The Billionaire's Ex-Wife

Chapter 7

Jackie gave me a glass of milk to drink before going to bed. But no matter what I did, sleep just wouldn't come. My mind was filled with awful images of the night, of memories when Maven and I met and when he bought me a Harry Potter-inspired set of jewelry.

The Maven who looks at me now is completely different from the Maven I got to know. He had always looked arrogant and rude, but he hid a heart of gold. He didn't profess his undying love for me, but he didn't treat me badly either.

I can still remember the day I realized I loved him.

We were vacationing in the Maldives with Cara. To not alarm her that we didn't actually share the same bed after marriage, we had to book a single room.

On the second night, I learned that Maven usually had nightmares about his parents' death. He was sobbing and calling out to them. I tried to wake him up, but he was so far gone he probably couldn't hear me. Only when I slapped him did he come to. He didn't immediately tell me what it was about and I didn't want to push him. Surprisingly, he offered the information himself.

Being in a car accident and seeing his parents take their last breath in front of his eyes were too much for him. And even now, it still haunted him.

That was the first time he willingly shared something personal about himself.

The next day, Cara and I explored the island without Maven. We came across a local selling hand-made bracelets. He told me they were known to ward off bad memories. I immediately thought of Maven. I didn't actually believe in superstitions, but I wanted to give him something.

When we went back to the hotel, I looked for Maven right away. He was on the balcony, looking out to the sea.

"Hello, Maven. You okay?"

He turned around and faced me. "Yeah."

"I have something for you," I said, smiling widely at him.

"What is it?"

I held out my hand to him, showing him the bracelet I had bought. When I saw his still face, I regretted buying him a gift. He was used to expensive and classy things; surely he wouldn't want to wear a cheap bracelet, I thought to myself.

"The man who sold it to me said it wards off bad memories, so I wanted to buy you one. It might not do much, but I just wanted you to know you have me. When you want to talk about Nietzsche or Marx, or find the best restaurant in town, or when things get too heavy to handle, I am always here to go through it with you. I mean, you know, as a friend," I added shyly.

He just continued looking at the bracelet in my hand. After some time, he finally focused his eyes on me. "Thanks, Firella. I love it," he said, beaming at me. He took the bracelet from my hand and put it on his left wrist.

The moment he did, a sudden rush of jitters crawled all over my body. My heart beat faster and felt like it would explode at any second. Looking at his smiling eyes, his upturned lips, his flawless face, a single thought crossed my mind.

I love you.

"Actually, I wanted to show you something," he said.

I shook my head to clear my mind of dangerous thoughts.

"What?"

"I bought you something too," he chuckled.

"Really? What?"

"Come on, let's go back inside. Let me get it, one second." He walked over to the bedside table and took out something that looked like a jewelry box. "I've been wanting to give this to you since last week but I didn't have the chance."

"What is it?" I asked.

"Open it."

I slowly opened the box and gasped. It was a jewelry set inspired by Harry Potter. But instead of cheap trinkets, they were made of precious gems. There was a necklace made to look like little birds flying. A Snitch bracelet. A pair of Felix Felicis earrings. It was like a box of treasure and I couldn't wait to try each one. "Oh my god!"

"I saw you getting excited at those items being sold at the shop we visited last month. You looked sad when you knew someone had already bought them. So I commissioned a friend of mine to make these especially for you."

I was so filled with happiness that I hugged him tightly without warning. I did it with too much force, he ended up on his back on the bed and me on top of him. We stared at each other's eyes, then his eyes slowly descended on my lips. My heart was beating too fast, he could probably feel it too. I unconsciously wet my lips. His face came closer to mine. I swallowed, anticipating the kiss. But a flurry of nerves came over me. I quickly stood up and turned my back to hide my flushed face. Closing my eyes, I took a second to compose myself.

Maven coughed, probably as embarrassed as I was about what had just happened. He got up and made some excuse about going to the bathroom. I couldn't remember much of what he said at that point.

After that, there was this tense and awkward atmosphere between us. We still treated each other the way we did before, but there was something more there. Or maybe it was just me. Because I had already admitted to myself that I was falling in love with him. And now I wish I hadn't. Maybe then it wouldn't hurt that much.

It made me so happy to know that Maven noticed little things about me, that he accepted my super nerdy side.

I blinked my eyes, trying to push away those memories. I checked the wall clock. 3:15 AM. My mind was wide awake but my body felt like giving up on me. I reached for my phone at the bedside table to play some classical music. I couldn't load Spotify because the Wifi was apparently turned off. When I turned it on, countless message notifications popped up on the screen.

Bianca: F*ck you! You still have the gall to show your face? Because of you, my life is ruined! I swear, I will have my chance to destroy you!

Maven: Because of you, your brother will also suffer. If only you heeded my warnings. Now you're going to see what I'm capable of.

Steph: Maven will get your brother fired. He'll lose his job, money to support his daughter. He will be forced to leave this city because no one will hire him. Your niece could even die because of you. You will probably end up homeless or you can go far enough away from us to live your life quietly. But I have a better idea. Just kill yourself. Then everyone will be happy.

The rest of the messages said the same things over and over again. Slut. Cheater. Gold-digger. Trash. Opportunist. Wh*re.

Tears like torrential rain slid down my cheeks while reading the messages. Why are they so angry at me? What did I do so wrong? I am no saint, but I certainly do not deserve this.

I wept and wept until there were no more tears left. Until I felt numb from the pain.

My poor brother. He'd be miserable too because of me. I wouldn't ever forgive myself if something happened to him or Dani. They're the only family I have left.

Memories of my brother working day and night to support me bombarded my mind. Him giving me the last slice of pizza that we cut into little pieces and rationed so it would last longer. Him carrying me on his back when I sprained my ankle and couldn't walk for a couple of days. Him collecting garbage to sell so he could buy me the dress I wanted so badly for my sixteenth birthday. And us taking a photo on my college graduation day, his smile so wide it's obvious for everyone to see how proud and happy he was.

Maybe Steph is right. I should end this right now.

My mind made up, I got up, went to the bathroom, and opened the medicine cabinet. I took out a bottle of pills. I looked at it for a minute, thinking about whether this was the right thing to do. But dark thoughts won out, so I returned to bed, opened the bottle, and poured everything into my mouth. I drank the water by the bed to swallow it all down.

I hope it doesn't take long.