Chapter Thirteen- Pain and Deep Sorrows
1026 Words
The night after the engagement party was the longest of my life. The world outside was quiet, but inside me, there was nothing but noise.
I had memories, guilt, and the echo of Clara’s betrayed voice calling my name as I let them drag her away. I just stood there, watching, like a coward.
I let them take her. I let my mother win again. I wasn't the man she needed.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the look on Clara’s face. I kept seeing shock, betrayal, and pain. She had trusted me to protect her, but I had failed her.
I could still feel the warmth of her hand slipping away from mine. I knew how rough the hands of those security would have felt on hers. I know that she must have felt alone.
I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the engagement ring box sitting on my nightstand. I imagined the ring on Clara’s hands.
That ring was supposed to a token of love but it was the proof of bondage for me. In the Mogul empire, love was a weakness, and freedom was a lie.
My phone had been ringing nonstop since the party.
Tabloids, journalist and even my close friends wanted to know what had happened. They called it “The Mogul Scandal.”
Every headline put name in bold very close to Clara’s.
The photos, oh my God. The photos captured us sneaking out from the garden, our clothes slightly rumpled and her face filled with fear.
And my mother… that witch!
She was slowly tearing me and Clara apart. She had told me that all she cared about was not my happiness but my family's legacy.
But wasn't that why I was obeying her every wish too? I think I am a hypocrite.
I dragged a hand through my hair and stood up, pacing the floor. Every corner of my room felt suffocating. The chandelier, the velvet drapes, the designer furniture.
I had all this wealth, yet I felt poorer than I ever had.
I wanted to go to Clara. I wanted to tell her I was sorry. I wanted to tell her I’d defy them all and marry her. I wanted to tell her that I would take her somewhere far away where none of this mattered.
But I couldn’t.
Because my mother’s words kept ringing in my head like a curse.
“The will is clear. You only inherit if you marry into wealth… or have a child.”
If I walked away, I would lose everything. My father’s company, my shares, my name.
I had worked too hard since I was a child. I was sent to business school against my wishes, I was thrown into boarding school and made to live overseas to get my doctorate in advanced business management.
I suffered because of my Inheritance. How could I throw it all away? My parents never loved me, they made me earn every penny that I have to my name.
If I ever went broke, I wouldn't know if I would be able to survive. Maybe I am a coward or even a hypocrite like my mother.
But what would I offer Clara if I was broke?
I would be nothing but a man with no future? A man who would not be able to protect her from his own family?
I can't be a man if I am begging for scraps of food to get by, let alone raise a family.
I sank into a chair and buried my face in my hands. I hated myself for thinking this way. I hated that money was the reason I was chained to this life.
But it wasn’t just about me, it was also about her.
I love my Clara but I can't drag Clara into poverty and scandal.
She has Lily to think of and they both deserved stability, not more pain.
I stayed like that for a long time until I heard a soft knock on the door. I didn’t answer, but the door opened anyway.
Emily walked in.
She was still wearing her engagement gown. I don't know why but the co witch refused to take it off.
The silver silk clung to her perfect body, her hair still done up in curls. Her makeup had smudged slightly, but she still looked very much like the heiress she was raised to be.
I stole one glance at her. She was sexy as hell, with lips that curved into the perfect seductive glare.
She was every man's dream.
But I didn't want her.
“Mark,” she said softly, her tone was softer than earlier that night. And the witchy hands she used to slap me seemed perfectly manicured and soft.
She closed the door behind her and took it toward me. “You haven’t answered my calls.”
“I don’t want to talk,” I muttered
She walked closer, her heels sounding on the marble floor. “I didn’t come to fight.”
“Then what did you come for?” I asked, looking up at her.
She sighed and sat on the edge of the table across from me. “To help you see my side. You and I, we can fix this. What happened tonight doesn’t have to ruin everything.”
I gave a bitter laugh. “You mean your reputation? We both know that you don't care about me.”
Her face changed because the truth cut her.
“Mine, yours, our family’s. It’s all the same thing now. We’re engaged, Mark. Whether you like it or not, the press will never let that image fade. You and that girl, Clara, was it? You can’t undo what’s already done.”
“Don’t say her name,” I said in a dangerous whisper.
Emily crossed her legs. “Mark, she is not worth all this chaos. Is she worth your mother’s wrath, the media gossip and your inheritance?”
I didn’t answer her.
She scoffed. “You’re not going to throw away your entire legacy for a waitress. You and I both know that.”
- Writer
