Con

CHAPTER 25

CHAPTER 25.

Elijah, I always thought we’d see the Eiffel Tower together…

Without any warning, the thought just popped into my head had mentioned during our very first casual date.

+25 BONUS

—

an idea that he and I

As I sat in front of my apartment window, I gazed up at the Eiffel Tower looming majestically in the distance, my mind wandering once again to memories of my ex- husband.

“Is that your painting?” he’d asked me upon approaching me after class way back during our college days. His eyes were glimmering as he glance at the Eiffel Tower artwork that peeked out from the folder I was holding.

“Uh, yes.”

“Have you been to Paris?”

I shook my head. “Not yet, but I would love to visit someday. Or perhaps even study and work there.”

“I know a coffee shop nearby that has a beautiful mural of Paris…” he’d said. And that afternoon, the two of us got to know each other for the first time. And that was when I first told him that I was allergic to coffee, so he bought a chocolate drink for me

instead.

I forced myself to look at the book in my hand. I had been trying to focus on my studies, but I had not been successful the entire day. Seeing him recently at Urban Next Design Studio had stirred up unexpected emotions within me.

And that guy he was with… What was that about? Why was he staring at me as if he knew me from somewhere? I’ve never even seen him before.

My phone rang then. When I saw Serena’s name on the screen, I groaned loudly. ” What do you want this time?” I muttered under my breath.

1 straightened up and answered casually. “Hello, Serena.”

“Hi, Sophia!” As always, she had that fake sugary–sweet voice on. “How’ve you been? I was hoping we could meet today at that cafe across your campus where Elijah and I saw you before?”

“Why?” I asked, narrowing my eyes suspiciously.

1/4

+25 PONUR

“I know that he’s still hanging around you, maybe trying to catch you or talk to you… I know of a way for him to stop harassing you. Sophia.”

I couldn’t understand why Serena wouldn’t just leave me alone and go on with her life. But my curiosity got the best of me. “How?” I asked.

‘Til see you in fifteen minutes, then you can find out.” She put the phone down, leaving me no choice but to get ready and meet her in that cafe.

It wasn’t long before we were sitting across from each other. Serena didn’t waste any time with pleasantries. A small smile was playing on her lips. An evil smile, I would say. She was probably up to no good, but I still stayed and lis. ned, anyway.

“Have you heard of Sabrina Baker?” she asked directly.

“No.”

She seemed quite happy. “Well, Sabrina is Elijah’s long–lost childhood best friend and the first love of his life. She went missing when they were about ten years old, and Elijah was never the same since then. He spent years looking for her and only stopped when he met you…”

“Huh?” I was bewildered by this news, but I didn’t want to show her. “So what? It has nothing to do with me. We’re divorced, anyway.”

“You’re connected to Sabrina, in a way,” Serena went on. “That’s because you reminded Elijah of her. That’s why he pursued you in college.”

My heart began to thump hard. I didn’t like where the conversation was going.

“Who knows? Maybe he even got you pregnant on purpose, so you’d want to marry him,” Serena continued, her tone mocking. “If you weren’t similar to his dearest Sabrina, he wouldn’t have bothered spending any time with you, you know. And it’s the real reason that he married you! He told me so himself!”

The realization hit me like a ton of bricks. All this time, I had believed that Elijah genuinely liked me, that our relationship was built on something real. But now, as I sat in the café, I couldn’t shake the feeling of devastation.

It became clear to me that Elijah never really cared about me. I was just a stand–in, a substitute for someone else. I was a mere reminder of this Sabrina, whoever she was, and it was because of her that Elijah had decided to pursue me. The thought was crushing.

425 BONUS

I had let myself believe in something that was never real, and the realization left me feeling hollow inside. How could I have been so blind? So naive? The pain of the truth threatened to overwhelm me, and I struggled to hold back tears.

Serena’s devilish smile grew bigger. “You know why he was so cold and distant when you were together? Because he realized that you weren’t like Sabrina, after all! But out of duty, he decided to stay with you because you were pregnant. And so when you had lost the baby, he became more out of reach and he didn’t treat you like a real wife…”

Her words pierced my heart like a sharp knife. But still I held my composure, not wanting her to see that she was getting to me and that this revelation was having a huge impact.

“And now it’s the same,” Serena went on mockingly. “It’s about the baby again. He’s pretty sure it’s his so he feels responsible. He can’t bear the thought of just leaving without a care. That’s why he’s been trying to reconcile with you, Sophia.”

My eyes widened, but I knew she was telling the truth. She’s right, I realized bitterly.

“You’re smart, aren’t you? Then you ought to know what I mean.”

I stared at her silently, not knowing what to make of it. I knew what she was saying, but it was difficult to process it at the moment.

“Think hard about it, Sophia,” Serena said before getting up and leaving. I was left dumbfounded, staring into the caffeine–free drink that Serena had ordered for me before I arrived.

Serena is well aware that I’m allergic to caffeine, and I don’t even know her well. But Elijah whom I’d been married to for two years didn’t know. How sad and pathetic.

After a while, I tried to gather my wits despite the rattling nerves. Still greatly confused, I returned home. And who should I find waiting for me outside my apartment building? Elijah!

When he saw me and began to approach, I held up my palm and shook my head. I didn’t want to see him or talk to him. I was just too exhausted and confused to deal with him right now.

“Sophia, wait!” He called after me. I could hear his footsteps quickening behind me as I went to the direction of the elevator. “Sophia!”

I turned around with an exasperated expression on my face.