Elara swallowed the lump in her throat just because she could not take it anymore; it felt like someone had taken time out of their busy day to tie up her throat, and it felt itchy. She cleared her throat and straightened her back as she walked through the restaurant.
She looked to one table in the corner; her boyfriend Micah's back was to her, and she took a deep breath, clutching tightly to the handle of her purse. As she approached the table, she wished that this was different. When she first caught on that he was cheating, she did not believe it one bit because there was no way that her boyfriend, who swore to love her even though he was too closed off to show it to her, was showing another girl with flowers and chocolates and dinner dates; she could believe that the same man she had been with all these years was cheating on her. But when her sister called to tell her that she was getting out and that everyone knew that he was getting married to Zara, she knew that she did not stand a chance anymore. "What the hell are you doing?" was all that jolted her back to the present. She did not know when she had walked over to his table and taken the soup he was eating and poured it all over his head. "You are cheating on me," she muttered, taking a step back in fear overwhelming her and looking from Zara to Micah. She did not miss the confusion on Zara's face as she looked at her. She stood up, pushing back the chair with her body, and glanced at Micah, whose hair and clothes were now drenched in soup. "Cheating on you?" She said it slowly, as if she were trying to read the sentence. "Yes, cheating on me." "Cheating on you?" Zara said again, but only because there was no way what she heard was true. "Micah is cheating on me with you," Elara said, taking a deep breath. She had wanted attention, and although she had it, she was not sure if she really wanted. "Micah," Zara said, turning her attention to him. "Who is this?" Her tone did not sound like someone who just figured out that she was being played. "So is this Elara?" she added and then burst into a fit of laughter. Elara opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out because the scene did not make sense at all. If a girl gets to know that she is being cheated in by a man, she would not react like she had seen the winning lottery numbers. "She is," Micah said, nodding, and she smiled, turning to Elara. She held out her hand to her as if she were expecting Elara to take it and kiss the top of her fingers. "Hello, I am Zara Quinn," she said, her hand still lingering in her front. "Quinn?" "Yes, Quinn, and it is definitely the same Quinn you are thinking of," Zara said proudly. "Oh Zara, do not waste your time trying to explain to her; she does not know anything about the business world, so I can bet my life that she does not know the Quinn family," Micah said with a smug smile. "Are you saying you are related to the Quinn family?" "Related? She is the Quinn family heiress," Micah corrected. Elara stood there with her hand crossed over her chest; she did not believe that she would hear that her family had another daughter aside from her and her sister here in the busy restaurant."You are the heiress?" Elara asked, letting out a long laugh. She was angry to meet her boyfriend with a woman, but it amused her that this woman was pretending to be the woman she hid from Micah all these years. She did not want anyone going after her for her family money and influence but for who she was. "But I hear that no one knows what she looks like, so how can we be sure that you are the one?" Elara followed with continuous laughter. She was sure that her siblings would have a field day with this information if they got to hear it. Her father had been the expert at keeping his children away from the public and had only introduced her brother Ronan when he was twenty years old to the media because he said he had to learn the ropes of the business. Since Elara stayed hidden from the press, it was easier for her to live a life of freedom. "Are you saying that I am lying?" Zara asked, shifting on her feet uncomfortably. "Of course not; how can I call you an impersonator?" She
"Regret this? Regret marrying to the Quinn family?" Micah scoffed like she had just told a lie. "I don't think so," he said with a smirk on his face."Oh, boo, don't listen to her; she must be crazy," Zara chimed in."Crazy? You are calling me crazy? I am the crazy one here?" She said, looking around, hoping that the people around her would help her judge the matter."Both of you are shamelessly out here cheating on me, and you think I am the crazy one? In what world are you the sane ones?" She did not even know she had those kinds of words brewing on the insides of her."If you know he is cheating on you, as you said, why don't you let him be?" Zara asked, air-quoting the word cheating. "Moreover, if you were never in a relationship, why would it be cheating?""Did he say that?" Elara asked, quietly dropping the plate in her hand to the table and cleaning off the soup residue that had stuck to her hand on the napkin. "Did he tell you that we were not in a relationship?""Well, he did
