“Rafael keeps showing up at the office.” Lucy blurted.
Mrs Evelyn was in the kitchen, perfecting two cups of latte intended for herself and Lucy who came around. Her brows perked at her words.
“What does he want?”
“I don’t know.” Lucy sounded tired. “He wants to see June. He is so persistent about meeting her. No matter how much I try to avoid him, he ends up being the first person at the office in the morning and the last person I see while wrapping up the day’s job.”
“It’s driving me nuts. I can’t even stand seeing him without wanting to scratch his eyes out for what he did to June.” Lucy expressed, looking livid. “He already divorced her. Why can’t he move on?”
“That explains your constant working from home these days,” Evelyn said thoughtfully. “Did you mention it to my daughter?”
Lucy shook her head. “I don’t want to bother her. She’s gone through a lot. I can handle it myself.”
“You seem to be having a tough time handling it.” Evelyn placed a cup of Latte before her. “Do I need to come in?”
Lucy sipped her drink. “Mr Ambrose is respectful enough to step back when told but persistent with returning every day. Recently, he bought over one of our Client’s companies.”
“He rejected every concept the team put up, but paid for every single ‘failed design.’ It’s pretty frustrating, especially when it seems there’s something out of order.”
“If he loved her so much, why would he divorce her? Why would he break the lady’s heart so terribly?” She tsked, “I can never understand men.”
“I share the same thoughts,” Evelyn said. “From the day my daughter informed me of their break up, I couldn’t understand why they couldn’t sort things out and eventually got divorced.”
“I know what a man in love looks like, and Mr. Rafael embodies that character so well. His son looked at her like she was the only one in the room. I was jealous at some point.”
“It seemed my daughter had struck gold,” Evelyn spoke with a faraway look. “It all crashed within a twinkle of an eye. You wouldn’t believe it, but I could still see the love in his eyes when we left the house.”
“He did a great job trying to mask it, but I saw through him. I’ve never stopped wondering why he never chased after her. Why he never apologised and hurt my daughter so badly.”
Lucy was stunned by Mrs Evelyn’s words. “Mother! You seem to know a lot about men and love!”
Evelyn wore a sad smile. “Life dealt me with the tough destiny of losing two men who loved me more than I could imagine. I know true love when I see it.” She sighed. “I wish I could say I know the answers to everything. Love is beautiful. I also know how cruel it can become with time.”
“When I reunited with my daughter and met her married to a man that loved her with every fibre of his being. I praised the heavens and prayed her life is only filled with beautiful moments of love moving forward.”
“Life has shown that a love that could bring you joy and a long life could eventually become the thing that brings a world of pain and takes you to an early grave.”
Lucy felt startled. “If love is so gruesome, what’s the point?”
Two knocks came from the front door and they stared at each other in question. “Are you expecting someone, mother?” She asked and Evelyn shook her head.
Lucy nodded and gestured for her to remain calm while she checked who was at the door. She checked the camera and her blood froze when she saw Rafael standing at the door with an aloof personality.
“You this-” She swore under her breath and threw the door open. “This is an infringement of our rights!” She yelled in his face, having had enough. “You have no right to be here, Mr Ambrose, leave before I call the security!”
Rafael maintained a calm disposition. The last few days were terrible. Clarence followed through with her threats and involved humanitarian lawyers. They all accused him of intimidation and threatened to sue for rape if he didn’t meet up to her demands.
Despite all the hurdles he faced, he wasn’t bothered. Rafael was losing his mind thinking about June and where she might be. It felt like she had fallen off the earth and he had gotten to the point he didn’t mind if she rejected him.
He just wanted to see his priceless jewel but the world seemed to be rigged against him. “Let me see her just once.” His brokenness leaked into his voice. “I need to see her just once.”
“You can’t show up here and say that! My lady is a busy woman! Leave this instant or I will-”
“Let him be,” Evelyn spoke from behind.
“Mother…” Lucy trailed, looking between Evelyn and Rafael.
“Give us a minute.” She said and Lucy swallowed the words at the tip of her tongue.
“Okay, Mother.”
Lucy stepped into the house, leaving Mrs Evelyn with Rafael.
“Mother-”
“I am not your mother, Rafael.” Evelyn was sharp and firm. “What do you want with my daughter?”
“I want my wife back.” He said with a solemn look. “I need my wife back home. I am willing to do anything to see her. Just say the words. Please.”
Rafael was in the neighbourhood of desperation. Gone was the confident and powerful man he used to be. Evelyn only saw a broken man when she looked at him. For some reason, her old heart wrenched at the sight.
Despite her wavering heart, she refused to give him a light hand. He hurt her child and she had no problem calling him out like he did her. If there was one thing they had in common, it was their unwavering love for June.
He had proved his when he called her aside and warned her of the dangers of hurting her child the first day she was brought into his home. She never forgot the dinner and how she felt knowing she failed her daughter.
“You are very mistaken,” Evelyn said, her lips thinned to a straight line. “The moment you accused my daughter of infidelity, cheated on her and signed the divorce papers, you lost the right to have her as a wife.”
“I ask again and I expect a clear answer. What exactly do you want with my child?” Evelyn’s gaze was frost and her countenance unfriendly.
Rafael was not one to back down from a fight. He looked her straight in the eyes and said, “I want my wife.”