บททั้งหมดของ Once His, Forever His: บทที่ 21 - บทที่ 30

ELENA'S POVThe trip here was a huge mistake in the first place. Frozen in my seat, while I watched Lucas and his dad banter, I could not stand it anymore.I looked over at the girl across the table who was also fidgeting, shifting severally in her seat. The urge to scream that ‘it was nothing real between us', but it wasn't my call. Mr. Hefner had made it very clear that I was no longer a part of their family, which I had already accepted clearly, since that day. But it was not just the words he spewed from his mouth, or the hate filled eyes that bore into my skin, making me want to disappear in that moment. It was the hurt reflecting in his shaky hands when he yelled that I was the cause of his wife's death. Aunty Sabrina. She had really taken me as her own daughter from the onset. All I could pay back was disappointment, leading to her early death.It suddenly had me questioning the unchanging past. What if I had not ran away then? Maybe I would have grown to love Lucas somehow.

ELENA'S POVAll I could hear were muffled voices. Even my unconscious mind began to wonder if that was how they communicated in heaven. Or just when they were about to pass judgement. My pursed lips habitually sharpened my ear drums, blocking out every storm of questions in my mind. “Doctor, is she going to be okay?”, Doctor? Where was I?“She should wake up anytime soon sir. Have you contacted her family members?”, I slowly blinked my eyes open to feed my curiosity, instantly setting it on the man in a white coat. My eyes roamed around the unfamiliar room, trying to spot anything familiar. The small bed frame was clearly not mine in any way, which meant I was in a hospital. But how? Who finally came to save me?“I am the closest thing to family she has now. Thank you for your hard work, doctor”, I turned my neck to look at his familiar back which stood beside my bed.What the heck was he talking about? My mouth remained shut with growing dissatisfaction written all over it, a

ELENA'S POV“You know her?”, Ria's sharp tone quickly brought me back to reality.Slowly nodding with my eyes still on Camilla's remorseful face, I decided to brush it off as an honest mistake.“I'm sorry, I wasn't looking”, she countlessly apologized with a pleading posture that made it convincing enough.“It's fine. Mistakes happen”, my fingers kept pinching Ria's arms to prevent her from saying anything else, walking past her to avoid any more trouble.“I bet she did that on purpose”, she finally fumed out once we entered the ladies room.“She doesn't have any reason to do that. It could happen to anyone”, my lips formed a smile at how cute her angry expression looked, even though it came with a terrifying attitude.“Fine. If you say so. Let's go get the dress”, she stormed out with a dissatisfying glare on me while I followed innocently behind her.Our moods were gradually returning to normal, as we eventually settled for the red dress from earlier. Just as Ria's hands reached fo

ELENA'S POVMy first day off and I could not count how many times I deeply regretted it. My heart thumped in tension as I let her stern gaze searched through my involuntary explanation.“Mom, I know how you're feeling and I assure you that I feel the same way as well”, I explained right after I had given her some truths, only concerning Ray for now.“I’m not sure you do honey, because if you did, you would not be entertaining him by now”, her displeased expression had finally softened, leaving only worry which made me inwardly sigh in relief.“He saved me mom. If not for him, I'd be dead by now”, I held her hands for a sign of reassurance as I tried to make her see reasons.“Elena, you know how I've felt about him since that incident, and the one after that. He just sounds like a curse to you”, despite the sting of her words, it remained a bitter truth that still hurt each time i heard it. And now, it seems as if I was always going to be reminded of it.“Mom, what would you do if y

ELENA'S POVDays turned into weeks, and then a month, since the unexpected incident. I had completely settled into my job responsibilities, mostly because it was the easiest way to avoid speaking to Lucas. In the midst of all these, my pregnancy bump had begun to show. People started to notice, especially at the company.I could smell their judgement from a mile or two away whenever I walked through the other floors of the company. The rumors flying about did not evade my ears as well. And Raymond's constant display of affection did not help with it either.He never appeared in the company, but somehow, he always had breakfast and lunch delivered to me every single day.Asides from that, the large bouquet of flowers every morning, had everybody turning their heads, whenever the delivery guy came up to my office.“Miss Elena?”, The secretary called out as soon as she came into the office, while I wearily stared at the wide grin spread on her face.“Your usual flowers have arrived, th