Ella stood looking at herself in the mirror. She'd put on a long black, glittering dress. Her hair done up in an elaborate updo. She wore her wedding jewelry, the rings of course, but also a necklace studded with diamonds and emeralds with a bracelet to match. Spoils of her arranged marriage. Nathaniel Woods had needed a wife to access his trust fund. A rule set in stone by his grandfather when the will was written up. Nathaniel had been in no hurry to settle down, but he wanted to start his architecture firm. He needed money to do that. He didn't want to follow in his father's footsteps by starting another retail franchise. Ella and Nathaniel's families had been friends since before they were born, so when their parents suggested an arranged marriage for the sake of the trust fund they didn't need to think it over for long. Ella had always liked Nathaniel, even nursed a high school crush on him. Nathaniel didn't think Ella was his type, but she was pleasant, smart and pretty enough. After reassuring himself that she was okay with it, they were married. They'd vowed to make this marriage work, to remain loyal to each other. Ella had quit preparing to go to law school so she could fill the role of a billionaire's wife. Which is why she was dressed up tonight. They'd planned a dinner party so Nathaniel could sweet talk himself into a new job or two. One's that would really put him on the map. Already a billionaire, he was after prestige. He wanted to solidify his company for generations to come. Ella would help him get there.
"Wow, you look incredible," Nathaniel said from the doorway.
"Oh, you're home. I'm glad," she said as she turned to smile at him.
He walked across the room, took her in his arms and kissed her. "Too bad there's no time for a little fun," he said huskily.
She giggled and blushed as he pulled away and went to change.
Minutes later, he emerged dressed in a black suit with a deep purple shirt, a vest and tie. Ella took the cufflinks that he struggled to put on and did them for him. She put her hand on his cheek. "You look so handsome." He took her hand and kissed it before leading her out to the grand stairwell outside their room. Hand in hand, they walked downstairs to greet their guests.
Their guests were among the area's most prominent. Politicians, businessmen, etc. Each one of them had a building project they needed to hire a designer for. Nathaniel hoped to land at least a couple of them tonight.
They hosted in their home that Nathaniel had designed. It was his pride and joy. Ella didn't like many aspects of it, but she knew her husband needed to show off his skill so she didn't complain. She left no expense spared tonight. The meal was catered and exquisite. She had decorated with white roses in crystal vases with accents of darker colored ribbon and lace on the tables. Nathaniel served the best bourbon money could buy.
Ella played a delicate dance between entertaining the wives, but aloes bolstering Nathaniel's image with the men. After five years of marriage she'd learned how to play the game well. Nathaniel wouldn't be nearly as successful if it wasn't for her, although neither one of them knew it.
By the time the guests had left Nathaniel had three men promising to call him the next day to talk about hiring him.
Ella had slipped her heels off and begun cleaning up. They had a housekeeper who would be in tomorrow, but she liked to keep house as much as she could on her own.
"I need to call Vera to let her know how tonight went. I'll see you when you head to bed," Nathaniel said.
Ella looked at him, puzzled. "Why do you need to call your secretary at nearly midnight? You'll see her in seven hours."
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Why don't you let me handle business and you focus on what you're good at? Looking pretty and knowing when it's appropriate to speak."
She was taken aback by his harsh words. "I... I'm sorry," she stammered.
"Don't sweat it," he muttered under his breath as he went up the stairs.
Work must be extra stressful right now, she tried to assure herself. He never spoke to her that way. He was often cold, but never mean.
Finally, she was ready for bed. An hour had passed. She thought he'd be asleep by now. They could make amends in the morning. But when she walked up the stairs she heard him laughing. Was he still on the phone? She crept closer and listened.
"...no, no, no, that was all you. You know how to land a client," he was saying. "Oh please, you're way better than..." he stopped talking. The door flung open. "I have to go," he said and ended the call. "What are you doing sneaking around and listening behind doors?" he growled.
"I wasn't... I was coming to bed. I didn't expect you to still be on the phone."
His nostrils flared, but he managed to calm himself quickly. "Let's just got to bed, okay?"
She nodded and walked past him. As she removed her makeup and let her hair down she couldn't stop her racing thoughts. Was Vera more than just a secretary? Was he starting to feel something for her? Her stomach turned at the thought that maybe they'd crossed a line. She forced herself to stop. She didn't have any proof of anything and wouldn't accuse him without evidence.
When she climbed into bed, he was already there waiting. He reached for her and pulled her close. "I'm sorry. Work has been overwhelming and I let it get the better of me."
"It's okay," she said. Besides, she wasn't what any man dreamed of when it came to wife material. She was lucky he loved her at all.
