The Stranger's Wife | Rewritten

9 ⁓ She's His Type

° Willem °

"Where is she?"

Filo looked down at the floor, pursing her lips, a sign that nothing good was about to come out of her mouth. "She left."

Standing at the kitchen's glass door, I had to slide it open to get some air. Breathing, something I rarely thought about was suddenly a chore and I had to remind myself to take in a lungful of fresh air before releasing it. I stood at the doorway for a long time, staring out at the ocean.

It was a humid afternoon where the sun was trying its hardest to fry everything in its path. Once in a while, a weak breeze would ruffle my curls and circulate under my collar to cool my heated body a bit.

Filo came up behind me, her footsteps light, her breathing heavy. "You left her no choice."

"Don't start."

I kept my head straight, refusing to meet her wise eyes. I was not in the mood to address Amelia's leaving. She was a grown woman and she had the right to walk away whenever it suited her.

"You embarrassed her."

"I did no such thing. She's my wife and this is my fucking house. You should have knocked."

Filo scowled and raised her left eyebrow. "Watch your language, and the next time you decide to bring a stranger, who also happens to be your wife, into this house, maybe let me know in advance."

"Dammit, Filo. I messed up. I know I messed up. Just let me wallow in my failure."

"Hmm. You can't just marry a woman overnight and then expect her not to hightail it out of here when Tessa shows up here all crazy and as territorial as a bulldog. I've known that woman for years and she scares me sometimes."

I leaned on the doorframe, shoved my hands in the pockets of my pants, and then turned my head to look at Filo. "Tessa's not thinking straight right now."

"When does she ever?" Filo scoffed.

"Bradley's really sick. He's in a coma and they're keeping a close eye on him for now, but he's going to need extensive surgery from a specialist."

The corners of Filo's lips dipped and she looked grim. Filo practically raised me and that automatically made Bradley her grandson. Filo was my mom in a way my mother never was. My brother and I were the children she never had. It was unfortunate because the woman had so much love to give. When Bradley came around, her love was just as intense, if not more.

"I'm so sorry to hear that, son. The house hasn't been the same without him. I've been praying for him ever since you told me what happened."

I nodded, my throat too tight to speak. I couldn't lose him. The thought alone was heartbreaking and much too painful. He was all I had. My brother's death had left a gaping hole in my chest, a void so deep, I drowned in it every time I missed him.

Bradley couldn't die.

And for the second time in my life, I found myself putting my family, my son, before my love life. Deep down inside I wanted to chase after Amelia and bring her home. I wanted to express to her how she made me feel. I wanted to touch her and kiss her and make love to her until the wee hours of the morning. I wanted to lick pancake syrup off her lips just to hear her laugh.