Chapter 27
Chapter 27
Elara woke up to a blanket wrapped around her.
22
5 vouchers
She didn’t remember covering herself. Didn’t remember falling asleep on the couch either. She sat up slowly, scanning the room for Marcus.
He wasn’t there.
Cute. Back to the mysterious CEO routine.
Well, no time to think about that. She had two appointments today. Visit her mum at the hospital. Then her own doctor’s appointment for the pregnancy checkup.
She stood and stretched. Her neck hurt from sleeping weird. The t-shirt had twisted around her body during the night. She fixed it and headed upstairs to get ready.
An hour later she was showered, dressed, and sitting in the back of Marcus’s car heading to the hospital.
The driver didn’t ask questions. Just drove.
Elara stared out the window and tried not to think about how normal this was starting to feel. Having a driver. Living in a penthouse. Pretending to be someone she wasn’t. It’s honestly sweet.
The hospital came into view. Grey and institutional. The smell hit her the moment she stepped inside. Disinfectant and something else. Sickness, maybe. Or just sadness.
She took the elevator to the fourth floor and walked down the familiar hallway to her mother’s room.
Knocked once. Pushed the door open.
Her mother was sitting up in bed. Awake. Smiling.
But her hair. God, her hair.
It had started falling out. Thin patches on her scalp. taking everything with it.
pillow. The chemo was doing its job but
t you glo
“You look fine, my baby,” her mother
sa pagpur
Elara sat in the chair beside the bed. “Do I?”
“Yes. You’re glowing” Her mother’s eyes were sharp. Always watching. Always seeing too much. “You want to share the secret? So I can glow like you in this hospital bed too?”
Elara smiled. Her mum still had that sarcasm. Even now. Even like this.
“No secret, Mama. Just getting enough sleep for once.”
Her mother didn’t look convinced but didn’t push.
12:05 Fri, May 8
Chapter 27
22
5 vouchers
Elara was grateful. Grateful she didn’t mention Luca. Didn’t ask where he was or if he’d been by. Just let the silence sit comfortably between them.
Thank God for small mercies.
Elara reached for the scissors on the nightstand. They’d talked about this last week. When the hair started falling out in clumps. Better to cut it now. Control it. Make it a choice instead of a loss.
Her mother nodded. “I’m ready.”
No ceremony. No tears. Just the scissors making soft clicking sounds as Elara worked. Cutting carefully. Gently. Until her mother’s head was bare.
When she was done, her mother reached up and touched her scalp. Smiled.
“My head is soft and round like bread.”
“Mum, stop.” But Elara was smiling too.
“I’m serious. Feel it.”
Elara touched her mother’s head lightly. It was soft. Warm.
“See? Bread.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
“But it’s the truth.”
Elara helped her arrange the pillows. Smoothed the blanket. Helped her lie back down.
“The doctor said you’ll be here just a few more days,” Elara said, everything. Nothing serious.”
g to sound normal.. “Just to monitor
Her mother was responding well. The cancer was
She was relieved. Actually relieved. The chemo was working. Her moth shrinking.
And in two days, Elara would be married to Marcus Thorne.
And her mother didn’t know a damn thing about it.
Her mother looked at her. That look. The one mothers had. The one that saw through every lie.
“You’re not hiding anything from me, are you?”
Elara forced a smile. “Even if I wanted to hide something, I couldn’t. You always know everything.”
“That’s true.” Her mother reached out and took her hand. “But you’ll tell me if anything is happening?
Promise?”
The word stuck in her throat. Promise. Like she could promise anything right now when her entire life was a
12:05 Fri, May 8
Chapter 27
carefully constructed lie.
“Promise,” she said anyway.
22
5 vouchers
Her mother squeezed her hand. “You haven’t asked about your father.”
Elara went still. “I figured you’d tell me if you wanted to talk about him.”
“I let him back into the house.”
Of course she did.
Elara didn’t mention she didn’t live there anymore. Hadn’t set foot in that apartment since the day Victor attacked her. Hadn’t told her mother any of it.
Some truths were better left buried.
“Okay,” was all she said.
Her mother’s grip tightened slightly. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For everything.” Her mother’s eyes filled. Not quite tears but close. “Your brother called me from school yesterday. Said you sorted his tuition for next semester. Said he’s transferring to a better college.”
Elara’s chest tightened. Leo. She’d almost forgotten about him in all of this. The money from Marcus had covered everything. Tuition. Books. A nicer dorm. Everything Leo needed and more.
“It’s nothing, Mama.”
“It’s not nothing. It’s everything.” Her mother pulled her closer. “I want you to find someone who will love you. Make you happy. You deserve that. I pray for it every night.”
The guilt hit like a truck.
Her mother didn’t know. Didn’t know that in two days Elara would be standing in a registry office in white. Exchanging vows with a man she don’t know if she’s happy with. A man who’d bought her. A man she was lying to about carrying his child.
A contract marriage. A business deal. Nothing real. Nothing close to the love her mother was praying for.
Elara smiled. Forced it. “Thank you, Mama.”
“I mean it. You’ve given up so much for us. For me. For your brother. For your father even though he doesn’t deserve it.” Her mother’s voice cracked slightly. “You deserve happiness, baby, Real happiness.”
The words sat heavy in the room.
Elara wanted to tell her. Wanted to explain everything. The contract. The money. The baby. Marcus. All of it.
12:05 Fri, May 8
Chapter 27
22
5 vouchers
But her mother had peace right now. For the first time in months, she wasn’t worried about money or treatment or dying. She was just here. Breathing. Smiling. Hopeful.
Some peace deserved to stay. Even if it meant delaying some truths.
“I should go,” Elara said quietly. “Let you rest.”
“Okay, baby. Come back soon.”
“I will.”
Elara kissed her mother’s forehead. Smooth and warm. Soft and round like bread.
She left before the tears could start. Walked down the hallway. Past the nurses’ station. Into the elevator.
The doors closed and she leaned against the wall.
Two days. She had two days before she became Mrs. Thorne.
And her mother still had no idea.
