Back to Square One

CHAPTER 48: BACK TO SQUARE ONE.

RACHEL'S POV.

My eyes snap open immediately after my phone's alarm rang. I am not sure if I have properly gotten enough sleep, but my eyes are heavy, and so is my heart. I remain in the same position that I slept in - chest up and hands below my tummy, almost like the position of a dead one.

   "I don't want to move," I whisper to myself as I try to hold back a tear that is threatening to fall off my eyes. Is this probably the storm that Diva mentioned that I was going to face when reading my card? So, it wasn't fake after all.

I push myself from the bed and head to the bathroom to shower. While brushing my teeth, I flashback to yesterday's event.

I was still speaking with my colleagues when my phone's brightened screen caught my attention so I had to pay attention to it. I clutched my phone tightly as I stared at the message on the screen. It was an unknown number, crying for help with Elvis's name attached to it—it was enough to make my entire body tense with unease.

For a moment, I hesitate. It could be a prank. Just as I decide to let it go, my phone rings, and I almost drop it in my hurry to answer.

   "Rachel! Please, you have to come!" a young, frantic voice cries from the other end.

My stomach clenches. "Dorcas?" I ask, recognizing the voice of Elvis’s younger sister.

   "It’s Elvis—he’s completely drunk, destroying everything! The bar owners are threatening to call the police, and he refuses to leave! He keeps calling your name, Rachel. He won’t stop. I am scared that he might do something to hurt himself or me..." Her voice cracked, and then suddenly, there was a crash in the background, followed by a terrified scream before the call cut off.

Panic seized me. I quickly glanced around the party, searching for Noah. I needed to tell him before I left, but he was nowhere in sight. Time was slipping away. I didn't have a choice—I rushed out, hailing a cab and praying I could fix whatever mess Elvis had gotten himself into. Luckily, Dorcas managed to send me the location and that was where I headed.

The moment I stepped into the bar, I was stunned. Broken bottles litter the floor, and tables are overturned. A small group of people were watching the commotion from a distance. And in the center of it all, I saw him—Elvis, swaying unsteadily with a drunken grin plastered across his face.

The moment his eyes landed on me, his expression brightened. "Rachel?" he slurs, stumbling toward me. "You’re here! I knew you’d come. I told everyone—you visit me in my dreams!"

Guilt pierced through me. I did this to him. I was the one who walked away.

Dorcas rushed to my side, eyes red from crying.

   "Please, help me, Rachel. I am confused about what to do. I can't even move closer to him because I am scared that he will hurt me." I gently tapped her arm reassuringly. Without thinking, I pressed my phone into her hands and took a step toward Elvis.

   "Elvis, let’s go home, okay?" I said softly, my voice barely audible over the murmurs of onlookers.

He frowned, swaying. "Only if… if you kiss me first."

My throat tightened. I didn't want to encourage this, but I also didn't want him to make more scenes as he was currently holding onto another bottle. My heart ached as I gently placed a light kiss on his cheek. His eyes fluttered shut, and for a moment, he looked peaceful.

   "Come on," I whisper, grabbing his hand and leading him toward the exit.

We took a cab back to his house, and the entire ride, he didn't stop talking about how much he loved me. He talked about our past relationship, how I used to protect him from everything and help clear his mind too. How I was his home, his heart. And how I abandoned him.

The pain in his voice made my chest feel like it was caving in.

When we finally arrived, I helped him inside. He was barely able to stand, and when I guided him toward his bed, he suddenly leaned in and pressed his lips against mine.

I froze.

It only lasted a few seconds before he pulled back, his expression clouded with sadness. "I miss you," he murmured, his voice raw.

Tears stung my eyes, but I forced a smile and tucked him in. "Go to sleep, Elvis."

Within minutes, he was out, the exhaustion taking over.

When I stepped out of the room, Dorcas was waiting for me, her arms crossed. She looked at me with nothing but resentment.

   "Why did you do this to him?" she demanded, her voice filled with quiet fury. "He’s been a mess since you left. He loves you, Rachel! And you threw him away like he meant nothing."

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "I didn’t throw him away, Dorcas."

   "Then why did you leave him for Noah?" she snaps. "Why are you choosing someone who doesn’t love you over someone who would give his life for you? Is it because he is richer than my brother? I have thought that you weren't after material things but then the moment you saw a marriage offer from a rich man, you jumped on the ride. How disappointing!"

I had no answer. Because no matter how much I tried to justify my choices, the truth was, I'd hurt Elvis more than I ever intended to.

   "I’m sorry," I whispered. "But there’s nothing I can do. I signed a contract with Noah, and I don’t know when it will end. I didn’t want to keep Elvis waiting forever."

Dorcas shook her head. "That’s a weak excuse. You could’ve fought for him. Instead, you broke him."

I felt like I couldn't breathe. The guilt was suffocating.

I didn't know what else to say.

   "When he wakes up, kindly tell him to please stop hurting himself because nothing else will change."

  "As expected of a non-grateful woman! I warned my brother not to get involved with you, but he wouldn't budge. He decided to listen to his faulty heart. I hope he has learned his lesson not to go for women who have a calm face like you but are nothing but the devil's stewardess within. May the heavens not let you go scot-free for doing this to my brother." She pushed my phone into my hands and slammed the door after entering her house. I just turned and walked away.

By the time I returned to the party venue, the place was strangely quiet. My heart dropped.

Liam was inside, clearing up the mess left behind. I rushed toward him, my chest tightening. "Liam, where is everyone?"

He looked up, sighing. "Noah lost it. He created a scene, sent everyone out, accused me of being a terrible friend, and stormed off."

My blood ran cold. "What? Why?"

Liam shrugged. "I don’t know. He was fine at first. He was even enjoying himself. And then suddenly… everything changed."

My hands trembled. "Maybe he isn't so happy about the arrangement?" 

Liam shook his head in disagreement, "Not at all. He was enjoying himself like I said earlier. He had no problems whatsoever. He however started looking for you, asking about your whereabouts before things changed and you were nowhere to be found,"

Maybe that was the trigger?

   "Where did you go?"

I couldn't tell Liam about it so I just hurriedly left the place.

Back to the present, I enter the hotel with a bored look. I hear the rumors about yesterday's turn of events after Noah bursts out in anger. I simply go to my section, where I meet my fellow workers whom we both exchange pleasantries.

   "Did you see what happened yesterday? The whole staff have been talking about it on the group chat."

   "I was so surprised. What actually happened yesterday?"

   "I also don't know. He didn't seem to have any problem with the whole birthday party stuff at first before the outburst."

   "Maybe he was pretending to enjoy it so he doesn't make us feel bad for our efforts, but deep down, it might have been suffocating to him."

   "Now that is a logical explanation that I can accept."

Different speculations regarding what happened begin to fly around, but there is only one person who knows what happened - me.