Elara's shoulders slumped immediately after she left that restaurant.
The cool air hit her, offering no relief as she sank into the back seat of the car Antonio had brought, as instructed by George, her monotone gaze falling on the things around her.
"Where are we headed, Miss Elara?" Antonio asked, careful enough to keep his voice down, feeling the sudden change in her emotions from fierce to sad, not wanting to disturb her fragile silence.
"Gray Apartments, near Bornstreet," Elara said before she resumed looking out of the window.
Her heart ached terribly, as if someone were clenching it.
She did fight for herself. She chose to show Clara her place and make it clear that they couldn't bully her anymore; she wouldn't allow them to treat her like a doormat. And that was the right thing to do, but why did she feel the hollow ache in her heart if she was right?
Why did it hurt so much to walk away from a man who did nothing but break her hope in love? She left the man who couldn't love her back, even after more than three years of marriage and almost a year of pestering.
And that was the right thing to do, right? It was better that she leave the household where she was just withering away. But then why did it hurt so much? Why did she feel so angry?
Was that anger even directed at Andrew or at herself?
The helplessness she felt, despite telling herself she was a strong person who wouldn't bow to anyone's manipulation, was overwhelming.
Antonio looked at Elara from the rearview mirror.
On his way back, he had heard bits of what exactly happened to her and with her from George's man, and to say he felt pity for her would be an understatement.
He knew the ache of unrequited love, and she didn't just have unrequited love; she lost her identity to marry that man who never understood the value of her presence in his life.
"You know, madam. There's this story about a bird who fell in love with a snake," Antonio started telling her a story.
Elara sat straight, her watering eyes looking at him curiously. Though she didn't know what he was talking about, she didn't interrupt him.
The bird was free, full of life, and chirpy. One day, a snake protected her from a predator, and thinking the snake helped her, the little bird built its nest nearby, hoping it would protect her.
After a couple of days, she started noticing how her feathers were dulling, her voice became soft, and she forgot to chirp cheerfully.
All because she was afraid to move around the same, fearful that if it got angry, it would leave her because snakes liked silence.
One day, she looked at the sky and realized she had forgotten to fly.
With trembling feathers, she spread her wings, trying to fly when the snake hissed at her.
"You can't survive without me," the snake said.
She believed it, but when the storm hit and threatened her nest, she gathered the courage.
When the snake found out about the bird's plan, it tried to scare her more.
The bird, to save her nest, still tried to climb the branches little by little, and when she reached the highest branch, the sun's direct rays fell on her wings, and she realized something.
It was the snake's cage, not the freedom, that was dangerous.
Never mistake fear for love and cages for home. A place where you have to limit your potential and act like you don't matter isn't the place you belong.
Elara looked into the man's eyes, which met hers in the rearview mirror, and felt a genuine smile stretch across her lips after years, when she finally understood the meaning behind his words.
"I am not sad about leaving that place, Antonio. I am sad because I didn't do it sooner," Elara said.
Antonio nodded at her.
"And you blame yourself for it, for not knowing earlier. But Madam, we never know what the future holds for us. It won't be called unpredictable for nothing. It's living, not predicting," Antonio said.
Elara exhaled.
"I know," She whispered before looking out of the window again.
~~~~
Later that evening, in the Neon Nights Club, Andrew sat on the couch lazily, his hand holding a glass of wine while his annoyed gaze swept over his friends who were laughing over something.
His mind was elsewhere. For the first time, Elara's actions bothered him as much as they did today, and that could be precisely what the woman was aiming for. The thought made him extremely annoyed.
"Seriously, Andrew. What's wrong? You have been sulking since you came. At least tell us," Sean asked.
Andrew didn't say anything, just swirling the wine in his glass, thinking about everything that had happened during the day.
"Nothing," he said casually.
Sean rolled his eyes.
"You are sitting inside a club, drinking wine rather than beer and staring at the glass like it offended your ancestors, and you say nothing is wrong? We have eyes, not buttons. We can see something is wrong," Sean commented as he ordered the manager to bring in some girls for their entertainment.
Sean's comment about eyes immediately reminded him of what Elara had said about his dysfunctional eyes, and his gaze hardened.
He brought the glass close to his lips and drank the contents in a single go, making Sean raise his brows.
Seeing him distressed, he pulled out his phone and messaged Beatrice.
"What happened to your boss? Why is he acting like the world's ending on him? Come fix him," Sean asked Beatrice, knowing all too well that she would come here to check on Andrew.
As Andrew's best friend, it was his duty to act as a wingman and create opportunities for the two of them.
If that stupid woman, Elara, hadn't been in the way, they both would have long gotten together, no? Sean rolled his eyes as he remembered Elara's sharp gaze from earlier.
Sean was about to say something, but Andrew's phone rang, interrupting him.
"Hello?" Andrew asked.
"Hello? Brother Andrew, that bitch Elara has surely gotten some nerve. She dared to hit me in public. How can you let your wife bully me?" Carla shouted from the other side, and Andrew felt struck for a second.
Never in their three years of marriage did Elara ever hurt anyone. In fact, she always tried her best to cater to their wishes and demands.
"Slow down and tell me what exactly happened," Andrew pinched the bridge of his nose, and Carla told him everything, obviously omitting the part where she threatened Elara with his divorce, called her a bitch, or attacked her first.
The more Andrew heard, the more he thought the situation was unreasonable.
"Okay. I got it. I'll talk to her…" Andrew paused, remembering that Elara had blocked him and his secretary both.
"I'll talk to her later," Andrew said before ending the call.
"Who was it?" Sean asked, and Andrew waved his hands.
"Just Carla being dramatic," Andrew sighed.
"What's this sudden meeting for?" Trevor, Andrew's other friend who had reported to him that Elara had been kidnapped, walked into the private cubicle, nodding at all of them.
"Well, our buddy here is brooding over something, and we have gathered to cheer him up," Sean said.
"Brooding? Is it about her?" Trevor asked, hinting at Elara, and Andrew shook his head.
It was indeed about her. But he knew Elara was just pulling another stunt to catch his attention with this divorce nonsense. Understanding her was really out of his wits.
He gave her everything, like a husband gives his wife. A home, a credit card with no limits to her, a decent lifestyle, no workload, freedom, and he never even bothered her about anything. What else did she need?
Didn't he go home every day? Didn't they have dinners and breakfasts every day? His life was full of her presence… What else did she need?
"This reminds me. I didn't know your useless wife could ride a horse like that," Sean commented, drinking the beer as a lady sat on his lap, her body barely covered as she rubbed herself onto him.
Trevor raised his brows but didn't comment.
Andrew looked at Sean. How could his friend know Elara could ride a horse when he himself didn't? If he had known, he wouldn't have called Beatrice in her wounded situation.
Now that he thought about it, there were many things he didn't know about Elara. And…his thoughts got interrupted when he heard a commotion to his left, his gaze darkening when he saw Elara standing near the bar with a couple of men hovering around her.
Author's Note- Please keep commenting, sharing, voting, gifting, and adding to your libraries to motivate me to write more.