I dropped the call, my face warped by distress. I palmed my forehead, thinking for a minute— whether to tell this to Damian or just face it myself.Anikka’s words lingered in my mind, heavy and inescapable.A woman. With luggage. Looking Damian.That wasn’t difficult to guess, and I bet even with my mind tampered with alcohol I would still be able to tell why she was there. I exhaled sharply. I lowered the phone from my ear, my grip so tight my knuckles whitened. The air in the room suddenly felt stiff, as if the walls pressed in a little closer. I looked over at Elon, who was standing near Alicia, probably curious with the phone call considering she even passed it over to me instead of just saying it later.His eyes wandered in mine— and I wanted to smile.But I couldn’t.“You didn’t bring you car…” Alicia spoke, a bit worried. Then, she looked down on Elon. “But you can use mine, and I can look after him…”I nodded, my breath becoming a hitch. “I’ll take a cab. Please look after El
“What are you trying to say, that what I saw was just a part of your scheme?” I clenched my fists, my brows furrowing deeper. “ That dating Ethab was just a facade to hide your relationship with Damian?”God, just as I thought I finally had an upperhand. So, that’s the reason why she smirked at me back then. She was smug because she knew even though I saw her, I wouldn’t be able to use that againsther.Elizabeth, in her mocking expression, stood before me with her sweet smile resting across her face. Her golden hair was cascaded in loose waves over her shoulders, complimenting her angelic face. Her deep brown eyes gleamed with fake sincerity, as though she was innocent— and she was the one being wronged here. “You’re making this harder than it needs to be, Eleanor.” She crossed her arms over her chest. Her posture was casual, and effortless— the same old stance that always got me thinking why she chose to be a model than an actress.With that behavior, and attitude, she wouldn’t nee
The silence that engulfed the whole living room was thick and suffocating. It was stretching like an invisible force pressing down on my chest, each second making me want to cry out of frustration and pressure.I knew what I said took them by surprise. It was still in the air and I could feel it poisoning the atmosphere.And then.."How dare you?"My father's voice tore through the silence. The sharp edge of his disapproval sliced into me, sending shivers down my spine. It reminded me of when we were kids— when Elizabeth would lie and frame me for something I didn’t do.So, I braced myself, fearing deja vu. His dark, scrutinizing eyes bore into mine, the same moment his expression contorted with something between disbelief and disgust.My stepmother, who was standing beside Elizabeth, let out one big dramatic gasp. "Eleanor!" She called my name in horror, her eyes full of terror like she had just witnessed murder. She then shook her head with exaggerated disappointment. "What on eart
I was sobbing hard, each ripping through my chest uncontrollably. I cried—loud, messy, and unrestrained. I let out years of pent-up pain, disappointment, and exhaustion. It poured out of me in waves, shaking me to the core. I spent so much time pretending to be strong, but now? I didn’t think I could even pretend anymore. After that confrontation, all my tough walls just melted like ice cubes in a heating pan.I was so lost of it, I barely noticed the soft footsteps rushing toward me until a pair of hands touched my shoulder.“Miss Eleanor?”I looked up to see who it was— at first a bit blurry, but one harsh wipe was all it took to see Anikka, one of my maids. Her voice was cautious, and hesitant, as if she wasn’t sure if she was even allowed to come near me. When I didn’t push her away, she knelt beside me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, which took me by surprise.“W-what… are you doing?” I asked with my voice filled with woe.Why is she hugging me…“I don’t know how else I
Mike showed up unannounced— or maybe I wasn’t just paying attention to messages I receive. As he said, he was sending me tons and I haven’t replied. I’ll probably check later to know if it was true, or today was his day off and he didn’t have anything to do.Mike was standing near my wooden easel with his hands in his pockets. He was looking at me with a wide smile and a bit of excitement dancing in his eyes. I didn’t know what though, for. I chuckled and shut the door closed behind me. I held Elon’s left hand to walk near Mike. “What’s that smile about?”“I’m just glad you haven’t forgotten about that,” he said, cheery. “You know, that you owe..”“You’re not going to ask me to pay it right back now… are you?”I pulled a chair, and gestured Elon to sit there. I moved around to get another chair for Mike, before I turned to Alicia. “Thank you for looking after Elon, Alicia.” “I’m glad to be of help to you, Eleanor.” She smiled, but I could tell she wanted to hear about what happene
Mike left. That was our cue to get inside. Elon walked beside me, his small hand in mine. He talked about the cars parked outside, the flowers lining in the pathway—but I could I barely registered his words. My mind was busy pondering over what happened.I wasn’t planning to think about it— but looking at the house made me feel the same tension I felt this morning. I hated to, but it felt like a ghostly scene that I couldn’t get rid of. “Dad didn’t bring his black car. I always thought it’s his best out of his three. It’s super cool!” Elon tugged at my fingers, trying to pull me into his excitement.I forced a small smile. I looked down to him and squeezed his hand lightly. “Yeah. I know, baby. You always tell me that.” I breathed. “Do you want me to borrow your dad’s keys so we could try driving it?”His grin was wide. “Can we?”I nodded. As we reached the entrance, I noticed the doors were already open. Mathilde and Anikka were there, waiting. And they had always been attentive,
