Quiet Evenings and Loud Memories
1681 Words
Quiet Evenings and Loud Memories
SUNDAY evening settled gently over the small house, wrapping it in a hush that felt almost sacred. The sun had dipped low, leaving behind a soft orange glow that filtered through the thin curtains and painted the living room in muted warmth. Elena sat on the couch, her legs tucked beneath her, a book resting open in her hands.
She had been staring at the same page for over ten minutes.
The words blurred together, refusing to make sense. No matter how hard she tried to concentrate, her mind kept slipping away from the pages, drifting back to memories she desperately wished she could forget.
The Friday night. That messy Friday night.
The club, the lights, the music. And the sight that had shattered something deep inside her.
Elena closed the book slowly, pressing it against her chest as she leaned her head back against the couch. Her gaze fixed on the ceiling, but all she could see was Marcus– her husband of eight years, standing there without shame and remorse, with Tiara.
And Tiara?
The cousin she had trusted like a sister.
Elena had no siblings. No brother to lean on, no sister to confide in. Her parents were long gone, and over the years, Tiara had filled that empty space in her life. Family dinners, shared secrets, late-night calls, Tiara had been the closest thing she had to blood that still cared.
Or so she thought.
A bitter laugh escaped Elena’s lips, though there was no humor in it. She turned her gaze back to the book, as if it might save her from her thoughts, but the memories surged harder.
She had given everything to that marriage.
When Marcus had allegedly lost his job, Elena hadn’t complained. She hadn’t questioned. She had simply stepped up. From her modest salary as a clerk, she became the backbone of the household. She paid the rent, the electricity bills, water, groceries, gas, Evan’s school fees, uniforms, books– everything.
She carried it all.
Not because she was obligated to, but because she loved her family. Because she believed that marriage was about sacrifice. Because she thought if she tried hard enough, Marcus would appreciate her, would soften, would stop being so angry and grumpy all the time.
But he never did.
Instead, he grew more distant. More abusive and more entitled. And still, she stayed. For Evan, for peace, for the illusion of a family. And what did she get in return? Betrayal.
Not just from Marcus, but from Tiara. The one person she had trusted completely. The one person she would have defended against the world.
“How could you both do this to me?” she whispered into the quiet room.
Her vision blurred, and she blinked rapidly, but it was too late. A tear slipped down her cheek, then another. She didn’t bother stopping them. The pain had been building for days, pressing against her chest like a weight too heavy to bear.
She didn’t even realize she was crying until small hands touched her face.
“Mommy?”
Elena startled, looking down.
Evan stood in front of her, concern etched on his little face. He reached up with both hands, carefully wiping the tears from her cheeks.
“Mommy, why are you crying?” he asked softly.
Elena sucked in a breath and forced a chuckle, quickly dabbing at her eyes with her fingers.
“Oh… am I?” she said lightly. “I think something just entered my eyes. I’m not crying.”
Evan frowned. “But you look sad.”
She smiled at him, pulling him gently into her arms.
“Mommy is okay, love. Sometimes grown-ups just get tired, that is all.”
He studied her face, clearly unconvinced.
“Did someone make you sad?”
“No,” she replied quickly. “Nobody made me sad.”
He rested his head against her chest, listening to her heartbeat.
“School was fun on Wednesday,” he said suddenly, changing the subject. “We painted pictures.”
“Oh?” Elena said, grateful for the shift. “What did you paint?”
“A house,” he replied. “With a big sun and a tree.”
“That sounds beautiful.”
“It was,” he said proudly. “My teacher said I did a good job.”
“I’m sure you did,” Elena smiled, kissing the top of his head. “You always do.”
They talked for a while, about his classmates, about the snack he liked best at school, about how he wanted to learn how to ride a bike without training wheels. Each word he spoke grounded her, pulled her back from the edge she had been teetering on all evening.
For Evan, she could be strong.
After a moment of silence, he suddenly pulled away from her arms, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.
“Mommy,” he said excitedly, already backing away, “let’s play hide and seek!”
Elena raised an eyebrow.
“Hide and seek?”
“Yes!” he laughed, already turning to run. “You count!”
