A Gift of Matrimony (Lover's Gift Book 2) Read online

  “Do you really mean that?” said a familiar voice from behind me. As stupefied as I was as to who it could have been, deep in my gut I knew it couldn’t possibly be him. I’d rather confront that spider again than . . . than him. I turned around, but I was stopped when he put his arms around my neck and whispered in my ear. It was him.

  He smelled like embalming fluid, and his breath was much worse. This couldn’t be real. How the hell was he here? I tried to wiggle my way out from his clutches, but his stench had me partially paralyzed. I wanted to bite his hand, but I couldn’t. I wouldn’t allow whatever disgusting filth he bathed in to enter my mouth.

  I pulled his arm from around my mouth and scratched at his face.

  “Nathan!” I screamed, hoping someone upstairs would hear me. He released me and pushed me to the floor.

  “You are so predictable. I knew, I knew, I knew . . . Oh no, no, no, no, no. Yes, I knew you would . . . Shhhh . . . Shhhh . . . You didn’t really think I would let you go so easily, did you? Foolish little girl,” he rambled. I didn’t know if he was drunk or high. He looked as if his mind had fallen into complete insanity. He’d grown an unkempt beard and his hair was greasy. The clothes he wore were dirty and covered in holes. He had the appearance of a homeless meth addict.

  “How did you find me?” I asked, trembling.

  He rolled his tongue at me and smiled. “I’ve been waiting here for four months. I saw on the news that one of the world’s wealthiest men went missing in the Amazon. It didn’t take me long to put two and two together. I also knew it would only be a matter of time before you came looking for him yourself. Now you’re mine again, bitch!”

  “Get the hell away from me, Nathan,” I said, inching my way closer to the door.

  He advanced with each motion I took. “You see, I came here thinking you would be looking for your long-lost business partner. I never suspected that you were in love with him. That’s right. I heard you whispering to yourself just now. You’re in love with him, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, I am. He’s more of a man than you could ever dream to be!”

  “Oh, really? Then it’s a real shame that your real man is dead. Ha! He’s dead, Isabella. Get it through your thick skull! He’s dead! Dead!”

  “No! He’s not dead! I’ll find him!”

  “You silly little bitch. There is so much you simply do not know. You see, Isabella, I know he’s dead.” He began to laugh like a psycho.

  “How do you know?” I shot him a frightful glare.

  He snickered. “Because I killed him! I rigged his helicopter just as I rigged the beams on the ceiling that broke his wrist. That’s right, whore! I killed him!”

  Rage engulfed me, and it felt as if my flesh were melting from my bones.

  “No!” I screamed before the bar attendant woke me. He looked just as bewildered as I felt, with my heart racing and arms flailing about. He stood there staring at me as if I were crazy. It was a dream. The whole thing was a damn dream. Words could not describe the strange emotions swirling around my head right then. For a second, I thought I was being tortured in Nathan’s pain room. I simmered down a bit and turned to the attendant, who was now afraid to come near me.

  “How long was I asleep?”

  “I-I’m not sure. Two da-days,” he said, stuttering.

  “Two days!” I exclaimed.

  “No-no-no. I mean. Two ow-ow-hours. That’s how you say . . . hours?” he said in broken English. I sighed in relief.

  “I’m sorry if I frightened you,” I said. He looked at me strangely. I wasn’t sure if he fully understood what I meant. I walked back upstairs to my room to get some real sleep. I planned to sleep half the day away with my radio next to my bed, just in case they found him. As exhausted as I was, I still couldn’t bring myself to stop worrying about this whole situation. Every day I hoped would be the day a miracle struck. The day he would walk through my door covered in mud, tired, and grateful to be alive. The day he would thank me for never giving up hope.

  I longed for that day. Words couldn’t describe how much I longed for it.

  Chapter 9

  Isabella

  We’d been out here for a few months and gotten nowhere. It wasn’t the constant letdowns and idiocentric complaints of the locals who wanted to go home to their families that made me lose hope. It wasn’t the dreams of my subconscious telling me he was lost to me. My logic and self-reflection finally forced me to accept reality.

