Chapter 126 Purple Tamara
Daxton
Today was the day. The day I would drop to one knee, hold out the ring to her and ask her to be my forever.
My emotions swung from excitement to complete nervousness. I’d never been the type to be nervous. But right now, with the weight of the velvet box in my pocket, feeling heavy all of a sudden, my mind was all over the place.
I wasn’t scared of her rejection. I knew she wouldn’t.
What if I messed this up?
Verena was too good. Too good for a dark soul like mine, so perfect that it felt like a sin to stand beside her. Yet, she still chose me and loved every side of me—the good and the ugly.
Even when she didn’t understand me, she still remained by my side.
That woman chose me in my worst moments, and I would be damned if I didn't give the world to her.
As the car pulled into the mansion, I fixed my eyes back on the text that she’d sent two hours ago. “Dax. I ate so much at your sister’s wedding and now, my clothes don’t fit anymore. I’ve nothing to wear to the fundraising you mentioned. Send help. I love you,”
Since the engagement was supposed to be a surprise, I told her we had an important fundraising gala to attend.
I had purchased a million dollar beach house—the papers all her in name and that was where the real surprise was waiting. I wasn’t good with designing but sometimes it amazed me how much I was willing to do for my woman.
“Do you think she would like the ring, Josh?”
His eyes met mine through the rear-view mirror—a smile in them as he bobbed his head. “Of course. It is really beautiful and they will be a perfect fit,”
I’d spent the previous weeks sizing up her fingers while she slept, memorizing every curve and line so I hoped it would fit perfectly.
Heaven. I couldn’t wait to see her face.
I entered the house, back pressed against the door while my heart thudded in anticipation. Daisy took a fast sprint to me, knocking into my legs before leaping at me.
“Hi, Daisy. Where is your mum?”
Daisy barked in response—in the direction of the kitchen. I moved into the kitchen with the name ‘Verena’ on the tip of my tongue but the mess in the kitchen made my steps falter.
Spilled wine on the marbled floor. Matilda picked the broken shards that were scattered across the floor. The leftover pizza on the kitchen island, Verena’s laptop and other gadgets beside it.
A weird feeling unfurled in my chest. A feeling I couldn’t shake away.
“What happened here?”
Matilda whipped her head to me as she rose to her feet and pulled out her gloves. “Miss Verena,”
I raised a brow.
“We were chatting and she was talking about changing into the dress you sent until she went quiet. When I turned, her face had drained of color. Then as she stood up shaken, the wine slipped from her hand while she muttered that she’d be right back. Before I could ask her what was wrong, she was already out of the door.”
A suffocating feeling ballooned in my chest as my eyes narrowed to the laptop. I crossed over to it in a stride as my fingers drummed against the keyboard fast.
The screen lit up with an email. The sender— Purple Tamara.
“Dear Verena,
I received your response a while ago and I’ve spent a considerable amount of time trying to crack the motive behind the pictures you sent.
Putting that aside, you are a beautiful woman and you deserve to know the truth about the man you’re with. Mr. Daxton Cooper isn’t who you think he is and if you can get away fast, please do.
I’m sure he never told you this but Daxton Cooper killed his mum. I don’t know if you’ve noticed but he uses pills from an unlabeled container.
If you’ve confronted him about the use of it and he gave you a blunt response of it having to do with his mental health or nightmares. It is a lie.
Daxton is a liar. A man who kills beautiful things just like he killed his mum. He is diagnosed with antisocial tendencies. He is a psychopath, a sociopath, the worst man any woman could possibly be with. And those pills are to keep him in check.
A man that could kill his mum will surely kill you, Miss Verena Carson.
The core message from my previous email still stands. Get away from him while you still can. Have a nice day.”
My knuckles turned white as they gripped the edge of the island, cold fury ripping through me. A dark energy buzzed beneath my skin, blood rushing and drumming in my ears.
Murder.
That was the ‘word’ that rang in my ears.
That was the only thing that made sense right now.
My eyes cut to Josh who lingered at the doorway. “Dispatch our men to find Verena…”
Pain made my heart squeeze in my chest. “And for this bastard, Kian…” a dry bitter laugh sputtered from my mouth because I knew it was him. “I’ll deal with him myself.”
~Verena~
I didn’t know what to think or believe anymore. Honestly I was at a loss for words. The ache in the low of my stomach throbbed as I heaved a frustrated sigh.
I wouldn’t have been bothered by that email if I hadn’t known that Daxton’s ‘mum’ was a sensitive subject we didn’t cross until he was comfortable. If I hadn’t known about the unlabeled container he guarded so fiercely.
This stupid me thought it was from Ashley Delavine but with the recent one. No.
The email came from someone who knew us—someone who knew too much. Someone who wrote to me with an unsettling confidence.
Psychopathic tendencies. Antisocial tendencies. They were not true.
Daxton wouldn’t lie to me.
“Are you still using my phone?” Adam, the bartender of the Rugol Bar asked—a bar I’d always frequented during my marriage crises with Kian when I needed space to think and clear my head. I had no idea how I ended up here. It was only when I stepped inside that it hit me that I was back here.
“Yeah,”
I forced a smile that didn’t reach my eye, handing it to him. The report said that she was missing and had disappeared from the limelight after she started dating Daxton’s dad.
So what role exactly did Daxton play in this.
“The drink is on the house. It is good seeing you here again,”
“Thank you,” I downed the hot liquid that burned my throat.
I had to return home and get ready for the fundraising event before Daxton panicked about my whereabouts. I knew he would've called me but my phone was dead and it didn't even cross my mind to ask Adam for a charger.
After the event, we could now talk about the email.
All of a sudden, my eyes drooped, and a sudden wave of dizziness washed over me.
“Uh…” I murmured. I hadn’t drank much so why did it feel like my system was collapsing?
Everything around me started to fade into a blur. The voices, the faces—
Something was wrong.
I fumbled for my car-keys, attempting to rise to my feet only to stumble back and before I could fall, strong hands caught my shoulders. “Easy…”
With my blurry gaze, I glanced at who it was. “Daxton? H–How…did…you…find…me…m”
The face morphed from Daxton to Kian’s face as I squeezed my eyes shut to be sure my vision wasn’t playing tricks on me.
As I slowly gave into the darkness that enveloped me, a voice said. “You’ve had enough fun outside. Let’s take you back to your real home, wifey.”