CHAPTER 22


    Marcus believed Ortega was joking when he carried the vase to him. "I am unconcerned about the


    vase, Ortega. Simply restore it to its proper location," he directed, handing it back to Ortega.


    "Are you certain? Even if it was inscribed with your name?" ''Inquire'' he said.


    Marcus recalled Danie''s fondness for flower arrangements and bouquets, and the vase may be


    one of hers. "However?" Marcus answered to Ortega''s blundering inquiry.


    "Are you not curious as to what is contained within the vase?" When Marcus continued to ignore


    him, he posed another inquiry.


    "Why are you withholding information from me?" He could tell the man was already aware of its


    substance yet desired to engage in yful interaction with him. Ortega may be immature and fun at


    times.


    "I thought that was strange, so I questioned Patty about it, and she informed me that it was


    Danie''s husband''s remains." He thought it amusing that the woman''s spouse, Marcus Madrigal,


    was also a Marcus Madrigal. It may be simply coincidence, or Marcus could have lied about the


    events that urred between him and Danie in Hong Kong.


    Danie remarried immediately following his departure? Ha! That woman was extraordinary! "It


    must be heartbreaking for her to lose her husband so young." He continued to overlook the vase, he


    stated.


    "I concur, all the more so because the soldier died battling terrorists overseas." Ortega stated and


    walked over to the vase''s original location.


    "Wait!" Marcus intervened to prevent Ortega from reinstalling the vase. "How was he killed?" He


    desired confirmation that he had heard Ortega right.


    "He died fighting terrorists in Syria," Ortega repeated the information he received from Patty, but


    was taken aback when Marcus abruptly grabbed the vase and read the engraved letters - I will hold


    you in my heart until I can hold you again in heaven.


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Marcus was at a loss for words after reading the carved inscriptions on the vase and discovering


    that they included his name. How could she bury him alive? His generally easy and pleasant


    demeanor gradually shifted, and his face distorted in a fit of rage! Why, the woman was deserving of


    a hard thrashing! When he stormed out of the guest room and into Danie''s room, his nostrils


    red and his heart was about to erupt.


    He knocked several times before the door was opened, and he entered without waiting to be


    invited. "We need to speak," he stated, motioning the woman to take a seat beside him on the sofa.


    "How dare you, Marcus, barge in here? "Exit!" She disobeyed hismand to sit beside him on the


    sofa and stood in front of him.


    When she told him to go, his eyes narrowed. "And you dare to convince everyone that I died!"


    Inside the room, his voice erupted like thunder, startling AJ awake.


    Danie frowned at the man for daring to raise his voice in the presence of a sleeping infant!


    "Sshhhh, it''s all right, you can go back to sleep now." She murmured to AJ, pleading with her to


    return to sleep.


    Marcus immediately regretted raising his words and followed Danie towards the bed, peering into


    the child''s face. He couldn''t believe it at first, but the likeness was striking! Danie''s daughter and


    Ariana, his daughter, resembled peas in a pod, and still thedy dared to lie about her kid''s


    paternity! He couldn''t have been wrong because the youngster looked just like him when he was a


    toddler, as evidenced by photographs in their family book. "She''s mine," he murmured, but Danie


    clearly heard him.


    When she heard him speak behind her, she was taken aback. Marcus discovered her deception,


    and Danie was at a loss on how to handle the matter. She felt sick to her stomach at the prospect


    of him discovering everything. "Marcus..." she was at a loss for words and terrified by the way he


    stared at her. It was surreal, as she anticipated him pping her face.


    If he weren''t so desperate to feel her again, he''d desire a confrontation regardless of whether a kid


    was sleeping in the room, but he was already wanting to feel her again. "Later," his response was


    brief, but he ensured that it sent the exact message he desired before grabbing her and pulling her


    towards his body. "I''ve missed you," he whispered in her ear.


    "Follow me," she whispered as Marcus released her from his encircling grasp. She couldn''t wait for


    another chance to tell him what she wanted to say, and a confrontation between them was long


    overdue.


