The Second Marriage Chance

Sarah

I showed the ring to Philip. "And this ring? Hold on, don't tell me you bought this for me?" My eyes widened at the possible scenario playing out in my mind.

"Uh, you got that ring from one of the players last night at the casino," Philip explained.

I furrowed my brow, still not understanding what he meant.

"Sarah, you invited me to the casino after we returned to the hotel. I wanted to call it a night because I felt tired after the incident at the chapel. We came straight here from Highland Hills... I couldn't stop you last night. You were incredibly energetic-like you had downed three energy drinks in a row.

"I decided I had to keep an eye on you, so I followed you to the casino floor. And that's where you managed to obtain that ring from another gambler who had lost all her money. Sarah, it cost ten million dollars. According to the player you got it from, it came from an auction. A royal family owned it in the past," Philip explained.

"You mean I got this ten-million-dollar ring overnight?" I couldn't believe it.

"Not only that. You won twenty million dollars in cash, too." He swallowed hard.

Looking closely at Philip, I felt a new distance between us. Since the last time we talked in Dubai, our playful banter seemed to disappear. It made me lonely because I had to admit, I missed Philip badly.

I took off the ring. "Well, I don't think I'll need this jewelry. I'm not comfortable wearing a ring that someone else has used. I will donate this to a children's charity that I support, including the money I won last night." "You can do whatever you want; it's your money," he said.

My head throbbed again. Touching my temple, I asked the question that had been weighing on me. "About the marriage... Why did you do it, Philip? You could have let me cry and be in the chapel even if I went wild there." Did this mean Philip was forced to do the wedding ceremony last night?

"Sarah, I already promised you last night I wouldn't let you cry again..." he replied gently.

"You did?" I was surprised. "W-we can file another divorce." I looked away.

Philip clenched his fist. He exhaled slowly, then approached me and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"What if I don't want to get a divorce?" His voice was soft but insistent. "Babe, I never wanted us to go through with the divorce. I know I messed up signing those papers. I've regretted it since I walked out on you at Serenity Pines." "But Philip, you hurt me so deeply back then. This... remarriage with you-it terrifies me. I don't want to go through all that pain again..." Tears streamed down my face as I sobbed, the fear of repeating past mistakes weighing heavily on my mind.

Philip took my hand. "Sarah, I'll do everything I can to make it right. I'm not a perfect man by any means. But this second chance will be different because I love you..." His eyes shone with sincerity.

"But you told me you didn't love me... Philip, you don't intentionally hurt the person you claim to love..." I argued.

He squeezed my hand tighter. "I know, babe... I lied. Sarah, I have enemies-powerful enemies. I didn't want to drag you down into the dangers I face every day. I couldn't protect you. You almost died because of me..."

I gasped softly as memories of the incident in Highland Hills came flooding back.

Philip pressed on. "When I followed you to your mansion in Dubai, Amir spoke to me... You showed me your world, and I felt like I lost my mind; I was ashamed of myself. That's when I realized my shortcomings. I was ashamed of how my family treated you... I was ashamed because I once accused you of being a gold-digger."

My lips pressed into a thin line as I listened.

"That's why I agree with you... Let's keep last night's wedding a secret for now. I don't want a repeat of the pain and ugliness from before. So far, the only ones who know about us getting remarried are Jakob, Trey, and the chapel staff. Oh, and possibly those guests in the chapel. Jakob will monitor the internet to ensure nothing gets out about it."

Philip gently wiped the tears from my cheeks. "Please, Sarah... Please stay with me this time. Don't leave..." His voice trembled, a tear forming in his eye.

"But I'm scared, Philip..."

"I'm scared too... As much as I want to stay away from you to keep you safe from my mistakes, I can't... I'll protect you no matter what. Even from those who want to harm you."

I remained silent, needing time to consider Philip's plea. I was overwhelmed with fear.

Emotionally and physically drained, I lay back on the bed and closed my eyes.

"I'll wake you up later," Philip murmured. "Bronn has already been informed about the incident at the bar."

He held my hand as I drifted off, exhaustion finally pulling me into sleep despite my lingering unease.

***

Four hours later, the doctor returned to administer another IV shot. Philip was engrossed in some tasks, and Amanda was busy serving me a plate of food. At that moment, while I picked up my meal, Jakob strode into the suite without any announcement.

"Why are you here?" I asked icily.

"Doll, you can't be serious about being mad at me. I'm just here for the meal!" Jakob replied nonchalantly.

This rascal! This explained why I'd always thought he was penniless! He regularly grabbed food and drinks, assuming he was entitled to complimentary coffee or a meal. When things were free, he was first in line, but if he had to pay, he turned into a tightwad who needed to be pinched for every penny.

Jakob settled into a chair and began transferring delicious pastries onto his plate.

"That's mine!" I snapped, snatching the strawberry tart and his entire plate.

"You're so stingy!" he complained.

"You won't eat until you explain yourself!" I demanded.

"Okay... where should I begin?" Jakob said, eyeing the food hungrily.

"Don't play dumb, Jakob!" I scolded.

"Alright, alright! So, as you know, Bronn and I are not alike. I'm more of an introverted guy. That's why you and I never really crossed paths before. I avoided family gatherings-I preferred sleeping or zoning out with video games!" "You mean lazy activities!" I interjected.

He shrugged. "During college, we were both into online schooling. To clear things up, I had no idea you were Bronn's ex-fiancée until last year when you returned to Grandpa Mitchell's," he explained. He couldn't resist the temptation of the delicious bread. Grabbing it from the plate, he took a big bite and chewed loudly.

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I let him indulge it.

"Why didn't you tell me the truth? I thought your family was struggling financially. I thought you were so eager to sell a lot of security software and create LoveLogic because you wanted to follow Bronn's success in business!" I pressed. "Look, doll, I did want to follow Bronn! He inherited the family empire from our grandfather. I got into this business because of them," Jakob admitted.

"And you're not jealous?" I asked Jakob skeptically.

"Do I need to be jealous? All I know is that I'm enjoying myself!"

That was one of the reasons why Jakob and I got along so well-we were both pretty carefree people who didn't worry much about the world revolving around us.

"What about Emily? You hid her identity from me to protect Bronn! I feel betrayed!" I huffed, taking an aggressive bite of the strawberry tart out of frustration. "About that... I had no idea at first. When you asked me about Emily, I was surprised by the name."

I remember Jakob even double-checked the name Amir gave.

"I told Bronn that I found her that very time when you told me about it."

"Ohhh. so that is the reason why he's out of character." I met Bronn at the hotel, where I introduced Jane to him, and clearly, he wasn't behaving properly.

Jakob continued. "Bronn and I agreed that he would be the one to fill you in because I had an idea that you might get hurt. Anyway, there's something about Emily that she keeps secret, and I couldn't tell Bronn because I wanted you to understand the full context of their relationship first."

"Oh, how wonderful!" I said sarcastically. "So, just because you kept something from Bronn, you think I'd be thrilled?"

"No! It's not like that; it's just that your situation with the three of you is complicated. But now, I can finally say this won't affect you because you're married again to President Cornell!"

"And I wanted to hit you because of it!" I gritted my teeth at the memory.

But when Jakob told me Emily's secret, I was shocked.