CHAPTER 2
1097 Words
As Elara blinked and turned, it was John standing there with his face high in disbelief. She didn't see him clearly before because the tears in her eyes had made her eyes blurry.
“Go upstairs and get something on, you fool.” He said bluntly, “My brother is also coming today, so go get dressed up.”
Elara went to her bedroom. As she sat on her bed, she was shivering.
John was always possessive and too proud of himself. She had only agreed to marry him out of necessity; her brother, Aiden, needed urgent and expensive surgery for his congenital heart defect(CHD). A serious condition that has been present from his birth. It requires open-heart surgery to keep surviving past a certain age.
There was no other way to pay for the surgery when John showed up and offered to pay for the surgery forever if Elara agreed to marry him.
Elara's stepmother accepted the offer without hesitation and even without her own consent. Elara had no other choice but to go along with it. She didn't want her brother to die after their parents had died, leaving them alone with their reckless stepmother. Her father died in an accident, and her mother died from cancer after being emotionally shattered by their father's death.
Being the only eldest, guardian, and provider for Aiden. She helps him emotionally and financially as an elder sister would do.
She got married to a man she had never known before, apart from his rumors. And now, she couldn't help but feel sad and trapped. She can't even make a call or even see his little brother, Aiden, after the surgery, and now.
She didn't love John, and the thought of spending the rest of her life with him made her feel sick to her stomach. She knew he didn't love her either.
She was snapped back from her thoughts when she heard some murmuring going on downstairs, more like John was talking to someone happily, as their laughter echoed through the mansion walls.
She remembered John had said earlier that his younger brother was coming home today. With a deep breath, she picked up a cloth and got dressed up, wiped away the last of her tears, and headed downstairs.
She slowly descended the grand staircase as she saw a tall, fair-skinned guy talking to John as they hugged each other, and she thought to herself, obviously it must be his brother.
As she got to the bottom of the staircase and moved closer to them, she met the gaze of John's brother as she paused, she was in shock at who she had just seen.
It's the man from the hospital. The one who had handed her a bottle of water when she couldn’t breathe. Who sat beside her while Aiden clung to life. Who looked at her with nothing but quiet kindness.
He was here.
He was taller than she remembered, more refined in a navy suit. He looked up, his eyes meeting hers as he also froze. He stared at her as if he were looking at a ghost.
Elara couldn’t speak. Her lips parted. Her body refused to move, which made John very confused at the scene.
“Ethan?” John’s voice sliced through the air, bringing him back from his thoughts. “Did you know each other before?” John asked.
“No, absolutely not,” Ethan replied too quickly, not wanting his elder brother to suspect that anything was going on.
“Well then, meet my new wife.” He said to Ethan as he pushed her into his embrace.
Ethan’s jaw tightened. His eyes flicked between them, disbelief rippling across his face.
Wife?
Her?
“And, Elara, meet Ethan, my younger brother; he's just back from abroad,” John explained to Elara with a smile.
John laughed as he continued, “She married me to save her sick brother. Sweet, isn’t it? I do have a heart after all.”
Her brother?
Aiden?
He kissed Elara’s cheek mockingly, possessively, and wrapped an arm around her waist, but she flinched.
Ethan saw it. Every muscle in his body tensed. Ethan was confused and frustrated at all of this.
*********
Later that night, Elara stood on the balcony alone, the wind brushing her face as she enjoyed the view. The city lights shimmered in the distance, mocking her silence.
Lost in thought, she didn't notice the sound of footsteps approaching until a voice suddenly spoke behind her
“You remember me?” The voice was rich, gentle, and familiar.
Elara jumped, startled, and turned to see Ethan standing there. She hadn't even heard him approach. His tie was undone now, sleeves rolled. He looked nothing like John. Not in energy but calm.
“Oh!” she screamed, her hand flying to her chest. “You scared me.”
A faint smile played on Ethan's lip, “I am sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you.”
She nodded slowly, “Yes, of course, you’re the man who helped me at the hospital.”
He stepped closer, gaze never leaving hers.
“I—I didn’t know… I left for Spain the next day. I didn’t know your name. I just—”
He stopped, running a hand through his hair. “—I thought about you and Aiden more times than I care to admit.”
Elara’s throat tightened, “I never forgot you either.”
“Well, I have been away for a while,” Ethan explained. “But I am back now, and I plan to stick around for a while.”
Elara smiled, feeling a sense of comfort in Ethan's presence for the first time in that house, “Well, I'm glad you are here, I could use a friend.”
Ethan returned that smile, “I’m excited to be that friend.”
Silence pulsed between them, thick with questions they weren’t allowed to ask. Finally, Ethan broke the silence.
“Uhmmm…John mentioned about saving your brother earlier, was it Aiden again?” He asked.
She sighed, not knowing where to begin explaining to Ethan.
“I am sorry for spoiling the mood,” He said, his expression kind and understanding. “If it's something you can't talk about now, then it's okay.”
“No, no, it's okay,” Elara smiled. “I just didn't know where to start,” she declared, looking down at her feet.
Suddenly, her peaceful moment was shattered by the sound of a man screaming her name.
“Elara!!” the voice called out.
- Writer
