Will You Marry Me, Again

Baz quickly darted over and pushed Nigel off his boss. “Sir, Mr. Cedric tried to save Ms. Mala!” Nigel scoffed. “He tried to save Maia? More like trying to get her killed!”

Then he pointed at Cedric. “Mala endured your family’s suspicions and mistreatment for years, but you're all indebted to her. Especially you, Cedric!

“The deal that helped your family turn things around? You only got it because Maia visited Lonnie Knowles multiple times and persuaded him to give you the deal!” Tears were welling up in his eyes.

“What did you say?” Cedric approached Nigel, his eyes bloodshot, and shouted, “Say it again!”

Nigel continued, “You thought she was trying to steal documents from your company and never believed her, no matter how she explained. Mala did countless things behind your back for your sake. You didn’t deserve her at all!”

Cedric clenched his fists, allowing Nigel to scold him Part of him seemed to have died along with Maia

“Just fuck off, alright? We'll bring her body home” Nigel shoved far out of his way and helped Errol up.

“Over my dead body!”

Nigel stopped in his tracks and glared at Cedric “She gave you her life Can’t you just fucking leave her alone now?” “She’s mine.” He was not going to let anyone take Maia away from him

He felt lost as the wind tousled his hair. His childhood was unhappy, and she was his only source of happiness.

“And yet | got her killed!

“| didn’t send anyone to kidnap Rita. Do you believe me?” Even in the end, she was still trying to prove her innocence. She would rather die than be wrongly accused.

‘Cedric, how can you live with yourself?”

He stayed there the whole night. He thought of every smile and caring gesture she made over the years and how he had mistreated her.

Then he checked the texts she had sent him.

[e)

“Hey, honey, it’s a bit chilly in Everforge. Remember to layer up, okay? You have a bad stomach. Make sure to have your meals on time!”

“| miss you! No, | miss you like crazy, okay? When are you coming back?”

“It's been three months since you left. By the way, I've learned a new dish. | can’t wait for you to taste it!

He used to ignore her texts. Every word now felt like a stab in the heart. He yearned for her to send him another text, even if it was an angry one.