I hesitated. Looking at the new message I was about to send, seconds stretched with anticipation. Was apologizing the right thing? He was late. He wasn’t answering my calls.Would this sound like I was pleasing him too much?My phone buzzed again, disrupting my thoughts. Damian’s name flashed on the screen, and I once again contemplated if I would answer it.But I was sure as hell he’d be mad if I didn’t.I inhaled sharply before swiping towards left. "Hey.""Eleanor," his voice was firm, and edged with somethingI could call displease. "Where are you?"I swallowed. "I just texted you. Mike dropped us off. I—" I hesitated. "I meant to text you earlier, but it slipped my mind. I'm sorry."It must have been when Abby called me on our way home, I didn’t have the chance to inform him.There was a pause on the other end. Not that long, but enough to make my pulse beat fast."You should have," he finally said with his tone neutral. Disappointment was evident, so was irritation. But I didn’t
Chapter 39: Emerging AngerMy heart was in discord, thrumming with a mixture of uneasiness, and concern. I didn’t really had a choice when he spoke to me looking like that. He sounded impatient, and I definitely didn’t want to throw the good atmosphere in the living room so I stood up and followed, with hesitant movement.We walked upstairs, and went into the master bedroom. I was the one who shut the heavy wooden door behind me, and I felt the tension rightafter.If this was about me not telling him beforehand that we left with Mike, then I could apologize. But why did he look so bothered?“Damian, you weren’t answering my calls, so—”He turned to me with his jaw tauted and his gaze dark with something unreadable. That made me stop— and threatened.I held my breath.I was wrong. This wasn’t just because of that. There was something else and I feel that I could guess what it was.Elizabeth.“What happened this morning, Eleanor?” he finally asked, his voice now low but firm.I let out a
The bar was dim. Neon lights in blues and purples were flickering across the walls, whilst the bass of the music vibrating through my chest. A steady thrum was setting the atmosphere, loud enough to drown out thoughts, probably emotions and other unlikable activities, too.I had been eyeing the whole bar, and I had seen people moving against each other on the dance floor, their laughter and voices merging with the music. I was more distracted with my surroundings than Abby and Alicia’s conversation.“Guess where the contract signing’s gonna be…”“Where? Omg! This is next week, right? Have you booked your tickets? I wanna come with you!”“In Dubai!”“Dubai? I have never been to dubai! Oh! Eleanor, let me come!”Abby held me by my arm, which disrupted my thoughts. I looked at her, completely clueless.“Yes?” I asked her, my brows slightly meeting.“Alicia and I are talking about where your contract’s signing gonna be, and I want to come!” Abby was smiling from ears to ears, her eyes goi
Was I really thankful? I probably only said that to fake composure— so he’d know that even if it affected me, it wouldn’t be enough to break me down which would be quite a stretch to comprehend considering I had been playing dumb for two whole years just so Damian wouldn’t leave me, and my family could keep being my family.Now, when I thought of that, it always reminded me how much of a big decision confronting them was. Yet, even if I turn back time, I knew with certainty that I would done the same. Not just because of Elon, but because of the personal growth, lesson, and courage I earned along the way. I had to stand up for myself, and making that choice helped me alter my course from a more heart-wrenching dilemma. I just knew it would be more worse as time went by and it would probably keep going until nothing was left of me. Not even Elon.After that talk, I buried myself in work. I forced to kept my mind occupied with something more valuable, something that I knew didn't have
I felt like I was standing on a crumbling ground, like the floor beneath me was beginning to give me way and I was free-falling into something dark and endless. It wade my knees weak. “This apology probably wouldn’t mean a single thing to you now. It’s late and I’d understand if you won’t take it…” Damian continued, his voice careful, struggling. “But I thought it was about time we talk about it. So when Elon gets better, and we divorce… everything will be—”“You thought you’ll be able to start with a clean slate if you apologize now?” I asked, breathless. “Eleanor..” He heaved a deep breath. “We’re eventually going to go our separate ways, and it would be better if we could move forward without this issue holding us back.”I wanted to scoffed. Goddamn, if the pain inside me wasn’t stronger than hatred, disappointment, rage and everything else— I definitely would have mop the fact that I wouldn’t move on just because he apologized to me on his face.It wasn’t that easy— and hearing