Before she could say another word, Evan dashed down the hallway, his laughter echoing through the house.
“Hey!” she called after him, standing up. “I’m coming for you!”
She covered her eyes dramatically, counting aloud as she followed him. For that moment, the pain eased, replaced by the sound of her son’s laughter and the simple joy of chasing him through their small, imperfect, but safe little home.
***
Elena arrived at work earlier than she ever had.
The city was still shaking off sleep when she parked her car, the building looming quietly ahead of her. She had taken Evan to school, then drove down to work. She adjusted her bag on her shoulder and took a steadying breath before stepping inside. Coming in early hadn’t been about dedication this morning, no, it had been survival. She wanted silence. She wanted space. More than anything, she wanted to avoid the prying eyes, the whispers that always followed a woman who looked even slightly broken, or the whispers of having been in the CEO’s company throughout Friday.
She succeeded.
Her shared office was empty when she entered, the lights dim, the air still. Relief washed over her instantly. She shut the door softly behind her and went straight to her desk, setting her bag down and pulling out her chair.
Before powering on her computer, Elena folded her hands and bowed her head.
“God,” she whispered, her voice barely audible, “I need strength today. Just strength. Help me keep my head straight. Help me not break. Amen”
She paused, breathing slowly, letting the words sink deeper than her fear. This time, unlike the countless rushed prayers she had offered over the years, she didn’t feel desperation clawing at her chest. Instead, a calm settled over her, quiet, warm and reassuring.
When she lifted her head, she felt lighter and grounded.
She turned on her computer and began her work, fingers moving steadily across the keyboard. Reports, entries, schedules, things she had done so many times they felt like second nature. She focused on each task with determination, forcing her mind away from Marcus. Away from Tiara. Away from the betrayal that threatened to invade her thoughts if she let her guard down for even a second.
She would not let them ruin her day. Never.
Thirty minutes passed.
The door opened, and voices flooded the room before bodies did.
“…I’m telling you, that place is overrated,” a woman laughed.
“No way,” a man countered. “You just don’t know good food.”
Elena’s shoulders stiffened as Ifeanyi and Martha walked in, still mid-conversation, their laughter bouncing off the walls. Her brows furrowed slightly, irritation flashing through her. She had wanted the solitude to last longer, just a little longer at least.
She didn’t look up from her screen. Neither did they acknowledge her presence. Ifeanyi dropped into his chair, still talking, while Martha began arranging her things, humming lightly.
The noise grated on Elena’s nerves, but she said nothing, choosing instead to drown it out with the rhythmic tapping of her keys.
A few minutes later, the door opened again.
Darel stepped in, briefcase in hand, offering a polite nod to the room before settling at his desk. The office was now fully awake, alive with the usual sounds of a workday beginning, papers shuffling, chairs scraping, quiet murmurs.
Elena worked on. Two hours passed.
She checked the time on her screen, surprised to realize she had been working for almost two hours straight without once drifting into unwanted thoughts. A small sense of accomplishment warmed her chest. Maybe today wouldn’t be so bad after all.
Then the door opened again.
Elena didn’t look up immediately. She assumed it was Clinton, that bane of her existence, or perhaps someone from another department with a file to drop off.
But the sudden, unnatural silence told her otherwise. Her fingers stilled mid-type.
Martha gasped audibly.
“Oh my God,” she whispered.
Ifeanyi’s laughter died instantly, his mouth falling open in a perfect ‘O’.
Darel froze, eyes widening as if he were staring at something unreal.
Confused, Elena slowly lifted her gaze. And froze.
Standing in the doorway, tall, composed and impossibly commanding, was a man she never, never in her wildest dreams expected to see in their office.
Eamon Valerius.
The CEO of the Lunaris empire.
Her breath caught painfully in her throat. Her heart slammed against her ribs as if trying to escape. The room seemed to tilt, the edges of her vision blurring as her mind struggled to reconcile his presence here– with her, in this small shared office, on a regular work morning.
Eamon stood there effortlessly, dressed in a sharp, tailored suit, his presence alone altering the very atmosphere of the room. And every single pair of eyes was on him.
- Writer
