CHAPTER 133: WITHOUT HER

"Are you going to sit at this kitchen island for the rest of the day, like you did yesterday and the day before, and for the past month?" Aiden grumbles.

Dalton stared at the burner, completely zoning out as his mind relayed memories of all the times Maya had stood right behind the stove, cooking dinner for her vlog videos and softly humming melodies while she cooked. He remembered how beautiful she looked with her hair up, her dolphin-like laughter when sauce got in her eyes, and the serenity that emanated from her has been imprinted in his mind forever. Whenever his feelings of languishing and despair over losing Maya threaten to push him over the edge that beautiful, shimmering image of her cooking brings him back from the brink.

Aiden is correct; he has spent most of his days in the kitchen this past month because it’s Maya’s favorite place, where she spends most of her time.

And that is why he is not leaving Alaska; it holds the last memories he made with Maya before Vico took her away from him.

How could he abandon the mountain house that is haunted by every fragment of Maya? It was the last place he saw her beautiful smile, had a taste of her sweet lips, and made love to her. This was the last place she told him she loved him, the place where they dreamed of building a life and a family together. It is also the place where he tried to hide her away, keeping her safe from Vico, but he failed.

He failed, and now he has lost her; he can’t get her back.

All his days have turned into shades of grey, as Maya is gone along with all the vibrant colours of hers. His nights are darker than onyx because Maya, a blinding light, is no longer blazing his world.

He stayed up all night mourning, shedding acid rain of tears on the pillow he shared with his Maya, longing for her. His chest was inflicted with daggers of pain. Oh, what a wretched agony this throbbing pain is!

Without Maya in his life, Dalton has become a broken man, just a shell of the great, feared man he once was. If fate gives him the chance, he would give away all his wealth in exchange for the only desire he has: the only woman he wants.

"Are you even listening?" Aiden shakes Dalton’s shoulders, but Dalton doesn’t even flinch.

"It’s 11 AM; you need to stop stalling and have breakfast."

"I just want to eat only Maya’s food," Dalton said sorrowfully.

Aiden let out a snarky laugh. "You sound like a whiny little boy." He was unable to contain his laughter.

"Aiden!" Haven punched his arm. "His wife was kidnapped; stop mocking him."

Haven joined Aiden in Alaska a week after Maya was kidnapped to keep Dalton company.

Dalton wished Aiden and Haven could enjoy their marriage without having to uproot their lives to console a grieving man like him. He just wants to be left alone to his own devices with his grief, but this annoying couple still insists on living with him until Maya reappears.

"Mr. Black, I bought muffins from a bakery shop in town. Would you like to eat that with coffee?" Haven asked in her personal assistant tone.

Dalton gave her a hard look. "Shouldn’t you drop the formalities? It’s been a year since you became my sister-in-law."

Haven let out a short laugh. "Okay, Dalton." His name felt foreign on her lips. "Would you like to drink coffee with the muffins?"

"Where did you get the muffins?" Dalton asked.

Haven mentioned the name of the bakery, Dalton immediately said, "Please make me some coffee."

Haven bought the muffins from the bakery shop that Dalton frequents in town to buy pastries whenever he goes out to get groceries on Maya’s grocery list. Maya loves pastries from that bakery, which makes eating these muffins a delight. Consuming something she loves makes him feel closer to her, even when she is far away.

"Got you!" Haven chirps.

Haven ventured to the coffee machine, Aiden follows. He couldn’t leave her side as she brewed the coffee.

Dalton thought they looked so damn cute as they banter between kisses, but he also felt jealous of them. He wished that this could be him and Maya.

He felt a heartache. Will he never feel her smile against his lips? Get to hear her call his name when they make love? Moan for him whenever he touches her and gives her pleasure? Will he ever see her again at all?

The thought of never seeing her again fills him with a lingering sense of doom. He is barely surviving just one month without her; how could he possibly survive a lifetime without her?

Haven stopped the make-out session with her husband when she remembered she had to serve Dalton his coffee.

"Here you go." She placed the cup of coffee and the plate of muffins in front of Dalton.

"Thank you," Dalton said, taking a swig of the hot steaming coffee. Haven had made it exactly as he liked.

"Uh, Dalton, we have something important to do. We’ll leave you to have your breakfast," Haven said as she pushed Aiden toward the exit.

Dalton wished he were better at rolling his eyes. They both had that flustered blush on their faces. It was clear they were definitely going to have sex. Their crazy, wild sex was another thing that kept Dalton awake late at night.

"Whatever," Dalton said nonchalantly, brushing them off.

Aiden laughed. "Don’t be jealous, big bro. You’ll have your wife back soon, so you can do those important activities with her."

"Aiden, you jerk," Haven said, giving him another punch as she dragged him away.

This scene perfectly captures their dynamics, with Aiden always being a total jerk and Haven having to scold him.

Dalton didn’t dwell on what Aiden said about getting his wife back. It had been a whole month, and they still didn’t know where Vico had taken Maya because they had no power or allies in Italy who could help them find that damn location.

He has lost all hope. As he bit into a muffin, he wondered what ill fate had befallen Maya. The thoughts of the terrible things Vico was putting her through made Dalton mull over in perpetual sadness.

Dalton tightened his grip on the coffee mug. Judging by how Vico sat and watched Fredrick put Maya through suffering, he must be doing even worse to her now.

Dalton felt so powerless. If only he knew where she was.

Maya could be in pain, and he is not by her side to provide her with relief. That scares him and makes him feel so damn frustrated.

He can only cling to the hope that Maya is Vico’s daughter, so Vico will be a little more benevolent toward her.

****

Dalton finished his breakfast but stayed at the kitchen island to spend the rest of his day there. He was alone in the kitchen for hours, reminiscing about the happy memories he had made with Maya when Aiden reappeared.

Aiden had a joyful look on his face. "Big bro, I have good news for you!"

Dalton has never hauled himself up to his feet swiftly in his life like he did in this moment.

"Tell me," he nudged, his heart beating rapidly.

Aiden grinned. "Vico is keeping Maya in Rome."

"Rome? he was hiding Maya in plain sight, and it took us this long to find out," Dalton lamented, feeling both happy and quite disappointed in themselves. They had thought Vico would hide Maya in a remote town in Italy, but she was just in Rome.

At least Aiden’s visits to Italy every week this month have yielded results. They now know where Maya is.

"Well, the contacts I have in Italy refuse to share that vital information with me! They fear Vico!" Aiden groans. "But I managed to find one brave person, a small-time crime boss, who wanted vital intel from me in exchange for Maya’s location. And also......," he fell completely silent to keep Dalton on edge.

Dalton hissed, "What else? Tell me."

"I also unmasked an identity in exchange for finding out that Vico has a sister. She is an English professor," Aiden said triumphantly. "And she is going to lead us to Maya."

A thrill of hope pumps through Dalton’s veins, getting him all fired up. "Tell the pilot to get ready; we are flying to Rome, Italy, today!"

Aiden tsked. "Not so fast, brother. We have to postpone that flight. We have a meeting with a representative from Vico," he informs Dalton.

Dalton paused. "A meeting?"

"Yep, I bet we are meeting with his right-hand man," Aiden guessed.

"I think so too," Dalton said in affirmation.

"I know the purpose of this meeting." Dalton’s face hardened.

Aiden watched Dalton silently and said, "You have your ’I’m the fearsome Dalton Black’ face on. Welcome back, big bro!"

"Let’s get ready for this meeting," Dalton baritone. His sadness was replaced by a fierce determination to get Maya back, and he had a strong premonition that he would succeed.