CHAPTER One Hundred and Thirteen.
Mirabelle’s POV.
Three weeks had crawled by since Noah uttered those soul crushing words. In that time, he had dismantled every rumour that threatened to engulf me and my company. His efforts were meticulous, restless and deeply telling of the man that he was. He hadn’t done it for me, well not directly at least. He claimed he did it for our children, for their legacy, but deep down I knew he still cared, even if he wouldn’t admit it.
I’d stayed up one night, staring at my ceiling wondering how I could ever deserve a man like him. Noah had personally met with the key stakeholders, pulled strings with media outlets and confronted Ken head-on. Whatever happened during their confrontation remained a mystery, but I knew that Ken was detained by the police, and he was still in the cells because he sank my ship.
Natasha on the other hand, had disappeared entirely. Since Noah left Shanghai she had gone MIA. No social media activity, no public appearance. It was almost as if she never existed and the feeds were out for her for the death of a certain Mr Ali. She must have gone into hiding.
Through all this, I have tried everything to make sure that I did right by apologizing to Noah. Apology letters, gift packages, handwritten notes tucked into his belongings, I poured my heart out into each one, hoping they would bridge the widening chasm between us. But Noah remained distant, polite but untouchable. The divorce papers he mentioned that night taunted me.
Everytime the doorbell rang or a courier arrived, my heart would leap, only to sink again when it wasn’t the dreaded envelope. I cling to every flicker of hope, like a drowning woman clinging to driftwood. Maybe, just maybe he was reconsidering. And yes, things stayed the same between us, he loved his children too much to move away from them and this moments when we pretended like we were still a happy couple in front of the children meant a lot to me.
The morning sun streamed through the windows, bathing the kitchen in a soft golden glow. I stood by the counter, brewing coffee and trying to steady my nerves. It was just like every other morning when the kids were gone for school. Noah walked in, dressing in his usual crisp tuxedo. His tie slightly undone, a detail that made my stomach twist, he looked perfect as always and my hands twitched to adjust his tie for him.
“Good morning.” I said softly, my voice tentative.
“Morning.” He said back, his tone neutral but warm enough to make my heart ache.
He poured himself a cup of coffee, his movements precise and controlled, as though he was carefully avoiding any accidental proximity.
I decided to humour him and give in to my hands twitching.
I moved closer to him and he stepped back, it hurt a little but I didn’t really expect more from him. I stepped forward again and this time, he stood his ground. I reached for his tie, the moment my hands slightly brushed his neck, he let out a gasp. He was trying so hard not to look at me but failing.
I cleared my throat and focused on making his tie look good. I took my precious time because I didn’t remember the last time I was this close to him.
When I was done, I placed my hands on his chest in a fleeting moment and I moved back. He breathed in the moment I was not within proximity anymore.
“Are you heading to the office early today?” I asked, trying to sound casual.
“Yes, there’s a meeting I can’t miss.” he said without looking at me.
I took a deep breath, summoning every bit of courage I had within me. “Noah….. about the divorce papers….”
He froze, the mug halfway to his lips. His eyes met mine and for a moment, the air between us crackled with unspoken tension.
“What about them?” he asked, his voice calm but laced with an edge.
“You said you’d send them, but it’s been weeks. I haven’t received anything.” I said, my words tumbling out in a rush.
His jaw tightened, and he set the mug down with deliberate care.
“My lawyer is having some issues drafting them up.”
I frowned, my heart racing. “Or maybe you’re delaying it, maybe you don’t want to divorce me.”
His eyes darkened and he took a step closer, his presence suddenly overwhelming. “Don’t make this about what I want Mira, it’s about what you did.”
“I know I messed up Noah, I’ve said it a thousand times. And I’ll say it a thousand times more if that’s what it takes. But you haven’t sent those papers because deep down you don’t want this to end.”
His gaze bore into mine and for a split second, I saw it. The crack in his armour. The love he was trying so hard to bury within his anger.
“You don’t know what I want.” He said, his voice low and dangerous.
“Don’t I?” I countered, taking a step closer. My chest tightened at how close we were, the faint scent of his cologne and aftershave making my head spin.
“Why did you take care of the company for me? Why did you have a meeting with the stakeholders for me? Huh? Why did you do all that if you didn’t care about me? If your mind was made up, why did you go through all that stress to make me feel comfortable?”
“Because of…. of our children. I don’t w…wan”
“You can hide behind our children all you want, but it won’t hide the fact that you did all that because you love me and you can’t bare to see me in pain. You would destroy anything that made me suffer.” I said, my voice shaky but I was sure of the things I was saying.
“Mira…. you don’t know what y…. you’re s…saying.” The fact that he was stammering alone made me certain about what I was saying.
His eyes flicked to my lips for the briefest of moments before stepping back, his walls slamming back into place. “We are not doing this Mira, not now.”
I opened my mouth to argue but he was already turning away. Grabbing his briefcase and heading for the door.
“I’ll see you tonight.” He said, his tone final.
I stood there, staring at the empty doorway, my heart pounding. There was no denying the pull between us, but it felt like an invisible wall had been erected between us, keeping us apart no matter how desperately I wanted to break through.
—
The drive to work was uneventful, the quiet hum of the engine a welcome distraction from my chaotic thoughts. The road was unusually empty. A rarity for this time of the day, as I rounded the bend, a sudden jolt shook the car.
“What the” I muttered, pulling over to the side of the road.
I stepped out, the cool morning air biting against my skin. My front tire was completely flat. The rubber completely shredded. I crouched down to inspect it, frustration bubbling beneath the surface.
Just as I stood up, a sudden movement caught my attention, before I could react, a rough hand clamped over my mouth, and something was pressed against my nose.
My vision blurred as a sickly sweet smell invaded my senses. Panic surged through me, but my limbs felt heavy, unresponsive.
The last thing I saw was the ground rushing up to meet me before darkness swallowed everything whole.