CHAPTER 113
ROBERT’S POV
~ The sudden beep of my phone in my pocket startled me a bit, pulling me from my thoughts. I quickly pulled it out and glanced at the screen to see it was a notification from none other than Martin. After leaving me hanging for hours, he finally responded to my chat, his reply shocking me. ~
“Robert, I understand perfectly. You don’t have to worry about anything. I’m only this way towards her because she’s my friend and I care for her. You married her, she’s all yours. Just do your best to bring her and the kids back. I promise I won’t overstep my boundaries.”
I stared at the phone screen for quite some time, contemplating my response. His reply wasn’t quite what I expected. Can I truly trust him to stay clear of Lily? Their close relationship in the past, while we were still married bothered me so much that I wanted to stop her from seeing him entirely. If he took this long to reply to me, that meant he thought deeply about this. That meant he still had feelings for her but was trying to cover it up.
My features hardened with a hint of jealousy and possessiveness as I punched the screen with my fingers. “Why did it take you so long to reply me? It’s obvious you have feelings for her but you’re trying to hide it!”
“I don’t know what has gotten over you Robert,” he sent, seeming furious. “Your jealousy and paranoia won’t get you anywhere. I have already told you what I want to tell you. You can go ahead and think whatever you want. I don’t have feelings for her. Take it or leave it! Even if I do, it doesn’t matter because she’s all yours.”
I let out a sigh as I took a moment to think this through. Maybe I was being paranoid and getting myself worked up for no reason. What happened with Lily and the kids a few minutes ago had left me feeling frustrated and more irritated than usual. I had to get a grip on myself and stop trying to create enmity with the one person who had my back like no one else.
Martin wasn’t the type to go against his words. Once he says he’ll do something, he’ll stick to it to the very end, so I didn’t need to worry about him coming in between Lily and me. The only person that could pose a serious threat to Lily and me getting back together now was that Noah I don’t like him neither do I like the sound of his ancient name. And sadly, Lily herself. She’d become a really tough nut to crack.
But now that I think about it, the only way I can get to soften her stone-cold heart is through the kids. If I can get to them and make them develop a deep likeness for me then they can help intercede on my behalf. No mother can easily resist her children’s heartfelt requests, no matter how unreasonable and silly they might seem. At first, she might seem strong-headed but will eventually give in because her conscience won’t let her be.
I couldn’t believe it had come to this using my own kids as leverage. But my options were limited, so I didn’t have a choice. Getting close to them won’t be an easy task because I had already missed nine years of their life. It will be like learning to walk for the first time. Fortunately, I knew exactly how to go about it. From what I saw earlier, they didn’t seem difficult to deal with and I already have first-hand experience from Jake.
“Sorry Martin,” I apologized, sighing in resignation as I typed. “You’re right. I’m just being jealous and paranoid for no reason. I haven’t been myself lately. I’m fucking overthinking everything and I hate it.”
“It’s fine,” he sent. “You’re my only brother. I love you more than anything in this world. The last thing I want is for anything or anyone to come in between us. Whatever choice you make in this life, as long as it’s good I’ll always stand by you.”
His message elicited a warm chuckle from me as my lips spread to a solacing smile. It was just what I needed to ground myself in this difficult time. I reacted with a love emoji.
“If she’s still giving you a hard time maybe I can fly over there and help you talk to her so you can win her over faster. We both know I can be very convincing, and there is a higher chance she’ll listen to me.” He sent with a grinning emoji.
I laughed. “That won’t be necessary. You’re already doing more than enough keeping things in check over there while I’m here. Just sit back and watch as I prove to you I can be very convincing too.” I finished, adding a proud emoji.
He reacted with a laughing emoji before replying, “Fine.”
We chatted for a while, catching up on a lot of things-mostly about sports like golf and Formula 1, which he loves, fitness, the latest buzz in the crypto world, and everything happening at home since I left. He mentioned Mom has been worried sick about me and is even considering coming over to stay with me and take care of me. Ginny also said she’s been in touch with Rosaline, who won’t stop asking about me, still hoping I’ll change my mind and choose her.
“Tell Ginny to tell her to better forget about me,” I typed with multiple hysterical laugh emojis. “My heart, body, mind and soul all belong to Lily. And no one else.”
He replied with a funny love sticker.
Chatting with him like this made me feel refreshed. It’s been long since we chatted like this. It helped take my mind off a lot of things that have been troubling me lately.
“And before I forget,” he sent. “I told Mum and Dad you’ve found Lily so expect a call from them anytime from now.”
A few moments after he sent that, my phone started ringing. The caller ID showed it was my dad calling.
“They’re already calling,” I replied to him with a smiling face with a tear.
He said his goodbyes and went offline.
I picked up the call and Dad’s stiff, robotic voice blared through the speaker. “Robert.”
“Hey Dad…” I squeaked as I rubbed the back of my neck, waiting to be scolded for not telling them I’d found Lily.
“Robby?” Dad didn’t respond. Instead, I heard Mom’s voice amidst some background noise as she took the phone from him.
“We’ve missed you so much,” she said, her voice trembling slightly as if she were on the verge of tears. “And you never seem to call unless we’re the ones calling you-typical of you. Anyway, how are you holding up over there?”
“I’m fine,” I said.
“Martin told us you’ve found Lily.”
“Yeah.”
“Why didn’t you tell us?”
I let out a sigh, rubbing my forehead as I thought of an excuse. “I…I’ve been really busy. I planned on calling to tell you guys tonight.”
I heard her let out a sigh as if not believing me entirely.
“He also said that she’s giving you a hard time, which is why your father and I have decided to catch the next flight to LA to come help you out,” she said seriously, making my eyes bulge in shock.
“No…!” I blurted out.
“Why not?” she asked, her tone laced with confusion.
“Uhmm…” I couldn’t stop myself from stammering. “I…there is no need for that. This is something I can handle on my own. You and Dad have done enough to help me out and I’m very grateful. I don’t want you stressing yourselves anymore. It’s now left for me to do rest.”
“Nonsense!” She dismissed it without a second thought. “Your father and I are coming over there whether or not you like. Even if your father doesn’t want to come, I will come alone. We’re a family. Whatever problem you face, we face together. After all, we all had an equal hand in what happened to Lily so we all owe her an apology.”
I tried to insist again but she quickly cut the call. I wanted to call back but an incoming call from Frank came through, interrupting me.
Huffing out in frustration, I picked it. “What Frank?…”
“Boss, it’s done. I’ve wiped out every single work-related file from Lily’s laptop.”