Elara held her cheek as the words she had been saying were now lost in her throat; she could not believe that she had been slapped across the face by Micah's mistress. The two of them stood there, Zara's chest rising and falling in annoyance as she balled her hands into a fist by her side. "Imposter? Who are you calling an imposter?" She screamed at her. The entire restaurant was now fully focused on them. The couples who were there on dates would probably think that the show before it was more enticing than their date. "I guess you must really be an imposter," Elara replied. She had always been a confident girl, but meeting Micah had done something to her and made her believe that for her to be accepted, she needed to be sevirle and submissive to everyone, and everything around her meant that she had forgotten the training that her father had given her. "Do not call me that," Zara said through gritted teeth. "Why should I?" What else am I going to call you? You are here claiming
"I finally got rid of her, and I did not have to do much work," Micah said as they walked to his car. They had to leave the restaurant immediately because of the embarrassment that came with the scene that Elara had created for them. Immediately she stormed out as if she had won; he paid the check and left with Zara in his hand. "Since you have been able to ditch the b*tch, how about we go ahead and have the wedding as planned?" Zara suggested, poking his chest roughly. "Of course, we are going to have the wedding next week," he announced. "Now just remember, since my parents do not want me to be exposed to the public, they would not be attending the wedding, and they would not be sponsoring it either, so you have to do all of that by yourself, and also I cannot access my trust fund until I get married and have a baby," Zara said. "Oh my darling, what do you take me for? I definitely remember all that you said, and I am going to keep it to them all. As long as Mr. Quinn has agreed
Elara walked through the door to the house that she had shared with Micah for the past three years. Everywhere in there pushed out some kind of memory for her. She wanted to sit in the darkness of the house and cry out her eyes because when her family had told her that she was making a mistake by trusting a man like Micah, she had told him that they loved each other, and that was all that mattered. Now she understood very well that love was not all that mattered. She walked to the bedroom that they shared and took down her box; these were the same ones she left her father's mansion with, and now she was leaving with the same one. She had wanted the relationship to work out so badly so she could prove to her family that she was right. Now that the relationship was in shambles, she began to clearly see all of the warning signs. "I really am a fool for ignoring all of those signs for the longest time," she murmured to herself with a sad smile. She barely had anything to pack from the h
"Beautifully?" she asked again, the cackle not stopping as she doubled over her hands, patting her knees in laughter. Micah did not like the scene before him; he was not saying anything funny, so she should not be laughing as hard as she was laughing. He had expected to meet her at home on her knees, begging him to take her back. She should be crying and asking him to help her because she had nowhere else to go, but she felt different and out of reach.It was like she was possessed by a confident spirit. "What is so funny?" "You think that a scum like you can ever produce anything beautiful," she said, looking at the car that had parked right before his car. She knew that was her ride, and she did not want to cause a scene. A well-built man who could pass for a bodybuilder came down from the driver's side and jogged to her. The man approaching them made Micah lose his train of thought. "Hello Ms..." Elara waved her hand in the air to stop him from addressing her as a Quinn as much
"Elara, it really is you!" Isla squealed from the door as soon as the driver opened the car door for Elara, and she stepped down. "You are here." Elara's family had not seen her in three years; even though she constantly saw her parents and brother in the news, she had not seen Isla, who was still being protected. Even though she had not had contact with her family for that long, she made sure to always find a way to talk to them without the meet-up. Elara was grateful to her sister, who was now running to her; if Isla had not reached out to tell her that her boyfriend was going around town partying with another woman, she would not have known that she was being cheated on. "Oh, how I’ve missed you," Isla said, squeezing her sister in a hug. Isla was very expressive with all of her actions, so the hug did not come as a surprise to her at all. "I have missed you as well," Elara replied, squeezing her back. "I do not think I would believe that," Isla said, taking her head back and n
