Chapter 1: The Promotion Party

The venue was bustling with chatter and laughter as men and women dressed in their fancy gowns mingled amongst themselves. The violin played softly to liven the atmosphere.

At the corner of the room stood Elara, dressed in a blue flared gown, her hair tied up in a bun. She rubbed her elbows nervously as she stared at people who walked past her, totally ignoring her presence—like she didn’t belong there.

Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t even have been there, but today was a big day for her husband. He was getting promoted.

A smile crept onto her lips as she thought of him. She could remember the sleepless nights he had, working overtime just to meet deadlines. She would sometimes help him finish his workload just so he could catch a few hours of sleep. Witnessing this new chapter of his life made her heart swell with joy.

Just as if he had read her thoughts, she saw him walk to the spotlight. Clad in a black tuxedo, his hair gelled to perfection, highlighting his sharp features.

Vance Brooke brought the microphone to his lips and smiled handsomely.

“Thank you for making time to celebrate this important moment in my career. As you all know, I just got promoted to Manager of the Research and Development Unit at Beaumont Tec.”

Elara’s eyes sparkled with joy as she clapped along with the others.

Vance smiled and continued once the cheers were over.

“This really means so much to me, and all this wouldn’t have been possible without someone who stood by me and supported me through my lows, motivated me when I wanted to give up,” he said with a voice full of emotion as he looked her way.

Heat radiated through her chest as she smiled warmly at him, but her smile fell at his next words.

“Lyra. Thank you for always being there when I needed it. You’ve always been with me at my lowest. I want to use this opportunity to express how much our friendship means to me,” he said.

The crowd erupted with claps. Elara turned to face Lyra, who walked past her, gently brushing her shoulder.

She was dressed in a long black gown that accentuated her figure, her ginger hair cascading over her back. Her movement was elegant.

Lyra smiled in appreciation to everyone as she gave him a hug and gently pecked his cheek.

“Thank you, Vance,” she smiled as they held hands.

Elara gripped the sides of her gown as she watched them with great difficulty. Her gaze swept through the guests… these people.

She knew all of them. They had all attended their wedding with gifts and well wishes. Why were they all acting like they didn’t know her, like she didn’t exist, like she was never meant to be there?

Elara mustered up a smile before walking to where they stood with Lyra clinging close to Vance as they spoke with some acquaintances.

Their merry chatter paused immediately she walked up to them.

“Congratulations, darling,” she smiled.

Vance smiled awkwardly at his friends. “Give me a minute,” he muttered and grabbed Elara by the arm, taking her to a quiet side.

“What are you doing here?” Vance muttered as his cold gaze assessed her appearance. “Dressed like this. Are you trying to ruin this for me?” he spat.

“No! I just—this is my best gown and besides I just wanted to show my support to you and—”

“Well, you’ve shown enough. I think you should go,” he cut her off.

“What?”

“You’re not deaf, Elara. Leave. You’re embarrassing me,” he said and walked away.

Elara stood rooted to the spot as she watched him walk away. With a heavy heart, she turned and walked away.

___

Elara walked out of their room in a set of pajamas as she dried her hair with a towel. Her gaze went to their wedding picture and she smiled as memories began flooding in.

From the first day she met Vance in college, how they became friends, the day he asked her out, the day he proposed to her, the day they got married.

Elara felt a dull ache in her chest as she thought of all those moments. She just couldn’t understand what went wrong.

She glanced at the time to see it was getting late and Vance was nowhere to be seen, so she dialed his line but he didn’t pick up. Almost immediately, a message popped up from him.

~I have an urgent matter to attend to.

Elara smiled bitterly as she read those simple words. She knew exactly what —or more precisely who—that urgent matter was. Lyra.

It wasn’t a secret to her that Vance had been seeing his “best friend” behind her back. She just decided to wave it off. After all, Vance was all she had. She had no friends. No family. Just him.

Deciding to distract herself from her pitiful situation, Elara decided to watch a soap opera and didn’t know when she fell asleep.

She was woken up by the sound of the entrance door opening. Glancing at the time, she saw it was past midnight.

Vance staggered in, holding the wall for support.

“Darling,” Elara quickly rushed to hold him up.

“Gosh, you reek of alcohol. Did you drive in this state?” she asked.

“Get me to our room,” he slurred.

Elara frowned. “You shouldn’t have drunk this much. What if–”

“Will you shut up for once!” Vance snapped, shoving her aside.

She winced as she hit the wall, her wrist scratching against it in the process.

“You have no right to tell me what to do. Don’t you ever forget your place.” He sneered.

Elara stared at him in silence with tears glistening in her eyes.

Vance cast her a disgusted look. “And try losing some weight. Since your womb is useless, complement it by looking pretty,” he spat before making his way upstairs.

A line of tears streaked down Elara’s cheek as she watched him while holding her bruised wrist.