CHAPTER 4

KIERANMy eyes widened as she pressed her lips to mine, kissing me with fervor. When I'd caught her lingering in the party, I had frowned deeply partly in shock and annoyance that she had come. At first, I thought that she was just a figment of my imagination. I thought that I really wasn't seeing Amelia Sawyer, my fiancee who had left and humiliated me publicly.Ex-lover, I meant.I caught myself in time as I pushed her off me and took a step back. My eyes widened a bit more as I took her in the rose gold dress that only enunciated her curvy figure. Amelia Sawyer had always been a beautiful woman but seeing her that evening in that dress that would certainly turn heads was enough to remind me of it."Amelia?" I whispered, looking at her in shock.I still couldn't believe that I was looking at her. Yes, my best friend, Archie had called a few nights ago to tell me that she had returned to London as he had been at the airport when she walked past him but I hadn't believed him.Until I was looking at her in the face."One and only," she chuckled at the look on my face, stepping up to adjust my tie which she had pulled to press her lips with mine. "Sorry about that. I was just too excited to see you." She grinned, bashing her lashes at me as she fixed my tie.Slightly uncomfortable with her touch, I gently pried her hands off from my tie to fix it myself. I still couldn't believe who I was looking at in the face. I thought that I would be angry to the bones the next time I saw her after we had parted ways but clearly, that was not the case."When did you arrive?" I asked taking a step back because I just couldn't inhale the number of expensive perfumes I knew she had doused her body with."A few days ago. I heard you were finally going to be announced as the CEO. It is everywhere on the news and I thought, what better gift to receive than myself?" She grinned."So you came," I mumbled."I did," she nodded. "Kieran, I've been doing some thinking in the past few months and I just want to say that I'm very very sorry for the way I acted the last time we-we were together. I shouldn't have treated you that way."I narrowed my eyes at her. "No, you shouldn't have.""I know. And I regret it big time. That's why I'm here to apologize and to try to make it up to you. Please, let me make it up to you tonight with dinner. Please." She pleaded, slapping her palms together.I stared at her dazed for a second. A little more than five years ago, this woman had walked our of my proposal after declaring that she didn't want me and I spent months paying the price for her humiliation. I spent months drowning myself in alcohol while trying to get over her. I spent months even after I was married, emotionally tied to her that all I wanted to do was to go to her and plead with her to marry me.But she blocked all avenues of seeing her.I could have tried harder but for once, I didn't.Yet, here she was pleading with me to have dinner with her tonight."No, thanks. I have a late night dinner planned with my WIFE." I told her, deliberately emphasizing the last word to her. Edwina had no idea that I had planned a dinner for us but she would get to know."Oh, you are still married?" Amelia frowned slightly as she watched me. "I thought you two would have been divorced by now."I frowned. "What do you mean?"She smiled. "Isn't it obvious? I know that you my only married that woman to be the CEO. I didn't agree to marry you and so you found somebody else. Surely, it's been five years now if you are now the CEO." She gloated.At first, I was angry that she knew all these things but then I decided that it wasn't worth it continuing the conversation with her."Good night, Amelia." I didn't bother to hide the disgust on my face as I bade her farewell coldly before turning around to return to the party to find the woman of my dreams.Yes, I and Edwina ought to be divorced as the contract stated but over the past few months, I'd found myself unwilling to do that. I had no idea if she wanted to remain married to me and for a while, I had fought with myself against giving her the divorce papers as agreed but when I'd walked into our room on the night of our anniversary and she had smiled so widely at me, I knew that it didn't matter that I was in love with this woman when she wanted to be rid of me so quickly.She must have probably found someone else she wanted to get married to and as weird as it felt to think about such a thing, if she was happy, I would let her go.After all, life was too short to be with someone that you didn't love. And I wouldn't be selfish with her once again.The party was even fuller than I'd left it. I sighted Archie surrounded by some women I recognized from our social circle. Archie was a hot man and he regularly got hit on by women. Nodding my head at him, I continued along my way in search of my beautiful wife who I'd had to resist from touching all night long.There were even more people that wanted to talk or congratulate me than before but I fought my way through the long list. I couldn't find Edwina anywhere but when I saw Harriet in the crowd, ready to leave with her fiance, I approached her."Harriet," I called.The younger woman turned to me swiftly. "Good evening, Kieran. And congratulations." Her smile was merely polite but I couldn't be bothered by it."Have you seen Edwina? I can't seem to find her anywhere." I asked her.The woman glared at me like she was trying to fight herself from saying some things to me. I frowned not understanding any of it."She is where she wants to be." She finally disclosed.Before I could ask her where that might be, her legs had carried her out of my sight. Perplexed and not liking what she'd said to me, I took out my phone to text Edwina. My messages were delivered but weren't seen.A sense of foreboding washed over me from nowhere and I was out of the party in a blink if eye. It didn't take me long to arrive at the house and I stormed in, screaming Edwina's name. There was no sight of her anywhere and she didn't rush down to greet me. When I arrived in our room, it felt oddly empty.And it wasn't until after I'd searched the room that I realized that her things were gone. That was when I noticed the folder sitting on my bed. My heart began to race as I flipped it open and when I saw what I knew I would see, my heart couldn't have shattered even more.Just as I'd known that she wanted, she had divorced me as spam as she could.With a heavy heart, I reached for my phone and dialed the line I never thought I would call again."Hello," her sultry voice came on the speaker. Devastated, I was silent for a few seconds."I would have dinner with you tonight. Anywhere of your choice." I declared with a lump in my throat.At the very least, I could have the woman who had humiliated me years ago if I couldn't have the woman I now wanted.