CHAPTER THREE. THE STRANGER
967 Words
Elena made it to the elevator before the tears came.
The moment the doors closed, whatever had been holding her together disappeared.
She pressed a hand over her mouth as the first sob escaped.
Three years.
Three years of loving Damien. Three years of believing they were building a life together. She had imagined their wedding, their home, even the children they might have one day.
And all that time, her own sister had been helping her plan a future Damien was already destroying.
Her phone rang.
Damien.
Elena rejected the call.
It rang again.
She rejected it again.
A message appeared.
Damien: We need to talk when you've calmed down.
Elena stared at the screen in disbelief.
When you've calmed down.
As if her anger was the problem.
Another message appeared.
Serena: Please don't go home yet. Let me explain to Mom and Dad myself.
Elena laughed through her tears.
Of course Serena was worried about their parents finding out.
She switched off her phone.
When the elevator reached the ground floor, Elena wiped her face and walked outside.
She couldn't go home.
Her mother would know immediately that something was wrong. Her father would demand answers, and Ethan would probably go straight to Damien's apartment.
She could call Maya.
Or Nathan.
Either of them would come without asking twice.
But Elena didn't want anyone who knew her.
Not tonight.
She didn't want sympathy. She didn't want advice. Most of all, she didn't want to repeat what had happened and hear it become real all over again.
So she got into her car and drove.
---
Elena didn't know how long she had been driving when she noticed the bar.
She had never been there before.
Perfect.
Inside, the lights were low and the music quiet enough that she didn't have to shout. A few people sat scattered around tables, paying no attention to her.
Nobody knew her.
Exactly what she needed.
Elena took a seat at the far end of the bar.
She ordered the first drink she saw someone else having.
That turned out to be a mistake.
She took one sip and grimaced.
"That bad?"
The male voice came from her right.
Elena kept looking at her glass.
"Depends."
"On?"
"Whether you're talking about me or the drink."
"The drink."
She finally looked at him.
And paused.
He was tall, with dark hair and broad shoulders beneath a white shirt. His jacket rested over one arm, and the top buttons of his shirt were open.
Expensive-looking.
Very expensive-looking.
But it was his eyes that held her attention.
Grey.
He nodded toward her drink.
"You've been staring at it like it betrayed you."
Elena's face changed before she could stop it.
The stranger noticed.
"Sorry," he said immediately.
"You couldn't have known."
He glanced toward the empty stool beside her.
"Would you rather I leave you alone?"
That surprised her.
"Maybe."
One eyebrow lifted.
"Should I wait here while you decide?"
A smile almost escaped her.
"You can sit."
He did, leaving comfortable space between them.
The bartender approached.
"Sparkling water," the stranger ordered.
Elena turned toward him.
"Water?"
"I have an early morning."
"Then why are you in a bar?"
He smiled slightly.
"I could ask you the same thing."
Her smile disappeared.
He noticed that too.
But he didn't ask.
For some reason, Elena appreciated him more for that.
The bartender placed his water down.
They sat quietly for a moment before Elena spoke.
"I'm Elena."
He turned toward her.
"Adrian."
"Just Adrian?"
"For now."
"That sounds arrogant."
"So I've been told."
"Frequently?"
"Enough that I'm beginning to suspect everyone else might be right."
A laugh slipped out before Elena could stop it.
Adrian smiled.
"There it is."
"What?"
"A laugh."
"You imagined it."
"Possible."
Elena studied him.
Talking to him felt strangely easy.
Maybe because he knew nothing about her.
To Adrian, she wasn't Damien's fiancée.
Former fiancée.
She wasn't Serena's sister or Richard and Isabella's daughter.
She was simply Elena.
His gaze briefly dropped to her left hand.
"Recent?"
Elena looked at the pale mark left by her engagement ring.
"About two hours."
Adrian's expression became serious.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be."
"All right."
She looked at him.
"That's it?"
"You told me not to be sorry."
Something about his answer made her smile.
He wasn't pushing.
And perhaps that was why she suddenly wanted to tell him.
"My fiancé cheated on me."
Adrian remained silent.
Elena swallowed.
"With my sister."
His eyebrows rose.
"Your sister?"
"Apparently she's irresistible."
"That's not what I was thinking."
"What were you thinking?"
"That they're both terrible people."
Elena laughed again.
This time, she didn't stop herself.
"He said it was partly my fault."
Adrian's expression hardened.
"Why?"
Elena hesitated.
"I wanted to wait until marriage."
She waited for his reaction.
It didn't come.
Elena frowned.
"That's it?"
"What am I supposed to say?"
"I don't know."
Adrian took a sip of water.
"You made a decision about your own body. If he couldn't accept it, he should have ended the relationship."
Elena stared at him.
Those were almost the exact words she had said to Damien.
"He doesn't get to agree to your boundary," Adrian continued, "then use it as an excuse to betray you."
Something tightened in her throat.
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For not making me feel stupid."
Adrian looked at her for a moment.
"You trusted someone you loved. That doesn't make you stupid."
Elena looked away before he could see how deeply those words affected her.
"Can we talk about something else?"
"Anything."
"Something completely stupid."
Adrian considered it.
"Pineapple on pizza."
Elena stared at him.
"Absolutely not."
His smile widened.
"Good. We have somewhere to start."
And for the first time that night, Elena realized she was enjoying herself.
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