Ella had put the phone call out of her mind in the following weeks. She put her focus into her work. Nathaniel didn't want her to actually have a job, which is one reason she stopped pursuing law school. But she could volunteer all she wanted. She threw herself into volunteer work whenever she wasn't busy helping her husband advance his career. Today, she'd signed up to cook and serve at a local shelter. She was infuriated by all the elites that volunteered, but never showed up, or only showed long enough for a photo op. "You've been here for almost 8 hours. You only signed up for the lunch rush," the head kitchen manager said. "I know, but you're under staffed so I wanted to see you through dinner as well.""You're a godsend. We've had more people than usual and less hands to keep things moving efficiently." "Is there anything I an do to help?" Ella asked as she took off her apron and began to gather her things. "Keep volunteering, but if you can get a fundraiser underway that wo
Ella had fully dove into the fundraiser, working long hours getting it going on short notice. She already had over 200 people commit to going with donation pledges. She'd booked a venue, hired caterers and live music performances. It would be held in a historic building with a fantastic ballroom and outdoor courtyard. There would be dancing. She was especially excited for that. It had been so long since she'd danced with Nathaniel. When the day arrived, she put on an off the shoulder, corset top dress with a flowing, glitteirng skirt. She chose deep red, a color that seemed to compliment her dark hair and vivid blue eyes. She kept her hair down, but pulled back one side above her ear with a diamond studded hair comb. She went downstairs in search of Nathaniel. "Honey?" she called. "Are you ready?" She entered his home office just in time to see him slap his laptop shut and stand up. "Why are you in here?" he asked sharply. "Just looking for you. I'm sorry if I startled you. We need
Nathaniel hadn't come home the next day either. Ella was going mad with her racing thoughts. Where had he slept? Had it been with Vera? Did he even care about what he was doing to her heart? She wandered through the house aimlessly, mad at herself for how much this bothered her. She found herself in his office. It smelled of his cologne... She looked around the room until her eyes stopped on the laptop. Without hesitating, she crossed to the chair and sat down. She opened it with shaking hands. Of course it was password protected. She tried her birth date, their wedding date, his mother's birth date. Nothing worked. She pulled out her phone and found Vera on social media. The beautiful, bombshell blonde was everything Ella wasn't. Tall, thin, clearly worked out religiously and had an angelic face. Full lips, shocking green eyes framed with lush, dark lashes, high cheek bones and perfect eyebrows. Ella sighed. No wonder her husband was tempted by her. It wasn't like he'd picked Ella. S
Ella went straight home and called a lock smith. She asked to have all the locks on her house changed as quickly as possible. They promised to have a man out within the hour. She locked his security code out permanently. He would have to call her to be let in. She didn't expect him to come back for awhile anyway, but just in case. She wanted to know when he was coming and going. She set to work finishing up things from the fundraiser for the next few hours. When she needed to get up and move, and get away from her computer, she decided to pay her family's lawyer a visit. She would not be using his lawyers. She called from the car to make sure at least one of them would be at the firm. When she arrived, she suddenly felt sick. Was her marriage actually over? It was hard to process. Divorce had never crossed her mind. In fact, she'd vowed to stay loyal, in it for the long haul, to make a real loving marriage out of this. She'd kept her vows, he had not. The thought of him being with Ve
Feeling groggy and confused, she woke up slowly. What had woken her up? A pounding at the door made her sit up straight. Pounding and now yelling. Nathaniel. He was at her door, he'd obviously found out he couldn't get in. She picked up her phone and called him. "Lay off, will you? I was sleeping," she said once he answered. "This is my house! Let me in, now!" He was beyond angry. "Not until you calm down.""Open this damn door before I kick it in," he growled. "That would make good press," she said sarcastically. She'd gotten out of bed and was getting dressed. A pretty sundress, matching flats and a headband. Look like the sweet woman you are, she repeated in her head. "Calm down and I'll let you in, okay?"He breathed out harshly. "Fine. I'm calm.""Good boy," she smirked and went down the stairs. She opened the door and Nathaniel pushed in, almost knocking her down. He marched straight to the kitchen and slammed a pack of papers onto the counter. "You already know about Vera,
Ella was proud of herself for not crying when she'd been served the divorce papers. She was shattered. All her visions for the future had been shattered. But she wouldn't show Nathaniel her pain. He wouldn't get the satisfaction.In the days following sending the papers off she had found an apartment and begun looking into law school again. She had enough of a nest egg set up to pay for the first year of her basic needs, but she'd need the alimony her prenup would award her to go to school and continue living until she could get a job after passing the bar. She packed up her things, careful to leave any expensive gifts Nathaniel had given her behind. Jewelry, fancy dresses, perfume bottles costing hundreds of dollars each. She knew she could sell it all off, but she didn't want anything to do with it. It felt dirty. Vera could have it. She kept the wedding ring though, that was hers fair and square and she'd keep it as insurance in case she ever needed some cash. A wedding ring seale
The next morning she woke to blessed silence. She put on her robe and went down to the kitchen. With how drunk he'd been she hoped he'd be nursing a hangover in his room for the rest of the day. As far as she was concerned, she'd have a big breakfast and then head over to her apartment to begin making it a home. She would live here for now, but the second she could leave she wanted a home to go to. Not just a house, but a home. A place to heal her heart and start over. Her hope for solitude was shattered the moment she sat down and began eating. Nathaniel walked slowly down the stairs. “Why is it so bright in here?” he asked. “You designed the house with windows bigger than the average apartment,” she said flatly. He rolled his eyes. “This house is a masterpiece. It's not my fault you never learned to appreciate it.”“I can appreciate it. It's just not my style.”He sat down heavily in a chair at the table. “Get me some water, will you?”She ignored him and continued eating. “Ell
When she arrived back at the mansion that night the house was empty. Good, she thought to herself. She made herself a Caesar salad with grilled chicken to eat. She pulled out her laptop and began applying for law school. She selected her preferred schools and applied at them first. She hoped her name would help her get in. She hadn't dropped her married name, Woods, yet. She'd handle that after everything settled. The front door closed and Nathaniel walked into the living room where Ella sat. “What are you doing?” he asked. “Applying for school,” she said simply. “What? Why?”She looked up, shocked at the rise of volume in his voice. “What does it matter to you?”“I won't have my wife going to school like I can't support the family. None of the other wives in our circles go to school or have full careers.”“Ummm... have you forgotten that I'm not your wife anymore? What I do doesn't affect you.”“You still hold the role until the divorce is final. You don't need to do any stupid s