Heir Of Shadows

CHAPTER TWO

ELARA

I barely remembered how I ended up at Avery’s apartment. My body had moved on autopilot; my mind was stuck replaying the same horrific scene over and over again. Mason is in bed with a man. Never in my wildest dreams had I thought he would move that way.

Of all the people he could cheat on me with, it was his secretary. The way he looked at me—caught, guilty, desperate. My heart twisted painfully every time the image crept back in.

Avery sat across from me, her face lined with concern as she handed me a cup of water. The quick turn of events must have been shocking to her.

"You have barely said a word since you got here," he said softly.

"Elara, talk to me. Please."

I stared at the tea in my hands, the warmth barely registering against my trembling fingers.

"What is there to say?” My voice cracked.

“He cheated on me, I saw him in our bed….with…” The words failed me.

“What? What do you mean he cheated? He just got back. Did he come with another woman? or has he been an asshole his entire life?” She asked all at once.

“No, with a man. His secretary,” The shock on her face was evident as she stumbled over the living room table. “What the actual f**k!”

“He cheated on me, Ave. Just like that. I'd been anticipating this day all week, but what did I get in return?”

She sighed, scooting closer. “He’s a jerk, okay? A lying, selfish jerk. You deserve better than this.”

The tears I’d been holding back finally spilled over. “Better? Better than what? Three years, Avery. Three years of my life are gone. And for what? For him to humiliate me like this?” My voice wavered, and I covered my face with my hands.

Avery wrapped her arms around me, her hug fierce and protective. “You didn’t deserve this. Not even a little. And if he thinks he can weasel his way out of this with some stupid excuse—”

“I don’t want to hear it,” I cut in, pulling away from her embrace. “I don’t want his excuses. I don’t even want him anymore.”

Silence hung between us, thick and heavy. I wiped my tears and stared out the window, the city lights blurring in the distance. “I need to call off everything. The wedding, the trip to Miami, the spa date—everything.”

Avery’s head snapped toward me. “You’re serious? I can do the Miami getaway, but everything else is non-refundable.”

“What else am I supposed to do?” I snapped, my voice rising.

“Forgive him? Pretend this didn’t happen? Marry him and spend the rest of my life wondering why he opted to sleep with a man,” My voice quivered as I fought to hold back tears. Mason didn't deserve to make me cry. No, he didn't.

She didn’t answer right away, her expression somber. “No, you’re right,” she said finally. “He is a lying piece of s**t and doesn't deserve any part of you.”

“I can't go back there, Ave. I can't. It will be a stark reminder of what I had just witnessed,” I pleaded. She flung her hands on my shoulder with the warmest embrace ever.

“Am I crazy? I prepared a warm bath for myself, but you could use it. You need it more than I do. I will sort out some change of clothes. We will order pizza and cry till our eyes hurt.” This brought a smile to my face. I was the luckiest girl in my life because I had an Avery.

“Go on,” She urged.

*********

The afternoon moved on quietly, and for the first time in a while, I had the most peaceful sleep ever in my best friend's house.

“Oh, you are up? Have you had a good rest?” I found Avery in the living room working on some documents.

Just as I was about to respond, a knock at the door shattered the quiet.

Avery frowned. “Who on earth could that be at this hour?” She got up to answer it, and I didn’t bother looking. My head throbbed, and I wanted nothing more than to disappear into a black hole.

But then I heard his voice.

“Elara.”

My blood ran cold. I looked up, and there he was—Mason—standing in the doorway with that same desperate, guilty expression.

Avery glanced back at me, her face mixed with confusion and fury. “You have a lot of nerve showing up here,” she hissed at him.

“I just need to talk to her,” he pleaded.

“She doesn't want to talk to you!” Avery shot back, slamming the door in his face.

“Avery,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. She turned to me, her anger softening just a little. “It’s fine. Let him in.”

“Elara—”

“It’s fine,” I repeated, though my stomach churned. “Let him in.”

With a huff, she stepped aside, and Mason walked in. He looked wrecked—his hair disheveled, his eyes red-rimmed. For a brief moment, I felt a pang of satisfaction. Good. He should feel miserable.

Avery gave me a questioning look, and I nodded. She sighed. “I’ll give you two some space, but if he upsets you, I’m kicking him out.”

Once she left the room, he turned to me. “Elara, please, just listen to me.”

