Love, Lies and Billionaires

“Boys, go play upstairs,” Nella said to Nathan and Zack, who had been running around between both women’s legs.

The boys scurried carefully up the stairs and, as their giggles faded, Nella turned to Maren, hoping to finally have some time to talk to her.All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

They both strolled out the door and onto the compound, which was decorated by short hedges which formed a circle around a horse statue which stood in the middle.

“Nice house,” Nella complemented, looking around though she knew hers could top it. “I honestly can’t believe Alexander consented to our being here. I always thought he was some kind of possessive monster,” she said jokingly.

“Well, then there’s not much difference between us. I also thought the same honestly,” she said and paused as they got to the end of the path which they were following.

“But then, Alexander’s suddenly changed. He now cares more and doesn’t really bug me if I don’t meet the monthly deadline. It’s strange but I think I love it” she smiled inwardly.

“That’s nice,” she replied and fell silent, not knowing how to convey her curiosity. “Okay, so I get it. We’ve known each other for barely three months, so I understand if you don’t want to talk about what happened at William’s funeral”

Maren was silent, but her mind accommodated multiple thoughts per second. Nella was right.

She never actually wanted to tell her about it because she simply didn’t feel the urge to tell an almost complete stranger how Irene had painfully explained what happened more than three years ago.

Like how was she going to say she had been a selfish bride who never listened to her groom, so he confided in her best friend about his impotence, which they had both kept a secret and then they ended up falling for each other? Now she had no idea who Nathan’s father was.

“Earth to Maren,” Nella said, half peering into her face.

Maren snapped out of her thoughts and turned to Nella. “I never really thought of it like that,” she said and paused. “It’s just really hurtful to think about it”

Nella remained silent as Maren searched her thoughts, trying to know if she could trust her. “I think we should sit for this, ” she finally said.

*****

They were both seated on the garden chairs, and Nella’s eyes seemed to be frozen open.

“Nella?” Maren called, looking straight into her eyes and shaking her hand softly. “Are you still there?”

“Wait, so what you’re trying to say is Nathan is currently fatherless? No offence,” she finally spoke.

Maren just looked away. The fact that she said no offence only made it hurt more.

“Well, when you put it that way…” she said defensively. “I honestly don’t believe Irene, especially now that she’s angry that William is dead. She’d do anything to make sure she’s not the only one said in situations like this”

“To be fair, she’d be a sadist to joke with something like this,” she stated, still in shock. “Does Alexander know about this?”

“No. I don’t think I’m planning to tell him either, except he finds out himself, which is practically impossible.” She said, and both women fell silent again.

“Have you at least tried finding out if it’s true? I mean, I know it might be scary, but you need clarity, right?”

“I know, I know. But what if it is true? I mean, I really have no memory of being with someone else. This is all really confusing” her brows furrowed.

“You need to go for a DNA test. In a different lab this time.”

“I’ll try.”

“Wow, I’d be damned if I was in this situation.” Nella said after a brief pause. “This only reminds me about what I actually admire you in the first place.”

Maren smiled, but short enough for it to not look like a blush. “Not really the time, Nella,” Nella just shrugged.

A strong wind blew, sending both women’s hair into their faces. Nella stared into space, her expression fell as her brows furrowed.

She removed the strands of hair which found their way into her mouth and stared at her feet.

“Unrelated, but I his reminds me about the time i and Richie were still married”

“That’s true, you’ve never actually spoken about him”

Nella’s smile was a melancholy one, but she tried to hide it. “There really isn’t much to say about him though,” she began.

“He was my first love. We met on a cruise ship during one of my dad’s business meetings. My dad never really let me mix with people, so when he approached me, I instantly fell for him”

“I mean, he was thoughtful and charming. With the brightest smile…god! I still feel butterflies when I think about him,” she said, taking a deep breath.

“Usually, when I go on cruise meetings with my dad. He neglects me throughout till it’s time to go back home, but this one was different. Richie kept me company throughout the week.

He has accompanied his friend who was my dad’s colleague and saw it as a vacation. She said and paused. “He asked me out after a week of talking on phone and I accepted as he seem really perfect”

“Two months after that, he proposed. My dad was more happy than I was. I mean, who would be happy that his daughter, who he hardly let out of the house, finally found the love of her life?”

Her smiling face suddenly dropped. “But then, I found out he was seeing someone else even before he filed for a divorce.”

“I was angry, Maren. He didn’t even care about Zack, who was barely a year old then.” She said, trying so hard to not get emotional. “I begged him though but he wouldn’t listen so I had to agree and so did my dad”

The wind was as strong as this the day he left and all I could have was the clatter of the window panes as I watched him walk into his car where the lady was seated waiting. ”

“Where are they now?” Maren, who had been quiet all through, finally asked.

“Well, the lady is somewhere in Italy,” she said, back to her normal emotion.

“And Richie?”

“He died”

“Oh, my god!” Maren exclaimed.

“He died on his way to his house from my house,” Nella replied.

“Your house?”

“The police reported break failure and they never actually found who did it”