THE BILLIONAIRE'S SECOND CHANCE

SIX

FOUR YEARS LATER

Mark Coleman

Time flies fast, right? That's what I kept telling myself as the days passed by. I can't believe it has already been four years since she left, since she walked out of my life since she decided to skip town and forget about me.

I decided to focus on building my career and making myself happy. I broke up with Mia barely two weeks after Tara left; I couldn't be happier with her than I was with Tara. Every time I looked at her, it reminded me of my betrayal of my ex-wife, and I couldn't look at her the same way I felt lost and heartbroken after her departure. I went through a period of sadness and introspection, constantly questioning myself and my actions, trying to understand what went wrong in our marriage and why I fell for Mia’s trap.

I even tried to move on several times, but no one could fill the gap my ex-wife left. Instead, I chose to focus on self-reflection and personal growth, seeking therapy to help me process my emotions and gain clarity.

Through therapy, I learned to cope with the pain of Tara's departure and began to rebuild my life by finding solace in my friends, family, and mainly my job, where I spend most of my time.

I wouldn't say life was best at the moment, but at least I wasn't that sad; my life had this space that only Tara could fill. She was the love of my life, and no one could replace her.

This was a normal Monday like any other, and as soon as the car parked in front of my office building, my driver quickly got out to open the door for me. I stepped out and exhaled sharply as I admired the building in front of my eyes. I had made it through my career, and my company was growing faster than I had anticipated. I managed to open two other branches in two different towns, which I let my younger brother manage as he was just fresh from college.

"Sir, you have a meeting with the board in thirty minutes, another meeting with the CEO of a telecommunications company, and then a lunch date with your mom." My secretary mentioned that she struggled to catch up with me as I walked to my office, but I cut her short.

"Not now; I will only attend the meeting with the board, cancel the rest of the meetings, and tell my mom I will do dinner instead, but next week," I instructed, and she quickened her pace.

"But sir, you have been canceling this lunch date since last week, and your mom insisted you shouldn't miss it. I can't bring myself to call her and tell her that you canceled the lunch date for the fourth time in a row."

"Okay, whatever. Just make sure it's closer to the office; I have a lot of paperwork today, and I can't afford to waste more time." I instructed her and walked to my office.

After the board meeting, I walked back to my office tiredly. I had a lot of paperwork to work on before the end of the week, and I opted to focus on that before my lunch date with my mother, who had been on my neck for weeks because she wanted me to move on and find another wife since mine wasn't coming back any time soon. Those were her words, and they stung like a bee.

An hour into working, I got a call from a blocked number, and I knew there and then that Mia was trying to reach me. I ignored the call and tried concentrating on work again, but her call came through again, so I decided to just pick up her call and see what she had to say.

"I know you have been avoiding me, but I have something important that I think you would want to hear." She spoke in her normal shrill voice, and I almost rolled my eyes.

"What is it you want from me? I thought we had an agreement to strictly stay away from each other, but here you are calling me with no shame at all."

"I know you hate me, but this has something to do with your ex-wife, so do you or do you not want to hear what I have to tell you?" She asked, and I sighed. If there was anything I wanted to hear so much about, it was something that involved Tara. I wanted to know where she was and why she left so suddenly, so trust me if I tell you I would do anything to find out where she is and what happened to her.

"What is it that you can't just tell me over the phone? And please don't waste my time; some of us have work to do."

"This needs face-to-face talk, and please don't make this about you because it is about something your wife should have told you four years ago, but she decided to hold onto the information. Don't worry though; I won't try to kiss you or seduce you as you fear." She added, and I exhaled sharply.

I had no choice but to listen to what she had to tell me. I waited anxiously for her, and as soon as she walked into my office, I let her in and offered her a seat.

"I hope this is not one of your schemes or games because I am not in the mood for any of that. So, what do you know about Tara that I don't know?" I asked, my eyes focused on hers, looking for any clues that she was lying to me.

"There is a lot more than you know about your precious ex-wife. Tara was my best friend to start with."

"And yet you still seduced me and slept with me like your friendship meant nothing to you." I countered, and she chuckled.

"You are speaking as if you didn't enjoy the s*x we had, Mark. You enjoyed every moment we had, so let us not start blame-shifting because I have moved on after everything that happened. I am here because I found out something that might interest you. I know you are trying to move on, but it's not working for you. What if I told you that your wife deliberately left because she knew you wouldn't have let her leave if you knew?"

"Can you just stop beating around the bush and tell me what the f**k is going on or what you know that I don't? I honestly don't have time for this."

"Okay, fine, I know I am the last person you expected to see or hear from so soon, but Tara was pregnant before she left here. Don't ask me how I got to know about that, but I think she was afraid you would want to be present in your child's life. I know you hate me so much for breaking up your marriage, but I think you deserve to be in your child's life. Whatever you decide to do with this information is entirely up to you." She added, and I stared at her, confused.

"What do you mean by she was pregnant when she left?" I asked, trying to understand exactly what she was talking about, and chuckled.

"You're too dumb to even comprehend what I just told you. Your wife was pregnant before she left; I should be on my way right now, and you didn't hear this from me." She said, stood up, and sized me up before she walked out, leaving me confused.

I couldn't concentrate at work the rest of the afternoon; I just called Mom to let her know that I was up for an early lunch date. I needed someone to talk to, and she was the only person who could help me at the moment.

"You look so dull and unhappy; what is going on, son?"

"Nothing much; I think a lot of work is weighing me down, and maybe that is the reason why I look dull and all that."

"No, that is not about work, Mark; I know you and I know something is going on with you. You might not want to talk to me about it, but you need someone to talk to."

"Okay, I don't know how this happened or anything, but I need your advice. I just got word from Mia that Tara was pregnant before she left."

"Pregnant? How? She can't be pregnant!"

"What do you mean by she can't be pregnant? I was talking to Mia earlier before I came here to see you, and she told me that Tara was pregnant before she left. I know I am not fit to judge her, but she was my wife before she left. I cheated on her, yes, but she doesn't have the right to take my kid away from me."

"What makes you think that what Mia is telling you is true? That lady was so obsessed with you that she agreed to sleep with you, knowing so well you were married to her best friend. What makes you think that she is not just telling you to see what you will do?" My mom asked, and I sighed deeply.

I knew there was some truth in her statement, but the thought that Tara could take my child away from me kept tormenting me. I wanted to believe Mia’s words so badly that I trashed my mom's thoughts.

"Mia would never lie to me, Mom. I know you don't like her because of what happened and all that, but this has just made me change my mind about everything; I am going to find her, and I will demand that she involve me in our child's life." I swore, and she exhaled exasperatedly.

"I am not telling you that what she said is not true; I just want you to think about everything before jumping to conclusions, and don't forget about the fact that you cheated on your wife and betrayed her trust in you, so she has all the rights to go away with your child because who can raise her kid around a w*****g man?"

"And here I thought you were going to support and help me."

"I am trying to open up your eyes because I am the only person who can tell you the truth. Whatever Mia said might or might not be true, but please think about it before you make any rushed decision." She added, and I nodded.

I fished out my phone and browsed through our photos together. She still lived rent-free in my heart, and that is when I promised myself to do everything in my power to find her and beg to be part of our child's life. She was still the love of my life, and I was going to fight for her no matter what.