Her Rightful Place

She couldn't believe it.

“Edward?”. She muttered, as a drop of tear escaped her eye.

“Just stay back, Liya! Don't make things worse for me”. Edward yelled at her again, before his eyes softened, and he came to stand in front of her.

He caressed her cheek. “Be good, okay? I will be right back”. He assured her, before he turned and left for his white car in a hurry.

As soon as he got in, he drove off.

Tears filled Liya’s eyes as she watched the car drive out of the mansion.

It was getting a bit clear to her that something was going on, and that he was hiding it from her.

“Is it because of her?”. Liya muttered and felt very bitter.

“No. I don't believe it. It must be work. It must be about the company”.

“It has been three years, and she has never shown up. So, how is it possible that she would show up now?”.

“I don't believe it”.

“I don't!”. Liya yelled and shook her head in defeat as she fell to her knees and cried, while she clenched her chest tightly.

She didn't want to believe it. But, she could not stop herself from thinking about it.

……..

It had been hours since Edward left the house.

Liya stared at the untouched dinner and felt defeated. Her gaze then shifted to her cell phone, making her feel more defeated.

She had called his phone line over and over again, but he had not been picking up her calls. At some point, his phone number became unreachable to her.

She sighed in defeat, before she took the plates of food back to the kitchen.

After throwing the food and washing the plates, she went to the bedroom to sleep. But, what was the point of having a fine bedroom and a fine bed if she could not bring herself to sleep, as she was overthinking the entire case?

“It's just work”. Liya muttered, before she shut her eyes.

…

It was the next day.

Liya had woken up from sleep with dark circles underneath her eyes.

When she recalled what Edward told her last night, she tried not to laugh at how pathetic she was, because she actually believed him and thought he was going to return home.

She sat up on the bed before she went and stood in front of the wall mirror.

She looked like a mess. Her hair was scattered, as she didn't care to tie it or cover it when she fell asleep at 3am in the morning.

“What is taking him so long?”. Liya wondered, and tried calling him again, but he didn't pick up.

That guaranteed her to take a quick bath, giving room for her to wear the blue jeans and the milk-colored T-shirt she had picked out from her wardrobe earlier.

She stood in front of the mirror and tied her brown hair in a bun, before she left the room after grabbing her car key from the table.

“Since it's work, he must be in his office”. Liya told herself as she drove out of the mansion and headed for his company.

It was a few minutes drive, but it felt like ages to her.

But eventually, she arrived at her destination and got out of the car, as she made her way to Edward’s office.

She did not quite remember the last time she came to this place.

Wasn't it 2 years ago after she crossed paths with Edward and married him?

She recalled, at that time, Edward’s company was struggling.

It was with her ideas that he was able to avoid becoming bankrupt.

But, she had to stop coming to the company because of her mother-in-law, who believed that a woman like her had no say in the company.

It was because she did not want to get on her mother-in-law’s bad side… that was why she had become accustomed to playing the obedient wife.

“Please, let me just be overthinking”. Liya muttered, as she made her way to Edward’s office.

Once she arrived in front of his office door, she paused and took a deep breath.

She could already hear his voice, and that was enough to tell her that he might not have lied to her last night.

‘He must have really attended an important meeting’. Liya thought to herself with a smile, and decided in her heart to leave, as she did not want to anger him or make him feel or think that she did not fully trust him anymore.

As husband and wife, it was expected that they would both trust each other.

“I am sorry for doubting you, babe”. Liya said, with her hand placed on the door, before she turned and left.

She never stopped smiling, even on the way. She thought, ‘I knew I was crazy to think that he would ever cheat on me’.

Meanwhile, behind closed doors, Edward could not stop himself from embracing Megan.

“I thought I had lost you forever”. Edward said to Megan, as he continued to hug her and didn't want to let go of her.

His eyes had gotten redder from tearing up.

“I… I am sorry for making you worry about me, Edward. But I had no other choice! I was taken away by my father and could not ask for help”. Megan cried out softly as she trembled in his arms.

“For the past 3 years, after our argument, I never ran away. I never broke up with you. My father took me away, and I have remained isolated from the entire world”.

“My father was the one who broke up with you, not me”.

“I… I love you so much. So how could I bear to do such a thing to you? It was by luck I escaped from him and have finally returned to you”. Megan whimpered, making Edward embrace her more.

Three years ago, after a little argument, he received a message from her. She wanted to break up with him.

And when he went to meet her about it at her home, she was nowhere to be found.

“It is okay, Megan. It is okay”. Edward soothed Megan as he tried to make her calm down and stop crying.

She stopped crying, but did not stop shivering in fear.

They parted from their hug and stared at each other.

Their eyes fixed on themselves.

“I have nowhere to go, Edward. But…”. Megan lowered her gaze to the ground as her hands shook. “... I heard you had married the love of your life. Is this true?”.

After she finished asking him, a drop of her tear landed straight on the ground.

Edward gritted his teeth and felt greatly sorry for her. “I am sorry, Megan. But, she is not the love of my life ”. He assured her, bringing a faint smile on her face as she rested her head on his chest.

“Can… can you divorce her, Edward?”. Megan asked, but her question made him freeze, because it was sudden.

It was something he had not prepared for.

After Megan was nowhere to be found, he found someone (Liya) who looked like her as a replacement, in order to feel at peace. But, he never saw this day coming.

He actually never believed that it was going to come, because he thought that Megan had run away and did not want anything to do with him again.

Back then, his company was struggling, and Megan needed money to complete her final education and graduation.

He had told her to be patient, but she would not listen.

When he actually went to find her in her home and wanted to give her all that he had left, he was stunned that she was nowhere to be found.

That broke his heart dearly, and he wasn't able to be himself.

He would drink himself away, especially at nights, while waiting for the rest of his life to fall apart.

That was when he crossed paths with Liya in a bar. At first, he mistook her for Megan and wanted to embrace her. But upon taking another look at her face, he knew that she was not the one he loved.

But, since she looked as miserable as he was, and seemed to be in a situation similar to his, he decided to cheer her up.

To him, she was his Megan.

But, a simple cheer turned into a little obsession. And a little obsession made him have the desire to possess her and keep her by his side.

Before he knew it, he was already dating her. And then, she introduced a side to him that he never expected.

She was a genius when it came to marketing and handling businesses.

A few ideas from her, combined with his, and he was about to save his dying company and save the livelihood of his employees.

He got married to her in return, and promised to keep her by his side forever.

But forever was such a long time, right? Especially now that his true love had returned to him.

Seeing Edward hesitate, Megan stopped resting her head on his chest and stared into his eyes.

Her pair of light blue eyes, which greatly looked like Liya’s dark blue eyes, were filled with pain.

“Don't you love me anymore?”. Megan asked and sniffed her nose.

“It's not like that”.

Megan shook her head. “No. I think you like her better. Okay. I guess I have no place in your heart anymore”.

“I… I am so sorry for not being so careful 3 years ago”. Tears streamed down her cheeks, before she turned away from him and wanted to leave.

But before she could step out of his office, Edward hurried towards her and hugged her from behind. “Please, don't go, Megan. Don't leave me again”. He pleaded.

Then, as if reluctantly, he added, “I am going to divorce Liya and return the position of being my wife to you. I promise”.

Megan sniffed her nose again and shut her eyes, allowing him to embrace her. “Thank you, Edward. I have always loved you and have never stopped thinking about you”.

“Me too”.