Chapter 75: Still connected


    "Are you sure you don''t need me toe with you?"


    Martin asked me for the third time since this morning about my appointment at the Chicago city hall.


    We flew together yesterday because I need to sign some important documents that were needed to


    renew the business permit and operating agreement of my restaurant. He insisted oning with me


    to meet my friends and to finally see my outlets. And I also have to file the documents myself because


    Noelle has an important schedule for today.


    "Yup, don''t worry. I''m used to this." I answered, taking my bag and my phone from the couch.


    "Okay. Take care of yourself, babe. Just call me if you need some support or if your ex-husband


    surprised you again."


    I chuckled when he flexed his two biceps in front of me.


    "I''m serious! I can kick him in his balls!"


    I end up coughing afterughing so hard at his one-of-a-kind jokes.


    "Okay, fine. But do the first thing you really wanted to do or go to the ce and person you wanted to


    visit." I teased him with a raised eyebrow and smirk on my lips.


    "Huh! What are you talking about?" he said pretending to be surprised turned his back on me.


    I shook my head with a smile and followed him into the kitchen.


    "Ohh... Martin-babe, do you really think I didn''t know the real reason you came back to Chicago with


    me? Come on, Martin!"


    "Fine! But I''m serious, Madi, f you need help, don''t hesitate to call me or send me a message, okay?"


    "Okay, thanks, babe." I winked at him.


    He pulled me into a hug and kissed my forehead. "Take care."


    "Yup... I will. Bye."


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    I can''t help but take a deep breath the moment I got out of the cab and the Chicago city hall building


    came into my sight. It''s been three years since thest time I entered that building, and that was when


    we registered our marriage in the civil registry.


    After how many minutes I spent contemting my thoughts, I decided to enter the building and headed


    to the department where I was going.


    Thirty minutester...


    "Ma''am, I''m sorry but the name in your ID doesn''t match with the name listed on our system."


    I frowned as I looked directly at thedy inside the booth.


    "I - I''m sorry? What do you mean my ID name doesn''t match in your system?"


    "Yes, Ma''am. Are you sure you''re still with the name Davis?"


    I was taken aback by her question.


    "Y-Yes. I don''t remember changing my name in thest three years."


    That''s true because even after we got married I didn''t change my status nor did I change myst name


    into Wilsons, so that means I am still Davis in their system.


    "Can you please check it again? I have other IDs here, you can check the details if you want." I said


    giving her my other IDs.


    But after three minutes, she gave them back to me including all the papers I had submitted to her


    earlier.


    "I''m really sorry Ma''am, but you''re no longer listed as Davis on our system."


    "W-What?"


    "We can''t process your documents with the IDs you have right now. But if you want Ma''am, you can go


    back at any time and present your documents under the name Wilsons."


    My jaws dropped with the name she mentioned.


    -''This is impossible!''-


    "W-What did you say.. W-Wilsons?" I was sweating all of a sudden.


    "Yes Ma''am, Wilsons. You''re still registered as Madielyn Davis-Wilsons.."


    "A-Are you sure-----"


    I didn''t finish my question when she turned her attention back to theputer screen and showed me


    the details listed on it. And it''s true! I am Madielyn Davis-Wilsons on the screen.


    "H-How did this happen? It''s so impossible, miss! I told you, I haven''t changed any of my personal


    information in the past three years!"


    "I''m sorry Ma''am, but I can no longer answer your questions. As indicated in our data, you''re still


    married to Mr. Gabriel Wilsons and you''re---"


    "What?" my eyes widened like saucers. "We''re no longer married! I already filed for divorce three years


    ago!" my voice came loud that caught the attention of some people around me.


    "Ma''am, are you sure you filed your papers? Because if you''re sure you do, it will appear in our system.


    Either you have filed them yourself or you just passed them to yourwyer."


    "No... to my ex-husband!"


    "Hmm... okay. If that is so, are you sure that your husband, I mean your ex-husband signed the papers


    and filed them in court before? Because ording to our records, you''re married to him three years


    ago---"


    "So you mean to say I - I''m still...Uhm..."


    "You''re still married to him, Ms. Davis... no...Mrs. Wilsons." she was the one who finished what I


    wanted to say.


    -''Fucking shit!''-


    I cursed silently as I brushed my hair with my fingers in a frustrated way. I formed my fists as tears of


    irritations formed around my eyes. And guess what, I just found myselfughing in front of them.


    All these years, I thought I had already escaped from him and for being tied to his name, but I was


    wrong. Because even after everything that has happened, after three years of running away from what


    I felt for him, I''m still connected to him!


    And then suddenly I remember what he said, the time he went to the coffee shop...


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    shback...


    "So, you''re just staying here after all these years."


    I gasped when I heard Gabriel''s voice behind me. I was currently in the kitchen of the shop and


    preparing the ingredients for the cakes I was about to bake.


    I turned around to see him standing a few feet away from me with both hands in his pockets and


    wearing his dominant and serious aura. I can smell the very familiar cologne he used three years ago.


    And I gulped before deciding to wear my professional smile.


    "Mr. Wilsons. I''m sorry but this is a restricted area, exclusively for employees only."


    "I know." he shrugged. "I can go out if you talk to me outside."


