Chapter 51 I finally found her
Ryan’s POV
“Hey, man. How was the seminar?” Vegas asked, and immediately he answered the call.
“It was the same as every seminar I’ve attended,” I huffed and shook my head before I remembered the reason I called him.
“Vegas, I found Ophelia,” I whispered as I scrubbed a hand over my face.
“Don’t play with me, man. Be serious,” Vegas replied with an underlying tone of disbelief.
“I’m serious, bro. I found her after all these years. You remember when I called you yesterday that I was bored, and wanted to go somewhere to unwind?” I reminded him.
“Yeah, I do,”
“I decided to go for a walk, and I saw this amusement park on the way, so I decided to stop by and just you know, see people or something,” I gruffed, trying to sound nonchalant.
“Go on,”
“I met this adorable toddler, he told me he was waiting for his mum. Long story cut short, Ophelia was the toddler’s mum,” I explained, chuckling bitterly when I heard a choked gasp from the other end.
“No fucking way!” Vegas shrieked.
“Yes fucking way, man. I found her but I don’t even think I have a chance with her anymore. Hell, she didn’t even want to look me in the eye, she was so infuriated when she saw me with her kid, that she almost slapped me,” I paused to concentrate on a document I was scanning through on the MacBook on my lap.
“Of course, that’s expected. Did you expect her to hug you?” Vegas scoffed, to which I rolled my eyes.
“I know. I just felt the gravity of what I did when I saw the pure hatred in her eyes,” I replied, clicking on another document.
“Yeah, yeah. Does that mean she’s married now?”
“I don’t know, Vegas. She’s likely married now or maybe she’s engaged. I guess I’ll have to be happy for her if that’s the case, and focus on just getting her apology which I’m skeptical I’d get,” I muttered.
“I’m sorry for saying that earlier. I guess I got mad on her behalf,” Vegas apologized which made me huff fondly.
“I understand, Vegas. You don’t have to apologize for that. I deserve everything, and we both know you’re right. What I did to her was heinous, I’m lucky she didn’t punch me in the face or something,” I mumbled.
“So, has she changed a lot? I mean appearance wise or does she look the same?”
My cheeks bunched in a smile as I recalled Ophelia’s gorgeous self.
I was appalled when I saw that her luscious hair had been trimmed to a bob hairstyle but even with that, she still looked pretty and breathtaking just like she was on the first day we met.
Apart from her haircut, nothing else had changed about her. She still had the same dreamy hazel eyes, a beautiful set of plump rosy lips, and her milky skin was still spotless and dazzling like it used to be.
But the cheerful stars in her eyes were gone. Her lips which used to be set in a bubbly smile were now drawn into a thin, sad line. To think I was the reason behind her despondence made me want to ram myself into the nearest wall.
I was the monster behind her gloominess.
“No, she hasn’t. She looks the same but much sadder,” I replied truthfully.
“That’s understandable. I wish you all the best, and I hope you both get the closure and happiness you deserve. I gotta go now, some VVVIPs are coming in,” Vegas uttered as his end became filled with noise.
“Alright, take care, man,” I said, and ended the call.
I dropped my phone beside me with a hopeless sigh, flapped my computer shut, and placed it on the nightstand before I reclined against the headboard and fluttered my eyes closed.
“Forgive me, Ophelia,” I mumbled before I completely gave in to sleep.
+++
FIVE DAYS LATER
I stroked my chin in deep concentration, thrumming my ballpoint pen on the desk.
I had arrived in Texas late in the night yesterday, and the thought of the next line of action to take now that I had finally found Ophelia kept bugging me.
I couldn’t perhaps take her away from her child and her husband or boyfriend. That’d be very selfish of me.
It was then Jeremy’s words floated into my memory.
“…. I wish I have a daddy like you,”Content rights by NôvelDr//ama.Org.
What had he meant by that? Did he mean Ophelia didn’t have a partner?
Then, how had she gotten pregnant? Surely, she wasn’t an asexual being who could reproduce on her own, right?
Was he a low-life bastard who couldn’t man up to take responsibility for both Ophelia and Jeremy?
Something didn’t seem right but I couldn’t put a finger on what exactly it was.
The more I tried to think about it, the more I got more confused about the entire situation.
I placed a quick call to Damon, and as expected he immediately picked up, “Sir Ryan,” He said.
“Good day, Damon. I want you to do something for me, and I don’t care how much it’s going to cost. I just want a tangible answer at the end of the investigation,” I calmly started.
After I got back from London last night, I had informed Damon that I had found Ophelia.
“Look into Ophelia’s life. Find out about the father of her child. If he is still alive. Where he works, what he looks like. If he lives with Ophelia and their child. Everything about him. I want the information as soon as possible,” I concluded.
“Okay, sir,”
“Good, thanks,” I muttered before hanging up and setting my phone on the desk.
On second thought, I retracted my phone from the desk, and stared at the wallpaper; a picture of Ophelia grinning for the camera, at the gala we both attended three years ago.
With a warm smile stretching my lips, I tenderly thumbed my phone screen.
The universe knew I’d give anything to see Ophelia smile like that again.