I crossed my arms. “Honestly, I don't want to. But some part of me still wants to listen to the silly excuse you could devise now.”

He took a deep breath, his hands shaking. “I—I’m sorry for everything. I didn’t mean for you to find out like that. I didn't think you would show up when you did.”

The truth hit me like a ton of bricks. What more was I expecting? That he would tell me that was his first time? I knew for a fact that it was a bloody lie.

“Tell me the truth, Mason. How long has this been going on? How long have you known? Why wasn't I enough for you?” I was about to have another nervous breakdown, but I knew Avery would not bat an eyelid in, whisking me out of there if she had to. I needed to hear the truth.

“It wasn’t about you,” he blurted. “It has never been about you.”

“You just suddenly decided to lick men’s asses. We've had s*x on that bed, Mason! A couple of times. Did you think of him while that was going on?”

“I’ve been struggling with this for a while,” he admitted, his voice breaking. “I thought I could push it down, ignore it. But I couldn’t. And then I messed up—God, I messed up so badly. I betrayed you, the one person who didn’t deserve it.”

I stared at him, my emotions a tangled mess of shock, anger, and sadness. “You’re selfish,” I said, my voice trembling. “You strung me along for three years knowing this? And you didn’t even have the decency to tell me the truth before I walked in on… that?”

“I didn’t know how,” he said, his eyes filling with tears. “I was scared. Of what it would mean.

Of losing you.”

“You lost me the moment you lied to me,” I snapped. “And don’t you dare stand here and make this about you? Do you have any idea what you’ve done to me? To my life?”

He flinched, silent.

“I loved you, Mason,” I whispered. “And you destroyed me.”

“It doesn't have to be the end of us, Elara. I still love you. I still want you,” I scoffed at the absurdity of it all.

“What?”

“Your job with the company. He hesitated, and for the first time, he met my eyes. “Your job.”

I stiffened. “What about my job?”

“You work for my father’s company,” he began, his tone cautious. “And considering everything that’s happened, we both know things might get… complicated.”

I knew this but thought I could wing through it despite the heartbreak.

“I need this relationship to work, Elara. My father can't know that his only son is gay. It will kill him,” This day kept getting more absurd.

I stared at him, suspicion growing in my chest. “What are you talking about?”

He took a deep breath as if bracing himself. “No one knows about Dominic, my secretary. So, no one needs to know about my little secret. We could stay together until I gather the courage to come out.” The words hung in the air, absurd and offensive.

“You drove your stinky ass car to tell me this rubbish so I can keep my job,” I blinked, sure I hadn’t heard him right. “You want me to pretend to still be with you? After what you did to me?”

“Elara, it’s not forever,” he said quickly. “Just long enough to smooth things over. You’d keep your job, your income—”

“Are you serious right now?” I interrupted, my voice rising. “You think I’d sacrifice my dignity to save face for you?”

“My hands balled into fists. “Unbelievable. You cheated on me, destroyed our relationship, and now you’re trying to manipulate me into staying with you for your convenience?”

“It’s not manipulation,” he said weakly.

“It’s disgusting,” I snapped. “And I’d rather be broke than stay tied to someone like you.”

Mason’s face hardened. “Fine. If that’s how you feel, you’ve made your choice. But don’t come crying to me when you’re out of options.”

I laughed bitterly. “Trust me, Mason. You’re the last person I’d turn to.”

He stared at me for a moment longer, his jaw clenched, before storming out.

The door slammed, and Avery appeared almost instantly. “What the hell happened?”

I sank onto the couch, my chest heaving with frustration. “He wants me to stay in a fake relationship with him to keep my job. Can you believe that?”

Her jaw dropped. “He said that? Oh, that slimy—”

“I quit,” I muttered, cutting her off. “Or… I guess I have been fired. Either way, I’m jobless now.”

“Elara…” Her voice softened, her anger giving way to concern.

“It’s fine,” I said quickly, though the knot in my stomach told me otherwise. “I’ll figure something out. I always do.”

But deep down, I wasn’t so sure. With my family depending on me, losing my job couldn’t have come at a worse time. And I had no idea what to do next for the first time in years.

My phone beeped; it's a call from home.

“Mum's sick. She's currently at the hospital, Elara,” The person on the other end of the call sounded frantic. It was my sister.

What a way to end the day!