Despair (1)

*Sequel to Selena Monroe and Jared Henderson’s story (THE ALPHA’S REPLACEMENT MATE: UNWANTED LUNA HAS A SON.) This is their son’s story (Lucian Henderson)*

~Elizabeth~

Monday, September 7, 2040

‘’Are you listening, Ms. Brooks?’’

‘’Miss Brooks!’’

‘’......’’

‘’....Psst! Liz!’’ A sudden nudge from the side pulled me out from my daze, and I instinctively turned my gaze to my best friend responsible for that. Her eyes frantically darted ahead in warning but....

‘’It appears this meeting is of no interest to you Ms. Brooks.’’

It was already too late.

‘’My apologies, Principal.’’ I lowered my head in embarrassment, fingers curling on my lap and my shoulder feeling heavy from the weight of the teachers’ gazes, and the principal’s sharp glare.

Why weren’t you paying attention, Liz?

 I shut my eyes tight, anticipating to hear another of one of the principal’s unkind words.

However....

‘’Hmph!’’

They never came. Only the principal’s dismissive snort.

‘’You have a new transfer student in your class, Ms. Brooks.’’

 ‘’A-Ah...Yes sir.’’ Though surprised and confused, my body straightened up and I raised my gaze at the mention of a transfer student in my class.

‘’His name is Lucian Henderson, seventeen years old and his parents are President Jared Henderson and President Lena Quinn....’’

‘’That Jared Henderson and Lena Quinn? Wow, he’s loaded.’’

I glanced at my best friend, whispering under her breath.

‘’Sir, can you reconsider your decision?’’

‘’Exactly, Lucian Henderson is such a brilliant student to be in Ms. Brooks’ class.’’

‘’And his parents....’’ As though on cue to her whisper, the 12th grade teachers began clamoring to have the transfer student in their respective classes.

‘’Silence! This matter has been decided by the board of directors. If you are not pleased with the decision, take your complaints up to them.’’ The principal shut down the clamors in an instant, his eyes narrowing at the reluctant teachers until they lingered on my face.

‘’Apparently, Miss Lena Quinn was a student of Director Benson in the university. Of course, she would have her son to be under Ms. Brooks, Director Benson’s former teaching assistant.’’

...So that’s what happened.

I watched as the principal took his gaze away with another dismissive snort and began listing the grades of the transfer student, now my student.

****

‘’So, how does it feel to be a teacher of a top elite heir, Liz?’’ My best friend and fellow co-worker, Elliotte teased and sat beside me on the bench with a can of soda.

‘’We have other heirs and heiresses as our students, Eli.’’ I collected the drink from her with a small murmur of thanks.

‘’Those spoilt brats are different.’’ She dismissed my words with her hand. ‘’I am talking of THE Jared Henderson and my forever idol and role model, Lena Quinn.’’ She released a small sigh of admiration.

‘’....oh.’’ I mumbled a moment later. Elliotte and I have always been admirers of Lena Quinn as she was quite famous. Normally, I would have been like my best friend, sharing my admiration, but now....

I did not feel like it.

Elliotte seemed to notice my mood as I sensed her eyes on the side of my face.

‘’You seem a bit out of it during the meeting, Liz.’’

‘’.....’’ I pursed my lips in silence, clutching my fingers tighter around the cola.

‘’What’s going on?’’ She asked softly, placing her hand on my lap.

‘’Eli....’’ My eyes immediately got teary as I felt the warmth of her hand. My head dropping low with the tears.

‘’Yeah? Is everything alright?’’

‘’....Oliver...’’

‘’Oh, come on.’’ Elliotte cut me off with a loud scoff at the name of my husband. ‘’Him? Again?’’

‘’....Hmm.’’ I hummed in reply, not taking her reaction to heart.

Elliotte has always expressed her displeasure for Oliver. Though, it didn’t used to be that way in the past.

‘’What is it this time? What did he do?’’

My fingers tightened around the cola at her questions. The scene of that night two days ago resurfaced in my head once more.

‘’I-I saw him with the same woman...’’ I whispered shakily, feeling multiple stabs in my heart as I recalled how beautiful and young that woman appeared in my eyes.

And my husband, Oliver, smiling down on her as he used to smile down at me back when we were dating at high school.

 ‘’...and.....they seem closer than before.’’

‘’That woman? Where did you see them again? What time did you see them? You know what, Liz. I don’t care where, when and how you saw them.’’ Elliotte removed her hand from her lap after her series of questions.

I looked at her.

‘’My point is you get a divorce from that bastard.’’ She sneered. ‘’You’ve addressed the same perfume on him over and over again. You also complained about the lip-stick stain and he hasn’t distanced himself from that woman? Liz come on, you of all understand what that bastard has done to you. Please get a divorce and build your own life away from him!’’ Her eyes were very firm, leaving no room for any argument.

‘’Eli....’’ I called out instinctively, ready to defend Oliver like always, but then, I paused as the scene of him and that beautiful woman burned in my mind.

Not only that, the continuous perfume on his shirt, and the one-time lipstick stain.....

‘’You don’t think he’s.....’’ The words left my lips before I could stop myself, but I did not complete the speculation.

