Even After All

Part Forty Eight

Chapter Forty Eight

It wasn’t easy, realising you were wrong, that your world had fallen apart because of something YOU did, for years Dylan had hidden behind Matilda, blaming her for everything that had happened, she had moved on, forged ahead without him, and he’d never been good enough. Had he honestly believed that? His mother’s word? That was convenient, he never bothered to listen to her the rest of his life, yet on the most important decision of his life, he’d gone to her...and believed her. That anger had fuelled the hatred towards what Matilda had done as he’d surged emotionlessly into huge business decisions, and that had seen him reap huge rewards. If he’d returned to her after Hong Kong he’d never be where he was now personally, but where would THEY be? For SO long his success had meant everything. But now, it meant nothing. He’d give it all up for her, every penny. Because his last truly happy memories had been those few sparse years of their marriage, and the weekend they’d spent together a few weeks earlier.

And for all his self pity, his misplaced anger, his distraction from the truth, all the while, the real victim of everything was suffering on SO many levels. He had to find her. Firstly he had to tell her he was sorry, listen as she’d wanted him to, talk, understand. Did he deserve another chance? He hung his head at that, probably not. But he wanted more than anything to tell her that he loved her, to have the chance to show her that he was sorry.  

Dropping his head to his desk in frustration, he only wished it was that easy. He was struggling to deal with the fact he’d lost everything because he’d been stubborn, childish, selfish.

No one knew where Matilda was. It had taken him five days to track down a number for her father...or rather after four days; he found out that Gareth Davies, her brother, worked at a bank in Chiang Mai. And he’d just hung up on his ex brother-in-law who frankly had little to say to him, and was quick to remind him of how he’d disappeared so dramatically causing chaos in his wake. A few days earlier and Dylan would have taken that bait, shouted and screamed back, justified things...but he didn’t.

                “Will you ask her to call me Gareth? If you won’t let me speak to her.”

Gareth laughed, “speak to her? Call her? I haven’t seen her in the flesh for over a year, and other than the odd emails we don’t speak that often.”

                “She said she was coming to you, taking a holiday.”

A firm denial came down the line, “she had never visited here, though I invite her every holiday. Given up asking. Do the right thing Wallace...leave her alone.”

Dylan shook his head uncaring that he couldn’t see that, “no way. I love her Gareth, and I will do ANYTHING to make her realise that. If you see her tell her that!”

He looked at the phone that he’d slammed onto the receiver, he had no plan B. Sarah hadn’t heard from Matilda, he’d begged that information out of her friend, and had had to confess his intentions to her in great detail. Telling an employee that he was in love with her boss was something he thought he’d find embarrassing, or even humiliating, but it was quite liberating. He had a feeling he’d have to get used to humiliating himself, because there was no way that Matilda would roll over and make things easy for him. That was IF he found her, and IF she gave him the time of day when he did.

Picking up the phone again he called Brandy, she was still in town and she was always him most reliable asset.

                “Book me a flight to Thailand ASAP.”