Chapter 4.1
1378 Words
After what happened the night before, Scarlett never left her bedroom.
Her eyes were swollen almost beyond recognition, aching and burning from hours of relentless crying. The pillow beneath her cheek was still damp, her lashes clumped together no matter how many times she wiped her face. She hadn’t slept—not even for a moment. Every time she closed her eyes, the same images replayed in her mind, over and over again, until her chest felt too tight to breathe.
Elijah hadn’t come home.
She didn’t know where he had gone or where he had slept that night. The silence of the house felt heavier than any argument, pressing down on her until it felt like the walls themselves were judging her. She knew she had made a mistake—she knew that—but why wouldn’t he believe her? Why wouldn’t her own husband believe that the child she carried was his?
That question alone tore her apart.
She no longer knew what to do. Nothing in her life made sense anymore. She didn’t understand why everything was falling apart so suddenly, why the happiness she thought she had was slipping through her fingers. There was no one left for her to lean on. Elijah was all she had in this world. He had become her home, her anchor, her reason for waking up every day.
If they separated… how would she even begin again?
Where would she go? Who would she be without him?
She had nothing of her own. No property. No inheritance. No safety net. She had never understood why her parents, who had loved her and treated her well, had left nothing behind for her when they passed away. The company she once believed would someday be hers had ended up in the hands of her cousin Camila’s parents instead. Everything that should have given her security had vanished, one by one.
Her sobs came again, raw and uncontrollable, until her chest hurt and her throat burned. Her eyes were so swollen they throbbed with every blink. She hadn’t eaten since the night before, but she didn’t care. Hunger felt insignificant compared to the fear gnawing at her heart.
She kept thinking about Elijah.
Where was he?
Was he angry? Was he hurting? Or had he already decided to abandon her?
She wanted to fix everything between them. She wanted to explain, to make him understand, to beg if she had to. She was willing to pay for every mistake she had ever made—anything, as long as he didn’t leave her.
Anything… except losing him.
By noon, she still hadn’t left the room. She tried calling Elijah again, her fingers trembling as she stared at her phone. The same result greeted her—cannot be reached. It had been that way since the night before.
She released a long, shaky breath and forced herself to sit up. When she stood and looked at herself in the mirror, she barely recognized the woman staring back. Her eyes were so swollen they looked almost shut, her face pale and hollow. She took a shower, hoping the cold water might reduce the swelling, but it did nothing. The reflection that greeted her afterward was just as broken.
She sat in front of the vanity when a knock sounded on the door.
“Dear, it’s me. Are you okay?” the housekeeper’s gentle voice came through the wood. “You haven’t come downstairs since this morning. If you don’t want to leave your room, I’ll just leave your food outside so you’ll have something in your stomach. I saw your prenatal vitamins. Please remember that your baby is counting on you. Don’t starve yourself—it will affect the child you’re carrying.”
Scarlett’s hand instinctively moved to her lower abdomen.
The realization hit her like a wave.
She wasn’t alone.
She was carrying Elijah’s child.
A faint, fragile smile touched her lips, and for the first time since last night, a flicker of hope warmed her chest. Surely Elijah wouldn’t leave her. Not now. Not when they were about to have a child together.
She stood up and opened the bedroom door. The housekeeper was already gone, but a tray of food sat neatly on the floor outside. Scarlett picked it up and forced herself to eat, even though every bite felt heavy in her mouth.
Once again, she tried calling Elijah.
Still unreachable.
Her worry deepened as the hours passed. She waited the entire day, sitting by the window, listening for the sound of his car, clinging to every noise outside the house.
He never came home.
One day turned into two.
By the second day, fear and shame tangled painfully in her chest, but she gathered her courage and decided to go to his parents’ house. She needed answers. She needed to know where he was.
When the door opened, the maid looked surprised.
“Ma’am Scarlett? What are you doing here?”
“Is Elijah here?” Scarlett asked, her voice tight. “Has he been staying here?”
The maid shook her head. “He hasn’t come home here, ma’am. Only Madam is here.”
“Rosa! Who is that?!” Hazel’s sharp voice rang out from inside the house.
The maid lowered her voice. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but Madam is calling me. You should try calling Sir Elijah again. He hasn’t been coming home here.”
“Scarlett?” Hazel appeared at the doorway, her expression instantly hardening. “What are you doing here? How shameless of you to show your face and come to my house! Rosa, throw her out if you don’t want to be thrown out yourself! I don’t talk to women like her—women who can’t keep their legs closed!”
Hazel turned and went back inside without another word.
The maid looked at Scarlett apologetically. “I’m sorry, ma’am. I can’t let you in. Madam is in a bad mood. If you’re looking for Sir Elijah, maybe try your cousin Camila. She’s been visiting Madam quite often lately. I have to go now before I get in trouble too.”
“Thank you, Rosa,” Scarlett said softly, forcing a small smile.
She returned to her car, her thoughts spiraling. Camila? Since when had Elijah and Camila become so close? A sick feeling twisted in her stomach as suspicion crept into her mind.
Unable to think clearly, Scarlett drove to Elijah’s company.
She went straight to his office. After knocking with no response, she opened the door herself—it wasn’t locked.
“Love?” she called.
The bag of food slipped from her hands and fell to the floor.
Elijah was there.
And so was Camila.
Camila was straddling him as he sat in his swivel chair, her lips pressed against his. His polo shirt was unbuttoned, her short skirt pushed up. They froze when they heard the noise.
Neither of them looked surprised to see her.
Camila rolled her eyes in irritation, clearly annoyed that she had been interrupted.
“What did you do?” Scarlett’s voice trembled as tears welled in her eyes.
Elijah calmly straightened his shirt.
“You’re the one I should be asking,” he said coldly. “What are you doing here? Don’t you know how to knock?”
No remorse. No guilt.
“Why are you doing this, Camila?” Scarlett asked, forcing her voice to stay steady. “You know Elijah and I are married. Why are you kissing him?”
Camila raised an eyebrow. “Why are you only blaming me? Why don’t you ask your husband why he prefers being with me instead of you?”
“We’re cousins,” Scarlett whispered. “Why would you do this to me? I never did anything to you.”
Elijah spoke before Camila could answer.
“What business is it of yours?” he said flatly. “We’re already separated. Wait for the divorce papers I’ll send you. Sign them and leave my house. I don’t want to see you there when I get back. If you’re still there, I’ll drag you out along with your things.”
His voice was empty. Cold.
And just like that, Scarlett felt her world collapse.
- Writer
