Chapter 5: He has a girlfriend?
1063 Words
RACHEL'S POV
The next morning, I woke up early, determined to meet Elvis, but I had to be careful. Noah couldn’t find out. I peeked around the house to make sure he wasn’t anywhere nearby. Thankfully, his car was gone. He must have gone to work.
I slipped out quietly, my heart pounding. I didn't know what this meeting would bring, but I needed closure. Or answers. Or maybe just a moment to feel something real again.
When I arrived at the small park we agreed on, I saw him sitting on a bench under a tree. As soon as he saw me, he stood up, and before I knew it, we were in each other's arms.
It wasn’t a perfect embrace. It was shaky, filled with unspoken words, but warm. Familiar. Like finding home in the middle of a storm. I felt him breathe deeply, and I did too.
"God, Rachel," he said, still holding me. "I was so scared. I thought I lost you."
I didn’t reply immediately. My throat felt tight.
He stepped back a little to look into my face. "I know last night had to be some mistake. Tell me it was. Please."
I sat beside him on the bench. I took a deep breath, staring ahead. "Elvis... it wasn’t a mistake. I married him."
"No," he whispered.
"It’s complicated," I continued. "You know that my dad was sick. We had no money. Noah agreed to help, but... in return, I had to marry him."
"Why didn't you tell me? You just can't make such a life-changing decision without informing, Rachel. Life doesn't work that way."
"I am sorry. I received a call that my dad might not live that long as his situation worsens, so I knew that I needed to come up with something."
"When is the arrangement supposed to end?"
"There’s no end date. It’s a contract I can’t see through."
He stood up and paced. His hands clenched into fists. "That man is sick! What kind of person makes that kind of deal? He trapped you, Rachel. He used your situation against you!"
I just looked at him. I didn’t argue. I had lived those words every day.
Elvis turned to me, his expression softening. "I’ll find a way. I promise. I’ll get you out of his clutches. I don’t know how yet, but I’ll raise the money. We can fix this."
He reached to hug me again, then tried to kiss me, but I pulled back slightly, scanning the area. "Elvis... someone could see us."
He sighed but nodded. "Okay. But promise me one thing. Don’t shut me out again. Don’t ignore my calls. Let me be here for you."
I nodded. "I promise."
With one last lingering look, he left.
I sat there for a few moments, feeling something I hadn’t in days. Relief. But doubt followed quickly. Could Elvis really raise that kind of money? Was it possible?
I went for a long walk afterward, trying to clear my mind.
When I returned home, I stepped inside and was immediately taken aback. A woman was standing in the living room.
Her hair was jet black and straight, perfectly styled like she'd just stepped out of a salon. Her face was sharp, cheekbones high, lips full and coated with deep red lipstick. Her eyes were narrowed, her expression dripping with disdain. Her body was tall and slim, dressed in a fitted red dress that left little to the imagination.
She looked at me like I was dirt on her shoe.
"Who are you?" she asked, her voice cold.
"I live here," I replied, confused.
She scoffed. "Live here? Did you lose your way?"
I didn't respond. Her face looked very familiar to me.
When she saw that I didn't say anything, she went ahead to say, "I’m Marianne. And you are...?"
I blinked. Marianne. The senator’s daughter. I’d seen her in magazines and the news. No wonder she was familiar.
"Rachel," I said.
Her lips curled. "You must be the maid. Or one of Noah's... side interests? He always had a type. What went wrong?"
I didn't reply. I didn't know how.
She walked around the room slowly, trailing her fingers on the furniture. "You know, Noah and I go way back. Very close friends. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if we ended up together. We have... chemistry."
How was that my problem? I just wanted to make sure we didn't have a thief or a dangerous person visiting.
Before I could say a word, the front door opened and Noah walked in. He looked surprised to see her.
"Marianne? What are you doing here?"
She walked up to him, running a finger down his chest. "I missed you. Thought I’d drop by."
He stepped back. "You shouldn’t have."
She frowned. "Is this because of her?"
He turned slightly. "I’ll talk to you later. Please leave."
She looked stunned. "You’re serious?"
"Yes. I’ll reach out when I have the time."
Marianne shot me a glare before grabbing her bag and storming out.
Noah turned to me. His face was hard. Cold.
"Where were you today?"
I hesitated. "I went for a walk."
He raised an eyebrow. "Is that what you call hugging and kissing another man in public?"
My heart dropped.
"You think I wouldn't find out? I saw you, Rachel. I saw you with him. That same man dared to message me. To threaten me! Is this the thanks I get? For helping you?"
I tried to speak, but nothing came out.
"Do you have no dignity? You're married now. You represent me. And this is how you behave?"
His voice was rising. I felt my chest tighten.
"From now on," he said sternly, "all your benefits are revoked. You won’t get a dime from me for a while. And you’ll do all the house chores. No help from the maids. If you refuse, I’ll sue you to repay every cent I spent, do you understand?!"
I stood there, stunned. I couldn’t breathe. It felt like a nightmare.
He walked away, leaving me frozen in place.
The next day, I woke up early. There was no time to think, no time to cry. I rolled up my sleeves and started the chores. One after the other.
I was tired. I was sad. I was misunderstood.
But I had no choice.
- Writer
