Chapter 2

Elena's POV

I stood in front of the mirror with my arms folded across my chest, staring at the dress Sophie had chosen for me as if I could somehow make it disappear just by looking at it hard enough.

It was horrible.

The color was too bright, the skirt was shorter than anything I would normally wear, and the neckline made me feel like I had been dressed for someone else's party instead of my own graduation celebration.

"You're seriously expecting me to wear that?" I asked, looking at Sophie through the mirror.

She was sitting cross-legged on my bed, surrounded by clothes she had pulled from my wardrobe, and she looked far too happy for someone who had spent the entire afternoon cheating on the love of her life. 

"Of course you're going to wear it," she replied cheerfully. "That's why I picked it."

I turned around slowly. "You picked it, yes. But that doesn't mean I'm wearing it."

She gasped as though I had personally insulted her.

"Elena, you're graduating today. You can't keep dressing like you're attending a funeral."

"I don't dress like I'm attending a funeral."

"You do." She picked up another dress and held it against herself before shaking her head. "Actually, this one would look better on you."

I stared at the dress in her hand, It was even worse.

"Are you trying to make me look terrible?"

Sophie burst out laughing. "Why would I do that?"

"I don't know. You're the one picking these clothes."

She threw a pillow at me, and I caught it against my chest.

"You are so ungrateful."

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't bring myself to laugh.

Normally, I would have.

Normally, Sophie could say something ridiculous and I would immediately forget whatever had been bothering me.

But every time I looked at her, all I could see was what had happened in that restroom.

I felt sick all over again.

"What's wrong with you?" Sophie suddenly asked.

I blinked. "Nothing."

"You've been quiet since graduation."

"I'm tired."

She studied me for a moment, then walked toward me with a smile.

"You should be excited. We finally graduated."

I forced myself to smile. "Yeah. We did."

She wrapped her arms around me.

"I'm so happy for us."

I stood stiffly in her embrace, my hands hanging uselessly at my sides.

She pulled away and smiled. "And tonight is going to be even better."

"Why?"

"Because Adrian and I are finally going to have some time together."

My stomach tightened. I looked away before she could see the expression on my face.

Sophie could talk about him for hours without getting tired, and normally I would sit there listening to her, pretending I wasn't secretly wishing she would stop.

But today, every word felt like a knife.

"I think he might have planned something romantic for me," she continued excitedly.

I turned toward her. "You think so?"

She nodded. "He told me he had something important to tell me."

My fingers tightened around the pillow. "Really?"

"Yes." She smiled dreamily. "I honestly think he might propose one day."

I stared at her.

"You're already thinking about marriage?"

"Why not?" She laughed. "I love him."

I swallowed. She said those words so easily.

Yet I had seen her kissing another man.

I wanted to ask her why. I wanted to hear her explanation, even though I already knew there probably wasn't one that would make sense.

My lips parted. "Sophie..."

She looked at me. "What?"

I stared at her for a few seconds and decided to let it go because I knew exactly how it was going to end. “Never mind.”

Maybe I had been blind all these years.

Maybe the little things I had always ignored were signs I should have noticed.

Sophie had always loved attention. She always knew exactly how to make people feel sorry for her whenever she did something wrong.

And yet I had trusted her and called her my best friend.

Maybe I was the stupid one.

Before she could say anything else, the bedroom door opened.

My mother walked inside.

She was already dressed for the graduation party, and the moment her eyes landed on me, she smiled briefly before her expression became strangely serious.

"Elena."

"Mom?"

She glanced at Sophie.

"Can I speak with you?"

Sophie immediately stood.

"Of course."

She picked up her handbag and walked toward the door, but before leaving, she turned to me.

"I'll see you downstairs."

"Okay."

She smiled and walked out. The door closed behind her, and I looked at my mother.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong." She walked toward me while reaching into her purse. "I have something for you."

She handed me a small envelope, I slowly opened it, and a small silver key dropped into my palm.

I frowned. "A key?"

"Yes."

I looked at her. "What is this?"

"It's your graduation gift. Your dad and I bought you a house in Buston."

I stared at the key again.

My mother wasn't someone who gave gifts.

She had never been particularly sentimental, and birthdays were usually simple affairs in our family. She believed that providing us with an education and making sure we had what we needed was enough.

So receiving a gift from her should have made me happy.

Instead, something about it made my stomach twist.

"Mom, why?"

She gave me a small smile.

"Because you've graduated, Elena. You're old enough to start living independently. You're expected to pack your things and move out by tomorrow.” 

The happiness I should have felt never came. Instead, a strange heaviness settled in my chest.

I looked down at the key. Suddenly, I understood that this wasn't just a graduation gift, It was a goodbye.

"You want me to leave."

My mother's expression changed.

"Elena..."

"You want me to move out of the Blackwood mansion."

She sighed.

"Elena, please don't make this more difficult than it needs to be. You're no longer a child. You've graduated, and people are already beginning to talk. I don't want this family to be a subject of discussion and speculation."

I frowned. “What are you even talking about?"

She sighed again.

"You're a grown woman living under the same roof as Adrian. You're not related by blood, but that doesn't mean people won't make assumptions. Richard's relatives already have enough to say about everything. I don't want them using you as another reason to question my place in this family."

My chest tightened.

There it was, the real reason.

My mother had spent years trying to fit into the Blackwood family, and she wasn't going to allow anything to threaten the position she had worked so hard to build.

Even if that meant sending me away.

I looked at the key in my hand and knew I had no choice. 

The moment I heard the click, tears came to my eyes.

I stood there staring at the door for several seconds before slowly looking down at the key still resting in my palm.

My fingers tightened around it.

I sat down on the bed.

The mattress sank beneath me, and I stared at the floor while trying desperately to hold myself together.

It didn't work. A tear rolled down my cheek.

I wiped it away, and another followed.

I covered my face with my hands, pressing my palms against my eyes as a sob escaped my throat.

My heart ached.

I reached for the necklace around my neck.

The infinity pendant slipped between my fingers and I knew I couldn't survive a day without Adrian.