E & Alexander


    E


    The longer Iy there in that empty bed, the more bitter I became.


    What had I expected? That Alexander would stay beside me, maybe stroke my hair while I slept? That he’d wake me with gentle kisses and promises?


    Goddess, I was such a naive little fool.


    Eventually, I dragged myself out of bed and pulled on a robe, wrapping it tightly around myself. I wasn’t going to hide away in shame. And besides, I needed coffee.


    But when I reached the main staircase, I heard voicesing from Alexander’s office. The door was partially open, and I could make out several people inside. Curious despite myself, I crept closer.


    “-why your car was used for the kidnapping…” That was Alexander’s voice.


    I pressed myself against the wall beside the door straining to listen.


    “Alex, I swear to you, my car was stolen!” Sophia’s voice was desperate. “I reported it to the police yesterday morning when I discovered it was missing from my driveway.”


    “Convenient timing,” Alexander replied coldly. “Your car gets stolen the same day my wife is kidnapped.”


    My wife. The way he said it… But I hardly dared to let myself wonder if I was wrong about him.


    “I know how it looks, but I would never-”


    “You pushed her out of a barn. You released a rogue at a public event. You destroyed her locket at the charity auction. If you want to hurt her, then just say that.”


    “I never did any of that!”


    “Alexander.” This was a new voice-Richard, Sophia’s father. “Perhaps we should discuss this more calmly.”


    “It wasn’t Sophia,” Margaret, Sophia’s mother, suddenly chimed in. “It was us.


    The office went silent. My heart pounded as I inched closer to the door, pricking my ears to hear Alexander’s response.


    “What?” Alexander was deadly quiet now.


    “Your father and I hired the man,” Margaret said “We’ve been the ones who have been


    interfering in your marriage. The rumors, even having someone steal Sophia’s car to frame her. We did it all.”


    “We thought if we could create enough problems you would finally be able to get out of this loveless marriage. We all know you love Sophia more than E.”


    My pulse suddenly went still.


    They intended to break us up. They spoke as if Alexander had been hoping to get out of our marriage all along… And he loved Sophia.


    A small, traitorous little sliver of my heart didn’t want that to be true. But right now, I


    couldn’t be certain.


    I heard a floorboard creaking and saw Margaret’s slender framee into view, clutching that pearl ne she always wore. Her eyes flicked in my direction, but I inched back into the shadows before she could see me.


    “If you want to end this marriage,” she went on, you should do it now. Before you fall any deeper into this situation. If you wait much longer, you might be unwilling to reject her when the timees.”


    I pressed my fingers over my mouth, hot tears pricking the backs of my eyes.


    They were talking about Alexander rejecting me. Like it was a given. Like it was always the n.


    “Alex, you must be logical,” Richard said. “You’ll need a strong Luna for your political career. Someone like Sophia, with connections and proper breeding. Not some sick girl who’ll be dead within the year anyway.”


    “Whatever mistakes you made with her, they won’t matter,” Margaret added. “Sophia will forgive you if you slept with E, won’t you, darling?”


    Sophia sniffled. “Of course. It’s natural for mates to be physically attracted to one another- it’s not your fault…”


    I couldn’t listen anymore. Without hesitating, I turned and fled back up the stairs as quietly as I could.


    Alexander


    “You don’t need to wait until the end of your campaign to reject her,” Margaret said. “ Everyone knows you love Sophia more than E anyway; the starcrossed lovers story will generate even more interest in your campaign.” she gestured to Liam. “Isn’t that right, Liam?”


    Liam, for his part, didn’t answer. Just continued to stand there in shock, just as he had been


    throughout this entire pathetic conversation.


    “I don’t want to reject her.”


    The words sounded like a gunshot in the quiet room, surprising even me. Liam snapped his head toward me. Gabriel’s eyes widened. Sophia’s face crumpled, and her parents just stared, mouths hanging open.


    My confession took me by surprise just as much as it did the others, but it felt right. I didn’t want to reject E.


    Afterst night… I wanted her to be mine. All of her.


    “Alex, please,” Sophia whispered, rising to her feet. “You can’t mean that. We’ve loved each other since we were teenagers. We’re supposed to be together.”


    “No, Sophia. We’re not.” I looked at her directly, making sure she understood every word. ” You never had a real chance with me. It’s time you epted that and moved on.”


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