Chapter 2 DESPITE THE TRUTH

Despite the Truth

Nathaniel sighed. "We need to talk about something, and I decided it's easier to talk here."

Elara wanted to raise an eyebrow at that response. She was tired. And everything that had happened to her today was already too much to accept this kind of nonsense.

She'd never spoken about their constant togetherness, but his taking over her apartment-her only safe haven-was too much. She didn't know how much longer she could endure it all.

They were pushing it too far.

Her hands clenched into fists. She took a deep breath, trying to maintain control.

"Can't you talk somewhere else? I need some peace," she said, forcing calmness into her voice even though she wanted to explode with anger.

"Stop being so dramatic, Elara," Nathaniel replied coldly. "And she's here because she needed a place to stay for the night. She had a problem with her accommodation, and I wouldn't let her go somewhere unsafe."

Elara felt anger rising in her chest. But even though she wanted to explode, she didn't want to make a scene in front of Shaira. She'd already been through so much today, and she couldn't handle another argument, especially in front of this woman.

"You can book her a place, not this apartment. This is my safe space. Why would you make a decision like that without informing me?!" She emphasized each word.

Nathaniel's eyebrows furrowed, clearly not understanding why this was such a big deal to Elara. To him, it was just a small favor for Shaira-nothing to fight about.

"She needed a place. Why should I book one when we have a spare apartment? Besides, I thought you were going to our house. You didn't even tell me you'd be staying here," Elara said, her voice laced with irritation and reproach.

Elara wanted to laugh at the absurdity of what she heard. She wanted to cry, but she forced herself to hold back. It was as if Nathaniel had already crushed her heart and was now pulverizing the remaining dust.

"Fine," she said, her teeth gritted. "I'll just go to my room."

As she walked away, Elara couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions-anger, hurt, and confusion. She truly didn't know what was happening in her marriage to Nathaniel anymore. It felt like she was a stranger in her own life.

The next morning, Elara woke up early and left the room to get some water. On her way down, she noticed Shaira sitting in the living room. She wasn't watching anything, just seemingly absorbed in her phone.

She observed her for a moment, wondering where Nathaniel was. But in the end, she decided to ignore Shaira and went straight to the kitchen to prepare for work.

She didn't want to add to the weight on her chest. For now, the only important thing was to maintain her composure and figure out how to face her situation-especially now that she was carrying a child whose life was affected.

She let out a deep sigh.

She had to be strong.

She didn't want to be around Shaira and ruin her day. It was better to leave before she lost her patience.

But before she could leave, Shaira suddenly spoke, as if this was the perfect opportunity to show her true colors. A malicious smile appeared on her lips before she asked, "So when are you leaving his life? You know you're worthless, don't you? Why don't you just stop pretending and leave?"

Elara stopped in her tracks. She slowly turned and looked at Shaira, raising an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?" she asked, feeling her blood starting to boil.

Shaira had always seemed sweet and kind in front of Nathaniel. She'd never shown this kind of attitude towards her. But now, finally, she was seeing the real Shaira-a woman full of hatred and lies.

"You're an obstacle to Nathaniel and my happiness," Shaira continued, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "You need to let go. The sooner, the better."

Elara smirked, almost laughing at her audacity. Just last night, she was the one who seemed pathetic, clinging to Nathaniel. Now, she was throwing hurtful words around, as if she had all the rights.

"I'm Nathan's wife," she replied firmly, not giving in to her anger. "We're together, and I will remain his wife."

Shaira rolled her eyes before replying. "It's not just you, Elara. Nathan and I were together long before you came along. I know how your marriage started, and I know you mean nothing to him. Do you think you're special? Do you think you can replace me?"

Elara couldn't hide her slight surprise.

"You're the one living in a delusion," Shaira added, her voice full of confidence. "You have a piece of paper that says you're his wife, but you never had his heart! He still loves me, and you? You're just an obstacle between us."

Elara would rather laugh than cry at her words. On one hand, she shouldn't be surprised. She knew Shaira was still important to Nathan. But on the other hand, she still had some faith in her husband-or perhaps, she hoped he wasn't cruel enough to deceive her.

"What are you saying?" she asked softly but firmly.

Shaira looked at her, her expression seemingly compassionate but full of pretense. "I'm just saying that soon, Nathan will chase you away. You know he doesn't like you. Don't you think it would be better if you just gave up?"

Elara's ears burned at her words. She didn't know how she should respond, but she wouldn't let Shaira dictate her life. So instead of backing down, she slowly pulled down the neckline of her blouse, just enough to reveal the red marks on her skin-marks that Nathan couldn't deny.

"Are you sure he doesn't like me?" she replied coldly, looking directly at Shaira. "Because if that's the case, why was he moaning while I was touching him?"

