Chapter two

Eloise

No matter how much I felt like unaliving myself, I wasn't going to die just yet. Not without making Damon regret it. Not without dragging every single bit of hair out of that homewrecker's head.

I was the only family my father had. His only brother severed ties with him because of me, and I still haven’t figured out the reason.

Leaving him alone in this world would break him.

The issue with Damon wasn’t in any way because of my family's background. He loved me knowing we almost had nothing. His problem was me. If only I could conceive and give him an heir.

The rain suddenly stopped soaking my skin, and when I looked up, Alex was holding an umbrella over my head. I immediately wiped my tears and stood up.

"How did you know I was here?" I asked, trying to hide the pain in my voice.

"The news. Your face was all over the television today, and trust me, I'm not the type to care about your fame, but your face didn't look quite happy on TV, and that pissed me off. Pookie, when you're done crying, show me who to punch. I don't give a fuck who the hell they are," Alex said, pulling me into a hug.

It wasn't embarrassing crying in Alex's arms. This wasn't the first, second, or even the tenth time. He had been my best friend since high school, and every single time I was in trouble, he always found me.

"Alex, do you think he would come around sometime? I mean, he loved me like he meant it before. If a child is the problem, we can just adopt or make a test tube baby with another egg."

"Even if he comes around, I wouldn't let you go back to him. He doesn’t deserve you, I promise. Look, Pookie, you deserve better than a fucked-up CEO who's still babied by his father."

"Stop, Alex."

"You know the truth, Eloise. Grow up," Alex said in a more serious tone. He barely called me by my name. Pookie was the name my dad called me the first time Alex met him, and ever since then, he wouldn’t stop teasing me with it.

I knew I needed to grow up, but growing apart from Damon seemed impossible. I had been happy for the past seven years we knew each other, and forgetting him would be like forgetting all those years.

Thanks to the rain, Alex wouldn’t complain that I'd soaked his clothes with my tears and brag about how expensive they were.

"This won't do. I'll take you to my house."

My legs were too wobbly for me to walk, so he carried me to the car. I let him. Everything in me wanted to pay Damon back. I wanted him to feel the burning jealousy of seeing me in another man’s arms after sleeping with him the night before.

Alex dropped me in the passenger seat before moving over to the driver's side.

Seeing that his driver didn’t bring him here meant that he obviously rushed over to get to me.

At some point in my life, I felt so bad for using Alex. He might not have been that rich during our high school days when we first met, but now he was a multi-billionaire, the most eligible bachelor in the Netherlands, and the last time I checked, he had no interest in any woman.

We first met after I was rejected by a senior I had a crush on. He came around and offered me alcohol. Damn alcohol, when we were just minors.

He promised it would help me forget, and yeah, I did forget I was the only daughter of my father and ended up spending a night in the police station, leaving my father worried sick.

The next few weeks, I tried avoiding Alex, but that dude had his way of finding me, always at my worst. Each and every single time, he offered me an alcoholic drink but instead stayed with me until I got over my hangover.

"We're here, Pookie."

"Oh, we are?" My mind snapped back to the present, and I asked.

"Are you pretending not to know, or do you just want me to carry you inside my house? Because I’m going to do exactly that." He snorted.

"Don’t take me for a weakling, Alex. I’m fine now." I ran my hand through my hair and got out of his new car.

Alexandros' house was huge. Much bigger than my husband's—or should I say ex-husband’s—house. It wasn’t really my concern, so I didn’t bother with the hassle of who was richer between the two.

"Whiskey or…?"

"Here you go again, trying to turn me into a bad girl. I don’t intend to drink." I sluggishly sat across from his indoor bar.

Yeah, Alex is that weirdo who has a full modern bar in his house.

"What do you want, then? To sleep with me?" he teased.

"That wouldn’t be a bad idea, but trust me, you're definitely not my type. Besides, I'm not some loser that sleeps with their best friend just because they’re in misery. I don’t wanna use you, dude."

