The Second Marriage Chance

Sarah

My father, Mr. Benner, contacted me again. After years of estrangement, I decided it was time to meet him and finally confront our tumultuous past. Accompanied by Trey, I arrived at the hotel suite where he was staying. His assistant, a woman in her thirties, greeted us at the door with a smile.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Mitchell!" she said warmly.

"Hello," I managed.

"Please, come in," she said, stepping aside to let me enter.

I walked across the plush carpet until I saw Mr. Benner. My father, once a towering figure of authority, now sat in a wheelchair. His once jet-black hair had faded to steel gray, and deep lines etched his face. It had been a long time since he had disowned me.

"I'm so happy to see you, Sarah," he said, his voice filled with emotion. "You've lost so much weight, my dear..."

'My dear...'

I approached him, extending a carefully wrapped package. "I brought you something," I said, "Three first editions by Haruki Murakami. Your favorite."

He smiled appreciatively. "Thank you! Uh, would you like something to eat?" He didn't wait for my reply. "Carla, please order something for Sarah!" "Yes, boss!" the assistant replied.

I sank into the supple leather of an oversized sofa. Once we were alone, I steeled myself to ask the question that had been weighing on me.

"Dad," I began, the word feeling foreign on my tongue, "did you know that Mom is Mariano?"

He took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes."

"Then why were you so hesitant the last time we spoke? When we spoke during the hotel attack, why didn't you tell me outright that Mom was there?"

"I was terrified," he admitted, his voice trembling. "I don't know how to explain. I disowned you for years and saw that you were stronger than I expected... It's my fault he found you," he confessed.

A heavy silence fell between us before he continued.

"I met Marcus before our vacation. I didn't know who he was at the time. He approached me at the hotel and saw your picture on my phone screen while I was talking to a business partner. Marcus was the one who made me doubt and subtly suggested I should take a paternity test. I had no idea he had abducted your mom in the past..."

My lips pressed into a thin line as I processed the weight of his words. Dad's voice trembled as he continued, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"I had no idea that Marcus's obsession with you stemmed from your resemblance to his mother, Sarah. I was completely blinded by my anger when I received the DNA results from the assistant. I felt so betrayed and deceived..." Dad recalled our time at Palm Beach. "When I returned to our rented villa, chaos greeted me. Everything was in shambles, broken and scattered. I was terrified I couldn't find you or your mother. Then the original Mariano told me your mom would never return... I didn't imagine how far-reaching the consequences of my actions would be..."

"They explained that you needed to stay in Dubai and that I had to cut off all connections with you. Marcus... he had already eliminated Margarette's first daughter, believing it was you."

I gasped at the revelation.

"To make amends with Margarette, I married her. Your mother's death was staged, and only the three of us knew the truth-your mom, me, and Grandpa Mitchell. We endured, we sacrificed, all to keep you safe. This continued until Marcus was finally apprehended and imprisoned in Alcatraz."

Tears streamed down my face, mirroring the ones now falling freely from Dad's eyes.

"It's all my fault, Sarah... At Amir's wedding, I was terrified. Your grandfather urged me to end the madness, but I knew it wasn't over-Marcus was still alive then. Months turned into years, and you built your own family, Sarah. But I will forever regret what I put you through."

I moved closer and hugged him.

"You did well, Sarah. You did great, and I'm proud of you!" Dad murmured, his hand gently stroking my hair. That's what I needed to hear from him.

I hadn't realized how deeply my life was tangled in this web of deceit and danger.

"I wanted to thank your grandfather for accepting you with open arms when I couldn't. Unfortunately, he passed away after his illness. He was deeply hurt when you were in a coma," Dad added quietly.

My tears flowed more freely. My mother had already told me about that while I was still recovering in Berlin.

I remembered my conversation with Grandpa Mitchell when he learned I was pregnant with Philip. He had said he just wanted me to be happy, no matter my decision.

***

Our family traveled to beautiful Maui, Hawaii, where my husband Philip had planned a surprise. The excitement of what was coming made our tropical vacation even more special.