    Marcus followed Danie and discovered a connecting door between her bedroom and their


    daughter''s yroom hidden beneath the wardrobe. Having their daughter''s yhouse near by was


    a smart idea. He noticed a coffee table in the yroom, which was probably for the monitoring


    adults, and Danie sat in one of the chairs. "So you fabricated my demise?" He inquired


    immediately upon taking a seat opposite her. They were both grown adults capable of resolving


    their differences on their own. Marcus was upset, but he was prepared to listen to the woman''s


    justification for lying, but the woman refused to talk and only scowled at him. "Answer me!" he cried


    out.


    "Because it was the only way they would avoid questioning me about you!" Marcus, no one cares


    about the dead anymore." Finally, she was able to answer to his query and speak. She made a


    concerted effort not to weep throughout their confrontation, but tears began to form around her eyes


    and would soon fall.


    "I''m not sure why you had to fabricate my death when you could just tell them that we''re no longer


    together, that it was a false marriage for your convenience." Marcus was perplexed by the absurdity


    of it, and he couldn''t care less if she was teary-eyed!


    Danie closed her eyes and let her tears to stream down her cheeks before responding. "Because


    it hurts!" she stated inly, "Because it hurts like hell when you abandon me!"


    Marcus was taken aback by Danie''s revtion, which made him speechless for a brief while.


    There was no reason for the woman to be in pain until.... "Did you care about me?" He was curious


    as to whether the woman had feelings for him, as she had not expressed them previously while he


    was with her.


    It was a terrible question she didn''t want to answer, but the moment hade to inform him. "I did,


    and I was hoping you felt the same way... yet, you departed." She desired to be free of the anguish


    of the past once and for all.


    If thedy had been upfront about her sentiments from the start, there was a possibility that their


    ending might have been different; nheless, he was also conflicted at the time and divided


    between falling in love again and betraying Veronica''s memories. Danie may have detected his


    indifference since she was a wisedy who required protection from more grief.


    He was ready to fall in love again, but when he received the paternity test results, he was enraged


    with Danie. He began meeting women to see whether he was capable of trying again, and then


    Alicia entered his life, and thedy fell in love with him. "I had the same sentiments, Dani." Finally,


    he acknowledged his emotions.


    "What are you referring to?" Danie was even more perplexed by the confrontation''s course.


    "During my time here, I was drawn to your personality because you were self-aware, decisive, and


    visionary. You''re intelligent and powerful, and I admired that about you, but I was afraid to love


    again without recognizing I was already in love with you," he admitted. "I needed to depart to check


    that my sentiments were genuine and not a result of our proximity," he continued.


    "But you never returned; you must have recognized your sentiments were illusory," she concluded


    his statement.


    "You are incorrect. I''ve never stopped thinking about you since that day, and whether you believe it


    or not, I still do." His body ached with relief after confessing his actual thoughts to Danie, and he


    prayed she would give him another chance to demonstrate how much he adored her.


    Danie closed her palm and clenched it into a lethal fist, then stared him in the eye, daring him to


    repeat the words that had destroyed her heart and dashed her expectations of a ''happily ever after''


    narrative. She couldn''t listen to him any longer, and she didn''t wait for him to sweet talk his way


    once again. She delivered her hardest uppercut to the man''s head, and because it came so quickly


    and unexpectedly, the man was unable to avoid her strike and fell. She murmured as she observed


    himying on the floor, "Good for him."


    "What was the purpose of that?" He was taken aback and did not anticipate it from her. He rose to


    his feet and confronted the woman who had changed into an amazon warrior.


    Danie''s cheeks flushed as she became increasingly outraged and furious with him. "How is that?


    That is for deception, bastard! Did you truly imagine I would fall for your deceptions?"


    Who lied? Him? Marcus grinned and stated, "Dani, I am not a liar."


    "Please halt." She had never been so enraged at the guy, and she desired to murder him, but the


    cost was too high, and she despised being a criminal. She considered tying the man to a table or


    bed, unzipping his trousers, and pulling every hair she could find. Alternatively, she may scrape his


    skin and apply vinegar to it while he was chained to a tree and surrounded by ants. The concepts


    were alluring, but she would want assistance to carry them off!


