Semua Bab The Mistress Who Outgrew the Man: Bab 1 - Bab 8

On Thanksgiving morning, my boyfriend left out a set of lingerie for me to wear that night, telling me to wait for him. Before I could respond, he rushed off, saying something important had come up.Just then, my best friend, Sophie Vaughn, said that her brother, Elias Vaughn was finally bringing his girlfriend home. She invited me to join them for dinner.Seeing the excitement in her eyes, I found myself nervously agreeing.She didn't know that the mysterious lady Elias was bringing home was actually me.I thought Elias was planning a surprise for me, that he would formally introduce me to his family on this special day.I carefully dressed up and took the report I had just finished writing for Elias. Then, I followed Sophie home.Just as we reached the front door, she gasped and pulled me aside to hide."Evie! Elias really brought someone home!"My smile stiffened. Following Sophie's pointing finger, I saw Elias—who had been entwined with me that morning—hugging and kissing a

Elias took the initiative to open the passenger door of his car for Bella.I watched them in silence from the back seat. The whole time, all I felt was a sharp pain inside.Even though Elias and I had shared so many intimate moments in this very car, he had never let me sit in the passenger seat.He had said, "Our relationship isn't public. If people see us together, it won't do you any good."I once thought he was being considerate. But I now realize that he was just afraid of people finding out about us.I closed my eyes and instinctively reached to the side, only to find that the doll I had bought to leave in Elias' car was gone.My heart sank. He was so eager to erase any trace of us in front of Bella.Numbly, I put on my headphones to block out their conversation.After Elias dropped Bella home, she waved goodbye to us.The bracelet I had spent so long making jingled softly on her wrist.I couldn't help but stare at her hand.Perhaps she caught my lingering gaze, but Be

My eyes widened in shock. I couldn't believe Elias had actually said those words to me out loud.The Elias I used to know—the one who had loved me and had once been so gentle—had somehow turned into someone so repulsive and manipulative.I pulled the matching bracelets from my wrist and snapped them right in front of him. "You and I are just like these two broken bracelets—completely shattered!"Beads scattered across the floor, bouncing chaotically in every direction—just like our broken relationship.Elias' face darkened. He stared at me for a long time before finally saying, "Fine, Evie. But since we never went public, let's not bring it up ever again. "I don't want Soph or my parents to know. And I definitely don't want Bella finding out and feeling guilty."A bitter smile tugged at the corners of my lips. So that was what this was. He wasn't here because he had any feelings for me.He was only afraid that people would find out he had once toyed with a woman's heart.I s

I had already packed my things and was planning to find Sophie to say goodbye when I spotted her downstairs—with Elias and Bella by her side.The mood between the two of them felt noticeably colder than it had been on Thanksgiving."Evie!" Sophie waved me over. "We're throwing a little celebration for Bella. She's heading to Ashcroft University too. Come with us!"I didn't even get the chance to decline. Sophie grabbed my hand and pulled me straight into the car.She and Bella chatted the whole ride over, both of them effortlessly good at keeping conversations going.Meanwhile, Elias and I sat in silence.When we arrived, I was surprised to see that Graham and Theodore were also there.Sophie rushed forward and took Theodore's hand with a beaming smile, then turned and shot me a wink."It looks like someone else was hoping to see you today, Evie."I smiled awkwardly, unsure of how to respond.Then, Elias suddenly stepped in front of me, blocking Graham's view."Soph, don't t