Sweet Submission: Reclaiming Her Love

Corynn Harper let out a moan as her nails bit into the skin of Elliot Andrews' back. Her body was drenched in sweat, as if she had just got out of a bath.

Her parted lips found the curve of Elliot's shoulder as the crescendo approached. She bit down, her eyes fluttering as her hips bucked against his. A moment later, she loosened her grip and fell back on the bed, her eyes closed, her breathing slow and deep.

Corynn felt hot, but she liked the warmth of Elliot's body far too much to pull away from him.

In the end, it was Elliot who let go and stood up. He grabbed the gray robe hanging at the foot of the bed and put it on.

His voice was still a little hoarse when he spoke, but his tone was cool. "I'm getting married, Corynn."

She felt as though a bucket of ice water had been dumped over her head. Corynn was rudely jolted out of the afterglow of the intimacy they just shared. She sat up in bed, her previously flushed face now pale.

"So let's break up," Elliot added before she could say anything.

Corynn didn't even have the time to compose herself. Her eyes, which had been bright with passion and desire a few minutes ago, dimmed. Her hands balled into fists at the sheets.

Her body was still sore and aching from their hours of lovemaking, and here Elliot was, breaking up with her like he was ordering a kitchen maid to fetch the tea.

In all fairness, his behavior was true to his nature-ruthless and decisive.

She really should have known better.

In the three years that they had been together, Coryn had never really managed to thaw Elliot's ice-cold heart.

Well, it was her who had approached him first. At the end of the day, when the chips fell, she had no one to blame but herself.

Tears welled up in her eyes. Corynn tilted her head back and swallowed the bitter taste that rose in her tongue. It wasn't easy, but she did her best to sound normal. "Is it the lady from the Willis family?"

Elliot lit a cigarette and took a drag. "Yes," he said slowly after exhaling a smoke ring. "My family has been good friends with hers for generations. This marriage will benefit me in numerous ways."

Corynn bit her bottom lip and turned to her side to keep from looking at him. Her shoulders and back were dotted with fresh hickeys.

"Look, we've been together for three years. I will compensate you for your time. Just name your price-money, a house, a car, anything."

"I am not selling my body, Elliot!"

Elliot flicked the cigarette over the ashtray and took a deep breath. "I know, but I intend to be fair. I don't want any loose ends, either. Just take whatever compensation you want, and we'll call it quits. A clean break."

"I already told you, I'm not selling my body. I don't need any compensation."

Elliot sighed. "Don't be unreasonable now, Corynn."

A sharp retort was on Corynn's tongue, but really, she did this all to herself. It was her who had chosen this man.

Elliot had always been notorious for his aloof nature and general indifference toward women, but Corynn was too stubborn and delusional to believe it. She slept with him on the same night that they met. He had never explicitly acknowledged that they were dating, but he never denied it, either. Things just fell into place, and they were soon living together.

It all happened so naturally that Corynn thought she had become the exception to his rule. It turned out that it was all wishful thinking on her part.

She sneaked a peek at him and found that he had turned away from her as well. So he wouldn't even look at her now?

A deep sense of grievance rose in her chest. She wiped her tears away and took a deep breath, only to feel a sudden wave of nausea. Corynn scrambled out of the bed and rushed to the bedroom to puke.

Elliot frowned and followed her. "Are you pregnant?"

Corynn heaved and heaved, but nothing came out. She had actually been experiencing this for the past two days, but she dismissed the symptom, thinking that she had simply eaten something that didn't agree with her.

But after hearing Elliot's question, her heart began to pound.

If she was really pregnant, then maybe...

But what Elliot said next shattered her fantasies before she could even think them through.

"Get it checked, and we'll deal with it immediately. I don't want any illegitimate children."

Of course, he would say that. Ever the heartless tycoon.

Corynn inhaled slowly. "That won't be necessary. I already went to the hospital yesterday. This is an old ailment of mine."

Elliot's frown deepened. "Are you saying you won't take a pregnancy test?"

"I know my own body, all right? Don't worry, this has nothing to do with you. Your wedding will proceed as planned. I know my place."

Corynn went to the hospital the next day. Her heart shook when the doctor handed her the pregnancy test results.

She wasn't expecting to get pregnant, not when they were careful about their contraceptive methods each time they had sex. So she couldn't quite figure out exactly when she could have conceived.

Elliot's face flashed in her mind, and Corynn felt a ball of dread drop in the pit of her stomach.

