novelraw Chapter 116: I Saw Maeve
Chapter 116: I Saw Maeve
Chapter 116: I Saw Maeve
"Where is who?" Bella quizzed, "do you mean Felicity? She threw a little tantrum and has now stormed off, I figure that she is out cooling her heels somewhere." She explained.
"No!" Ken said sharply, as he gripped Bella’s hand. "I don’t mean Felicity... Bella, I think I saw her."
Bella frowned as she stared at the concentration on Ken’s face and she wondered if there might be some mental damage that happens after his illness.
"What do you mean Ken?" She asked softly. "Who did you see?"
"Maeve." He said simply and Bella’s jaw dropped as she stared incredulously at him.
"Your Maeve? You saw Maeve here?" She was too shocked at his unexpected answer. "Are you sure it was her? Is that why you came here? Were you looking for her?"
Bella’s heart skipped a beat. Maeve. She knew all about Maeve, and even though the name hadn’t been spoken between them in years, it hung in the air like a ghost, a constant reminder of the love Ken that had lost, the one that got away.
Maeve had been the love of his life, the woman he had wanted to marry but whose status in life was so high above his that her family had rejected their relationship. Maeve and Ken had planned to run away together but she had vanished without a trace a day before their departure date, leaving Ken heartbroken and confused.
"Yes, I saw her with my very own eyes." He said wistfully. "She looked exactly the same way she had when I last saw her."
"Maeve?" Bella repeated, her voice laced with disbelief. How possible was it that a woman who had been missing for so many years would suddenly reappear, and looking exactly as she had some twenty plus years ago? Bella feared that Ken was delusional and she wondered if it was the drugs.
"What are you talking about?" She asked, "You are just recovering, there is no need to be so excited."
Ken turned his head, his eyes meeting Bella’s. They were filled with a mixture of hope and despair. "I am being serious," he said. "I saw her just before I... before I fainted."
Bella stared at him, her mind reeling. This could not be possible. Maeve had been gone for so long, Bella herself had personally tried to find her to no avail.
"But... how?" she stammered. "Where?"
Ken took another deep breath, his voice growing stronger. "I came here because of her," he explained. "A private investigator I hired years ago contacted me a few weeks ago. He had found a new lead. He told me that Maeve was living here, under a different name."
Bella’s eyes widened. She could not believe what she was hearing. Ken had never given up on finding Maeve, even after all these years.
"I came here as soon as I could," Ken continued. "I spent days searching, following every lead the investigator gave me. And then... I saw her. I was walking down the street, and there she was. It was her, Bella. I am sure of it."
A wave of emotion washed over Bella. She could see the raw emotion in Ken’s eyes, the hope that had been rekindled after so long.
"What happened?" she asked softly. "Why didn’t you talk to her?"
Ken’s expression turned to one of despair. "I tried," he said, his voice breaking. "But I lost consciousness. I think that she might have brought me here and then run away after"
"Wait." Bella narrowed her eyes. "I thought that Felicity brought you here."
"She is here?" Ken asked, resignation on his face.
"Of course she is here." Bella answered matter of factly.
Ken groaned then he looked at Bella, his eyes pleading. "Bella, I need your help," he begged. "Please. It is important that you help me find her."
Bella’s heart ached for him. She knew how much Maeve meant to him, and she couldn’t bear to see him in so much pain.
"Of course, Ken," she said without hesitation. "I will help you. We will find her."
A flicker of relief crossed Ken’s face. "Thank you, Bella," he whispered. "Thank you so much."
Bella reached out and took his hand, squeezing it gently. "Don’t worry, Ken," she reassured him. "We will find her. I promise."
She knew it would not be easy. Finding someone who was living under an assumed identity would be a difficult task, most especially as she seemed to not want to be found. But Bella was determined to help Ken. He had been there for her countless times, supporting her through thick and thin. Now it was her turn to be there for him.
"What did you say about Felicity?" Ken asked.
"That your fiancée is here, did you not know that?" Bella asked quizzically and Ken sighed in exasperation.
"Felicity is not my fiancée and you know that." Ken insisted, annoyance heavy in his voice."
"Don’t get worked up now." Bella scolded as she laid a restraining hand on his shoulder.
There was no point in getting upset with Felicity, Felicity would do as Felicity liked. She was parading that huge ring around and telling people that Ken had asked her to marry him, when she knew it was not true in hopes that she could corner him into marriage. Bella knew better but every other person believed it and since Ken had not made any comments to dispute her story, they accepted her words as truth.
Ken could only get married to one woman, and that was Maeve. Any of the many women who were infatuated with him and got a chance to be with him were all just a passing fancy to Ken, his heart had been taken long ago.
Initially, it had been painful for Bella who was secretly in love with Ken. However, she had been unwilling to settle for anything less and had steered clear of getting emotionally involved with him.
If she could not have all of him then she did not want crumbs, let his groupies have that. She was thankful for that, imagine if she had let her feelings swayed her and Maeve had stepped back in the picture, she would have been devastated.
"Maybe it is time to let her go." Ken mumbled. "I will get her some settlement and say goodbye."
Everytime that Ken was tired of the women he was seeing, he made it his custom to gift them an extremely generous present. Sometimes it was expensive jewelry, or a nice apartment in the posh side of town or shares in a company.
Most of the time, the women left him alone after, grateful as they were to have spent time with a generous and handsome lover such as Ken. It was a privilege to be one of the women who had graced Ken Stuart’s bed.
Bella did not think that it would go the same way with Felicity, no, Felicity wanted the crown. She was not content with being a mere girlfriend, she wanted to bear the prestigious title of Mrs Ken Stuart. And she was likely to do anything to make that happen.
She would not walk away after being given sweet digs or some pretty trinkets, she wanted the whole cake. Bella knew that she would have to be the one who would deal with Felicity and the thought of it already exhausted her.
"Why don’t you just marry her so that i don’t have to deal with her after you try and fail to break up with her?" Bella whined. "I don’t want to have to clean up this mess."
"But you clean up my messes so well." Ken teased, a crooked smile on his handsome face. "You should not have gotten so good at your job if you did not want me to depend on you."
Bella looked at him and sighed. She could never say no to him, she however added one parting shot. "You know that you are too old to be a heartbreaker."
"All that is going to change when you find Maeve for me." He said plaintively, his eyes as compelling as a puppy’s
"Fine!" Bella rolled her eyes.
When she left the hospital that evening, Bella felt a renewed sense of purpose. She had a mission now, a mission to help her friend find the that love he had lost. She knew it would be a long and arduous journey, but she was prepared to do whatever it took.
She would use all of the resources available to her, all her connections, to track down Maeve. She owed it to Ken, and she owed it to the memory of the love that had once been so bright, a love that deserved a second chance.
The ghost of Maeve had reappeared, and Bella was determined to bring her back into the light. She had to admit to herself that she was very curious about the woman who had inspired the soulful, award winning love songs that Ken belted out.