Author's POV “We have been able to find who she is. Elaine Winters, she grew up in a small house before she got married to one Caleb. However, there's a problem here, she's registered as dead. It says she died months ago, but how's that possible? I saw her a few days ago.” Jared placed the papers gingerly on the table, then turned his head around to stare at the man who had given him this information, “Are you sure this is correct?” He questioned, still sceptical about it. Killian who was beside him also raised his head up, silently asking with his eyes the same question as Jared. “Yes. I investigated deeply before bringing this to you. Jared, you know how I am, I just don't bring unverified information to you, I am a little offended.” The man replied quietly, his voice soft. “Ah, I apologise.” Jared chuckled, “But I don't understand. How could she be dead? I literally saw her like, a few days ago, this doesn't make sense.” “I would advise you to finish reading the documents a
Elaine's POV “Miss Elaine…” Someone knocked on the door, calling out my name. I raised my head and said, “Come in”. A young woman, one of the employees downstairs whom I had never spoken to before, came in, she was cute. And I hoped her words were cute as well. “Miss, we have a message for Mr Silver's but he is not in yet so I was asked to bring this to you. It's from Delacroix.” She smiled and handed the sealed document to me. It was an invitation to a party at the Delacroix Mansion. “Thank you.” I smiled at her, watching her beam as she left my office. After she left, closing the door behind her, I glanced back at the invitation card, “It’s pretty.” I mused out, obviously admiring the handwriting. It was neater than I would have ever hoped to write. “Well, it's for Zade so…” I sighed and carefully stood up from my desk to walk to the inner office, Zade's office to keep the invitation in his drawer, when a voice suddenly sounded from the door. “What are you doing?” “Oh my g
Elaine's POVI screamed, my face as red as a tomato, probably even redder than one. Zade chuckled, clearly proud of himself as he straightened up, his hands still braced against the wall, trapping me in place. His expression softened just slightly, though the amusement in his eyes hadn’t entirely faded. “You deserve it.” He said, matter-of-factly. I glared at him, my neck still tingling where his teeth had grazed my skin, "You’re insane, Zade." I muttered, rubbing the spot where he’d bitten me, “I hope I didn't get rabies from your teeth.” I muttered angrily. “Hm? Do you want us to check? I can bring an actual dog in to bite you.” He threatened and I shook my head rapidly, smiling sheepishly. “I was joking, just joking. You don't need to be so serious, Zade, you should learn how to take a joke sometimes.” “Whatever. Anyways, wear your mask properly and come with me to a place.” I blinked, thrown off by the sudden change in conversation, "What? Where?" He stepped back, giving
Elaine's POV “Stay here while I go to pay.” Zade stood up and I sighed, plopping down on the chair to sit. I was beat! How could Zade act like this? I never knew he was a maniac when it came to clothes! But it really was stuffy here. I stood up, checking to see if I could spot Zade anywhere but I couldn't. I just went outside directly, forgetting to take my mask once again and that proved to be a very… wrong decision. Or was it?! I stepped outside, the crisp breeze hitting my face and filling my lungs with fresh air. For a brief moment, I closed my eyes and enjoyed the quiet, enjoying the small freedom of being out of the crowded store. Just as I was about to head back inside, my body collided with someone, and I stumbled backwards. I raised my head and was about to apologise when a gasp sounded in my ears. "Oh my god…” A familiar voice whispered, her tone full of disbelief and I froze. Standing in front of me, wide-eyed with jaws open wide were Caleb's mother and Emily. Emily’s
Elaine's POV “Ah… Just the way your husband saw how much of a burden you were to him and how he left you afterwards? What was it again? A divorce? Or did he just walk out one day when he finally realised who you really are?” I cut in, watching Clara's face turn so red that it looked like she was steaming. Clara’s eyes flared with rage, and in an instant, her hand flew up, aimed straight for my face. But I was faster. I caught her wrist in mid-air, gripping it tightly and holding it in place. Her eyes widened in shock as I held her there, "Don’t you dare." I said, my voice low but steady, "You think you can hurt me? After everything you and your precious son have done, you still think I’m that weak little girl you used to push around?” I tightened my grip on her wrist, "You should be afraid, Clara. Because I’m not done. And when I come for you, for Caleb, for all of you, you’ll regret every single thing you ever did to me." Clara struggled to free her hand, but I held firm. Then, w
