Always Been You

~Dante’s POV~

I awoke the next morning glancing at the wall clock. The time was 8:00 a. m. I had a look around my suite and, boy, was it a mess. I use the intercom button to summon Lev. I told him to come to my suite in 30 minutes. I went to take a shower. I dressed after showering. As I was busy trying to pick up all the papers strewn across the carpet and organize them accordingly, Lev walked in.

“Damn, your suite looks like shit.” I nodded, not knowing where to start. Only if I’d paid attention to him all these years. He was right about the pain. At the time when we found out, three people were registered under me. But then, who has been helping Lola all this time? Her family? Naa, the last time I called them they were in Vietnam and the mother even called me her son-in-law, which can only mean that she didn’t know. I mean, we always call each other. She could have informed me. She loves me too much to keep such information from me. Lola’s mother was the first person I told about my yearning for Lola, and she didn’t argue with me; instead, she simply told me to wait until she was 18. Even so, when Lola was 18, she kept asking me If I had confessed, I would tell her I still had unfinished business. She has never once judged me. When I had my first girlfriend because I thought she would oppose my dating Lola, I told her I was seeing someone and it wasn’t serious. Lola and her mother are not close. She can call Lola, but she will ignore her calls. Lola, on the other hand, has never dodged my mother’s calls. Maybe I should call her and tell her she has grandchildren now. No, it won’t do. She’d wonder why I’d kept it from her all these years. I mean, I’d been lying to her for years when she inquired about Lola’s well-being. Perhaps I should go to Vietnam and tell her I lied to her. I despise this because my lies have finally caught up with me. I’m a father, and I had no idea about this. It’s not something I can discuss with her over the phone. I sighed as I neatly set the papers on my large wooden desk without meeting Lev’s gaze. I went behind my desk and sat down.

“You were right about everything.” I finally spoke.

“About what?”Nôvel(D)rama.Org's content.

“When you told me someone was pregnant for me 4 years back, about Tyler.”

“So Tyler is your son?”

“Yep, and there is more.”

“What exactly do you mean, there’s more?” Lev inquired, his expression troubled.

“June Blackwood is Lola’s friend. I haven’t confirmed it yet, but I encountered a man that resembles June. Because they resemble each other, I am confident he is not her husband. The guy is a doctor, and I think I know why she hesitated to tell me about her friend the other day. It seemed like her brother wanted my wife and she knew that if I ever knew who her friend was, I would be in the way of her brother.’

“I still don’t understand you.”

“June’s brother wants my wife, or he is already dating her,” I voiced out.

“What?! Lola isn’t like that, and you know it. Perhaps he has feelings for her. So, are you going to bring Lola home?”

“No, I am going to take my kids home.”

“Kids, what exactly do you mean, kids?” I closed my eyes and braced myself for the blast.

“Lola gave birth to triplets.” Lev took a few steps back. “Yea, Lev, I am a father of three and I just found out yesterday.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know what led her to betray me like this, but one thing is for sure. I am taking my kids away from her. This is a betrayal I did not expect from her. Lola is a perfectionist who is flawless in every way. But I never imagined she would betray me. No matter what her reasoning is, Lev. I fathered those kids. I had a right to know. I went crazy when she left me. I went as far as not submitting the damn divorce so she could come back, only to find out that she didn’t submit on her end either. 4 years going to 5 years now Lev. Will you be able to forgive anything like that? They are my children. Even if she had decided to flee, she could have left a clue or told me that she was pregnant. We could have had a happy family life, Lev. She was my first love. Forget about the fact that I slept with other people while waiting for her. We made a promise. I know I let her down. But Lola knew she was going to end up with me no matter what.” I exhaled a sigh. “I admit it took me a long time to actually man up to my own feelings. Imagine fucking every girl while thinking of that one girl. Her deep black hair and her innocent amber eyes. The girl who consumed me from the start, whose body I sought at all times, whose warmth I required at all times. Even when she was young, I would make sure to sleep in the same bed as her because I knew she was my princess. When I was heartbroken, I would make sure I slept close to her because I knew she would never break my heart, but look where I am. She broke me beyond repair.” I’ve never told anyone how dear Lola was to me, and yet here I am fighting back tears by spilling my heart out to Lev. I keep an eye on him as he opens and closes his mouth. He may be speechless, but he has never seen me like this. When she left, I was broken, but this is worse than death.

“What she did was extremely wrong, but why don’t you sit her down and hear what she has to say?”

“I don’t have time for her explanations, Lev. Whatever it is, it will only serve as an excuse.” I checked the time on the wall. Elvis could have sent me her address by now. What is it that is taking him so long? I pulled out my phone and, as I was about to text him, a message from him was displayed on my screen.

Elvis: 336, Ocean View, Ozark. But Dante, this address and the car belong to your wife. Did you know that?

Me: Yeah, she bumped my car yesterday and ran off.

I looked at the time once more. I had to see her, but I didn’t want to see her when the kids were around. I don’t want my children to watch us arguing. I’m not going to get into a fight. I am just going to take what is mine and she can carry on with her life. The kids are currently at school right now, so I took my car keys and headed to the underground garage, slid inside my car, and drove to the address. When I reached the gate, a man came in and his eyes widened.

“I’m truly sorry, Mr. Monroe. I’ll open the gate for you.” He spoke with a big grin on his face. Thank God no one had to ask me who I am because my kids look like me. I drove up to her porch and parked my car. I saw a ringing doorbell and hit the button. I heard the door creak open and my Lola gasped, her big amber eyes boring into mine.

“Dante.”