This was her baby, hers alone. Elliot would have nothing to do with the child. And regardless of what he wanted, she was determined to keep the baby.

Corynn crumpled the test results and stuffed the ball of paper into her pocket.

She was leaving the hospital when something caught her eye and made her stop at the top of the stairs.

Through the glass walls of the building, Corynn saw Elliot get out of his car and walk around to the passenger seat. He opened the car door and helped a woman out. He was so gentle to her, something that he had never been around Corynn.

Corynn felt a stinging in her nose. Elliot had never shown her a hint of tenderness in the three years they had been sleeping together.

She used to think that the fault lay in him. He simply didn't know how to act like a proper boyfriend. He was never thoughtful, never gave her gifts or remembered significant dates.

But she realized now that the problem was her. Elliot never put any effort into her because he didn't think she was worth it.

But then, why did he stay with her? Why sleep with her in the first place?

Corynn tried and failed to hold back her tears.

She couldn't deny that the young lady of the Willis family was the ideal wife. She was elegant and accomplished. How could Corynn have ever thought that she would one day be accepted among the elite society of Orelens?

She swiped at her tears and hurried down the stairs.

In the middle of the lobby, Elliot sensed eyes on him. He looked up toward the second floor staircase, but found no one.

"Is something wrong, Elliot?" Amanda Willis asked in mild confusion.

"It's nothing," he replied. "Let's go."

Corynn headed straight to Lark Villa to pack her belongings. She swept her gaze over the room she had meticulously decorated. Just yesterday, this place felt warm and cozy-a home. Now, it was just a monument to her foolishness.

When she thought about it, it was utterly absurd how her feelings for Elliot had meant nothing to him. Nothing at all.

As if on cue, her phone beeped with a notification. A news article was posted online, announcing the engagement between the respective heirs of the Andrews and Willis families.

Corynn could already see how the public would mock her for this. They had always ridiculed her, anyway, and while Elliot had somewhat shielded her from the worst of the criticisms, he never put a complete stop to them.

Now, he had officially announced his marriage plans to another woman. It would only escalate the ridicule.

Corynn would have loved to get married, too, but it was clear to her now that the desire had always been one-sided. Elliot had never even acknowledged her as his girlfriend.

Swallowing back her heartbreak, Corynn hurriedly gathered the clothes she had bought herself, and dumped them into her suitcase. There wasn't a lot of them. Then she called a housekeeping service and gave them instructions to restore the villa to the way it was three years ago.

After settling everything, she took one last look at the home she had shared with Elliot. Corynn left Lark Villa without a single backward glance.

She had never been one to cling to things she knew she couldn't have. And like she had said to Elliot, she knew her place. There was no way she could ever compare to Miss Willis.

Corynn dragged her suitcase and made her way back to her family home.

She had caused her parents immense embarrassment over the course of three year, what with her shameless pursuit of Elliot. As a result, her relationship with her parents suffered. She rarely called them, apart from special holidays.

Corynn now stood outside their house, her eyes filled with unshed tears.

She was reaching for the doorknob when she overheard the sound of an argument coming from the other side.

Corynn paused and hesitated. She knew she caused all of this, sowed discord within her own family, all for a man.

She crouched and hugged her knees as a wave of ache and shame washed over her.

She had given so much to Elliot, had given up even more for him, and he repaid it by marrying someone else.

She could still hear the words he had said to her last night repeating over and over in her head.

Corynn had to take a few moments to pull herself together. She stood up, took a deep breath, and let herself into the house. "Mom! Dad! I'm back."

The conversation came to an abrupt halt as her parents turned to her in unison.

"So you still remember that you actually have parents?" Corynn's father, Erick Harper, shot her an angry glare and all but yelled at her.

Shirley Harper, his wife, gave him a reproachful look and walked over to their daughter. "Corynn," she said, taking the young woman's hand. "It's good to have you back. Come in and sit down."

Her parents had been keeping up with the news regarding Elliot, so they were well aware that he was getting married. Erick took one look at his daughter's devastated state and got riled up all over again. "I kept telling you not to get involved with that kind of man, you never listened! Well, are you happy now?"

"What on earth are you saying, Erick? Can't you see how upset she already is?"

"Do you even know what people are saying about our family? They call us delusional and shameless for thinking we could ever attach ourselves to the prominent Andrews family!"

Shirley knew this, of course, but she saw no reason to blame it all on Corynn.

