CHAPTER 7

KIERAN

The door beeped as I punched in the code, exhaustion weighing on me heavily as I walked in. 

Today had been a very long day. I had buried myself in work as usual, not giving myself breaks or time to rest.

I couldn't afford to rest. Taking breaks went against everything I worked for. 

All my life, all I lived for was my company, and to attain the highest height, I had to give it my all. 

But as I dragged my weight to the couch, closing my eyes briefly at the relief that settled into my tired legs, my stomach rumbled. 

I would do anything for a hot meal right now. 

The thought of food made me nostalgic, but before I could go down the rabbit hole, a heavy, heady scent wafted through my nose. 

"Hello, darling," Amila purred as she ran her hands through my hair. 

I stiffened at her presence, my body recoiling at her touch.

"Damnit, Amelia. Go easy on the perfume. Did you take a bath in it?" I grumbled as her perfume invaded my sense of smell.

She smiled at me. A slow, seductive smile that used to bring me to my knees once upon a time. 

"Long day, huh? You look so tired, my love. Let me take away the edge of your exhaustion," she said, kissing me on the lips before going to her knees. 

My body trembled with anger when I realized her intentions.

"Damnit, Amelia. Have some sense for goodness sake. I come home from work, extremely tired, famished and exhausted. And all you can think of is sex? What the hell is wrong with you?" i snapped, my anger taking the reins. 

Amelia frowned, looking up at me from her knees. 

"If you're hungry, just order takeout. I don't understand why you have to take your anger out of me when all I'm trying to do is to help you," she pouted. 

I ran my hands through my hair, frustration competing with anger as my body continued to tremble.

Damn, how could I have been in love with this woman before? She was so vain, so shallow, that it was hard to put up with her most days. 

"I don't want a fucking takeout. I want a hot, simple home made meal. That is not too much to ask for!" 

Amelia rolled her eyes as she stood up, her cleavage jutting out of the barely existent lingerie she had on. 

"You want me to cook for you? You've got to be kidding. I am not a maid, boo. And in case you forgot, you are the one who fired your housemaids.

So don't take out your anger on me. I didn't cause this, you did," she scoffed as she padded away from me, making her way to the bedroom.

I cursed, rubbing my hands through my hair again. 

She was right. I was the cause of all these. 

Firing my staff was not what I planned to do, but that night, the night Edwina walked out on me, I made very terrible decisions.

The first, and perhaps biggest of them all was going back to Amelia. Letting her back into my life.

We've had some good moments over the years, but sometimes I just wondered why I still put up with her bullshit.

I had tried to cut her off sometimes ago, but Amelia was like a leech. 

She refused to leave, clinging at me like I was her lifeline.

The second mistake I made that night was firing my staff. I might have been at work for longer hours than expected, but it didn't escape my notice. 

Edwina had been close with the staff. She stayed up to cook with them, and most times, I heard their laughter as they worked together.

The thought brought a sad smile to my face. 

Edwina. 

My mind drifted back to the days when I was a married man. Days when Edwina would go through great lengths to cook for me. 

It didn't matter whether I thanked her or not, she ensured that I had steaming, delicious food waiting for me by the time I got back from work. 

I looked around, my eyes lingering on the door to the dining room. 

God. I messed up so bad. 

The third mistake I made that night, was letting Edwina go. 

A part of me wanted to search for her, to tell her that I had been hoping for her to stay even after the end of our contract.

But whenever I remembered how wide her smile was on the eve of our divorce, the more the cracks in my chest became wider.

She looked at me with such happiness in her eyes as I walked in our bedroom that day, that I immediately knew that I wasn't the source of the happiness.

Afterall, I had barely spoken to her during the five years of our marriage. We conversed barely, and only became intimate on nights when I felt like. 

It had took me hours to think of how to convince her to not divorce me. But a look at how happy she was, how she took great care to pick me a goodbye present, I knew I had to let her go.

Edwina White wasn't in love with me. She hadn't been willing to fight for our marriage, and the tears of joy she shed when I presented the divorce papers broke me entirely.

Here I was, a broken man, pining after his ex wife. 

I couldn't bring myself to find her after she left, and when my broke heart threatened to shatter me, I took solace in Amelia.

Vain, shallow, Amelia.

Amelia was a long, wide shot from Edwina. And intoxicating as Amelia was, she wasn't the woman in my heart. 

No. 

My heart belonged to a woman I had no idea where she was.

I sighed as I sat up. There was no point thinking about Edwina, even though that was all my mind had been able to think of.

My phone buzzed, indicating a text message, and I glanced down to see that it was from Archie.

Archie: 'Yo, man. Up for drinks?' 

I sighed and tossed my phone on the couch, having no interest in venturing out again.

And I knew Archie's invitation was just an avenue for him to talk my ears off as always.

With no work to take my mind of my ex wife and no Archie to lecture me into oblivion, I decided to make myself something to eat.

Maybe I could rid myself of wanting to taste Edwina's food. Maybe the motions of cooking would take my mind off the raging thoughts in my head for a moment.

Amelia came out of the bedroom, took a look at my pathetic attempts at cooking and laughed.

My eye twitched at her reaction, and I stilled myself, refusing to give in to anger.

"Aw. You really do crave an homemade food. Too bad I can't make one for you. And from the looks of it, cooking seems to be above you too."

She walked towards me.

"Come, my love. Let's order takeout. I'll erase your disappointment after eating, alright? Come to me," she purred, wrapping herself around me.

And like I did five years ago, I let Amelia lead me away. 

If getting lost in Amelia's world was the only way to rid myself of this constant pain in my chest, then so be it.