Loving The Heartless Man

Chapter 16

Elara Pov

"Answer our question, Miss. Are you the wife of Mr. Alexander Reed, the billionaire?" the reporter asked me again.

"Give us some tips on how to snag a wealthy billionaire," said another reporter.

They kept repeating their questions. They smiled at me as if they were happy that I married a billionaire, but deep down, they were mocking me. Ridiculing me. Because they thought I trapped Alexander into marrying me. That I was only after his money.

The way they looked at me was no different from how my schoolmates used to look at me back then. The kind of look that made it seem like I had committed a crime. An immoral act that was unacceptable in the eyes of society.

Tears slowly flowed from my eyes. I covered both my ears with my palms and slightly bowed my head. My body was trembling and sweating. I was having difficulty breathing. Why are they doing this to me? What have I done wrong to them?

"Stop your nonsense questions, or else, all of you will be thrown in jail!" I heard the angry voice of a man who was none other than Alexander. Even though I couldn't see his face because I couldn't lift my head, I recognized his voice, so I knew he was the one who stopped the two media people who were persistently questioning me.

I took advantage of the moment when the attention of the two reporters was not on me and quickly ran into the cinema. The guard at the door blocked me, but I ignored him. I had a ticket, it was with Liam, and he was already behind me because I could hear his voice calling me along with Alexander's voice. Liam will be the one to explain to the guard and give our ticket.

As soon as I entered the door, I went straight to the bathroom and locked myself in one of the cubicles inside. I put down the toilet lid and sat on it. I covered my face with both hands and sobbed into my palms. If I had stayed longer in front of those people asking me questions, I might have fainted like at the wedding reception.

"Elara! Are you okay?" I heard Alexander's worried voice from outside the bathroom. He couldn't come in because I was in the women's bathroom.

"Leave me alone!" I shouted at him. I didn't know if he was really the one who sent those two reporters and pretended to stop them so I wouldn't suspect that he planned everything.

"Leave her alone, Alexander! Don't pretend that you're concerned about her when we both know you're not!" I heard Liam's firm voice say to Alexander.

"Why did Elara react like that, Liam? Why does she seem so scared?" Alexander asked my friend in confusion.

"Obviously, she was scared and embarrassed by those two reporters. Who wouldn't feel fear and embarrassment when asked below-the-belt questions like the ones they asked Elara earlier? If you really care about her, talk to those two reporters and tell them to keep quiet."

There were a few seconds of silence outside the bathroom, so I thought Liam and Alexander had left. After their silence, my friend knocked on the door again, but I didn't answer him.

"Why are you doing this to me, Alexander? Why do you still want to embarrass me," I spoke to him bitterly in a soft voice even though he wasn't in front of me.

I was thankful that there was no one else in the bathroom so I wasn't bothering anyone by locking the door and staying inside.

"Elara? Are you okay? Alexander already left together with those media people. Please open the door, I'm worried about you." I heard Liam's pleading voice.

I took a deep breath and fixed my slightly disheveled hair before stepping out of the cubicle. As I passed by the mirror, I saw my red eyes, clearly showing that I had just been crying. I closed my eyes for a few seconds and took another deep breath, then walked towards the door and opened it.

"Liam," I softly uttered the name of my best friend when I opened the bathroom door.

Liam immediately hugged me and stroked my back. "It's alright. They're all gone."

I just stayed hugging Liam until I finally calmed down and returned to normal.

"I guess you're right, Beshy. I need to visit a psychiatrist." I decided to follow my friend's advice. At least if I consult a doctor, they can prescribe me medication to calm me down when my illness attacks.

"Finally! I've been waiting for you to say that Beshy," Liam said happily after he released me from his embrace. "So, are we still going to watch a movie?"

I quickly shook my head. "Let's go to the doctor now," I answered him decisively.

We went to the doctor recommended to Liam by one of our clients. We expected Dr. Sam De Dios to be a woman, but it turned out to be a man. A macho and handsome psychiatrist doctor.

My conversation with Dr. De Dios went well, and he found out that I have Social Anxiety Disorder, more commonly known as social phobia. He gave me antidepressant medication. He said it would help me calm down, especially when the symptoms of my illness attack.

"Mr. Handsome Doctor, is there still hope for my bestie to recover?" Liam asked, his gaze lingering on the handsome doctor.

"Of course. Illnesses like Elara's have a high chance of recovery. To overcome it, she needs to face her fear. The source of her fear. She doesn't have to confront it immediately. Take it slow, and she also needs to be mentally prepared," Doctor De Dios explained at length.

"Thank you very much, Doctor De—"

"Just call me Sam. Especially when we're not in the hospital," he quickly interrupted what I was about to say. "I can be your friend. It's a good start to have a new friend to help you fight your social phobia."

I can't help but take a deep sigh. Dr. De Dios is right. I need to face the root of my pain if I want to heal. But that means I also have to confront the event I've been avoiding in the past. My marriage to Alexander, who is the cause of my pain, might be God's way for me to gradually face my fear.