Chapter 50

Mary shook her head. "Tyler, I lost our baby. The bitch killed my unborn child. I will hunt her down myself, I will." Mary's nostrils flared, and she shook her head in disgust. Her hatred and longing to destroy Elizabeth were the reasons she survived.

"No, dear, let me take care of it, please. I will take care of her."

"Tyler, it's been a year and you still haven't found her. No one found her. I need to find her!"

"How did you know this?" He furrowed his forehead; it was not just a word from a broken mother. It was the word of someone powerful enough to make his knees buckle a little. The power of her questions demands an answer that needs to be voiced. He could almost feel her hatred.

"Because I'm still alive. If she finds out that I didn't die that day when he ordered Javier's men to kill me, I know she will send someone to hunt me soon enough,” he sighed. “Fuck... and all I thought was that she was with you when you got married."

"What?" His frown deepened.

"I saw it in the newspaper. Javier let me see it. I—" Hell, she never thought about it anymore. She wanted to forget. But thinking about them still hurts.

"No, Javier tricked you then. I never married her and will never marry her, so why should I? I hate her as much as you hate her. I know that she was all behind this and behind your supposed death!" Tyler stood up and paced the floor and gritted his teeth. His bitterness grew inside him like a tumour. It was eating him alive as he continued, "Javier is seriously getting out of hand. But it really doesn’t have much to do with him. He is my cousin, but we hated each other. He was just a pawn in a much bigger game.”

“Really? What do you mean?”

“Someone was behind him. He partners with other agencies to do his dirty work with some corrupt government officials and leaders to ensure the downfall of my company's labour. Someone held separate business meetings to make sure no one in my company found out. I just drafted different contracts. I was just fortunate that I found it soon enough and fired dozens of employees behind my company's corruption."

"What happened?"

"Well, I have problems with the hotel's management. I had so many bad reviews, bad publicity, and such that it was total mayhem. But I'm handling it fairly and unbiasedly, not until I found out that dozens of my employees were paid by someone to hold back accounts, contracts, and give out information and such," Tyler sat again beside her.

"But that doesn’t mean you’re managing the hotels wrong, right?" She spat as he dropped his head in shame.

"I tried everything. But since then, since the accident, since I've lost you, everything was black and white to me. No grey areas."

"I'm sorry, I know the child meant so much to you because it was supposed to be your heir and..."

"No! Dammit! You are not listening. I love you.”

She stared at him in disbelief. “I didn't fall in love with you because I needed you, or because I wanted someone to hold me, or because I needed you to make me feel loved. I fell in love with you because the moment I met you, everything stopped. The sounds around us were all muted, and I could only hear your voice and your laughter. Every time I stared into your eyes, I felt at home, and I had no other thought in the world but how do I make you happy for the rest of your life because you are already doing so much for me and you didn't even know it?" Tyler looked at her lovingly and said, “You know, you matter to me, big time... above all. Yes, the child is important, as you are to me, but... Your safety was supposed to be my first priority, but I failed. I failed to keep you safe, and you suffered so much. I hate, I despise myself for—and just like that, you are gone. But dear, you will always have a place in my heart, whether I like it or not, because I have never felt love like the way I felt with you, even if it ended up breaking my heart. By then, I was lost; I blame myself for everything.”

"Tyler, stop blaming yourself. You did what was good for you. I wasn't being careful. I trusted your men; I did, but one of them had drugged me."

"None of them survived the blast."

"Blast?" she asked.

"Yes, someone had planted a bomb in that house. Everyone died, and I thought when the rescue found a woman's burned corpse, it was you." Tyler paused and breathed in, as if filling his lungs hurt. “With your clothes.”

"Elizabeth’s plan?"

“Yes.”

For a moment, the room was silent. She was not angry, and neither was Dave, but Tyler knew she was onto something. Mary thought they both felt miserable about what happened and how conflicted they felt.

"Tyler, come with me; I want to show you something." She entwined her fingers with his; the motion was simple yet electrifying. It has been a while since they touched. His skin was soft, warm, and smooth, just as she remembered, and he immediately relaxed at the sensation.

She led him over to a large box marked "baby," located in the middle of the disorganised living room. It was where she stored all of her baby ultrasound pictures, little clothing and memorabilia from her trip to the doctor, even schedule plans, and almost half a dozen pregnancy test kits. It was her most prized possession, and she rarely shared its contents with anyone. She digs through the box and quickly finds a stack of ultrasound pictures.

"Wow, is this gorgeous?" Tyler said breathlessly.

"Yes, that's her."

"Her?"

"Yes, the day you left, my OB called me and informed me that it was a girl. I'm supposed to tell you in the kitchen, but..." She halted and showed him pictures of the blurred ultrasound picture, followed by the gorgeous landscape with its rolling hills, deep valleys, and lush fields. "That's the picture I took two days before the incident. I was waiting for you to come back so we could go there together. I was planning to go hiking with... just us... and I'm supposed to tell you something.

"Oh, what is it?"

"I… I don't know... I forgot…" She replied and avoided his eyes. She was supposed to tell him that she loved him and that she would accept anything as long as he wouldn't leave her and the child, even if he didn't love her in return. Tyler looked at her, then at the picture. But the picture he held was one of Mary's favourites. It showcases the lake landscape with the sun shining brightly on the horizon while a few birds and ducks mill about in the background.

"I took this picture that morning on my phone and sent it to Dave. That's why he had the copy. Isn’t it beautiful? This was my view every day alone there when you left, and I never tired of it."

"Mary, I'm sorry."

"Enough with the sorry, Tyler."

He nodded and looked back at the ultrasound picture. "But that picture is, above all, my favourite."

Mary sighed as tears rolled down her cheeks. "It hurts so much. It hurts that I can't feel her anymore. It hurts that I lost her even before I could hold her." She sobbed on his shoulder. Both knew they needed to move on with the pain and the memory.

"It’s beautiful," Tyler said as he kissed her on the forehead.

Wiping her tears, she smiled at him, quite smitten by his childlike awe over the photographs. "I bet she would be just exactly like you—lovely and demanding—and I'd be completely on her palm. Spoiling a little Mary."

"Me, demanding? I am never demanding."

"Of course, you have too many weird cravings. ‘Tyler bring me those and that, or else you are not going to get any kisses from me the whole day.’” He teased her.

"I did not."

"Yes, you did, sweetheart, and you looked cute pouting when I ended up bringing you the wrong fruit and you ignored me for hours."

"I didn't."

"You did..." Tyler smiled. "But you know what? I miss all those cravings of yours."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, because I got to kiss you and make love to you all night long."

She blushed and bit her lips.

"Don't do that, Mary."

"Do what?" She furrowed her brow.

"Biting your lips." Tyler gazed at her while she wet her lips again.

"Why?"

"Because I want to bite it myself." He slowly kissed her forehead and cheeks. He breathed in heavily and guessed that it helped that her shirt was ivory with a touch of cotton at the edges. The morning sunlight streams through the gap, bringing the hope of a new day. Though the window was closed, he could smell her hair, like the roses. A small smile spreads over his face. It wasn't the fragrance of those blooms he detected, but rose perfume on her nape.

"Why don't you? After all, I'm still your wife," she said, nibbling on her bottom lip.