Page 228 of Falling for the Wife

The second I stepped foot outside, I reprimanded myself for being so thoughtless. What this woman was going through was seriously none of my business, but all of my doubts vanished when I saw her aimlessly walking with her head bent low, arms wrapped around her as she tried to cross the busy street.

Rushing towards her, I yanked quite roughly as I held a tight grip on her elbow. She gave me a perplexed look just as I reprimanded her for not being watchful. “Didn’t your parents teach you to use pedestrians as a child?” Gritting out the words, I made sure we crossed the road safely before gazing at her forlorn face.

She made a melancholy sigh before gazing directly into my eyes. In the dimness of the night, her beauty was only heightened. “They didn’t,” she answered. “My parents were busy making sure I was going to be a polished and suitable wife when I grew up.” Something changed in her eyes before she gestured to cup my face again with her soft hand, gawking at me with fascination and wonder. “You look just like him. I mean, apart from the slashing scar on your brow …” she trailed off, eyes wandering across my facial features. “You could’ve been his twin.”

“You must be quite saddened to have such a strong reaction to a man who resembles someone who was close to you.”

She seemed teary before she made a cruel, dry laugh. “I was young … and I hadn’t known better then. I suppose you could say he is one of my biggest regrets in life. It’s difficult to live with such guilt and burden even after all these years.”

I made a curt nod, understanding where she was coming from. “We all have our fair share of guilt, any human being does.” Not wanting a full-on heart to heart discussion with her, I immediately changed the subject. “How about I hail you a cab so you can go home and rest? A good rest might do wonders, or so they say.”

“Home is New York. I’m just visiting the Motherland to be with friends and family.”

It might’ve been the light teasing that provoked her to smile, but fuck, what a blinding smile it was. I felt my breathing halt just a tad.

Clearing my throat, I made a courteous nod. “Right. Of course. Then we’d have the cab take you to your destination. Wherever that is.”

“That would be lovely …Craig.” She seemed reluctant to say my name, although a faint blush appeared after she did.

There was an air of mystery about her that triggered something within. It felt as if it was compelling me to do something spontaneous, something drastic, and I knew I simply couldn’t chance it. Never again.

Hailing a cab wasn’t a hardship; in no matter of time, a licensed, black cab parked about a foot away, waiting with his blinkers on.

“I suppose this is goodbye …”

“Ava,” she hastily said. “My name is Ava.”

A smirk crossed my lips before giving her a final look. “Have a restful night, Ava. And do try to stay out of trouble for the rest of your stay.”

“You, too …” She gazed up, breathless and seeming reluctant to leave. “Goodnight.”

I wasn’t sure if she was hoping to exchange numbers or if she needed me to give her a hug, but I wasn’t readily giving her either. There was no need to ignite the ghost she was chasing. Therefore, I pressed my lips together instead, hoping she’d get the cue that she was prolonging the inevitable. After a minute of silence, she finally did, much to my relief. She made a final wave of goodbye, opened the cab door, stepped into it, and gave me one last glance that could be interpreted in so many ways before the cab whisked her away.

I stayed awhile, rooted to the spot where she’d left me, still deep in thought.A twin she had said, I thought with derision before a dark, cruel laugh emerged from me.

My life definitely hadn’t started out easy. Now and again, it still drove a hard bargain. Such as when it attempted to force me into forgiving people who had wronged me …

The wordforgivenesscertainly wasn’t part of my dictionary.

CHAPTER75

Ava

It had beenover an hour since I’d arrived back at the hotel. Still, I sat ramrod straight on the luxurious sofa, staring into oblivion. The driver, bless his heart, had seemed kind enough to give me a minute or ten as he patiently waited for me to gather my bearings before exiting his vehicle. In return, I paid him an extra hundred quid as a tip. Had tonight really happened? It kept circling my brain, making me wonder how on earth I would manage to move forth from what had occurred tonight.

Moreover, my mind kept coming back to the mystery man named Craig Chambers.

Same last name. Same face.

What were the odds, really?

Heck the chances were slim, yet fate had guided me to face the ghost of my demons. Everything about Craig—apart from that tiny scarred spot on his brow—was utterly alike to my fallen beloved. There was only a subtle difference to the smooth face that I remembered so well from a decade ago. Had he been alive, I was convinced Reiss would appear just as Craig did with that slight scruff and a confident persona accompanied by an easy smile that made his one dimple appear on his left cheek.

Even that one, tiny, insignificant detail …

Craig had possessed one, too.

However, since Reiss was dead, my mind furthered with theories and such. Surely, they could somehow be related. It could be his long lost, distant cousin. I was convinced Reiss’s familial gene pool could produce another manalmostidentical to him. It was merely a twisted, freakish accident that I had spotted him tonight.

---