The Billionaire's Mistake (Anya and Daniel)

Chapter 41: Insomia

“Good,” he said. It was unsure what he was referring to when he answered, but his eyes deepened as he stared at her, yet Anya did not seem to notice.

Daniel tossed and turned in his bed, the weight of sleeplessness bearing down on him like a heavy blanket. It meant to suffocate him till he could no longer breathe.

It had been weeks since he had experienced a good night’s sleep, either the constant tossing and turning, leaving him exhausted and drained, or the emptiness carrying him around the

house at odd hours.

The soft glow of the moon filtered through his window into his room, mocking him as he lay awake, staring blankly at the ceiling. He had barely slept these past months. He could not muster up to three hours of rest a day and was making him agitated.

No matter how hard he tried, sleep eluded him. It was ignored every time he dared to reach for it, slipping through his grasp like sand through fingers. He was like a trapped man in a desert, barely any water in sight. He had started to think he had lost his mind when his eyes looked for Anya in every room. It seemed only heavy medication could help him sleep. But it lasted no longer than an hour.

In a desperate try to save his mind, Daniel turned to his work. He threw himself into his tasks.

with a fervor akin to obsession. The mountain load of work provided a fleeting sense of comfort, a temporary distraction from irritation within him. He buried himself in spreadsheets and reports; it was though he wished the documents would consume him or fill the emptiness that seemed to have come out of nowhere. This text is property of Nô/velD/rama.Org.

But no matter how busy he kept himself, the nagging sense of unease persisted. A part of him knew what his problem was. A part of him knew what he wanted. What he wanted to see just to put his mind at rest was Anya.

He wanted his Anya. The feeling had gnawed at him for so long, yet he dared not admit it. He

had not paid her much of any attention when she was married to him, but the moment Anya. left, she was all he noticed, yet there was not enough of her around.

At night, he would find himself wandering to her room and looking through her things. The first night he had come, he realized that she had left everything behind. Her closet was full of clothes Lena had bought her; it threatened to spill over.

It gave

him the delusion that she had not left and that Anya would return at any moment. Yet no matter how long he waited, she never walked through the door. He had found her wedding ring on the nightstand. It was a random ring he had told his assistant to pick, but Anya had worn it for their entire marriage.

He could not bear to put it away, so he strung it on a chain and wore it around his neck. He glanced at the ring on his finger. For some reason, he was unable to take it off. He had worn it for a long time, but it was only this month that it meant anything to him.

He did not want to admit it, but his mother was right. He regretted it.

It was another work–filled day. When night neared and the sun receded, Daniel was ready to go home, because that is where all he had of Anya was. At the same time, he did not want to go, because when he got home, he would be reminded that he had lost Anya. Just when he was in his car, he got a phone call.

“Daniel, we have not seen you in a while,” the person on the other end said.

“Ethan, I have been busy,” he answered tiredly.

“Stop by the usual spot; all the guys are here,” Ethan said, and Daniel agreed. He told his driver to change directions to a bar he and his friends frequent.

By the time he got there, they had already had a few rounds of drinks.

“Hey, look who is here?” One of his friends, James, spotted him the moment he walked in and

lled out to him.

“You went missing for a month,” one of his friends, Hunter, said. “You were in the city, and you were hard to find.” Daniel took a seat with them, poured himself a drink, and took a swing.

“Daniel, isn’t your company expanding into movies? There is a project a friend of mine introduced to me. I had said I would inform you, but I did not have the time, It’s in Lincoln City. When are you going to be free so that we can sit down and discuss this?” James asked.

“It seems you have a lot of hope for it; why didn’t you introduce me when we went to Lincoln City together?” Ethan gave James a dirty look before turning to Daniel.

“I heard something odd from your cousin, James. He said that you are no more married,” Ethan asked, and Daniel paused a bit before taking another big gulp.

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“Really? So your contract is over?” James asked carelessly, but Daniel did not respond. They were his friends. They had known that he was in a contract marriage; that is why they did not bother to know his wife. Daniel was even less interested in his wife than they were, so they did not think it

mattered. Only Ethan had seen her several times. The rest of them had never even met her before. Apart from knowing her name, they had not bothered to introduce themselves, and Daniel was even less inclined to bother.

“That means Selene will start pestering you soon,” Hunter laughed.

“So you are divorced; no wonder I saw your ex–wife in Lincoln City,” he said, and Daniel looked up sharply.

“You saw Anya? Where? Where in Lincoln City?” he asked, trying hard to restrain the desperation in his voice, but his friend could still catch it. They suddenly noticed that Daniel looked worn out. At first, they had dismissed it as being worn out from work. But looking him now, he looked completely beaten.

“Where did you see her?” Daniel asked Ethan.

at

“In some renovation company. Why?” Ethan asked. They had a feeling his marriage did not end on a good note.

“How did she look?” he asked, and Ethan paused. He had not taken a good look. When he saw Daniel’s expectant eyes, he was unsure of what to say.

“She seemed normal, I guess. She was leaving the building, so I did not take a closer look,”

Ethan answered.

“But you are sure she was the one?” he asked, and Ethan nodded. Daniel’s mood suddenly got better. He had found her. He had found his Anya.

“Daniel, why are you looking for her?” James asked. He was used to his friend being unusually cold. His emotions were like a still cloud, not easily rattled. This was the first time he had seen him like that. It was as though he was absent, yet everywhere. He saw the dark circles under his eyes and frowned. What happened?

“I just can’t find her. She signed the divorce papers and vanished,” Daniel said and took another big gulp.

“Have you been sleeping well, Daniel?” Hunter asked.

“I can’t sleep much. The drugs don’t work,” Daniel said, and they all frowned.

“Why are you even taking drugs?”

“Why do you need them to sleep?” The questions came in interchangeably.

“I just can’t sleep,” he answered, massaging his temples.

“Why do I get the feeling that you do not want to be div

Hunter asked.

“I don’t. I really don’t,” Daniel answered; it was as though he wanted to swallow the entire

bottle of whiskey at once.