TRAPPED WITH HER WISH (A Christmas Romance)

Chapter 25

ACE'S POV

I looked at her and stood up. "Follow me." I said and started walking to my office. I could feel her walking behind me and when I got to my office, she entered. "Shut the door behind you." I told her coldly.

She did so and sat on one of the chairs in the office before bursting into tears. "Ace..." She called out before crying for a few minutes. "I'm very sorry Ace. I'm sorry. I made a mistake and I'm here to fix it."

I glared at her. "Cut the crap Juliette. What the fuck do you want?" I was trying so hard to maintain my composure and not yell at her the way I wanted to.

"Ace, Robert is a monster. I'm sorry I left you for that bastard. I'm sorry I left our kids but I'm back Ace. I'm here now. Please have mercy and take me back. Let's be a family once again. Let's fix things." She said and nothing ever irritated me more than those words.

I balled my hand into a fist in anger. She's lucky I don't hit women. Who the hell does she think she is that she can walk back in and ask for a spot in our lives again? "No, so get out. You will never be a part of our lives again."

"Please Ace. Please. I'm only human and human make mistakes. Please forgive me, Ace. Let me fix this mess." She said and went down on her knees. "I want my family back."

I was quiet as I watched her cry. It hurt me and made me so angry at the same time because she thought she could just walk away and come back because there was trouble in paradise? "What did Robert do to you?" I asked after sometime.

She took a while to control her crying before looking up at me. "He's a monster, Ace. He hits me every single day. I had to take a loan to fly away from Amsterdam because I'm shit broke. He took away everything. I was wrong. I admit it Ace. I made a mistake. Being with Robert for the past three years has been enough punishment for what I did. It was my own karma, Ace. I've paid for my sins. I've paid for leaving my kids. I've paid for breaking your heart." She said as she burst out crying again.

"I don't care about your karma or anything." I said but it was a lie. I was hurting inside because she hurt my kids. She hurt my boys, especially Myles. She hurt me. And when things didn't turn out as planned for her, she came rushing back. What did she take my kids and I for?

"I have nowhere else to go to. I have no one here in Houston and I don't even have money to go to a motel."

I shrugged. "That's not my business. You're not part of my responsibilities again. When you're done with this charade, leave." I told her. She didn't deserve any empathy because she didn't care when she was leaving. I vividly remember our conversation that early summer; '

I found someone else. Someone I truly love. I'm sorry Ace, but I'm leaving. I'm still too young and I deserve to be with a guy who I can explore the world with. I can't be tied down with you and three kids here in Houston for the rest of my life.' She had said while walking around the room and avoiding eye contact.

I scratched my forehead. She always mentioned she was tired of the relationship but I never knew it was leading to this. 'Please, Juls, you can't leave. Okay, maybe I did something which offended you. I am sorry. Just call me out on it and I promise to change.' I begged her.

She stopped and faced me, this time, mustering up the courage. 'It's not you Ace, it's me. I'm tired of being here. You haven't done anything wrong, in fact, you're one of the kindest and sweetest human beings in the world. I just found a man I love more and we're passionate about the same things. I'm going after my dreams."

'And leaving your kids! For fucks sake our boys are still 4 and Maya is barely five months old! How do you expect her to grow and find out her birth mother left her for a man?' I asked, loosing my temper.

She shrugged. 'We'll I'm sorry, I can't be traveling round the world with an infant.'

'I would never even let you take my kids away from me.' I told her with a scoff.

She nodded. 'Then it's settled, take the kids while I leave.'

My heart broke into pieces. I loved Juliette. I loved my wife. My kids loved their mom. I couldn't let her leave us. 'Please Juls, don't leave us.'

Rethinking about it now made me so furious. I begged her. I convinced her, I tried to make things work and she agreed to stay but five days later, we woke up to a house without Juliette or her belongings. I tried calling her severally. Myles and Mylo had to skip school that day and Myles sat by the door, waiting for his mom to come back home but she never showed up. It sent my 4 years old boy into a minor depression and I couldn't forgive her for hurting my kids that way. It was so easy for her to leave us, I could never be with a woman like her again.

"I know I'm a terrible person. I'm the worst person ever. But please have pity on me, Ace. I'm loosing my mind. At this point, I have nowhere else to go or any other person to run too. I just want to be with my kids for comfort before I loose my mind." She cried out and it hurt me that I was affected by those tears. I hated it when people were in pain because I knew just how it felt.

"How did you even find me or know I work here?" I asked the only question that was running through my mind at this point. "And get up from your knees. It's giving me a headache."

She nodded and took her seat once more. "I uh, saw your restaurant on the news the eve before thanksgiving. I'm so proud of you. Your restaurant is the talk of the town. Everyone in Houston recommends it. You're still the greatest chef ever." She said with a hint of a smile. Her eyes looked so sunken and tired. Looking at her now, I noticed a lot of unpleasant changes. Her nappy hair that was always so beautiful to look at, looked like a mess now. Those beautiful brown eyes looked so sad and tired and she had gotten so much darker and paler. She was like the ghost of the Juliette I married eight years ago.

I felt sorry for her. "I'll give you some money to go back to your parents house." I told her.

She was quiet for sometime and when I raised my eyebrows, she burst into tears again, this time, her shoulders shaking so much. "They disowned me just the way I did with my kids. They hate me for my actions. They even moved to a different state and I can't contact them. I have no one on my side. You've got to help me, I'm begging."

"I'll give you the money, figure it out. Find a hotel, motel, whatever, but don't come here again. You're not welcomed." I deadpanned.

She joined her fingers together as if praying for help. "Please Ace, I don't mind washing dishes here, I just really need a place to live in, where Robert wouldn't be able to find me. I just need shelter and some clothes. I only traveled with what I'm putting on right now."

I sighed. This isn't how I expected my day to look like. "Like I said, it's not my business. There's no space for a woman like you in my home or workplace, Juliette."

She looked me in the eye as tears rolled down from hers. "Please Ace, I'm still the mother of your children. Please don't do this to me, I'll loose my mind."

"You know, you're a very selfish person. You only care about yourself! Have you thought about me or how this will affect my kids? Did it cross your mind that things and people change? Juliette I'm trying so hard not to kick you out of my office because I invited you in here but do not push me. Get the fuck out of my office, now!" I told her angrily. She's scared of loosing her mind like we all didn't loose ours when she left. It's just a taste of her own poison. And now she's trying to play mind games with me.

She nodded, stood up and walked away.