  After months of searching, I’d found nothing that would lead me to believe Dante was still alive. The commodore was growing restless, as were his men. We searched the forest, the rivers, and the oceans. Still, we found nothing. No progress or hope for optimism was left.

  I had no choice but to accept that Dante was gone from me. He was gone. I couldn’t believe I was actually saying it. He was lost in this vastness of water and land, just as my heart was gone in the vast emptiness of sorrow that consumed me. I would never love another man as I loved him.

  As he’d waited for me all his life, I would wait for him the rest of mine. No other would replace the love in my heart I had for him. I would close myself off to every suitor, every handsome face, and every sweet-talking, hopeless romantic that’d come calling. I didn’t think I would ever recover from this. Dante didn’t deserve this fate.

  I would love only him forever. He was there for me when I was broken. His letters nurtured my heart to love again. The passion he showed me brought me from the brink. Even when I didn’t reply to his texts during my recovery, still his love didn’t wane. Dante would always hold a place in my soul. That much he deserved.

  It was three o’clock in the morning as I sat on the boat and gazed into the night sky. I listened to the insects, birds, and waterfalls in the distance as they made their ambient sounds. I felt at peace . . . Almost.

  I’d called Commodore Noah and told him to stop the search three hours ago. I died a little inside after having made that call. It wasn’t fair. Life without Dante in it would be nothing. Everything I was would be nothing. The only thing that kept me going was the hope of someday finding him and holding him in my arms. That hope was now gone from me.

  I didn’t want to give up, but what else was I to do? Maya needed my help, and I couldn’t abandon her or my company to chase a dream. The dream that he might still be alive. I had to face my responsibilities and get my head back into reality. For as long as I had tried to suppress the will to admit this, I had no choice.

  Every night I thought of him—his scent, his warmth. He’d be there encouraging me, telling me not to give up. Each time he was so beautiful, like a phantom guiding me to serenity. The time we shared was short but plentiful.

  I wish we could have had each other just once. If only I could have felt his warm breath on my skin as he entered me. I wanted to feel him release a long sigh and exhale into my neck, signifying that it felt just as good for him as it did for me. To feel his sweat drip on my body with passionate kisses in between breaths. Just thinking about it made me want to stay here longer to prolong the search even further.

  Was that what I should do? Should I give it a little while longer before I called it quits? How would Noah react if I told him to disregard my last call and to keep searching? He’d probably be pissed. This search had brought me to the brink of insanity. Why shouldn’t Noah and the others dwell in hardship just as I have?

  You have to go back home, said the logical angel on my left shoulder.

  Keep searching, Isabella. I know you can find him, said the love-stricken angel on my right. Deep in my heart, I didn’t know which I should listen to. Second thoughts of giving up on the search clouded my brain.

  Reminiscing about the time we shared threw my mind into a loop, tempting me to backtrack on my decision to quit. I hadn’t spoken to my mother or Dr. Logan since I got here, and I knew what my mom would say. She would tell me to come back home and get on with my life. But how was I to abandon him? He never quit on me, even when he had that business de
al in London. He gave up that software company without hesitation just to see if I was all right. Time, money, business—none of that meant anything to him when it came to me, and now I should make the same sacrifice.

  No! I wouldn’t call off the search just yet. I had to keep it going just for a while longer—if only to satisfy my gut feeling that we were close. I knew we were close. Just a while longer. I had to be able to look at myself in the mirror and say I did everything in my power to bring him home. I mustn’t quit. I had to find him.

  “Ma’am, ma’am? Ms. Kam. Isabella Kam, are you there?” I heard over the radio. I ran to the top deck and answered swiftly.

  “Yes, I’m here. What is it?”

  “I know you wanted to call off the search, but I think we may have found him,” said the commodore.

  Anger gripped me. “I’m not in the mood for jokes.”