As the gentle Hawaiian breeze flowed through our rental, my twins came to me with excited eyes, holding a box with great anticipation. Inside was a white, flowy summer dress they had chosen for me.

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"Mommy, please wear this... Please?" Iris begged.

"Mommy, that's a gift from Iris and me. We picked this day to give you the dress!" Rowan added excitedly.

I was puzzled. "Does this mean you knew we were going to the beach?"

They exchanged glances. "No," they answered in unison, a little too quickly to be convincing.

"I-it just so happened..." Iris mumbled, unable to meet my gaze.

"You're not very good at lying, Iris!" Rowan said, betraying his sister.

Annoyed at being blamed, Iris retorted with a huff, "It's your fault! You let me say that Daddy told us in advance!"

I couldn't help but laugh at their adorable squabble. "It's not your fault, baby. If anyone's to blame, it's your crafty Daddy!"

As I watched them bicker, I saw so much of Philip and me in our children, even in the most minor things. They tease each other endlessly, but they always have each other's backs. On my second day at Villa Serafina, the teacher called me because Rowan had punched a bully, bothering Iris.

Pushing these thoughts aside, I slipped into the beautiful dress my children had thoughtfully chosen. I realized Philip must have missed seeing me in such a feminine, romantic outfit. With the dress on, the kids led me to a pavillion surrounded by a myriad of flowers. At the front, a thick white curtain was set up for some presentation.

"Are we lost, kids?" I asked

They didn't answer. I was curious to know how far Philip had gone with the arrangements. Given how beautifully it was decorated, I initially thought someone else had rented the pavilion. But then, a presentation started playing at the entrance.

Philip's face appeared on the screen. "I have a story to tell..."

To my surprise, an old photo of me from college appeared on the screen, showing a candid moment with Jane, his sister. I felt a mix of nostalgia and confusion-I had no idea Philip had been taking pictures of me back then.

He confessed he had a crush on me from the start.

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"And yeah, I stole kisses from her while she was sleeping," he continued. My cheeks flushed with embarrassment. I never thought Philip would do something like that, even though I'm older now.

The following images are from when Philip and I married, with his voice playing in the background.

"Sarah has a heart overflowing with warmth and kindness for everyone around her. Her intelligence shines as brightly as her smile, but her boundless love as a mother and wife takes my breath away. Honestly, I feel unworthy to call myself her husband..."

My eyes welled with tears of joy as he continued,

"Two years ago, I made a vow to myself that I would propose to the mother of my children in the way she deserved-a proper proposal. It was Sarah who took the initiative, proposing to me not just once but twice in the past."

I laughed through my tears at his words, unable to respond because of their truth.

'That's why...' those words marked the end of the video.

As I turned around, my breath caught in my throat. There stood Philip, devastatingly handsome in a crisp white button-up shirt and shorts, the golden Hawaiian sun casting a halo around him. His eyes, filled with love and promise, met mine. "My love, my heart, my everything-would you do me the honor of marrying me once again?" he asked.

"Of course!"

Our children, Rowan and Iris, erupted into joyous cheers and applause, their happiness mirroring our own.

Philip gently took my hand, pressing a tender kiss to my knuckles before drawing me close and capturing my lips in a kiss.

In this third wedding, I will be the bride-radiant, cherished, and entirely in love. I'm thrilled to marry Philip for the third time, surrounded by our precious children, my parents, Amir, and my friends as witnesses.

At that moment, I felt a deep happiness radiating from every part of me. I was content, deeply loved, and immensely grateful.

It's not just I who's been given a second chance at love-it's Philip and me, together with all the blessings bestowed upon us.

Though I was once devastated and heartbroken after losing a baby in our first marriage, now I have Iris and Rowan; two beautiful children.

I have Philip...

I have a stronger, more resilient version of myself...

As we stood there, wrapped in each other's arms with the paradise of Hawaii surrounding us, I knew this was more than just a proposal. It was a celebration of our journey, a testament to the power of enduring love, and a promise of the beautiful future we would continue to build together.