Chapter 247: Meeting the real Mimi

When he woke up, he felt a throbbing headache that made it a challenge to open his eyes at first. The headache was so intense it made his mind blank. He tried to turn around but felt something damp on his forehead slide to the side and slender fingers caressing his face as they pushed the damp cloth back to his forehead. Neil stiffened at the touch on his bare chest.

He didn’t have to open his eyes to know that he was lying on a bed with someone hovering over him, taking care of him. How did he even get here? And where the hell was he? Neil wondered silently as the hand kept moving around his torso, trying to coax him awake or massage him. He tried to remember what had happened and why he was on the bed, and slowly, memories started to flood his mind. He had come to rescue his wife and had planned with Liam to come after him, but then he was tricked by that bastard Owen, and then Mia...

Mia!

If he was here on a bed being attended to by someone, where the hell was his wife?! With those thoughts, Neil forced his eyes open immediately and attempted to get up from the bed, but the person hovering around him grabbed his arm and tried to push him back down. Neil grabbed the person’s hand and snapped his head towards them with the intention to demand his wife’s whereabouts. However, he momentarily froze when he saw the face. A soul-crushing relief washed over him, leaving him feeling numb. She was safe and right here beside him.

His Mia was here. Without hesitation, he added pressure to her hand and pulled her into his arms, wrapping her in his strong embrace as he buried his head into the crook of her neck and breathed in her scent, only to realize it was different today. But he didn’t dwell on it, as he was too relieved to know that she was here and that they had somehow made it out alive. "Thank goodness, you’re all right. Oh, my love, for a moment I thought I’d lost you."

"You will never lose me, darling. And I will never leave you again," she whispered and raised her arm, hugging him back with as much strength as he was hugging her. Neil felt warmth surge into his heart, but the warmth was short-lived as he realized something strange that made him frown. To confirm it, he slid one of his hands down and touched her belly. He momentarily stiffened before he jerked back from the hug and looked down panickingly at her flat belly.

"What happened? Did that bastard do something to our children?" he questioned, but without giving her the chance to reply, he reached out and pulled up her shirt to reveal her stomach. He was shocked and surprised to find out that there were no signs of cuts or operations on her flat stomach. Slowly, he let go of her shirt and moved back to study her face for a moment. Then, as if he’d found what he was looking for, he jerked out of the bed so quickly he almost lost his balance from the sudden dizziness that washed over him.

"You...you are not her. You are not my wife. Who the hell are you, and where is my wife?!" he demanded in a thunderous voice that shook the room’s walls and made Mariana stand up to her feet to face him.

"Don’t you dare come any closer to me!" he snapped when she started to approach him. The relief he’d felt a moment ago from the thought that Mia was safe had turned to rage. He was so furious he might end up hurting this stranger if she dared come close to him. He saw the hurt in her eyes that looked just like his wife’s, but he didn’t care because she wasn’t her.

"I will not repeat myself again after this: where the fuck is my wife?!" he snapped impatiently, angry veins bulging on his forehead and neck.

"She’s still at the warehouse," Mariana said calmly, not because she was afraid he might hurt her from how angry he looked, but because she believed he’d only calm down and listen to what she had to say after hearing about Mia’s whereabouts. "You’ve been unconscious for two days, Xavier. You should rest and have something to eat," she said as she began to approach him, but he stepped back, away from her touch.

Unconscious for two days? Which meant Mia was down there for two fucking days while he was here in a small fancy room!

"How could you do this to her?" He muttered softly but angrily.

Mariana frowned at Neil’s question and replied, "I didn’t do anything that Mia didn’t deserve. Whatever is happening now is because she deserves it."

"She deserves it?" He repeated like he couldn’t believe her. "What exactly does she deserve?" His voice was laced with disgust and rage. "And you think you deserve any better?"

Mariana yelled, "Yes! I deserve better than a sister who stole my place!" She told Neil, "Did you know that Mia pretended to be Mimi just so you could love her? I am the real Mimi, not Mia. I am the one you loved in our childhood."

