pushing his emotions aside as business once again called