AM DONE CHASING LOVE
922 Words
The family sat in the living room. No one spoke. The clock on the wall ticked loud, counting every second Elaina wasn’t home.
Elaina sank into the couch. The warmth of the house hit her skin, but her hands still shook. She pressed her palms against her knees to hide it.
Elaina couldn’t believe she was home. She let out a shaky breath. For a second she just felt the warmth, like she could finally breathe again.
The silence shattered when Adrian leaned forward.
“So… what are you planning to do about Damian?” His voice was low but sharp.
All eyes turned to her.
Elaina’s throat tightened. She swallowed hard. When she spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper, but it cut through the room.
“I already signed the divorce papers,” she said.
“Lyra will drop them at his place today.”
Her fingers curled into fists against her knees.
“I’m done chasing love, Daddy.”
She turned to Cassian. Her eyes were glassy but steady.
“Cass, I want you to pull out all our investments in his company. Close every deal we have with him. I don’t want a single thread left tying me to him.”
Genevieve moved instantly. She sat beside Elaina and took her hand in both of hers. Her thumb brushed over Elaina’s knuckles, slow and gentle.
“Dear… are you sure?” she asked softly.
“Did you tell him about your pregnancy?”
At the word pregnancy, Elaina’s breath hitched. Slowly, she placed her other hand over her belly, like she could shield the life inside her from the whole world.
Her eyes lifted to meet her mother’s.
“I’m sure, Mummy,” she whispered.
“When I came back from the hospital, I wanted to tell him. I wanted him to know… I hoped that with our babies, he would love me, accept me.” Her voice cracked.
“But I overheard their conversation. He told his friends that our night was a mistake.”
She swallowed hard, fighting the burn in her throat.
“I don’t want my babies to be called a mistake. I want them loved, wanted. If he’s happy with someone else, then… there’s no point in telling him.”
Adrian shot to his feet. The couch creaked under him. He took two steps, stopped, fists shaking at his sides. Knuckles turned white.
“That i***t!” he hissed, voice trembling with fury.
“How dare he treat my daughter like that? He’s not even worth cleaning your shoes, and he threw you away like you were nothing.”
He paced two steps, then forced himself to stop.
“I’ll make him pay for this. And that green hat of his too.”
The room went quiet again, but this time it wasn’t empty. It was full of unspoken promises.
Genevieve squeezed Elaina’s hand gently, eyes glistening. She brushed a strand of hair from Elaina’s face.
“Okay, dear,” she said softly.
“You’ve had a long night. You need rest. I’ll tell Dindi to prepare something warm for you to eat.”
Elaina nodded. Exhaustion finally caught up with her. She stood and headed to her room.
9:00 AM, New York
Damian woke to his phone vibrating violently against the nightstand. The sound grated against his skull.
He reached for it, vision blurred with sleep.
30 missed calls.
His assistant.
His grandparents.
Vanessa.
His chest tightened. Something was wrong.
He sat up too fast. The room tilted. He reached for the empty space beside him. Cold sheets.
“Ellie?” His voice cracked.
“Where are you?”
Footsteps thundered downstairs. Heavy. Furious.
“Damian!”
His grandfather’s roar shook the house. Damian’s heart slammed against his ribs as he stumbled down the stairs.
Andrew stood in the living room, face twisted with rage.
“You stupid brat!” Andrew spat.
“What time do you call this? Still sleeping while you’ve dragged the company into a mess? You don’t even answer your damn phone!”
Damian blinked, confused.
“What mess? Grandpa, I don’t understand…”
Andrew slammed a file onto the table. The sound made Damian flinch.
“The Reed family pulled back all their investments. Every project they gave us—cancelled.”
His voice dropped, dangerous.
“What did you do?”
Damian froze.
“I… I did nothing,” he whispered.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Madeline stepped forward, eyes sharp with worry and disappointment. She studied him—the dark circles under his eyes, the way he looked like a ghost.
“Damian,” she said softly.
“Did you sleep last night?”
He swallowed hard.
“I did… but I went to bed late.”
Andrew wasn’t having it.
“Who cares if you slept?” he snapped.
“The Reeds helped us when we were on the verge of bankruptcy. We don’t even know why they decided to invest in our company back then.”
“Their projects are worth billions, Damian. Billions!” Andrew’s finger jabbed at Damian’s chest.
“I don’t care what you did. Fix it.”
The weight of it crushed Damian’s lungs.
Billions. Gone. And he didn’t even know why.
Madeline’s voice cut through the rage, quiet but piercing. She looked around the room, searching.
“Where is Ellie?”
Damian’s blood ran cold. His throat went dry.
“Ellie…” he breathed, dread settling in his gut.
He had no answer.
- Writer
