Elle’s POVThe tiles were cold—hard against my knees as I crawled, fast and quiet, just like the nanny taught me. The cabinet under the sink was open just enough, and I squeezed inside, pulling the doors shut behind me.It was dark in there. It smelled like soap, dust, and the lemon cleaner the nanny used yesterday.I pressed my hand to my mouth."Don’t make a sound. He was angry again."Those were the thoughts that ran through my head.I could hear his boots—stomp, stomp, stomp—pacing across the kitchen floor.Suddenly, something crashed and I jumped.It sounded like a chair. Maybe the one I’d been sitting in earlier.He was yelling again. Louder than last time.I covered my ears, but it didn’t help. His voice was too big. It filled the house. It filled my head.I felt like I was shrinking, like the walls were closing in on me.The cabinet door rattled when something slammed nearby. Maybe the table. Maybe his hand. Or maybe the bottle he always had in his hand.Another crash was hear
Elle’s POV"So now you're walking out on me?" Raymond asked as I was heading out the door.I turned to him, confused. "What do you want me to do? Stand here and argue with you?""Isn't it better than walking out on me?" He asked. For some reason, he sounded more sad than angry."I can't bring myself to continue arguing with you, Raymond," I added and turned to walk away again."Oh!" He said, letting out a humorless chuckle. "You prefer to do it with my Aunt then.""Oh my God, Raymond!" I said sharply. Now he had sparked my anger again."You know what! I can't even stay here with you at all!"I headed for my bag, picked it up, and walked out the door. "Where are you going?!" He yelled, but I ignored him.I went down the stairs and towards the door, but he grabbed my hand."You're not going anywhere, Elle, especially this late!""I'll do what I want to do, Raymond, and you're not going to stop me!""Of course, I will. I'm you're husband!"Raymond stepped toward the door while I moved
Elle’s POV I slammed the door harder than I meant to when I got home. My hands trembled as I dropped my bag on the couch. The silence in the house only made the weight in my chest feel heavier. I mean, I hadn’t expected much of a warm hug or tea and cookies from Raymond’s aunt—but I hadn’t expected venom either. The way she spoke to me—like I was a curse. "You’re here to ruin him." That sentence kept replaying in my head. Ruin him? I had done everything but that. I had loved Raymond. I had stood by him and supported him. So what exactly had I done to deserve that kind of hatred? Wait a minute. She also said something about me coming back into his life to destroy him—which was weird. Except I had another lifetime before this or I lost my memory in the past, I had never seen Raymond before the day he walked into the office. So why would she say that? Was she mistaking me for someone else? Or was there something else I didn’t know? Raymond had never said much about his
Elle’s POV I didn’t know why I was so excited. Maybe it was the idea of meeting someone from Raymond’s past. Someone who had watched him grow up. Someone who could tell me stories about who he was before he became Raymond Orlando—the man the world respected and the one I fell in love with. I didn’t even tell him I was going. Part of me wanted it to be a surprise, and part of me… well, part of me didn’t want to be stopped. After Mrs. Hannah confirmed that Raymond’s aunt had once lived in Greystone, I dug through the old mail in his study. She had already done enough, so I didn't want her to go through the stress of going through some old stuff. Raymond's study was a very interesting place to be in. There were lots of books from all around the world arranged alphabetically. It was obvious that he loved reading. Though I had never seen his eyes focused on one before. I searched through the books, looking for his mail. Luckily, I found it. A stack of dusty envelopes had been t
Elle’s POV I held the photo between my fingers the way someone holds something fragile—something that might break if you looked at it too hard. The woman in the picture haunted me, not in a sinister way, but in that silent secret sort of way. The kind that crept under your skin the longer you stared. A car door slammed outside. My head jerked up, heart giving a small start. I listened as footsteps crunched across the gravel. It was definitely Raymond. I tucked the photo beneath a book on the nightstand and stepped out into the hall just as the front door creaked open. He stood there in the doorway. His coat sagged from his shoulders, his tie loosened and his hair tousled by the wind. “Ray,” I said softly, stepping toward him. He looked up, eyes tired, but they softened when they landed on me. He managed a faint smile. “Welcome back,” I murmured, pressing a kiss to his cheek. He kissed my forehead in return and sighed into my hair. “Long day,” he muttered. "I can see that
Elle’s POV I kept staring at the document Jessica handed to me. I couldn't take my eyes off it. It was a proposal from Orion Global, a Tech Company, though not as good as Orlando's Tech team. They wanted to work with us on a project. The proposal had come in yesterday. I had spoken to Raymond about it, but he had told me to do what I thought was best for the company. "Since it's your company too," He had said to me. Still, I wasn't able to make a choice. The offers and benefits were good, but I still didn't know what to do. "Should I send them an apology, telling them that we do not want to go ahead with the collaboration?" Jessica asked, pulling me out of my thoughts. I thought about it for a few seconds before shaking my head slightly. "No. Instead, tell them we would love to meet with some of their representatives and have them pitch the idea in person," I instructed, handing the document to her. Jessica nodded. "Okay, Mrs. Orlando, understand." I let out