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23. Where She Stood

Author: Nelly Rae
last update Last Updated: 2025-12-14 15:10:56

Elara learned about the rumors the old-fashioned way.

Whispers.

They followed her into the elevator, trailed behind her in the lobby, clung to the air like perfume that had gone sour. She didn’t need to see headlines or messages to know what people were thinking. The glances were enough.

Sympathetic. Curious. Judgmental.

So this is what it feels like to be the wife people doubt, she thought.

She kept her back straight as she walked beside Adrian through the marble-floored event hall. Cameras flashed, voices rose, and every step felt like walking through fire.

Adrian’s hand hovered near the small of her back not touching, not claiming. Just there.

The restraint hurt more than the distance.

Inside, the room buzzed with wealth and quiet power. Conversations paused as they entered. People noticed everything: Elara’s composed expression, Adrian’s cold focus, the space between them.

And then Lydia appeared.

She glided toward them like she owned the room, dressed flawlessly, her confidence unmistakable. She didn’t look surprised to see Elara. If anything, she looked pleased.

“Elara,” Lydia said smoothly. “You look… calm.”

Elara met her gaze evenly. “I had no reason not to be.”

Adrian’s jaw tightened. “Lydia.”

She turned to him, smiling softly. “You always say my name like you’re trying to remind yourself of something.”

Elara felt the tension spike instantly.

Lydia’s eyes flicked between them. “It must be strange,” she continued lightly, “standing beside someone you don’t fully know. Marriage does that—it reveals things.”

Elara didn’t flinch. “So does time.”

Lydia’s smile sharpened. “And some things time doesn’t erase.”

The words were meant to cut.

Instead, Elara stepped forward.

“You’re right,” she said calmly. “Some things don’t disappear. They fade when they’re no longer chosen.”

The room seemed to be still.

Adrian turned slightly toward her, surprise flickering across his face.

Lydia laughed softly. “Chosen? That’s sweet. But choice implies freedom.”

Elara’s voice remained steady. “It also implies intention.”

Lydia’s eyes darkened.

Adrian finally stepped in, his tone firm. “This conversation is over.”

Lydia tilted her head. “You’re dismissing me now?”

“I’m prioritizing,” he replied.

That did it.

Lydia’s composure cracked just enough to show the edge beneath. “Be careful, Adrian. You’re confusing proximity with permanence.”

Elara felt something shift inside her then not fear, not jealousy.

Resolve.

She turned to Adrian. “I’m going to greet the hosts.”

He hesitated. “Elara”

She gave him a small smile. “I’ll be fine.”

And she meant it.

As she walked away, she felt eyes follow her—not pitying now, but assessing. She stood straighter, spoke confidently, and laughed when appropriate. She was present, visible, unafraid.

And Adrian watched.

He noticed how others responded to her. How she carried herself without him. How she didn’t shrink.

Something twisted sharply in his chest.

Across the room, Lydia watched too.

Her gaze hardened.

Later, Adrian found Elara near the terrace doors. The city glowed behind her, lights reflecting in her eyes.

“You handled that well,” he said quietly.

She didn’t turn. “I wasn’t trying to handle anything.”

“Then what were you doing?”

She faced him then. “Standing where I belong.”

His chest tightened. “Do you think you don’t?”

“I think,” she said carefully, “that I won’t fight ghosts.”

His expression darkened. “She’s not—”

“She is,” Elara interrupted softly. “And pretending she isn’t only gives her power.”

Silence stretched between them, heavy and charged.

“I won’t compete for you,” Elara continued. “Not with your past. Not with anyone.”

Adrian stepped closer. “Then what do you want from me?”

Her breath hitched but she didn’t step back. “Clarity.”

He studied her face, searching. “And if I give it?”

“Then I’ll decide whether this marriage stays a pretense.”

That landed.

Before he could respond, Lydia’s voice cut in sharply. “Adrian. A word.”

He looked at Elara.

She nodded once. “Go.”

Lydia led him aside, her voice low but intense. Elara didn’t strain to listen. She didn’t need to.

What mattered was what Adrian did next.

When he returned, his face was set.

He didn’t stop in front of Lydia’s friends.

He stopped in front of Elara.

He took her hand.

The room was noticed.

“This,” he said clearly, “is my wife.”

A pause.

“And anyone who disrespects her disrespects me.”

The silence that followed was deafening.

Elara’s pulse thundered—but she didn’t smile.

Not yet.

Because she knew something important.

Words were easy.

What came next would decide everything.

And Lydia was watching with fire in her eyes.

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