Chapter Seven
855 Words
That night, Richard couldn't sleep. He lay on his side of the massive king-sized bed, staring at the ceiling. The room was too silent. For years, he had become accustomed to Elizabeth's presence without ever acknowledging it.
The soft rustle of pages whenever she was reading late in the night. . The faint scent of her perfume lingering in the room. The small lamp she always left on because she hated sleeping in complete darkness. All of it was gone now.
Richard sat up and rubbed a hand over his face. His eyes drifted toward the empty side of the bed. The room suddenly felt bigger and lonelier than it ever had before.
Unable to rest, Richard got out of bed and walked downstairs. The mansion was quiet. Most of the staff had already retired for the night.
As he entered the kitchen, he found Aaron arranging a few things before heading to bed.
The older man looked surprised. "Sir?"
Richard opened the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water.
"Aren't you sleeping?"
Aaron smiled faintly. "I was about to ask you the same thing."
Richard took a drink without answering.
Aaron hesitated before speaking again. "Madam used to come down here whenever she couldn't sleep."
Richard looked up.
"She did?"
Aaron nodded. "Most nights."
Most nights? The answer caught him off guard.
How many sleepless nights had Elizabeth spent while he remained completely unaware?
The answer caught him off guard. "She usually made tea and sat by the garden window."
Richard found himself walking toward that exact spot.
There was a small simple chair sitting there, overlooking the garden. He imagined Elizabeth sitting there alone while the rest of the mansion slept. Waiting, thinking, perhaps crying. The thought of it made him uncomfortable.
"You can go to bed, Aaron."
The older man nodded and quietly left while Richard remained standing there long after. He was beginning to realize how much of Elizabeth's life had happened without him noticing.
Across the city, Elizabeth sat on the couch wrapped in a blanket. The television played softly in the background, though she wasn't really watching it.
Her thoughts kept returning to Richard. The look on his face when he saw the pregnancy report. After everything, part of her still paid attention to him.
A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. Elizabeth frowned as she carefully opened the door. It was nearly ten o'clock.
“Who could it be?”
Ethan stood outside holding two paper bags.
"Please tell me you haven't skipped dinner."
"You really need a hobby." A small smile appeared on her face.
"I have one." Ethan laughed.
"What?"
"Making sure you don't accidentally starve yourself."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes as she stepped aside while Ethan entered the apartment and placed the food on the table. Elizabeth realized she was hungry as the aroma filled the room.
"You didn't have to do this."
"I know."
"But someone has to take care of you." Ethan sat across from her.
For three years, she had spent so much energy trying to earn love that she forgot what simple kindness felt like.
As they ate, Ethan studied her carefully.
"You're thinking about him again."
Elizabeth sighed. "Am I that obvious?"
"Only to people who know you."
She pushed her food around the plate. "I don't know what's wrong with me."
"Nothing is wrong with you." Ethan leaned back.
"He divorced me."
"Yes."
"He ignored me for years."
"Also yes."
"And somehow seeing him today still affected me."
Ethan smiled sadly. "That's because you loved him."
Elizabeth lowered her eyes.
That was the problem. Maybe she still did. You can't switch off feelings simply because someone hurt you. If it were that easy, she would've stopped loving Richard years ago.
Back at the Smith Estate, Richard sat alone in his study. A glass of whiskey rested untouched on his desk as his phone suddenly vibrated.
The caller ID displayed Selena Harrison. He stared at the screen for a while. Normally, he would've answered immediately, but he wasn't in the mood.
The phone rang again and again till he picked up.
"What is it?"
There was a pause. Then Selena's cheerful voice came through.
"That's quite a greeting."
"What do you need?"
"I heard about Elizabeth."
His expression immediately hardened. "What about her?"
"I heard she's pregnant."
Richard sat upright. The news had spread faster than he expected.
"Who told you?"
"Your mother."
“Of course.” Richard pinched the bridge of his nose. "What do you want, Selena?"
"Richard, you can't seriously be considering taking her back."
His gaze drifted toward the empty chair across from him. For a long moment, he said nothing because he wasn't sure what he wanted.
All he knew was that Elizabeth was gone. And somehow, that bothered him more than it should.
"Goodnight, Selena."
Before she could respond, he ended the call.
Then he sat there in silence, thinking about Elizabeth, thinking about the baby, thinking about the life he had carelessly thrown away.
Richard Smith began to wonder if signing those divorce papers had been the biggest mistake of his life.
- Writer