"I wasn’t complaining about you using me. And what’s that about me not being your type, Pookie?" He poured different mixtures of drinks into a glass and pushed it over to me. "You know a lot of women find me hot."

"I wonder if they see a different you. They’re probably drooling over your endless cash, not you." I gulped down the whole cup in one go. It did the trick, like always—quenching that lump of pain that had gathered in my throat, almost choking me to death.

I once had a crush on Alex. It wasn’t just friendly love; it was a real crush. He was handsome, with broad shoulders, and a sweet talker. I was just too scared of losing him as a friend, which is why I never confessed.

Though, I’m not sure about now.

"About my cash? How about we gamble on that? I’ll try to seduce you while you do your best to resist my charm."

"Charm my foot," I teased. He didn’t need to try any tricks to win me over.

"How about we try, Pookie?" Alex's dark eyes glittered with mischief as he leaned closer, resting his elbows on the bar counter. His voice dropped, smooth and low. "Come on, Eloise. Let’s make this interesting. One night, no strings. I’ll bet you can’t resist."

I rolled my eyes and gave him a playful shove. "Oh please, you wish. I’m immune to your so-called charm."

But beneath the banter, a part of me—small, buried, but undeniably there—was curious. Not about Alex. No, we were too tangled in our own complicated history for that. But about how easy it might be to forget Damon, to make him feel the way I felt right now. Lost. Abandoned.

I took another sip from the glass. The burn from the alcohol settled in my chest, offering a brief moment of warmth before the familiar ache returned.

"You’re quiet," Alex observed, his teasing grin fading. He sat back, studying me with those too-perceptive eyes of his. "You’re really thinking about him right now, aren’t you?"

I nodded, hating how pathetic I sounded. "I don’t know how to turn it off, Alex. Five years. Five damn years of marriage and seven years of knowing each other, and he just… threw it all away. For what? A woman who can give him what I can't? Obviously, she looks rich and fucking classy."

Alex frowned, his jaw tightening. "That’s bullshit, and you know it. You’re worth more than that."

I shook my head, my voice cracking. "But what if I’m not? What if I’ll always be second to someone who can give him a child?"

Before I could react, Alex was suddenly standing in front of me, tipping my chin up so I had no choice but to meet his gaze. "Listen to me, Eloise. You are enough. You always have been. Damon was the one who fucked up, not you. He’s too much of a coward to see what he had."

My breath hitched, the intensity of his words cutting through the haze of alcohol. He meant every word, and for a moment, I wanted to believe him. I wanted to believe I was enough.

But then I thought of Damon, of the way he had looked at me before everything fell apart.

"I can’t do this," I whispered, pulling away from Alex’s touch. "I can’t pretend that everything’s fine when it’s not."

Alex watched me, his expression softening. "I’m not asking you to pretend. But I am asking you to let go. Damon doesn’t deserve your loyalty or your tears. He doesn’t deserve you, period."

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Maybe you’re right."

Alex smiled, the mischievous glint returning to his eyes. "Of course I’m right. I always am."

I laughed. It felt good, even if it was fleeting. "Fine, Alex. I'm not married anymore. I would’ve hired a gigolo, but you said I could use you." I was getting a little bit drunk, and everything in me wanted to pay Damon back for choosing another woman. Yeah, I get all those lectures about that not making me the better person, but fuck that idea.

He chuckled, raising his glass in a mock toast. "You’re so going to regret this, Eloise. I was just joking earlier. So please, drink, and you’re welcome to sleep over. You’ll feel better in the morning. You’re also welcome to knock yourself out with the drinks too. I will be your drinking buddy" Alex said and took his jacket to leave.

I was drunk and Alex was decent enough to not take advantage of a drunk woman. But this won't do. I pulled my phone from my pocket and called Laura. She's the only one that would understand that I needed a revenge on my ex-husband.