Elise POV:
Elias froze, the two coffee cups in his hand still. His smile faltered for a microsecond, then snapped back into place, brighter, faker. He gently placed one cup in my hand. "Honestly, Elise, you worry too much." He reached out, ruffling my hair, a gesture that had once been endearing, now felt repulsive. "Must be all those crazy stories on the internet getting to you. You know how easily people make things up." His voice was soft, laced with a playful, indulgent tone that made my stomach clench. "There's nothing to hide from you, ever."
His phone buzzed in his pocket. He glanced down, and I saw the name flash: "Krystal." He quickly pressed a button, silencing it, then shoved it back into his pocket. "Why don't you eat, love? I'll be right back. Just need to take care of a quick work call." His words came out a little too fast, a little too strained. He turned and practically fled into his study, the door clicking shut behind him.
I looked down at the coffee in my hand. The cup was cold, condensation beading on the sides and dripping onto my fingers. It was a caramel macchiato. My heart twisted. I was allergic to caramel. Elias had known that since our second date, seven years ago. He never forgot. Not once.
But now, he had more important things on his mind. More important people.
A few minutes later, the study door opened. Elias emerged, a familiar look of apology etched on his face. It was the same expression he wore every time he had to leave me for a "late-night investor meeting" or an "urgent project."
"Baby, I'm so sorry," he began, already spinning the narrative. "A real emergency came up at the firm. I have to go down there. Some documents need my immediate signature for the merger tomorrow."
I cut him off, my voice even. "Is it something at the company, Elias?"
He blinked, momentarily startled, then nodded quickly, seizing the lifeline I' d unknowingly offered. "Yes, exactly! A huge project, big deal. You know how important this is for us, for our future."
I looked into his eyes, searching for any flicker of truth, any hint of the man I thought I knew. There was nothing but a carefully constructed facade. "Can't you… not go?" I asked, a last, desperate test.
His fake smile tightened. "Elise, don't be silly. Don't make things difficult. This isn't a game." His voice hardened slightly. "I'm doing all this for us, for our life together. You know how important it is for me to prove myself to my mother, to show her that I can build my own empire, even with you by my side."
Hermina Rivera. His formidable mother. She was old money, a business magnate who had never approved of me, a middle-class architect. She saw me as an unsuitable match, constantly reminding Elias that I didn't come from "their world." But Elias had always fought for me. Seven years ago, when he first started his tech startup, his mother had cut him off, "exiled" him from the family fortune, demanding he prove himself worthy in five years. If he succeeded and still chose me, she would finally accept me.
He had worked tirelessly, relentlessly, for five years, building his company from the ground up, all to prove his love for me, to show his mother I was worth it. And I had worked just as hard, pushing myself in my own career, terrified of being a burden, of giving Hermina any reason to say "I told you so." She'd offered me money countless times to leave him, but I'd always refused. I believed in our love. I believed he loved me. I believed true love could overcome anything.
Now, that belief was crumbling, brick by painful brick.
His phone buzzed again, vibrating against his leg. He glanced at it, no longer bothering to hide it. His body tensed. "I have to go," he said, his voice flat, devoid of any pretense of affection. "Eat your food. I'll be back as soon as I can."
He didn't wait for my reply. He just turned, grabbed his keys, and walked out the door, his footsteps echoing down the hall.
I picked up my phone, my heart pounding a strange, hollow rhythm. I scrolled through my call log. There was a number I didn't recognize, unsaved, but I knew who it belonged to. Hermina Rivera. Elias's mother.
