Mend My Heart

Chapter 39

Maya’s P.O.V

“My wife cheated on me,” he said in an eerily tranquil voice, totally contradicting the conflicted look on his face. I grabbed my glass of rosé and took a sip, trying to wash down the lump that had formed in my throat. “I never imagined that the person I’d decided to spend the rest of my life with would do that to me, with somebody I considered a trusted business client no less.”

His voice didn’t quiver, but I saw that hollowness wash over his eyes for a brief second before he blinked it away. I couldn’t possibly imagine how broken he’d felt when he found out. My lips stayed sealed as I listened further to his narration. “I met her in university. It was love at first sight, as cliché as it might seem. It could have been infatuation…but I was so certain that Dana was the woman I wanted by my side forever. She played a very pivotal role in my road to success. In fact, I give her a lot of credit for the continuous and unconditional encouragement she gave me in starting up my business. And when she told me she was pregnant…I thought my life was complete,” he smiled sadly and my heart constricted. 

I scooted my chair closer to his and held his hand in mine. Giving it a squeeze, I gently urged him to go on. I thought this day would never come; I was finally hearing the story behind his heart break. “Happiest moment of my life it had been, and when we went for the first ultrasound and heard two heart beats…I cried. I felt so accomplished… I’d made myself a complete family, something I didn’t have the privilege of having when I was growing up,” he said with a hint of nostalgia. I don’t know why but his words made me want to cry, but I held my self together. It wasn’t the right time for that.

He sighed and rubbed my hand with his free one. “Things just began to change so quickly after the Aiden and Brianna came. My business skyrocketed and I became so busy that I was barely at home. And so, I brought my mother to live with us at the mansion I bought to help us out. I had no clue how to juggle being a CEO, a husband and a father at the same time, you know. I so desperately wanted to make it work but I guess in the process, I prioritized one over the other two and ended up driving my wife into the arms of another man.”

“Don’t say that, it wasn’t your fault,” I rebuffed almost angrily, visualising myself giving his ex-wife my two cents. How could she do that somebody who basically gave her his everything?

He shook his head. “It was partially my fault, because I neglected her. I no longer gave her the attention that she needed-,”

“But she could have at least told you, right? Didn’t she understand that your goals and aspirations mattered too? I mean, communication in a relationship is really important,” I retorted passionately and he smiled at me.

“You’re right, but that’s the issue here. I never communicated with her and vice versa. That’s why our marriage was such a catastrophe. She gave up on us before I could get the chance to fight for us,” he trailed off disdainfully.

I clasped his cheek. “If she gave up on you that means she never deserved you. If I had been in her shoes, I’d have fought to my dying breath for a man like you,” I whispered.

He tucked a loose strand behind my ear. “You’re right, she never deserved me and it took me a while to realise that I made a mistake in thinking that she was the one for me. Yes, I’ll admit I loved her but the love I once felt for her is nothing compared to what I feel for you. Maya, I came all this way to tell you personally why I kept myself from being with you. I wasn’t ready to commit to you because I wasn’t the man for you back then. And I more than anyone know that you deserve everything someone has to offer rather than a mere fraction. I don’t know how you did it, but my entire family adores you and it doesn’t feel right that you’re not with them…with me. I know I hurt you when I let you go but I needed to heal, because you made me want to heal. You mended my heart, Maya. You made me feel whole again,” he breathed before he pressed his lips onto mine.