‘’Cheating on you?’’ Elliotte completed my words bluntly. ’’I guarantee a 100% that he is doing that low-life shit! Even if he’s not, you have to leave him. As your best friend, I can’t look at him the same way ever again after you suffered from him.’’

‘’......’’

Elliotte has always been encouraging me to divorce Oliver but I couldn’t bring myself to leave him. He’s all I had as family.

Perhaps noticing my inner thoughts, Elliotte let out a small sigh.

‘’Please Liz, just think of your mental health.’’ She pleaded softly. ‘’You’re looking dull, haggard and older for a 25 years’ old.  This is not the Elizabeth Brooks that I have known since childhood ‘’

Her words stabbed an arrow straight towards my heart and the scene of that beautiful and young woman burned in my mind as if expressing its mockery.

 ‘’You work this hard to get to this point of your life and that bastard is not making anything easy for you. Please just leave him.’’ She begged resolutely.

‘’......’’ I avoided her intense gaze as if avoiding her words.

The raw truth of those words.

‘’Think about it Liz.’’ Her words mixed up with the electric bell signaling the end of a short break for the students

****

10:30pm

‘’That will be 50.75usd.’’ I said mechanically to the customer, and she made her payment with her debit card before leaving the convenience store with a plastic bag.

That’s right.

A convenience store.

I was a highschool teacher by day and a clerk at an old convenience store by night. I also had a third job as a translator and it’s a remote job.

Each of these jobs paid some good amount of money together per month, but the pay was never enough.

Especially if I wanted to pay off my husband’s debt in my name.

Its 10:32. I stared at the wall clock from the cashier. I should clean up and go home.

Oliver will be waiting.

As always, my heart clenched painfully at the thought of seeing my husband again. It was different from the past when I couldn’t wait just to catch a glimpse of his face.

Eli said I should talk to him about getting a divorce. I mulled over the conversation I had with Elliotte as I wiped the tables and cleaned floors for tomorrow. Perhaps....I should talk to Oliver about it...or not?

Oliver and I have been living like strangers since a particular incident. It has been very obvious that we were tired of each other, yet neither of us wanted to speak up and kept on sleeping on the same bed with our backs on each other.

This feeling has always been suffocating yet I have always felt a sense of relief when I find Oliver’s shoes at the doorstep of our apartment.

The clock ticked 11pm and I locked the coffee shop after changing out of my apron.

Will I smell the same perfume again?

I wondered as a car drove past my figure on the sidewalk, almost staining my long skirt with the dirty small puddle of water.

When I mustered up courage to Oliver about the one-time lip stick stain, he complained that I was a jealous woman.

‘’What? Don’t tell me you’re jealous?’’ He sneered. ‘’I work with women at the office, Liz. Get over yourself and stop being so annoying. I’m too tired to deal with you this night.’’

After that time, I never bothered to ask him about the lip-stick stain again or the repeated perfume on him. Even though, my heart ached at the thought of washing Oliver’s shirt with the same scent over and over again.

Elliotte had always clamored about getting a divorce, but it wasn’t easy as she claimed. Oliver and I built our lives together even if we were shackled with debts and estranged from each other. Perhaps like me, Oliver did not want to get a divorce.

He has always been straightforward about his wants and desires. If he truly wanted that beautiful, young woman, he would have brought up the divorce a long time ago.

Perhaps...I shouldn’t ask him....yeah, I shouldn’t. I said to myself as I walked passed the rundown buildings of the neighborhood, nearing my apartment. Eli will blow up if she knows that I did not speak about the divorce with Oliver.

At the doorstep, I picked up a crinkled envelope under the dim light from the ground, and knew without a thought that this was from the landlord about the overdue rent.

The bills never end.

I sighed to myself as I imagined another hundreds of dollars leaving my savings to pay off the debts. Out of annoyance, I shoved the envelope inside my handbag and brought out the keys to unlock the door.

Oliver is home...I guessed as the familiar click never sounded and opened the door, expecting to meet the familiar of his shoes on the side.

However, it wasn’t just his.

My handbag slid off my shoulders and plopped on the floor as I stared at other pair of heels with wide eyes.

That’s right. Heels.

A pair of sleek black heels that was more beautiful and expensive than my worn-out heels I have been wearing to work.

A shaky breath left my lips as I moved my gaze from the heels to a red skirt, black handbag, and white shirt. That wasn’t even the end of them.

‘’N-No...’’  I saw Oliver’s pants side by side with the skirt. ‘’N No...No...No...’’

 As if on cue, a light giggle echoed through the apartment’s weak walls.

A light giggle that definitely did not belong to Oliver from the direction of our bedroom.

‘’H-He can’t do this....’’ I whisper in denial as I headed straight for our bedroom without hesitation. ‘’Oliver can’t do this to me....’’

We have been through so much together. Even though our love had faded away, we were still there for each other at least.

We belonged to each other as husband and wife.

We were family!

I tried to make up excuses on the way, but what I had just seen at the doorstep was an evidence I couldn’t overlook with mere excuses.

Nearing our bedroom, my eyes instinctively peered through the door slightly ajar.

‘’......!’’

And I blanked out.