  “This is no joke, Ms. Kam. We were on our way back to the dock when one of our scout ships spotted a man on a raft. We believe it’s him.” His voice was stern with slight hints of exhilaration.

  “You’re shitting me!” I screeched. The excitement almost brought me to my knees.

  “You were right to expand the search beyond Brazil, Ms. Kam. It appears to be him on that raft floating down the Marañón River. From what it looks like, he may have constructed the raft himself. Our scouts are sending us a video feed right now. He doesn’t appear to be conscious. We would never have suspected he would end up near Peru. We’ll be moving in to intercept.”

  My heart stopped at that moment. I dropped to my knees and clenched the radio in my hands out of sheer shock and joy. I had to go and see if it was really him. I must! “We have to get out there immediately. Start the boat and let’s get down there!” I exclaimed at the midshipman. He was just as anxious as I was. The boat’s engine revved as the midshipman pushed us full-throttle.

  For the love of all that was good in the world, please let this be true. Please let it be him. The sensibilities of my hope and elation opened to the possibility that all my hard work and patience would be rewarded. We sailed toward the riverbanks near one of the outer docks to meet up with the commodore.

  “Faster! We have to go faster,” I shouted.

  “Hold tight,” he said.

  “Have you made contact with him? Is he all right?” I asked over the radio. No one answered. I suspected they were all busy trying to hoist him up to safety. As excited as I was, I couldn’t help but to think this would be like the last two times when they’d thought they had found him. The first time it turned out to be a lost angler. The second was a half-eaten sailor who had been attacked by sharks after escaping from a hijacking. This time, I felt it in my gut. This had to be him. I’d been waiting too long for fate to deny me this now. In under an hour, the midshipman and I had made it to the dock to board the plane to Peru. The commodore was already on his way there via jet.

  It would take us almost four hours to get there from Rio de Janeiro. I was baffled that he could have navigated from his original crash site all the way to Marañón River in Peru without anyone discovering him. Nevertheless, all that mattered was that he was alive and safe. Questions would come after—now, all that was important was his safety.

  Chapter 10

  Isabella

  “It’s definitely him, but he’s not breathing. Get me the defibrillator now!” shouted one of the medics onboard the ship that had found Dante. We’d landed and gone straight to one of the scout ships. Commodore Noah had gotten there an hour before we did and taken his ship to their location. Then everything went silent. The battery in my radio had died. I’d forgotten to charge it last night before going to bed.

  “Quick, tune to their frequency!” I said to the communications officer aboard our ship. He dialed in, but the only thing I could hear was he’s gone.

  “Fix the frequency, damn you!” I shouted.

  He’s gone . . . He’s gone, someone kept repeating. I went over to the primary radio. I was sweating, and my heart was pounding. “He’s gone? What do you mean he’s gone?” I cried.

  “Hello, Ms. Kam? We’re telling him to breathe long and slow. He’s going to be all right, don’t worry,” said the commodore.

  He’s gone . . . Breathe long. Why must fate continue to play mind games with me?

  “Isabella, is that you?” I heard over the radio. I dropped to my knees. I was weak all over. Euphoric bliss ran through me. It was him. I recognized his voice. It was raspy and drained, but it was him.

  “Yes, it’s me, Dante! I’m coming to you now. Just hold on.” I hyperventilated at the thought of seeing him after so long. He had my heart, and no matter the condition he was in, I would comfort him, hug him, and love him.

  “You must go faster,” I commanded. Tears of joy found their way down my cheeks. The warm breeze blew them away. This was happening. I could see them in the distance, lowering a speedboat into the water. It raced toward us to take me to the commodore’s ship. The boat caught up to us in a matter of minutes.

  “Ms. Kam, please come aboard! I’ll take you the rest of the way,” said the man driving the boat. Without a moment of hesitation, I made my way down the ladder and jumped onto his boat. My knees were shaking uncontrollably. The adrenaline within me rushed through every vector of my body as I anticipated laying my eyes on his face once again. It was only a few minutes before we approached the ship.

