Admittance

FIVE YEARS LATER

Stefano’s POV

“Welcome home, sir,” My butler, Gideon, greeted as I walked into the house.

“Thank you, Gideon,” I replied, handing him my briefcase, a foreign feeling seizing my heart as I recalled the many times Lillian would welcome me at the door, her smile not fading for a single second even if I acted cold and rude to her.

Pushing the weird, heavy feeling away, I trudged upstairs.

As I undid my tie, my phone vibrated with a notification, and I retracted it from my pocket to see what it was.

Vitriolic ire coursed through me in huge bursts as I gazed at the notification; a text message from my bank, informing me that Meryl had just spent five hundred thousand dollars of my money at a boutique.

Squeezing the phone like it did something to me, I gritted my teeth before blocking the card.

This was certainly what I deserved for treating Lillian like trash.

I could still remember the despondent look in her eyes on the evening of mine and Meryl's engagement party, five years ago.

How heartbroken and utterly helpless she had seemed as I ripped her dignity into irredeemable shreds like a ruthless bastard.

I had kept her hidden from both the public and my grandmother because I thought of her as a nuisance.

How utterly despicable of me.

I mean, she has dropped out of culinary school to be my wife on her father's orders. Speaking of her father, the scumbag had sent me an email the other day, asking if I was interested in purchasing shares in his new company.

The fact that he hadn't seen his daughter in five years and hadn't even bothered to ask me, was utterly infuriating.

I couldn't imagine the type of hellish treatment that Lillian had gone through in both his and his wife's hands, before she married me.

The poor thing had probably thought she would have it easy marrying me, but I had done even worse to her.

I had allowed my mum to talk me into divorcing her for Meryl, who I never even loved from the start.

Like me, Meryl was from one of the most influential families in the country, so we had attended the same schools and even college, where I had dated for a few months, mainly out of familial obligation.

And seven years after college when she returned, I hadn't even thought about it for a second before tossing my wife aside for her.

A decision I regretted ever since she left my life, but was too ashamed to admit for two good years, because even I knew I had done irreparable damage to our relationship.

Just then, something clicked in my head and I remembered something.

Heading out of my bedroom, I went into hers; a room which could be mistaken for a shoebox, given how tiny it was.

Thinking about the fact that she never even let out a squeak of complaint with how badly I treated her, made me let out a huge sigh of despondence, as I opened her wardrobe, inwardly hoping it was still there.

Relief wafted through me when I sighted it; her wedding ring.

It was the only thing I had left to remember her by.

Like the egoistic jerk I was, I had burnt the outfit I had last seen her in, on the day Meryl moved in with me.

I had thought Lillian would have taken the wedding ring to sell it, after our divorce but was surprised to see it on the nightstand, the day after she left.

Thankfully, I had been smart enough to keep it.

Stroking the ring, I pressed a kiss to it, envisioning she was wearing it and I was kissing her left ring finger.

“I'm sorry, Lillian,” I muttered, my eyes fluttered shut as I imagined her caressing my hair. “I'm so sorry it took me so long to realize how much of an asshole I was to you.”

Now that I thought of it, I realized that I had fallen in love with Lillian in her absence.

Her absence had really made my heart grow fonder.

Slotting the ring into my pocket, I left her room. Stepping into my bedroom, I saw Meryl standing in the middle of the room with her arms crossed on her chest and an angry look on her face.

But I couldn't care less.

“Three years ago when you decided to move out of our bedroom for no reason, I didn't say anything because you were keeping my needs met,” Meryl began. “But now, I can't hold it in anymore. You disgraced me today, Stefano. I wanted to buy a cup of coffee only for them to tell me that the card you gave me has been blocked.”

I shook my head as I watched her defiant stance.

“You spent half a million at a fucking boutique today, Meryl,” I spat. “For the past five years, you've been doing nothing but squandering my money and I've tried enough for you. Whatever we have between us is over.”

“Whatever we have between us?” Meryl spat. “I am your fiancée, Stefano.”

“Not anymore because I'm breaking up with you. I am done.” I said.

Suddenly, Meryl sank to the floor and brought her hands together, and the sight made my heart clench with guilt as I remembered Lillian in that same pose five years ago.

“I'm sorry I spoke like that,” Meryl began, crocodile tears welling up in her eyes. “I will be more frugal with money and I'll ask my manager to get some jobs for me.”

Meryl used to work as an actress until we got engaged, and she quit working to waste my money.

“We are over, Meryl. Consider the three million you spent in the past three months your settlement.” I retorted, and she wiped off her tears and stood up.

“Have it at the back of your mind that I won't give you another chance when you eventually come to your senses,” Meryl spat, darting me a glare before storming out.

Good riddance to bad rubbish, I thought to myself as Meryl's car pulled out of the driveway moments later.

Removing my phone from my pocket, I did what I should have done a long time ago. I placed a call to my assistant, Gregory Evans, who answered on the first ring.

“Good evening, sir.”

“Evening, Gregory. I want you to do something for me.”

“What is that, sir.”

Inhaling sharply, I replied. “Find Lillian. I don't care how much it costs, just do it.”

“Yes, sir.” He replied.

Ending the call, I removed Lillian's ring from my pocket and kissed it again, a ray of hope glimmering inside my heart.