Meeting my rebound

Meeting my rebound
NOLAN POV
I was back at the empty apartment I once shared with my wife and Alessia.
Looking at the way things went down, she was no longer my wife.
She wanted to be with another man.
When will I ever learn?
That man was none other than my father.
The house felt cold, and each room was filled with undying silence.
Once again, I had lost everything I had worked hard to achieve.
I was back where I started.
When I walked away, I was hoping that Ben would stop me and tell me that we could work things through.
But she didn’t even try.
She had made her decision.
I poured my heart into work and didn’t give myself a chance to feel heartbroken or disappointed.
Later that next morning, I decided to call Ben’s mother and ask how she was doing.
She picked up on the first ring.
“Nolan, my dear, how are you?”
I forced a smile.
“I’m alright, thanks. How are you?”
“Okay, dear.”
“Can I talk to Ben or Alessia? I can’t seem to get through to them.”
She paused.
“Oh, I thought you knew.”
I frowned.
“What do you mean?”
She sighed softly.
“They left for Italy.”
That was the final nail in the coffin.
I knew that she was going to run into his arms, but I didn’t expect her to just pack and leave like we weren’t still married.
“Nolan, are you there?” Ben’s mother asked curiously.
Feeling defeated, I hung up.
I regretted reaching out.
Maybe I shouldn’t have just pretended like everything was okay so that I could save myself from the heartbreak.
I got out of bed and made my way to the kitchen and poured myself a glass of whiskey.
The pale amber liquid burned my throat as I gulped it down.
I groaned deeply and let out a laugh, pouring myself another glass.
My life was turning into some kind of joke, and I was the fucking clown.
Even when I tried to be the good guy, it always backfired.
FLASHBACK
I was still at the hospital because Ben had passed from the shock after learning about my father’s death.
When I received the call from Uncle Mateo, I stepped out.
The last time we spoke, they were still searching for any remains of my father’s body.
“We found him, Nolan.”
His voice was full of emotion, and I blinked in surprise, trying to make sense of what he was saying.
“Is…he?”
“He’s alive, but in bad shape. I don’t know if he’ll make it.”
My heart was pounding frantically in my chest.
“He was calling your name…you need to get here.”
I nodded quietly and made my way to the car when he gave me the name of the hospital.
It was one of the underground hospitals.
I arrived there an hour later and found Uncle Mateo pacing around the room.
I could see the worry all over his face.
“How is he doing?”
He shook his head negatively.
“The doctor says that he needs brain surgery to stop the internal bleeding, but there’s a slim chance that he’ll survive and be the same.”
As Uncle Mateo filled me in, we found the doctor who handed me a consent form.
I stared at it as my hands trembled.
I had my father’s life in my hands.
I pushed the negative thoughts away and signed the form, allowing the doctor to prepare for the surgery.
“Can I see him before he goes for the operation?” I asked curiously.
The doctor gave me a few minutes.
I walked to his room and found him attached to a bunch of beeping machines.
I couldn’t even recognize him.
“Dad?”
Tears filled my eyes, and I found myself holding his hand.
“I still need you.”
There was a wheezing sound, and he slowly opened his eyes.
“Nolan?” he choked out.
His voice sounded foreign to my ears.
“Ben…Benedykta, is she okay?” he whispered.
I let go of his hand.
Even at the brink of death, he still loved her.
“She’s at the hospital…she’s just in shock, but she’ll be fine.”
He remained silent.
“Take care of her…”
Our eyes locked in a frenzy.
“Tell her that I passed away in the explosion…”
I stared at him in shock.
“Dad, no…”
“It’s the only way you can be with her…”
That was the last thing he said to me.
I played the role of a grieving son.
Ben believed that my father was dead…and I got to be close to her.
She was mine.
PRESENT DAY
I got ready for work and decided not to drive because I felt a little tipsy, so I called for an Uber. Thirty minutes later, I arrived at the office and composed myself, heading to my office like it was just a normal day.
I didn’t get much work done.
I was lost in my thoughts.
“Nolan?”
I snapped out of my thoughts and found Ben’s grandfather.
The old man was too stubborn to retire despite his old age.
“Did you have a lover's quarrel with your wife?”
I couldn’t help but chuckle as he sat down and made himself comfortable.
I signaled his caretaker to give us some privacy.
“Your granddaughter left me the moment she knew that my father had been alive all this while.”
His eyes widened in shock.
“Ambrose is alive? How?”
I sighed deeply.
“He survived the explosion but made me promise to keep his existence a secret from Ben because he wanted me to be happy.”
He sighed softly.
“He really loves her that much?”
I shrugged carelessly.
“We could have avoided this mess if he had just said that he wanted to marry Ben instead of you.”
I pulled out a bottle of water and gulped down the liquid in seconds.
“So, what are you going to do?”
I knew what was next, and that was to let her go even if I still loved her.
“I’ll send her the divorce papers…Ben never really belonged to me in the first place.”
Her grandfather looked sad.
“What a shame…”
It was the only way to let her go.
“Do you want to have a drink in the office? I have scotch.”
I grinned.
“It’s the fastest way to heal your broken heart,” he taunted, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
On the way to Mr. Rebel’s office, I bumped into a woman, sending the papers she was holding to the floor.
She looked up, meeting my gaze, and I froze.
“Rosie?”
Her eyes widened in surprise as she created distance between us.
The memories we had came rushing back, and my head felt fuzzy recalling each kiss.