The Second Marriage Chance

Philip

The GPS guided me to Sarah’s current location. A knot of dread formed in my gut as I twisted the throttle, pushing my motorcycle to dangerous speeds through the city streets. I had to reach her before Mariano’s team. The sleek white van stayed behind, mimicking my vehicle’s movements like a sinister shadow.

Shit!

Determined to catch up with Sarah’s vehicle, I took a shortcut through a narrow alleyway. My motorcycle’s tires screeched loudly as I abruptly stopped in the middle of the road, following my instincts while fear coursed through my veins. I anxiously waited for Sarah’s approaching vehicle, and despite wearing my helmet, I could distinctly see her eyes widen in surprise as she rolled to a stop mere feet away from me, our vehicles separated by a hairbreadth.

The driver’s side window shattered in a spray of deadly glass shards. After making sure the bullet hit the driver, I got back on the motorcycle and sped off again before Sarah could recognize me. At least the van would no longer be able to follow her!

My jaw clenched until it ached. Mariano promised he wouldn’t involve Sarah! Sarah shouldn’t have any idea about my chaotic life!

But I knew the fault ultimately lay with me and the choices I’d made, the devil’s bargain I’d struck more than a year ago.

I headed straight to Ethan’s sprawling mansion on the outskirts of town. I went to the living room after parking the motorbike in his secluded basement garage. There he was, sitting cross-legged, engrossed in Netflix’s Bridgerton series!

Shaking, I tried to calm myself, tossing my helmet onto the wide couch alongside the envelope holding secrets.

“Damn it!” I cursed!

“What’s wrong with you, bro? Are you alright?” Ethan asked.

“Hang on! I have to call Sarah!” I called Sarah using my usual tone to make sure she was alright. I also wanted to know if she recognized me. It seemed she didn’t notice anything unusual. She hid the incident well, too!

After a brief conversation, that woman hung up on me! Damn it!

“What the fuck is going on?” Ethan asked, coming closer to me. “You suddenly appeared here like you just crawled out of a warzone.”

That’s when Mariano called me! The phone rang, so I answered it first, disregarding Ethan’s question.

“Mariano, you promised me you wouldn’t touch my ex-wife!” I shouted; my anger palpable in the trembling of my voice. “That asshole assistant of yours is really aggravating me!”

“That’s why he’s dead, Philip!” Mariano’s tone was firm, causing my eyes to widen. His dissatisfaction with tonight’s outcome was palpable. The one who ended up dead could have easily been me. “But let’s be clear, you didn’t exactly follow orders either. You allowed your emotions to cloud your judgment and acted rashly!”

Ethan shot me a puzzled glance from where he stood.

Chest heaving, I roared back, “This is about my ex-wife! I did what needed to be done!”

“You’re belittling Sarah…” Mariano huffed, his tone shifting. “That’s the issue, Philip. Your decisions are driven by emotion.”

“I didn’t spill the truth to Madam Olsen if that’s what you’re insinuating!” I reasoned.

“Is that why you snatched the document containing the investigation on Sarah Mitchell from Madam Olsen?” Mariano’s question hung in the air. “Philip, do you know why I chose you for my operation?”

“What are you getting at?”

“Because Sarah is under TerraTraxx’s protection. She’s Blaze Belle! I can’t manipulate her because she doesn’t need me! There’s a formidable barrier shielding and safeguarding her, and that includes you!”

I squeezed my eyes shut. Mariano’s revelation hinted at Sarah being a skilled racer who seldom participated in tournaments, a suspicion I had previously entertained but failed to explore further. I’m such a blind idiot!

“Now, I want you to encourage your ex-wife to enter the upcoming race,” Mariano commanded. “But you must also ensure she doesn’t win the competition. That’s your penance for your transgressions tonight.”

Mariano abruptly ended the call, and a surge of irritation coursed through me. He intended to rope Sarah into his schemes, ensuring a hefty profit from my race.

“Damn it!” I cursed.

“What’s going on?” Ethan queried, clearly displeased by my restless behavior.

“It’s about Sarah!” I responded.

“No wonder you’re acting like a madman who’s had his manhood rudely severed!”

With quivering hands, I hastily retrieved the envelope containing Sarah’s files from beside my helmet and tore it open.

Ethan and I spent the entire night scrutinizing the documents: a photocopy of Sarah’s birth certificate, diploma, academic commendations, medical reports from Dubai and Highland Hills, her ties to the Benners, and her relationship with Bronn Martin. There was even a copy of her professional licenses for sanctioned races and events. She possessed a firearm license and certification of a black belt in judo. She had accomplished all of these remarkable achievements before we had even married!

“Damn it!” I exclaimed. My mind was a whirlpool of confusion and disbelief as I tried to make sense of the information laid out before me, feeling like everything I thought I knew was just a fabricated illusion.

“She’s like a member of the CIA who hid her identity too well from you,” Ethan said, his brow furrowed with concern. “Do you have any idea about the details in these reports?”

I shook my head. “No! None of this makes any sense! All I know is someone wants to kill Sarah, which is why she’s been studying all these things! But they’re likely not real, right? She’s been staying home for three damn years like a dumb, clueless housewife!”

Ethan crossed his arms, his expression equally perplexed. “Are you absolutely certain? Have you monitored her every move at Serenity Pines for the past three years to make such definitive statements?”

I pondered Sarah’s personality carefully. She was always so gentle, so damn demure-the picture of simplicity. She couldn’t even hold my gaze in the past, like a fragile, submissive wife!

I don’t even know what to think!

Ethan interjected, “What if Sarah married you to hide her true purpose? It’s clearly stated in this report that she’s marrying Bronn Martin! What if Sarah is using you?”

I hated that Ethan was stating the obvious!

“I got jealous of Amir Benner, only to find out that Sarah is actually a member of the Benner family?”

“Exactly!” Ethan nodded. “That’s why I said she’s like a CIA operative! We might be facing the surprising truth that Sarah is part of a secret spy group, and she’s been looking into you because of your relationship with Mariano!”

Shit! It’s too absurd! I married Sarah long before Mariano’s group even existed.

My head was spinning, trying to make sense of it all. “I must talk to Sarah!”

“Do you know where to find her?” Ethan inquired.

That night, I discovered that Sarah had flown to Dubai. Nevertheless, I still bombarded her with messages, keeping up the charade of the annoying husband-though inside, wanting to strangle someone, anyone! Instead, I impulsively bought an Airbus H175 helicopter and 10 hectares of land in the remote northern region out of sheer frustration and desperation!

I’ll use them in business ventures, ensuring they don’t go to waste.

Then, as if the universe were taunting me further, I encountered Bronn Martin at the Dubai airport.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“President Cornell, what a surprise to see you here! Why didn’t you come with me to the Benner mansion? I know you came all this way for Sarah.”

I gave Bronn a sharp look but stayed silent and followed him. I didn’t let my emotions show on the outside! Yet inwardly, I felt utterly stupid and played for a fool.

When I finally arrived at the opulent Benner mansion and laid eyes on Sarah, that’s when my ex-wife slapped me squarely across the face with the brutal, unvarnished truth!