Chapter 41 ENGAGEMENT PARTY VI

           Eleanor dried her face with a towel, still in front of the mirror after washing the tears on her face. As she stared at her slightly red eyes, she frowned even more. These people don't deserve her tears, and yet she had reacted exactly how they wanted, pathetically, just like Ethan had said to her earlier, disgusted.

         As she stared at herself, even more, she saw how pitiful she looked, and she laughed hysterically. She had never thought in her life she will be this pitiful. No wonder Ethan was disgusted, her old self would also be disgusted by her now. But whose fault is that? Hers? Her father? The Graysons? Ethan?

        There was a knock on the door, snapping her out of her thoughts and before she could put the towel in her hands away, she heard the door of the room open. Her heart skipped a beat as she imagined the person who entered her room to be Ethan because that was the way he always entered her room. What more did he want from her? To mock her more? To show how he was even more disgusted by how pitiful she was?

      She sluggishly walked out of the bathroom and when she got into the room, her face lit up a little on seeing Chloe sitting on her bed.

       Chloe stood up from the bed when she saw El walk out of the bathroom with concern written over her face, making El force a smile before walking to where she stood close to the bed, and Chloe hugged her.

        "Are you okay?" Chloe removed her from her embrace to stare at her face.

      "I'm fine."

     "Liar," she studied her face closely "You don't have to pretend in front of me."

       El breathed out. "I'm just bothered. I don't know what crazy thought is in the head of your crazy brother."

      Sophie sighed in disappointment. "What did Ethan do this time?"

       "He said there won't be a breach of the contract."

      "He said that? This means he isn't planning on getting a divorce."

      "Getting a divorce?"

       "Yeah. You know you got married to him the day you signed the contract, right? And you're just having an engagement party and white wedding for formal validation."

        She knew that already but hearing her call her his wife made her feel weird. She is better addressed as his fiancee other than his wife, but no matter how she tried not to think of the fact that she was married to Ethan, the truth remains that she is married to him.

      "Well, I know that but it feels weird hearing you call him my husband."

      Chloe chuckled. "You've been married for a month, and you're still not used to him being your husband? Wow, you're funny, you know that right?"

       El rolled her eyes at Chloe as she sat on the bed. "Tease me all you want, Chloe. At this point of my life," she brought her face closer to Chloe. "I. don't. care. anymore."

       "Sweetheart, trust me when I say this. When the real teasing starts, you'll care."

      "Oh," she trembled playfully "I'm shaking."

       They both laughed, and Chloe sat on her bed. "Oh that's right, I just remembered" she turned to El who was curious to know what she wanted to ask. "I saw Ethan outside preparing to go somewhere."

       "He said we're leaving the mansion."

       "But it seems he is leaving with father."

       "Are you sure about that?" Chloe nodded. She stood up from her bed. "I'll be right back Chloe."

        "Sure."

        El left the room.

.

      Outside the mansion, Ethan stood with Max. From the way, they were talking, one could tell they were discussing something important. Isabella watched them as she walked out of the building for a while, wondering what they were talking about and when she couldn't come to any convincing conclusion, she decided to make her presence known. She walked up to Ethan who only noticed her presence when she called out his name.

        "Isabella."

       "I never knew how much I miss hearing you say my name until now." She smiled at him.

      "Aren't you supposed to be inside, resting?"

       "So, you do care" she walked closer to him until they were only a foot apart, "I thought you didn't care." She raised her head to meet his stare.

       He narrowed his eyes at her. "Don't be ridiculous. It doesn't suit you."

        El walked out of the elevator and headed straight to the entrance of the building where Chloe had told her she last saw Ethan. She was furious. If he had a change of heart concerning their departure, wasn't it normal to let her know, or did she not have the right to know this too? Was she so insignificant to him that he decides for her in a minute, and in the next minute he changes his mind, yet he couldn't at least tell her about it?

       She walked faster than usual because she was angry, and when she got to the entrance of the building, she saw Ethan and Isabella standing very close to each other. She paused as she stared at them and a new wave of rage filled her as she watched them. Just like Chloe had said, they were still married, even if it is a contract, and seeing him standing this close to another woman made her furious. He didn't want a divorce, so the least he can do for her is to give her some respect, other than insulting her in this way.

       She walked up to them. "Ethan," she called out, and they both turned to look at El standing behind them with crossed hands. 

      "What is the meaning of this nonsense? You don't want a divorce, even if I desperately want it, and here you are insulting me with her?"

      Ethan raised his brows. "Are you out of your mind?" He tilted his head sideways as he walked closer to her. "What gave you the right to meddle in my business, or are you forgetting your place here?"

     "If I'm so useless to you, why don't you sign the divorce papers, and let me go?" She walked closer until they were very close to each other, to the point where their body almost touched and she looked deep into his eyes. "Tell me, why?"

      "What are you doing here, Eleanor?" Ethan's question brought her out of her imagination, and she blinked when she discovered that everything had been her imagination.

      As she stared at his intimidating face, the anger she once felt died down. Her eyes moved to Isabella before she stared back at him. "I thought we were leaving."

       "Not anymore. I have somewhere important to be right now."

      Just then, Gage walked out of the building to where they stood as if he knew his presence was needed at that exact time, and they both left in the car which was already parked outside for them. 

       El walked away when the engine of the car started and didn't bother to watch them leave. As she walked into the building, she heard a female voice call her, and she turned to look at Isabella as she approached her. 

       "I think we need to talk."

       "About what?"

       "You know very well what we need to talk about."

      Of course, El knew even if she tried to pretend to her. She admired Isabella's courage in wanting to talk about this situation they were in with her. Not every girl would do that.

      "There are two types of people I hate most in the world." She started, staring into El's eyes. "One is people who read the body language of other people in a place and pretend not to care. Two are people who act all pitiful like they are victims when they are the cause of their problems. And I hate, even more, people who don't know how to let go of things that are not theirs, especially when the owner of the thing is there." She paused, staring closely at El's face.

         "They suffocate me and make me want to do anything just to get rid of them." She walked closer to El. "I hope you're not like that, Miss Eleanor." She forced a smile before walking away from her into the mansion.

       El's eyes followed her until she was out of sight. She was speechless. Did she just get threatened? How did she get to the point where she's been threatened by Ethan's lover? And what right does Isabella have to threaten her? She became furious again, and she walked to her room.

      She was happy Chloe wasn't in her room anymore when she got there, because she wouldn't want her to see her this way. She had been a fool to think that Isabella was better than Aunt Amelia and Vanessa when she was worse. What angered her more wasn't the fact that they were cruel to her, but the fact that they all think it's her fault, Ethan refuses to sign their divorce papers. She paced around the room in anger and after a while, she got tired and sat on her bed.

       A few hours later, there was a knock on her door, and Ethan walked into the room without being invited in. "What are you still doing here when we're all supposed to be gathered downstairs?"

      El turned to look at the man in front of her, without uttering a word. 

      "Answer me, Eleanor," he ordered with narrowed eyes but she just kept staring at him. 

      She knew the consequence of her actions, and how this man hated being ignored. But at this point, she didn't care what this man would do to her.