    My smile died but I took a deep breath and looked directly at him. "I don''t think we have anything to talk


    about----"


    "You have a lot of exining to do, Madi!" he cut me off with his hard tone and started taking a step


    forward closer to me, but I also started taking a step back.


    "I don''t owe you an exnation, Mr. Wilsons."


    "Are you sure of that? Because as far as I remember, you left me without any exnation three years


    ago!"


    I swallowed hard when my back hit the hard wall behind me. He stopped a few inches away from my


    body. I can feel the fast pounding of my heart inside my chest. It was bad enough that I can smell his


    cologne but the warmth of his body with our proximity made me nauseous.


    "I left you a note----"


    "Yes, you left me a note! But do you think your note would exin everything?"


    "Gabriel!" sudden shivers ran down my spine when I put my palms on his chest as he tried to invade


    my personal space and suffocate me on the wall.


    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    "Oh, so you still know how to call me by my name!" he smirked when I looked at him in the eye.


    "What do you want this time? If you''re going to offer me a new deal, I''m sorry but I''m done dealing with


    you!" I tried to push him but he didn''t even move a bit.


    "What if I told you this time, I am about to offer you a deal of forever---"


    "Babe! Are you done with the----oh!"


    I felt relieved when Martin suddenly walked into the kitchen. And because Gabriel turned his head on


    him, I used it as an opportunity to push him as he was still distracted by Martin''s sudden presence.


    "Martin." I walked over to him and he put his hand over my shoulders.


    "What''s going on here, babe?" he looked at me before turning his attention to Gabriel. "Who are you


    and what are you doing here in our private kitchen?" he asked him with a frown.


    But Gabriel just ignored him as his eyes remained focused on me and Martin''s hand around my


    shoulders. I gulped when I noticed him clenched his jaws and balled his fists.


    "Sir, I''m asking you. What are you doing here?" Martin asked him again.


    Then Gabriel turned to him with a smirk on his lips.


    "Do you know who I am?" he asked Martin.


    "Should I have to?"


    -''Oh no.''- my eyes widened when Martin asked him back with the same level of tone.


    "So, you don''t know me."


    "Well, actually I don''t care who you are. What I need to know is what are you doing here in our private


    kitchen with my ''wife''?"


    My jaws dropped as my eyes doubled their size with Martin''sst word.


    "What? Your wife?" but Gabriel justughed at him sarcastically.


    "Okay, so you don''t believe me, I see."


    I looked at Martin''s face just to find him in his game mood again. And a hidden smile crept onto my lips


    but I managed to hide it by biting hard my bottom lip.


    "Well, she''s my girlfriend. And I''m going to propose to her at the end of this month. So, I think there''s


    nothing wrong with me calling her my ''wife'', right babe?" he kissed my forehead and turned to Gabriel


    raising his eyebrow.


    But I admit, I felt nervous about Gabriel''s reactions after Martin stated that I am his girlfriend and kissed


    me in front of him. His hazel brown eyes turned to a darker shade as his face flushed with rage. If I


    didn''t know that kind of reaction from him, maybe I''ll justugh at Martin''s silly statements.


    We stood there in silence staring at each other, except Martin who''s just rxed and ying cool next


    to me. And I held my breath when Gabriel headed for the kitchen door but stopped right in front of me.


    "One day, you''re going to look for me, Madi. You wille to me and ask me questions that no one will


    give you the right and exact answers, except me."


    He said with a familiar devilish smirk written on his lips. And I gulped when he cupped my face in a very


    quick motion.


    "But always remember, there are only two ces where you can find me. I''ll be waiting," he finally said


    before turning his back on us.


    And I let out those heavy breaths that I didn''t know I was holding when he''s still in front of me.


    "Whoah! That was intense!" Martin also let out a sigh.


    "Huh?" I asked him confused with what he said.


    "Intense! That was so intense facing your ex-husband!"


    I blinked repeatedly as my mouth hung open.


    "Y-You know him?"


    And he chuckled at me."Madi! Have you forgotten, babe?"


    "Forgotten what?"


    "That I was born and lived in Chicago before. Who doesn''t know the famous Gabriel Wilsons, who


    owned almost 60% of the business state in Chicago? Come on, Madi!"


    "But why didn''t you tell me you knew him earlier?"


    "Ops! wrong question babe! Why didn''t YOU tell me, that your ex-husband was the famous ''devil'' of the


    business industry across the state of Illinois?"


    "I - I thought you knew?"


    "Yeah, I just found out earlier when I came back from the repair shop." he shrugged and walked over to


    the fridge we have in the kitchen and took the pitcher of apple juice from inside.


    "But how did you know that he''s my ex-husband?" I asked him as I handed him a ss I got from the


    drawer.


    "It''s so simple, babe. Based on his intense stares at you and the tiger-look, I got from him when I called


    you ''babe'' and kissed you inside the shop earlier." he suddenly chuckled. "It''s priceless, Madi! I swear if


    his looks could kill, you''re going to dig six feet under the ground just to see me again," he added


    laughing as he shook his head.


    And I just found myselfughing with him. I am so thankful that God gave me friends like Martin and


    some of my friends before. That despite fate has given me pain and countless heartbreaks, God has


    still blessed me with friends like them. Friends who remained friends and stayed beside me, loyal and


    true people after all that has happened.