In the arms of two sins

Chapter 14

Mara's POV

I had seen Clara’s text immediately after the board meeting, and I rushed out to get everything she mentioned.

I had barely reached the entrance of the pharmacy when a hand closed firmly around my arm.

I spun around, gasping.

Elias.

“What are you doing here?” he demanded, eyes scanning over my face like he was assessing every breath I took.

“What are you doing here?” I shot back quickly, trying to pull my arm free.

Did he follow me here?

“That’s not an answer,” he said, grip tightening for a beat.

“Well, maybe you should stop following me everywhere,” I snapped, stepping back the moment he finally let go.

He scoffed. “Following you? I should be the one telling you to stay out of my way.”

“Why would I do that?” I frowned, already done with the conversation. “I don’t know what you mean, and I really need to go.”

His jaw flexed.

“You always seem to be exactly where I am.”

I ignored that and walked past him without looking back.

I returned to the company minutes later, clutching the small paper bag like it was fragile.

I hovered outside David’s department, debating whether to go in or walk away.

Through the glass wall, I could see him—head bent, working, shoulders slumped with exhaustion.

Just as I turned to leave, he looked up and saw me.

His face brightened instantly.

“Mara?”

He stood and walked toward me.

“Hey,” I said softly. It felt strange initiating a conversation with him after a long time.

“Is everything okay?”

“C-can we talk?” I asked, then quickly added, “Privately.”

My voice shook, betraying me.

He didn’t ask questions. He led me to the courtyard—quiet, tucked away, the air softer than inside the building.

We sat on a bench.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked carefully.

“I’m sorry I interrupted you at work,” I murmured, staring at my hands.

His gaze lowered to the paper bag.

“It’s… for dad,” I whispered.

“Clara told you,” he said immediately, like he already knew he was sick.

I nodded.

“I bought some drugs for him. I wanted you to give them to him. You can't let him knownthey came from me.”

He took the bag from me carefully.

“You know i can’t show my face to him. But you can. So I need this favor from you please.”

He reached for my hand, his touch warm, too warm that I tensed up, but I couldn’t pull away.

“You don’t have to explain, Mara. I’ll give themto him.” he said softly.

“Th… thank you.”

I said feeling my hand damp under his.

“And I’m sorry for not letting you know about it” he added.

That didn’t matter to me now.

People were passing by—staring at us.

I pulled my hand away quickly.

“I startled you,” he said gently, when he noticed his hands has been on mine for too long. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s fine,” I said, adjusting myself.

Silence settled between us.

Then I heard him say

“I really miss you, Mara.”

I froze, my fingers tightening around the fabric of my clothes.

“Don’t… say that.”

My cheeks burned with discomfort. His words were too heavy, too intimate.

“It’s not a lie,” he murmured. “I think about you every single day. About us. What we had.”

Guilt weighed on me, I was the reason we fell apart after I got pregnant for Philip. I owed him an apology.

“We never got to talk about… what happened between us,” I said quietly. “I’m sorry things got this way. I made a mistake that cost me both you and Dad. I regret it… but I’ve accepted my fate. This fate.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to be hard on yourself.”

I looked at him, then turned away.

“No. It’s not. But—”

His face softened.

There was a heavy pause, and before I could stop it, my mind slipped back to the dinner night—in the restroom, the way he stormed in like he actually cared.

I swallowed hard, unsettled by the memory.

Why was I thinking about him now?

“Mara,” he called softly snapping me back.

I turned.

“I still care about you,” he said. “I never stopped… even after everything.”

I blinked, startled.

But all I could think of was—

him.

Someone I shouldn’t be thinking about.

At all.

And that scared me.

“I… uh…”

My voice tangled as my gaze drifted—

and landed on Elias.

He was at the far end of the courtyard, passing by slowly, staring at us with something unreadable in his eyes.

I shot to my feet.

“David, I need to go. Thank you for taking care of my dad.”

I walked off too quickly, feeling ridiculous—like a girlfriend caught doing something wrong.

Dinner that evening was suffocating.

Elias’s eyes were on me every time I breathed, but I avoided his gaze, until Camille captured all his attention.

“You know the company’s anniversary event is in few days,” she said.

“We’re finalizing the guest list by tomorrow,” Elias replied.

“Philip’s photos should be displayed at the entrance,” she continued. “Maybe a video montage. His legacy deserves to be honored. Everyone should remember him at the celebration.”

My fork tightened in my hand.

Her voice.

Her words.

Everything about it sounded innocent.

And the memory of the arsenic bottle she once dropped in his study surged back into me.

She spoke about Philip like she adored him.

Like she mourned him.

It terrified me even more—maybe she had a hand in what happened to Philip, but deep down, a harsher truth gnawed at me: I might have played the biggest role in his death.

“You don’t need to worry,” Elias said. “I already planned for it. After all, the company was once his.”

That was my cue.

I stood abruptly and left the dining room.

In my room, I exhaled shakily.

Maybe I was overwhelmed.

Maybe I was losing my mind.

I took my daily pills and lay down.

The next morning, my head spun as I walked downstairs for breakfast.

Everyone was already seated.

I sat, picked up a piece of toast to take a bite—

And nausea slammed into me like a wall.

I barely had time to stand before I stumbled to the side and bent forward—

Vomiting right there

in front of the entire Lawson family.