Neil’s expression blanked out for a moment, processing her words.

Believing she was making him see the truth, Mariana continued, "I’ve waited for this day for so long. I have never forgotten your promises of marrying me when we grow older. You remember, don’t you? The time you sat me up on that white swing in your garden and told me that because we are still young, that you’d wait for me until I grew older to marry me. You said you’d protect me until the end of time, Xavier. I have held on to those promise until now. I love you." Without waiting for him to react, she ran towards him and wrapped her arms around his waist, muttering how much she loves him against his skin.

Neil raised his hands, grabbed her arms, and slowly but firmly pushed her away from him. He then looked down at her with pure disgust and disbelief. "When I first realized my wife had a twin, I thought the twin would be different from their father and be as sweet as my wife. I even thought of approaching you and giving Mia a surprise after giving birth. But I am more than disappointed to know that you are just like your father: a selfish and delusional heartless bastard."

Mariana was taken aback by his words. She asked, shocked, "You knew we were twins?"

Neil replied, "Since the day I knew the truth about Kelvin Rodrigo being Mia’s father, I’ve known about you." He had learned about her after Liam brought him pictures of Kelvin’s daughter. Because she was wearing a mask, he hadn’t seen her face until he dug deeper into her background and realized she looked exactly like his wife in a high school picture. The only difference was the air around them; she looked arrogant and aloof in every school picture, while his wife was like a sweet angel with a presence that could melt a stone.

Even now, despite their resemblance, he could never mistake her for his Mia. Her eyes looked so much like his wife’s but held so much difference that it made him even angrier to know that Mia was still down in that pit.

"I am so disappointed in you, Miss Rodrigo." He said, and without waiting for her to reply, he turned around, about to leave and go find his wife, but Mariana quickly grabbed his arm and asked with a shaky smile, "What about our childhood history together?"

With an emotionless voice and expression, Neil replied, "Whatever happened in the past is in the past. Mia is the one I love and want, not you. If you know what’s best for you, let go of my arm and never show yourself to me again because I might end up killing you for what you’ve put Mia through. The only reason I am not doing anything to you is because you have a face I value the most in this world—the face of my wife."

Mariana felt a sense of betrayal wash over her, her heart felt like a thousand pins were piercing through it. The pain was so intense she couldn’t breathe. How dare he say the past meant nothing to him when she’d held on to it like a lifeline? How could he let go of the memories she’d held on to for twenty years like they were nothing?

She’d loved him with all her heart and looked forward to this day. She’d lived through hell after she was taken to the States to train, but because of him, she’d stayed alive and strived hard to finish her mission of making the biggest weapons her father wanted to possess so she could return to him. She’d envisioned this moment of their reunion to be a romantic one where Neil would kiss her and say he’d never been happy with Mia because he’d always felt something off with her. But he didn’t even seem to care about anything about her but Mia... how could he?

Mariana’s fists clenched so tightly she felt her long nails biting into her palm as she watched Neil turn around to leave the room. Without thinking, she rushed after him and raised her hand, striking the side of his neck in a precise manner that made him fall unconscious before he could even react. She used a technique she had been taught to render someone unconscious instantly. Neil’s body crumpled to the floor like a marionette with its strings cut.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she began to drag him back toward the bed. She’d never cried for anything in twenty years, but now she was crying for her loss. She was so heartbroken and angry that she didn’t care if he got injured as she roughly pulled him along the ground. He didn’t want her, right? Then he’d never have Mia in this lifetime for as long as she lived, Mariana decided.

With each tug, her resolve hardened. Neil had betrayed her, and he would pay for it. She would make sure of it. The tears flowed freely as she dragged his unconscious body, her heart shattering with every step. But amidst the heartbreak, a dark determination settled in her chest. Neil Wayner would regret ever choosing Mia over her.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read