There were too many cameras.The annual charity gala was a gathering place for celebrities, influencers, models, businessmen and women, politicians, philanthropists, artists, and others to flaunt their wealth and success. Every year, it was held in a luxurious mansion belonging to one of the organizers, who was always eager to show off their riches.This year, it was the turn of the famous Hollywood actress, Jasmine Milano, to host the gala. Jasmine was one of Elena’s idols, someone she had looked up to ever since she was a teenager. Aware of her obsession with the older actress, her father once launched a product in collaboration with Jasmine, and Elena was ecstatic when he invited her to the launch party. But she was sixteen at the time, too shy and awkward to talk to her idol, so she stayed hidden behind her mother and didn’t dare to approach Jasmine.However, now Elena had grown into a beautiful woman herself, and she wasn’t the same naive teenager anymore. She had moved past seek
Elena stormed back inside, her chest so tight she could almost not breathe.It was only when she reentered the room among the faces, which were nothing but a blur to her blindingly troubled mind, that she felt somewhat safe.She knew there were chances for Richard or any other member of the McDowells to show up at the Gala, but what she had not expected was to be dragged away by her ex-husband, as if she had no will of her own.The thought that he still had the audacity to treat her as if she were his to control made her angry. It made her want to push him away until he disappeared from her sight. It made her want to slap him so hard he would know better than to even think he had that kind of right over her.Because he didn’t.It took a cheating husband, a quick and greased divorce, and months of crying in her room at night for her to understand that she deserved so much more than a man as self-centred and as much of an asshole as him. That she deserved someone who did not make her fee
“I’m sorry,” Elena mumbled, not sure if the man even deserved her apology.What’s with the scowl and always looking at everyone with such disdain? Would it kill him to be nice? To talk like a human and not some angry bull who only knew how to shout?Derek narrowed his eyes, letting go of her waist, as if she disgusted him. Elena arched a brow, offended by the rude gesture. She wanted to snap at him, tell him to fuck off, but she held herself back, knowing that fighting with him would bring nothing but trouble.She cleared her throat, smoothing out her dress, and averted her gaze, intending to leave.She just wanted to leave and go home.However, before she could walk away, Derek grunted something under his brother, and she couldn’t help but raise a brow.“Excuse me?”“I said, you should be careful, Ms. Matthews,” he repeated, his tone clipped. “Accidents happen, and I don’t want you to fall flat on your ass and blame it on someone else.”Elena scoffed, glaring at him. “Accident happens
Elena could hardly think, hardly breathe, knowing what she was suddenly up against.After Simon dropped the bomb on her—that Derek Pestov was the man who visited Shelly—she stood by the side for a long time, not caring if she appeared like a creep. She just wanted to see Derek with her own eyes, trying to see the signs she missed, to understand the kind of guilt he carried with himself if it was the case.She stared at Derek for a long time, observing his every move. Every frown, every scowl, everything. He stood with his brother, Roman, the latter talking to a charming blonde woman standing next to the pair, while the former listened, all the while staring at the delicate glass in his hand. He seemed to be lost in his own world. That, or he simply didn’t care about anything happening around him.Elena sighed, forcing herself to avert her gaze, trying to understand if it were the right time for confrontation. Probably not. She should wait for the perfect timing; confronting him now in
Elena bit the inside of her cheek, trying not to snap at him and tell him how much she would rather die than spend any minute with him either. It wasn’t as if she wanted to do this. She just did not have any other choice. He seemed to be in the possession of something she wanted. The truth about the night of Josh and Shelly’s accident. And if he was under the impression that he could get away with being an asshole to her, he was sourly mistaken. She sighed. “I saw you at the Shelly’s grave—” “So? What of it?” Derek cut her off, thick brows pulled together. His voice sounded a tad more subdued now, but the tension around his shoulders remained the same. The good thing was he hadn’t denied anything, and that gave her some hope that he might just cooperate enough to give her something of use. “What were you doing?” “Visiting, obviously. What else do people do when they visit graves?” he sounded annoyed, but that was expected of him. She tried to ignore the itch of her own annoyance,
Elena wasn’t sure what she was doing or where the hell she was going. Once she left the Gala and got into her car, they only managed to drive a few kilometres when Elena asked the driver to pull over to the side. Once the driver did as he was told, Elena threw the door open, gave the driver some money for the cab and then slid behind the steering wheel, wanting to drive the car herself. She needed to clear her head, needed to know that she was still in control, because God knew she was losing it. She was losing it fast. Elena didn’t know how long she had been driving, nor did she know where she was heading towards. She just drove and drove and drove, not knowing what else to do. Derek’s words continued to echo in her head, his hateful words that made no sense to her. Josh wasn’t like that, was he? He wasn’t a scum like Derek made him out to be. No, he wasn’t. Her brother was one of the good guys. Then why? Why was she so restless? So angry? So confused? Her grip around the steering
Elena stopped the car and got out of it. She took in a deep breath, welcoming the cold air that brushed against her skin. She closed her eyes for a second and ran her fingers through her hair, her eyes roaming around the place. It was dark and quiet. Elena could see nothing but the sky and the trees surrounding the place. She wasn’t sure why she was here or how she ended up in this part of the town, but she was glad she did. She walked along the gravely path that led towards the hill. She hadn’t been here for almost a decade, but she could still remember everything as if it was yesterday. She remembered walking the same path with her mother, holding her hand. She remembered Josh tugging at her arm and making her run with him, making her laugh and chase after him. She remembered her father telling her that he loved her and that she was the most precious thing in his life. Elena swallowed the lump that formed inside her throat, tears burning her eyes. She missed them. She missed them
“You’re still a terrible liar, Elena. Always have been.” Those words rang inside Elena’s ears, bringing back memories from ten years ago that she had tried so hard to forget. Her father was right. She was a terrible liar, always had been. She couldn’t lie to save her life. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to, it was just that she sucked at it. And that was exactly the reason why she hated herself at this moment. Because she knew that he saw right through her. She knew that he knew that she was lying, that she wasn’t here because she wanted to see him. She was there because she needed someone to tell her that Josh was nothing like what Derek had painted him to be. She was there because she needed someone to tell her that her brother wasn’t some monster but a good man she grew up knowing him to be. And who could be better than the man who sat in front of her, the man who spent his whole life worshipping the path her brother had carved for himself? Who better than her father to tell h