The labyrinth
AMBROSE POV
I hadn’t heard from Nolan since the wedding was canceled, and ever since that horrible incident, his cellphone has been switched off. It was the same thing with Ben; she never answered any of my calls, but at least I had peace of mind because she was in the company of her best friend. I was just glad that she was safe.
I was having a cup of coffee in my apartment when my phone began to ring. I fished it out of my pocket, placing the device to my ear. It was Matteo.
“Hello?”
“Ambrose, how are you holding up?” he asked in a worried tone.
I sighed deeply. “Well, I’ve lost the two people I love. The only thing keeping me sane is the damn company.”
“Well, I had warned you to stay away from that girl the moment you knew who she was,” Matteo taunted, and I rolled my eyes.
“If you have nothing better to say, I am going to hang up.”
“Wait, don’t hang up…I called because I have news about Zane Gray.”
Upon hearing his stupid name, my whole mood dampened. “What did you find out?”
“Well, apparently he never grew up in a stable environment. His parents got a divorce when he was just six years old. Since he was pretty young, he ended up living with his mother, who later became an alcoholic and constantly hit him, blaming him for the divorce.”
“Uh, he’s been in and out of rehab for drugs, and his father made sure that his reckless son kept a low profile so that it wouldn’t affect his business. His mother soon lost custody of him, and Zane ended up with his father, who sent him to a private school when he got clean, and that’s where he met Benedykta.”
“But there’s more. A few years ago, Zane was accused of raping a waitress in London. He was arrested for a few days but later released after the young woman suddenly dropped the charges, and a few months after that, the woman went missing, and her remains were found today.”
I remained silent. “She died due to a gunshot wound.”
I ran my fingers through my hair. I was dealing with a sociopath. “He killed the woman because she was going to expose him,” I muttered quietly. Ben was in grave danger. I finally knew his game plan. He was here for revenge, and he wasn’t going to stop until Ben ended up dead.
“So what do you want me to do about this guy? I can call your nephew for backup; I’m sure Adelio would be more than willing to help you get rid of Zane.”
No, I didn’t want to burden Adelio; his wife was heavily pregnant, and he needed to stay by her side. I shook my head negatively. “No, let’s not bother Adelio; I’ll handle Zane Gray my own way.”
“Come back to Italy, Ambrose, and I’m saying this as your friend because New York has nothing to offer you, and you lost your son because of a mere woman.”
I felt pissed off. “Ben isn’t just a mere woman. She’s the woman who made me believe in love after I lost my wife. I thought I’d never move on from her death, but when I met Ben, everything changed, and I will never stop loving her.”
Matteo sighed deeply. “You’re really stubborn, but it’s clear that you love her…so get her back.”
I smiled to myself. After the call ended, I decided to take Matteo’s advice; I needed to keep trying to get through to Ben, no matter how many times she continued to push me away. I found myself driving to her best friend’s house, and an hour later, I arrived at the location.
I got out of the vehicle and knocked on the door, waiting for a response, and after a few minutes, the door opened, and Marcus looked surprised to see me.
“Ambrose, what are you doing here?” he asked curiously.
“Uh, I’m here to see Ben...I know that she doesn’t want to see me, but it’s really urgent.”
“Ben has gone to visit her grandfather at the hospital, and when she didn’t return, she sent me a text telling me that she had gone back to her apartment.”
I was about to leave, but his voice stopped me. “Ambrose?”
I spun around and met his gaze. “She might push you away, but don’t give up on her, because she needs you.”
I nodded sternly and gave him a small smile. “Thank you for taking care of her.”
He smiled back, and I headed back to my car. It didn’t take me long to arrive at her apartment. The area looked isolated, but I pushed the negative thoughts away and knocked on the door. It was oddly silent.
When the door finally opened, I saw her. She looked exhausted, and her eyes were swollen. She had been crying.
“Ambrose?”
I didn’t give her a chance to respond and forced myself inside the house, closing the door behind me. She wrapped her arms around herself.
“What are you doing here?”
My gaze lingered on the bandage on her arm. “Who did this to you?” I was trying to control my anger.
She lowered her gaze. “No one…what do you want?”
I took a step closer, and she moved back. She was nervous, almost like she was hiding something. “What are you keeping from me? I will find out the truth.”
She glared at me. “Get out of my house, Ambrose.”
I sighed softly. “Stop pushing me away…Ben, you’re only hurting both of us in the process.”
A tear rolled down her cheek. I could tell that she was in a lot of pain. “Ben…please.”
For a moment, she looked conflicted. Her teary eyes met mine in a frenzy. “I want you to leave, Ambrose, and don’t ever come back.”
The mere thought of never seeing her again shattered my heart. “I only came here to tell you that Zane is dangerous…I don’t want you to continue staying alone. Move in with me, and I’ll give you your space.”
She frowned at me. “I’m not going anywhere with you; besides, I know Zane pretty well, and I am capable of taking care of myself.”
I sighed tiredly. “Why do you suddenly hate me? I’m not your enemy, Benedykta.”
I had reached my limit. I could no longer stand her constant rejection. “All I’ve done is love you…was that my crime? Is that why you keep punishing me?”
She wiped her tears away. “I won’t repeat myself…Ambrose, please leave.”
“Piccolo fiore…don’t do this…stop hurting us.”
“I love you.”
It was clear that she had made up her mind. I walked out of the house, and I heard the door being slammed hard. I stood there, hoping that she would change her mind. Maybe I had lost her…this time for good.
I decided to head back to my apartment. When I arrived, I was stunned to see Nolan’s car in the driveway. Feeling excited, I got out of the car and went to see him. He got out of the car.
“Nolan.”
Our eyes locked in a frenzy.
“Don’t look so happy; I’m not here for a reunion,” he exclaimed bitterly, shattering the bit of hope I had. “I came here to get my stuff.”
I nodded quietly. I opened the door, and he stepped into the house. I remained in the living room while Nolan went upstairs to collect his belongings.
“You went to see her, didn’t you?” His voice snapped me out of my daze.
I remained silent.
“You don’t have to pretend, Dad; I already know.”
I nodded. “Yes, I went to see her, but she doesn’t want anything to do with me.”
He chuckled sadly. “I’m glad we both lost her…because it wasn’t fair for you to have her to yourself.”
I remained silent. “Didn’t you ever feel guilty? You knew how much I loved her, yet you kept seeing her behind my back.”
I sighed deeply. “After your mother’s death, I thought I’d never fall in love again. I was already old, and I thought I didn’t stand a chance of finding love again, but the moment I met Ben at that bar…it was love at first sight. I felt like I was meeting your mother for the first time because Ben brought back those feelings.”
“She looked so much like her…maybe that’s why I felt drawn to her that night. Ben was drunk, and she asked me to kiss her, and one thing led to another, but before I could ask for her name, she disappeared. When I saw her again, she was getting engaged to another man.”
I smiled sadly. “It was shameless of me to feel that way, but I was jealous of that man, and many times I wished that I was in his place.”
Our eyes locked in a frenzy.
“I was jealous of my own son.”