THE BILLIONAIRE'S SECOND CHANCE

FOUR

Mark Coleman

Tara was the love of my life, my high school sweetheart, and someone I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. We had big dreams and great plans to start a family. I was prepared to spend the rest of my life with her until we started having problems with getting a child of our own. I even considered adopting, but Tara was against the idea; she wanted us to wait for the right time. She believed God would bless us with a child whenever the time was right, but time was not on my side, and I wanted a child so badly.

That was stupid of me I agree; cheating on my wife was not part of the plan. I never pictured myself w*****g around and pissing my wife off. I was more than willing to wait until she was ready, until God blessed us with our kid, but Mia happened, and the rest is history.

It had been four years of agony, pain, and regret. I regretted letting her go and signing the damn papers. I remembered running back to her parent's house the following evening after work and the response I got from her mom broke my broken heart into a thousand more pieces.

"She is gone, and you are the reason my daughter has run away from home, and we have no idea where she is. This is your f*****g fault, Mark Coleman!"

Her mom's words rang in my mind like a constant ringtone; I couldn't get rid of the thought that something had happened to her. I never intended to cheat on her, but things happen when we are out of control, and I regret that big time.

I walked back to my car, a devastated man. My wife, or rather, my ex-wife, was gone, and she had vanished with no trace behind. My life was a cluster f**k, totally f****d up, but at least I had Mia to console my fragile heart. Despite breaking my wife's heart, she was the only person who understood what happened and the only person who could keep me company at the moment.

I dialed her number as my driver drove off the compound, and it rang twice before she picked it up.

"I thought you would never call me after what happened. I am sorry, by the way; I probably took it too far, and it shouldn't have happened." Mia apologized, but I was not looking for an apology. I just wanted to get drunk and get cozy with someone who understood what I was going through.

However, something that kept running through my mind was the fact that she had the divorce papers ready. How dumb was I not to see the signs? She wanted to leave me, and she succeeded. Damn! I needed a drink so badly.

"Forget about what happened; can we meet tonight?"

"Yeah, of course. Is everything okay?" She asked with a concerned voice, I wanted to shout at her that she was the reason my wife left, but how could I when I knew that would have happened either way? I let feelings get the best of me, and I forgot to think about how my actions would affect my wife and my marriage.

The damage was already done, and there was no coming back. "No, that's why I asked if you're free tonight; meet me at our usual spot. Do I need to send someone to pick you up?"

"No, I can drive myself there. I am around, so it won't take long. See you."

I hung up before she could finish her statement. Why would Tara leave without even saying goodbye? How could she do this to me? Or was it her plan all along to leave me, and she was just waiting for the right time to make her moves?

The drive to our usual spot seemed longer than usual, and I kept shifting on my seat uncomfortably as I watched the city lights through my car window. My driver was cautious enough not to bombard me with questions; he kept his cool and drove me to the hotel. I wanted a drink, so as soon as I walked to the hotel, I went straight to the bar and ordered a drink. I needed to write my problems down.

Mia arrived a few minutes later and joined me. I don't know why I even trusted her after what transpired.

"I am sorry; I should never have let that happen. I knew my best friend was married to you, and I let things escalate. She must hate me!" She apologized as I gulped down my fourth glass of whiskey, and I belched loudly.

"She hates both of us; I am the one who should have taken control of myself, but I instead used my d**k to think, and here we are." I cut her short, and she nodded, reaching for my hand. I let her say, "Mia, I know I should be taking some time off to save my marriage because I love Tara; nothing has changed, and my love for her still reigns in my heart, but there is nothing to be saved if she decides to leave town." I complained and felt my eyes get watery.

I wasn't much of a crier, but that made me more emotional and regretful. Mia was shocked by the revelation. "What?"

"Yes, she divorced me and went back to her parent's house. I was stressed, Mia, and to be honest, I regret my actions. If only I could have prevented it, I wouldn't have lost her forever." I added, and she sighed deeply.

"Okay, what do you mean by you losing her?"

"I went to her parent's house to apologize to her and beg her to give me another chance, but she wasn't there. She divorced me and decided to skip town; how convenient!" I shouted the last part, angrily banging the counter, and everyone turned to look at us.

"I think you have had enough; we should get you home. You need to rest and not drink yourself silly." She suggested motioning for my driver to come to where we were, and I sighed.

"You should come with me; I'm a single man now and available," I suggested, and she chuckled.

"No, you're drunk right now, and I am not about to take advantage of your situation. You know I not only like you but I love you, but what you want me to do is so unfair and inconvenient." She replied, and I shook my head, trying to stay calm and awake.

"I don't understand; you have been on my neck, telling me how much you love me. How much did you want us to be a family? You wanted me to divorce my wife and concentrate on us, and now that she has divorced me and we can do everything we ever talked about, do you want to back down? You are hesitant, why?" I asked obliviously, and she sighed.

"We should talk about this when you are sober and not drunk like this. However, I am sorry that our love story had to begin with a sob story like this—that you had to break someone's heart to be with me—but we will get through this, step by step. What you need right now is enough rest, and we can talk about this when you wake up from your trance. Is that okay?"

"Yes, and fair as well. Thank you for coming through. I wish you could stay at my place tonight. Tomorrow is not a work day, so we can just stay in, cuddle, and do everything we have always wanted to do but never got the chance to because I was married to your best friend." I suggested and she shrugged.

"You're heartbroken and drunk right now so let's give it time. Despite that, I know I am probably a rebound to you, but I am willing to take that risk as long as I get to spend the rest of my life with you, loving you and building a life with you." She added, then kissed me on my lips before closing the passenger's door.

I sighed deeply as I slid back on the seat and watched the city through the window. Everything seemed calm and beautiful but my heart was in turmoil, I felt like it was being ripped apart and constantly stabbed. I missed Tara, and I knew there was no way on earth Mia could replace her; she was the love of my life, and I just hoped she was safe wherever she was.

As soon as I got back to the house, I staggered to my room upstairs with the help of my driver, I just wanted to sleep and forget everything but I couldn't get enough sleep until the wee hours of the morning. I kept turning and tossing on the bed until I couldn't anymore, I took my phone and went through our photos together.

We looked so happy together and the smile on her face made it difficult for me to forget about her. Tara was everything; she gave everything to me, but I banked my hopes on someone else with the hope that I could be an heir to my throne, and my stupidity cost me my marriage. I dialed her number and it went straight to voice mail, I missed her and I just wanted to hear her voice for the last time but I couldn't.

The only thing I could do was leave a voice message and hope she listened to it one day.

"Tara baby, I don't know what to tell you at the moment, but I just want you to know that I am sorry and that I regret everything I said to you and everything I did to make you cry and hurt you. I swear it wasn't my intention; I was just carried away by emotions and the desire to have a child, which I regret insanely. I know I am the reason you left but I just wanted to know if you are okay and safe. I could never get your trust back, my love, but I would never stop loving you. You have been nothing but good to me and my pillar of strength, I will surely miss that side of you but most of all, I want you to know that I regret my actions. I didn't think it would hurt this much to not be with you or sleep next to you. You are the reason I want to take a different course in life and change for the better. I am sorry."

I couldn't even finish the voicemail because I found myself crying hysterically and wishing she was around.