I Married My Ex's Billionaire Father
Chapter 125: She Is Not Your Daughter

Chapter 125: She Is Not Your Daughter

The plush surroundings of the luxury hotel suite did little to ease Ken’s restless spirit. He paced back and forth across the thick carpet, his gaze fixed on the city skyline visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows. The days since his collapse had been a blur of medical tests and anxious waiting. He had been discharged with a clean bill of health, but his mind was far from at peace. He was consumed by the image of the woman he had seen, the woman he was convinced in his heart was Maeve.

Since he had entrusted Bella with the task of finding her, he had been clinging to the hope that after all these years, he might finally have some answers. He had barely slept, his mind racing with possibilities, each one more tantalizing and terrifying than the last.

Finally, the knock he had been waiting for echoed through the suite. He rushed to the door, his heart pounding with anticipation. Bella stood there, her expression unreadable.

"Bella," he said, his voice laced with hope. "Did you find her?"

Bella stepped inside, closing the door behind her. She took a seat on one of the plush armchairs, her expression turning serious.

"I found the woman you saw, Ken," she said, her voice gentle.

Ken’s heart leaped. "And... it’s her?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper. "Tell me you saw my Maeve."

Bella hesitated for a moment, . "The woman you saw... her name is Lyse, not Maeve" she said.

Ken’s breath caught in his throat. Lyse. The name was unfamiliar, but it didn’t matter. He had seen her face, he had felt that inexplicable connection. It had to be Maeve.

"Did she change her name?" he asked, puzzled. It would explain why she had been hard to find, he could also see her doing that to disappear from her family but why did she not reach out to him?

"No she didn’t," Bella replied softly. "She is just twenty seven, she cannot be Maeve."

Ken’s mind raced. Twenty seven? How could that be?

"Bella," he said, his voice urgent. "That does not make sense, I saw her and it was Maeve!"

Bella’s expression turned somber as she looked at him. She could see that he wanted it to be true but unfortunately, it was not what he had hoped for.

Ken looked blankly at her for a moment then he perked up, "Is it possible that she is my child?"

Bella had thought the same thing too but then, she had calculated and the timing was just wrong. "Ken," she began, her voice hesitant, "she was born over a year after Maeve disappeared, she is not your daughter."

Ken stared at her, his mind reeling. He did not want to accept her words, since his hopes that Maeve was found had been dashed, the next best thing was that she was his daughter.

"Are you sure?" he asked, his voice pleading. "That is not possible, Could there be some mistake?"

It was inconceivable to him that Maeve could have a child with another man, she had loved only him. Had promised herself to only him. He felt bitter at the betrayal, then remembered how he had been with a lot of lovers. He had not loved any of them but it had been a betrayal regardless, he did not have a right to be angry.

Bella shook her head. "I checked multiple sources, Ken," she said. "There is no mistake. Lyse was born a year after Maeve left. She can’t be your daughter."

The realization hit Ken like a ton of bricks. The hope that had sustained him for so long, the hope that he had something of Maeve’s, was extinguished. He felt a wave of crushing disappointment wash over him, so intense that he could barely breathe.

He sank into a nearby chair, his head in his hands. He had been so close, he had thought. He had allowed himself to believe that after all these years, he might finally have found the missing piece of his life. But it had all been a cruel illusion.

Bella sat beside him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I am so sorry, Ken," she said softly. "I know how much this meant to you."

Ken remained silent, his mind numb with disappointment. He couldn’t understand how he could have been so wrong. He had been so sure that Lyse was Maeve’s and now, there was nothing.

After a long moment of silence, Bella spoke again. "Ken," she said gently, "are you ready to go home? Are you ready to leave this city? I can quickly arrange a flight out tonight."

Ken lifted his head slowly, his eyes filled with a deep sadness. He looked at Bella, his gaze distant.

"I will go back," he said quietly. "But... I want to thank her first."

"Thank who?" Bella asked, her brow furrowed.

"Lyse," Ken replied. "I want to thank her for... for taking me to the hospital. For being there when I collapsed. Even if she’s not... even if she’s not who I thought she was, I still owe her my gratitude."

Bella nodded understandingly. "Of course, Ken," she said. "But that might be a problem."

He looked up at her with a frown, and she explained. "She got into an accident, i don’t know if she is well enough to have visitors right now."

"Then I will wait until she is well enough to see me." He said firmly.

Bella groaned under her breath. Ken always had a tightly packed scheduled and his illness had created chaos, apologies and refunds had already been sent out and if he insisted on staying then he would have to forgot more commitments.

Bella knew that it was pointless trying to convince him to leave. Moreover, she could see that he needed this, so she simply said.

"I will take care of it."

Ken looked out the window again, his gaze fixed on the city lights. The hope that had burned so brightly within him had been extinguished, leaving behind a deep sense of emptiness.

He knew he had to move on, to accept the reality that Maeve might be truly gone, and that the woman he had seen was simply a cruel reminder of what he had lost. But he also knew that he would never forget the feeling he had experienced when he first saw Lyse, the feeling that for a brief moment, he had found the missing piece of his heart. Even though it wasn’t true, that feeling had been real, and that was something he would carry with him, always.

He was curious to see her, the girl that Maeve had supposedly birthed. Would she be anything like the free spirited, sunny rebel that he had been in love with?