"What is this?" Elliot asked. Elara walked towards them; she stopped suddenly as if she were trying to inspect them. Her parents were the reason she went so far and wide in search of love. They constantly showed them that it was possible; even though they had been together for almost thirty years, they still acted like young people in their honeymoon phase. "Are you here for real, or is my mind playing tricks on me because I miss you so much?" Clara asked. She turned to her husband, and sure enough, the expression on his face made her know that she was the only one seeing their daughter standing by the door. "She is really here, right?" she asked in a higher pitch than normal. "She is," Elliot nodded. Before he could say anything more, Clara was out of sight, her hands wrapped around her daughter, squeezing her tightly. "Oh my goodness!" she let out in a huff. "It is real," she said with her eyes closed as if she had to shut off one of her senses so she could enjoy the hug to the f
"Get me on the phone with Ms. Clark," Ezra said as he strolled into the officer. Mary, his assistant, looked up and stumbled to her feet, slamming her knees into the edge of the table. She bent over, holding her knees as she winced in pain. She took a sharp breath, feeling it fill her lungs with air as she tried to stand up. She was not sure if her ears had heard well or if her boss was asking her to get in touch with his fiance for him. "Mr. Thatcher?" she asked, standing up to follow him. "Mary, are you going to get her on the phone or not?" he asked, taking off his coat and sliding into his chair. "If I may, sir, I would love to stay out of the drama this time," she said, moving closer to the table. She still felt scrawled by his former request and how it had ended up. Olivia Marie, who was his wife-to-be, was not pleased with her, and funny how she was the one who took all of the heat. "Are you disobeying me?" Ezra asked, holding to the edge of the table and pulling his chair
THE NEXT DAY"Where have you been? You are always sneaking in and out of the house as you wish these days," Sarah said as her daughter sat by the table. "What do you mean by sneaking?" Zara asked, running her hand through her hair in annoyance. "What time did you get back yesterday?" Sarah asked."Can you get off the girl's back?" Carlos asked as he strolled into the tiny kitchen and sat beside her. "Are you asking me to get off my daughter's back? Whose back should I then get on?" Sarah asked, dropping two plates to their front, both plates making a loud sound as they dropped to the table. "Should I go out to train other children?" she asked, going back to the stovetop to pick up her own plates. "Is this all we have for breakfast?" Carlos asked, looking down at scrambled eggs in front of him. "If you earned a bit more, then maybe we might have a bit more to eat," she said in spite. "What was that?" Carlos asked, his eyebrows going up. "Mom, why are you trying your best to pick
"Oh my god!" Isla exclaimed as they sat on the bed. She had exclaimed at least ten times since they had arrived, and they had been in there for barely five minutes."If I had a million dollars for each time you exclaimed, guess who would be buying a new car?" Elara said, and her sister laughed. "Still very sarcastic and quirky, huh?" Isla said and Elara laughed.Her heart ached, but she laughed; she was not sure if she was to be laughing at all; she had just gotten cheated on by Micah and left after she thought they were going to have a family together."You know it's okay to cry, right?" Isla said after a brief moment of silence."Cry? What do you mean by cry? Why would I cry?" "Your eyes are heavy like the clouds on a rainy day, and your lips are trembling as if they are ready to make a sound, yet you want to act tough and not cry?" Isla said.Elara could only blame her parents for making her and her siblings so knitted together. Why was her sister walking in her head even though
"What is this?" Elliot asked. Elara walked towards them; she stopped suddenly as if she were trying to inspect them. Her parents were the reason she went so far and wide in search of love. They constantly showed them that it was possible; even though they had been together for almost thirty years, they still acted like young people in their honeymoon phase. "Are you here for real, or is my mind playing tricks on me because I miss you so much?" Clara asked. She turned to her husband, and sure enough, the expression on his face made her know that she was the only one seeing their daughter standing by the door. "She is really here, right?" she asked in a higher pitch than normal. "She is," Elliot nodded. Before he could say anything more, Clara was out of sight, her hands wrapped around her daughter, squeezing her tightly. "Oh my goodness!" she let out in a huff. "It is real," she said with her eyes closed as if she had to shut off one of her senses so she could enjoy the hug to the f