    "I understand if you are skeptical, but this is the truth, and I adore you." He attempted to exin, but


    the woman was already deaf and was unresponsive.


    She had had enough of his shenanigans. She kicked him in the crotch with all her power. "I''m a


    busy woman; don''t bother me!"


    It was excruciatingly terrible, and Marcus writhed in agony, pleading for Danie''s assistance, but


    the steddy simply walked away without feeling guilty. While he endured his alone in the


    yroom, he fantasized about his future with Danie. Is he destined to be an abusive


    husband? That was worse than Samuel''s treatment of Jessica!


    Marcus rose to his feet and returned to the guest room he shared with Ortega. His roommate had


    vanished, and only God knew where he had gone. He removed his outfit and changed into a pair of


    blue surf shorts. He was well aware that Danie would be enraged if she discovered he had


    broken the rules, but he couldn''t care less! He was ready to go when he decided to bring the mask


    along.


    He observed Danie and their daughter swimming from a distance. He could hear the toddler


    squeal with glee each time the wave struck her face. The apple of his eye glowed in her swimming


    suit. He dove beneath the surface of the water to avoid being observed by the woman before he


    had a chance to speak with her. "Hello," he grinned as he stepped out of the water, startling the


    females.


    "How did you get here?" She knew Marcus even with the mask on.


    "Of course, swimming." He responded. "How are you, baby girl?"


    "Ariana Jade," the youngster said timidly, but that was sufficient for Marcus. He cast a suspicious


    nce towards Danie, but the woman ignored him. Fate must have yed a few pranks on him.


    If that was not a sign of blessing, he was at a loss for words. "Hello Ariana, please say hello to


    Daddy!" He stated as he smiled at the youngdy.


    Danie regarded Marcus with contempt. "Do you never learn how to use your brain properly?"


    What if someone is listening?" She got up AJ and prepared to leave, furious.


    "I am her father." He stated.


    Danie chuckled at his remark. "Marcus, when did you be her father?" Did you forget that you


    want abortion for this child?" She casually reminded him how he had begged with her to terminate


    her pregnancy because he was not yet prepared to be a parent, and now he imed to be. The


    audacity!


    "You despise me. Now I understand why you handed me the forged paternity test papers for our


    daughter." Was she afraid he might kidnap their daughter? Marcus was certain that when he noticed


    how she gripped her hand and gazed at nothingness, he had caught her lying...for the second time!


    Danie averted her gaze, though, realizing that she hadmitted no wrong. She had no regrets


    about whatever she had done in the past, because it was what she desired at the time. "However,


    what if the documents were forgeries?" Nothing will alter in our rtionship, Marcus."


    "We''ll see," Marcus threatened Danie with an empty threat. He had no intention of publicizing the


    matter, but hoped that the woman would concede that he has some im over Ariana.


    "Ah, you must be confident now that you have the resources necessary to challenge me in court. Or


    perhaps you simply wish to request more? Marcus, was the sum you got following the annulment


    insufficient?" Danie felt Marcus was fighting for their daughter when, in fact, he intended to bleed


    her for money.


    Marcus blinked numerous times as the woman spoke to him as if he were an opportunist wanting


    her money. It was the first time he had been treated as dirt, and he was not pleased! On the other


    hand, the woman was unaware of her husband''s wealth. Her attorney must not have notified her


    that the 50% of her asset that he was meant to get had been restored to her ount. For the love


    of God, he did not ept it! "Excuse me? Why don''t you contact your attorney and inquire whether


    or not I epted it?"


    She had no way of knowing if he was speaking the truth, but it made no difference. Nheless,


    she would not allow him to serve as AJ''s father regardless of the circumstances. Marcus would


    quickly understand that it would have been better if he had taken her money. "Do you believe it will


    alter our rtionship in any way?" "You''re insane if you believe that," she muttered, turning away as


    Marcus touched her arm. She winced, as it was a bit ufortable.