"I do realize how wrong I was," Corynn said in a hushed voice. She lowered her head to show how much she regretted her past actions.

Erick huffed and snorted. He wanted to say more, but his phone started to ring.

"What did you say?" Erick exclaimed as soon as he answered the call. He shot up to his feet, his face etched with worry.

"What happened?" Both Shirley and Corynn looked over at him with concern.

"There's a problem with the company," Erick explained when he finally hung up. "The Mason family breached the contract and pulled out of the project before its completion."

Such collaborations often entailed a number of contracts to secure a smooth operation. In this case, the Mason family would have to pay a penalty fee. That was well and good, but Erick's company had used all of its remaining funds to purchase the materials needed for the project. If it fell through, all those materials would go to waste, and the company would never get their money back.

"What are we going to do?" Shirley asked anxiously. "Do they know that it will cost them a penalty to pull out?"

"Oh, I'm sure they do. But those fees are nothing compared to the losses we will incur. I need to set up an appointment with the Mason family and have a proper talk with them."

If Erick failed to keep them on board, then he would have no choice but to declare bankruptcy.

Corynn watched as her father made several calls, listened to his humble pleas and resigned sighs, and realized for herself that the Mason family was not going to change their minds.

Shirley clasped her daughter's hand as they waited for the verdict. "How did it go?" she asked after almost an hour of Erick pacing back and forth.

He just shook his head in defeat.

A heavy silence fell over them, broken only by Shirley's sobs. Even then, she remembered to comfort her daughter. "It's all right, Corynn. We will get through this together."

Corynn nodded, not wanting to burden her parents further with her own problems.

Later that evening, Corynn went out.

She had sent Elliot a message, but he never replied. So she decided to go and seek him out herself.

She waited at the Lark Villa for hours, but there was no sign of the man she wanted to see.

Corynn belatedly realized that he must be with his fiancee. Of course. What reason would he have to come back here?

She was already at the door, intending to leave, when it opened from the outside.

The first thing Elliot said to her was, "What are you still doing here?"

His words were like daggers stabbing into her heart. Did he hate her that much?

"I need to talk to you."

"The check and the property deed are on the table over there. Feel free to have them if you have changed your mind." Elliot walked past her with a blank and dismissive expression.

Corynn forced a smile. "I didn't come here for money."

"What brings you here, then?"

"My family's company is in trouble. I need your help to convince the Mason family not to pull out of their deal, at least until the project is finished."

"Corynn, you do understand that this isn't something I can interfere with? The person backing up the Mason family is Amanda's father, Jeremy."

Corynn inhaled sharply. Jeremy Willis... Elliot's future father-in-law. It all made sense now. It was no wonder that Elliot refused to help her. His fiancee's family was targeting hers, and he was just watching from the sidelines.

Incredible.

"So instead of waiting for your family to go bankrupt, Corynn, I suggest that you take the money and the property I am offering you, and use them to provide for your parents."

Corynn could barely believe what she was hearing. She blinked at Elliot as if she was meeting him for the first time. It suddenly struck her that she never knew him at all.

"You knew all along, didn't you?" she whispered, her lips curled into a self-deprecating smile.

For three years, she thought she held a special place in his heart, however tiny. But now, she was getting slapped with the harsh reality of her position.

"Look, Corynn, you shouldn't get involved in this matter. Take my advice. Accept the compensation and leave."

They could set the sheets on fire all night, but when they were out of bed, Elliot was still as cold and unfeeling as ever.

Corynn instinctively took two steps back. Only then did she truly understand what it meant to have her heart broken.

How did she ever make herself believe that she could warm a heart that never existed?

"What if I'm pregnant?" she asked in a trembling voice. "Are you still not going to help me?"

"I thought I made it clear yesterday-I don't want an illegitimate child." Elliot's tone was patient at first, but then he paused and narrowed his eyes. "Are you pregnant?"

Corynn scoffed. "You always made sure that I take the pills, how could I possibly be pregnant?"

She was completely disillusioned. She should have never given her heart to Elliot.

"If you can't help me, I'll leave. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding. I hope you... I hope you live happily ever after."

Corynn was never a spiteful person, so she never imagined that a day would come when giving someone her well wishes would be so difficult.

The words almost got stuck in her throat, but she stifled her grievances and told herself to soldier through the pain.

"I hope for your happiness as well," Elliot replied lightly.

Corynn opened the door, but just before she stepped out, she said softly, "If I had a chance to return to the past, I wouldn't want to love you again, Elliot."