"Elara, it really is you!" Isla squealed from the door as soon as the driver opened the car door for Elara, and she stepped down. "You are here." Elara's family had not seen her in three years; even though she constantly saw her parents and brother in the news, she had not seen Isla, who was still being protected. Even though she had not had contact with her family for that long, she made sure to always find a way to talk to them without the meet-up. Elara was grateful to her sister, who was now running to her; if Isla had not reached out to tell her that her boyfriend was going around town partying with another woman, she would not have known that she was being cheated on. "Oh, how I’ve missed you," Isla said, squeezing her sister in a hug. Isla was very expressive with all of her actions, so the hug did not come as a surprise to her at all. "I have missed you as well," Elara replied, squeezing her back. "I do not think I would believe that," Isla said, taking her head back and n
"Beautifully?" she asked again, the cackle not stopping as she doubled over her hands, patting her knees in laughter. Micah did not like the scene before him; he was not saying anything funny, so she should not be laughing as hard as she was laughing. He had expected to meet her at home on her knees, begging him to take her back. She should be crying and asking him to help her because she had nowhere else to go, but she felt different and out of reach.It was like she was possessed by a confident spirit. "What is so funny?" "You think that a scum like you can ever produce anything beautiful," she said, looking at the car that had parked right before his car. She knew that was her ride, and she did not want to cause a scene. A well-built man who could pass for a bodybuilder came down from the driver's side and jogged to her. The man approaching them made Micah lose his train of thought. "Hello Ms..." Elara waved her hand in the air to stop him from addressing her as a Quinn as much
Elara walked through the door to the house that she had shared with Micah for the past three years. Everywhere in there pushed out some kind of memory for her. She wanted to sit in the darkness of the house and cry out her eyes because when her family had told her that she was making a mistake by trusting a man like Micah, she had told him that they loved each other, and that was all that mattered. Now she understood very well that love was not all that mattered. She walked to the bedroom that they shared and took down her box; these were the same ones she left her father's mansion with, and now she was leaving with the same one. She had wanted the relationship to work out so badly so she could prove to her family that she was right. Now that the relationship was in shambles, she began to clearly see all of the warning signs. "I really am a fool for ignoring all of those signs for the longest time," she murmured to herself with a sad smile. She barely had anything to pack from the h
"I finally got rid of her, and I did not have to do much work," Micah said as they walked to his car. They had to leave the restaurant immediately because of the embarrassment that came with the scene that Elara had created for them. Immediately she stormed out as if she had won; he paid the check and left with Zara in his hand. "Since you have been able to ditch the b*tch, how about we go ahead and have the wedding as planned?" Zara suggested, poking his chest roughly. "Of course, we are going to have the wedding next week," he announced. "Now just remember, since my parents do not want me to be exposed to the public, they would not be attending the wedding, and they would not be sponsoring it either, so you have to do all of that by yourself, and also I cannot access my trust fund until I get married and have a baby," Zara said. "Oh my darling, what do you take me for? I definitely remember all that you said, and I am going to keep it to them all. As long as Mr. Quinn has agreed
Elara held her cheek as the words she had been saying were now lost in her throat; she could not believe that she had been slapped across the face by Micah's mistress. The two of them stood there, Zara's chest rising and falling in annoyance as she balled her hands into a fist by her side. "Imposter? Who are you calling an imposter?" She screamed at her. The entire restaurant was now fully focused on them. The couples who were there on dates would probably think that the show before it was more enticing than their date. "I guess you must really be an imposter," Elara replied. She had always been a confident girl, but meeting Micah had done something to her and made her believe that for her to be accepted, she needed to be sevirle and submissive to everyone, and everything around her meant that she had forgotten the training that her father had given her. "Do not call me that," Zara said through gritted teeth. "Why should I?" What else am I going to call you? You are here claiming