  I could hear him screaming my name just as loud as my heart had screamed for him. I began to climb up the ladder, but my nervousness got the better of me, and I slipped and fell into the ocean. Crap! I guessed I should be grateful I’d fallen into the water and not the boat. I probably would have broken both my legs had that happened.

  The boat operator helped me back into his speedboat, and I gave the ladder another go.

  Breathe, Isabella, just breathe. You don’t want to end up killing yourself the moment you’re about to see him again.

  I held on tight to each grip of the ladder’s bars, hoisting myself up onto the boat.

  “Where is he?” I asked frantically.

  “Over here, Ms. Kam,” said the commodore, guiding me toward Dante. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. There he was, laid out on a stretcher, covered in dried river muck and a long beard, looking malnourished.

  “Dante!” I screamed, running to him. I dove onto the floor and wrapped my arms around his frail body. “I knew I would find you. I knew you were alive. I never gave up hope.”

  “Is-Isabella . . . Is this a dream, or is it really you? So many hallucinations. So many lies. Is this real?” He gasped with each breath.

  “Yes, it’s me, Dante—it’s me.”

  He wrapped one of his arms around my waist and hugged me as tight as he could. Tears fell from the corners of his eyes.

  “You never gave up on me. You really do love me,” he said somberly.

  “Of course I love you. No matter how long it took. I love you with all my heart, everything, from my blood to my breath. There is no me without you.” I sat him up and saw the ring still laced around his neck.

  “You still have it?” I began to cry.

  “I told you I would never take it off. But where’s yours?”

  “Here.” I lifted my hand to his face. The ring that signified my resolve was now on my finger.

  He cracked a smile. “That ring should be an engagement ring. I should have had the courage to ask. I should have—” He started to cough violently. I laid him back down and wiped the sweat from his brow.

  “Don’t talk, Dante. Just relax. We’re going to take care of you.”

  “No, I have to say this. I should have asked you to marry me the last time we saw each other. I’ve loved you longer than you know, Isabella Kam.”

  I kissed his cheek. “As far as I’m concerned, Dante Alonso, I’m already your wife,” I whispered into his ear. He tried to sit up, but the medic told him to lie back down so they could put him on an IV.

  “You will not believe what I’ve been through
. The only thing that kept me alive was this ring. That, and seeing your face again. You are my angel, my savior. You are the reason I am alive. Any words I could come up with would be an understated insult to how much I love you,” he said, coughing and exhausted.

  “Rest now, babe. We’re going back home. You can tell me everything when you’re well-rested with some food in your belly.” He brushed his hand against my cheek and closed his eyes.

  I had my private jet meet us near Lima, the capital of Peru. I couldn’t wait to hear how he’d drifted from the inner part of the Amazon River near outer Brazil to the Marañón River in Peru. It was no surprise Gaspard and his team weren’t able to find him. Everyone was looking near the crash site but never thought to expand the search beyond that. If I hadn’t come out here when I did, who knew what would have become of him. Now, he was back by my side, and I would never let him out of my sight again. That was my word.

  Chapter 11

  Isabella

  It was all over the news and the media was eating it up. I wanted this to be as discreet as possible, but the naval officer, William Noah, thought it would help his career aspirations to let the world know he found the lost billionaire, as CNN had dubbed Dante.

  The moment we stepped off my jet in Miami, reporters surrounded us. The man needed medical care, not fame-seeking journalists trying to get an interview. What a mess. I should have known something like this would happen. I wanted to get right back on my jet and head straight to California to my private airstrip, but Dante needed urgent care, so we had no choice.

  These people had the nerve to follow us from the airport all the way to the hospital. I should have had him transported here via helicopter airlift instead of the ambulance. But Dante was scared to death of helicopters now, so I saw no other alternative. My bodyguards did what they could to get us to the hospital’s doors with minimal harassment when we arrived at Baptist Health South Florida.