She saw Shaira's jaw clench slightly. Proof that no matter what she said, she was still hurt by the fact that Elara still had a part of Nathaniel.

But deep down, she knew she shouldn't be proud of those marks. She knew that what happened that night was a mistake-a night when Nathan was drunk, when he wasn't thinking clearly. And most importantly, a night when she got pregnant with their child.

And at that point, she knew that no matter what she said, there was no way to hide the truth.

"You're lying! Nathan didn't do that! He would never touch someone like you!"

Elara laughed. "Oh, why don't you ask him? Maybe he'll share with you how hot our nights were, how his skin burned with every touch, how tightly he held me every night..." she taunted. For some reason, she wanted to hurt Shaira more.

Shaira's anger intensified, and she lunged at Elara, intending to slap her. But Elara quickly dodged, causing Shaira to lose her balance. She hit a chair before falling to the floor.

Elara was shocked. Things happened so fast.

Shaira screamed, her eyes like daggers.

"What's happening?!"

And that was the scene Nathaniel found. He had just returned from his morning jog when he heard Shaira's scream.

He rushed to Shaira's side and helped her up. Then, he glared at Elara, his eyes cold and full of anger. "What did you do? Why did you push her?"

"I didn't push her!" Elara protested. She was somewhat surprised by the situation, especially when she noticed Shaira clutching her stomach.

But what hurt her more was that Nathaniel immediately blamed her. "She tried to slap me, and I dodged. She lost her balance and fell."

Shaira clutched her stomach and groaned in pain. "Nathan, the baby... The baby..." she said desperately, clinging tightly to Nathan, like a child who had lost her candy.

Elara was frozen in place. She was shocked to see the way Shaira was holding her stomach.

"It's okay, Shaira, it's okay," Nathaniel soothed as he hugged her. "I'll take care of you. Let's go to the hospital."

Nathan left a sharp look at Elara before leaving with Shaira.

Elara stood silently, watching them leave. She was left alone with her thoughts, trying to process everything that had happened.

Baby... Shaira is pregnant?

Her whole body went cold. She couldn't believe it.

Nathaniel had deceived her. And now, he had a child with Shaira.

Her knees trembled, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"How could you do this to me?" Elara whispered, almost no hope left in her heart.

A mix of anger, sadness, and intense betrayal washed over her. She had given Nathaniel everything, but he had thrown it all away for another woman. She wondered how long this had been going on, and who else knew.

Shaira was pregnant.

And it was even more ironic because she was too.

But instead of happiness, she felt like she was drowning in pain. She hadn't even fully processed everything that happened yesterday, and here was another blow.

Elara paced back and forth in her living room, restless. Her mind was ablaze with questions.

What's the possibility that we're both pregnant?

She knew Shaira. Yes, she loved him, I admit, but she never thought Shaira would do this to her and Nathan-and she never expected Nathan to be so low as to deceive her.

The scene from earlier kept replaying in her mind-Shaira screaming while holding her stomach, the fear in her eyes, and Nathan's cold stare at her. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was to blame. But she knew the truth-she hadn't done anything wrong. She didn't push Shaira.

She needed a distraction.

She decided to go back to work to occupy herself.

But just a few minutes later, her phone rang.

Nathan.

She hesitated before answering the call. She didn't know if she was ready to hear what he had to say.

"H–hi, Callum," she greeted, trying to keep her voice steady.

"Why didn't you go to the hospital?" he asked, cold and direct.

Elara blinked. He didn't even ask what happened. He didn't even check if she was okay.

"Why would I go to the hospital?" she replied, her voice trembling slightly.

"What do you mean?" Nathan's voice was filled with anger. "She miscarried because of you. You pushed her!"

It felt like a hand squeezed her heart.

She couldn't believe it.

"Why would I push her? You know me, Nathan. I would never do that."

But Nathan just shook his head, his gaze remaining cold. "I don't know what to believe anymore. All I know is, Shaira lost her child-and it's your fault."

Elara felt tears streaming down her face. She couldn't accept his accusations.

"I told you, I didn't push her! How many times do I have to repeat that?"

But Nathan didn't listen. Instead, he smirked-a bitter, mocking smile.

"You want me to believe you? You, Elara? Who's always cold-blooded and only thinks about yourself?"

She gasped.

She couldn't believe those words came out of Nathan's mouth. It was as if he didn't know her anymore.

"How dare you..." she whispered weakly, filled with pain.

But she couldn't say anything else.

"Save your lies for someone who will believe you," Nathaniel cut her off coldly. And before she could reply, he hung up.

She remained staring at her phone, speechless.

Too much.

Too painful.