Caleb's POV “I saw her…” I just saw her again. For the second time, to prove that I wasn't crazy. To prove that I wasn't seeing things. How could she be alive? They had clearly said that she was dead, that she commited suicide and jumped into the water under the bridge to die. How could she still be alive? I had clearly seen her body, I had seen it. I stumbled backwards, my legs shaky as I tried to hold on to a wall. I noticed the stares around me, but I didn't care. How could I care about them when Elaine was right in front of me? She had changed. She had really changed. Her long hair was short, like a bob. She looked plumper, prettier, she was never like this with me. I still remembered the black eyed, thin and rough faced Elaine. She had been so unkempt, so broken when she was with me. I could still picture her back then, hair a tangled mess, clothes hanging loosely on her bony frame, and those dark circles under her eyes that seemed to swallow her whole. She barely ate, barely
My chest tightened, and I couldn't stop the anger from boiling over. I wanted to storm up to them, to tear that smug smile off her face and demand answers. But my feet stayed rooted in place. The smile on her face made my heart wrench so much, she never smiled like that when she was with me. That da
FLASHBACK CONTINUES Caleb's POV “What? Elaine… She aborted my…” I trailed off, my chest tightened, my throat constricting as the words sunk in, "She aborted my baby?" The shock hit me like a punch to the gut, leaving me winded. How could she do that? How could she make that decision without telling me? “She said she didn’t want to bring a baby into this world, I heard her say this to your mother and your mother told me. But I didn't think she would go through with it. That innocent baby…“ Emily's voice was soft, filled with sympathy as she wiped a tear from her cheek, "But Caleb... you have to know something else.” I turned to her, barely able to process what she had just said, “What else could there be?” I barked, my voice raw with a mixture of anger and disbelief. My mind was already spinning from the thought of Elaine aborting our child. She hesitated, then slowly reached into her bag, pulling out a small envelope, “I didn’t want to tell you before.” She began, her voice trem
Author's Pov The car ride back to Grandfather's mansion was quiet. No one spoke a word, not even one movement. Grandfather's face was serene, calm, blank, as if he wasn't thinking about anything. While Caleb had all sorts of emotions written very colorfully on his face. When they alighted from t
Elaine's Pov “Thank you for your help, we will get back to you in a few days.” The Police officer declared, his voice loud and clear. Afterwards, they dragged the still screaming Emily out of the mansion, leaving the scene behind. After they left, guests started to murmur. “Caleb’s family is don
“You don’t get it, do you?” I said, my voice steady, “This isn’t about being better than you. This is about justice, for everyone you’ve hurt. Including me!” Emily’s breathing grew ragged, her chest heaving as she stared at me with unbridled hatred. Suddenly, she lunged forward, her hands reaching
Elaine's Pov “You said you loved me!” Her voice broke, tears streaming down her face as she staggered toward him, but he took a step back, his jaw tightening. She turned toward the crowd then, her gaze wild and unfocused, “They’re all lying! They’re jealous! All of them are jealous of what I have
Elaine's Pov “Instead… Why don't we bring a doctor in to check if you're actually pregnant? After all, you've been able to deceive each and every one of us. If I didn't find out about it, you would have still continued to use it as leverage.” I said slowly, deliberately, enunciating every word, my
Elaine's Pov “How do I know all of this?” I repeated, my voice calm but commanding, “Because I am Elaine Winters.” And with that, I pulled off my mask, revealing my face to the people in the room. The gasp that erupted from the crowd was deafening. “She’s alive, I saw her on TV saying she was dea
Elaine's Pov “I can't take Caleb as my future husband… Why, you may be asking?” I slapped Caleb's hand away from my wrist, cleaning my palm on my dress as I turned to face the audience, “Because he's my ex husband!” I finished sweetly, clapping my hands together, the sound echoing throughout the h
Elaine's Pov It was time for the engagement. I stood in front of the mirror as the servants continued to dress me, I could hear the excited murmurs that came from the guests outside. Those whom I had invited and a lot of Caleb's workers and friends. I was nervous I wouldn't lie, but also, I re
Elaine's Pov “Put up the banners!” “Can't you see that it's not the same colour?! This is two shades darker, bring it down and change it instantly!” “Remove this, and this, and this! This party must be perfect! Lady Evangeline said there must be no mistakes!” Servants ran helter skelter