My fingers curled around the doorknob—and I chastised myself upon giving away seconds of hesitation. Really… After saying that I had enough, that one statement was all it would took for me to swoon and reconsider talking to him?“Okay..” I breathed, not taking my eyes off him. “Let’s hear it.”Let’s talk about it. This will prove my weak resolve when it comes to him, but I wouldn’t pretend to be unbothered and uncurious. He wanted to talk about it suddenly like he owe it to me? Okay. Afterall, I had been dying to hear the answers from him. Why did he cheat on me with Elizabeth? Was it truly because I wasn’t enough?Agreeing to hear him out was pure stupidity. But I didn’t care.“Elizabeth and I started even before you find out. Even before the two years you know…” His throat bobbed as he swallowed, his hands clenching at his sides. I kind of saw that coming. Of course. Elon’s turning eight now. I knew they had been a thing probably after she gave birth, or maybe even before. I expec
“I’m sorry..”Sorry? He was sorry about it?What he said barely registered at first. It felt implausible that I actually thought I was hearing things, but I heard him sigh and take a few steps, which rattled me.So, when I turned, and saw Damian standing a few meters away from me, I intently meet his gaze to try and weight down the emotions lingering there.He was sorry? Was I hearing it right? Damian apologized to me… just as I thought he’d avoid me as I did?I couldn’t do anything when it repeatedly echoed in my mind, clattering something loose in my chest. After all these years, I went through all the pain, all the betrayal, and not once did I ever hear him apologize to me— not even an explanation, or even a reason why he did that. Why now?I struggled to breath. I couldn’t continue walking even if my mind wanted to. I should have walked straight. I should have gone straight to Elon’s room like I intended, ignore him like I planned—like he deserved. But instead, my feet double cro
Chapter 41: Big DecisionI walked down the hall, my fingers tracing the details of my ring on my fourth finger as I moved. My steps were small, making little to no sound. I was afraid Elon would hear me and he’d come to ask me down to continue the small talk we were having before Damian arrived.That, I can’t do right now.I headed to my room— the guest room sitting just beside Elon. Walls painted cream and dark brown, with three of my paintings back when I was college hanging in the wall. It was where I had been staying.And Damian hadn’t said anything about it— just as expected. Surely, he wouldn’t think we’d still share a bed together even after all that. Except the room felt quiet draining when entered. The space felt foreign— or was it the feeling, after letting it all out like a mad woman?I sat in the bed and stared at the floor— then to my right hand where my ring was on. Looking at it pained me, which was strange, because I had always hold on to it because it gave me so much
“I can’t believe this…”My voice trembled despite my best efforts to keep it steady. My hands were shaky. I have given up on saving my composure. The calm and collected facade just dropped and I knew I would have to unknow everything for me to keep a straight face and continue giving that low tone.At this point, I wasn’t even surprise anymore. Not even this powerful, heart-wrenching pain could hold a candle against my building anger. Everything kept pushing me to my edge and I felt so done bein trampled on.No. They couldn’t do that over and over and expect me to apologize even when I was on the wrong."You know what, Damian? It doesn’t even matter anymore. Do whatever you want. Let her move in. Make her feel comfortable.” I breathed hard, trying to end this conversation once and for all. “Do what will help you sleep at night, but just know that you’ll lose your right to Elon.”His brows furrowed. "Eleanor, it’s not—"I angrily shook my head. I wasn’t and didn’t want to give him a ch
Chapter 39: Emerging AngerMy heart was in discord, thrumming with a mixture of uneasiness, and concern. I didn’t really had a choice when he spoke to me looking like that. He sounded impatient, and I definitely didn’t want to throw the good atmosphere in the living room so I stood up and followed, with hesitant movement.We walked upstairs, and went into the master bedroom. I was the one who shut the heavy wooden door behind me, and I felt the tension rightafter.If this was about me not telling him beforehand that we left with Mike, then I could apologize. But why did he look so bothered?“Damian, you weren’t answering my calls, so—”He turned to me with his jaw tauted and his gaze dark with something unreadable. That made me stop— and threatened.I held my breath.I was wrong. This wasn’t just because of that. There was something else and I feel that I could guess what it was.Elizabeth.“What happened this morning, Eleanor?” he finally asked, his voice now low but firm.I let out a
I hesitated. Looking at the new message I was about to send, seconds stretched with anticipation. Was apologizing the right thing? He was late. He wasn’t answering my calls.Would this sound like I was pleasing him too much?My phone buzzed again, disrupting my thoughts. Damian’s name flashed on the screen, and I once again contemplated if I would answer it.But I was sure as hell he’d be mad if I didn’t.I inhaled sharply before swiping towards left. "Hey.""Eleanor," his voice was firm, and edged with somethingI could call displease. "Where are you?"I swallowed. "I just texted you. Mike dropped us off. I—" I hesitated. "I meant to text you earlier, but it slipped my mind. I'm sorry."It must have been when Abby called me on our way home, I didn’t have the chance to inform him.There was a pause on the other end. Not that long, but enough to make my pulse beat fast."You should have," he finally said with his tone neutral. Disappointment was evident, so was irritation. But I didn’t