Chapter 68
55 vourTHE
They walked into Per Se together, Marcus’s hand resting on the small of Elara’s back as he guided her through the entrance. The hostess greeted them with a warm smile and led them further inside.
That’s when Elara noticed it.
The restaurant was completely empty. Not a single soul aside from the waitstaff who stood positioned throughout the space like they were waiting for royalty to arrive.
“Marcus, where is everyone?” Elara asked, looking around at the vacant tables set with white linens and shining silverware.
“Well, they’re in other places I suppose,” he said casually.
“What?” Elara laughed, stopping in her tracks to stare at him. “Marcus, what did you do?”
“I paid for the entire day for our privacy. Is that such a bad thing?”\
“Not at all,” she said, shaking her head in disbelief. “Just completely insane. But not bad.”
They were led to a table in the center of the room, positioned perfectly with a view of the floor-to-ceiling windows. The table was set beautifully with candles and a small arrangement of white roses.
Almost immediately after they sat down, a group of musicians appeared from a side door. There were four of them, carrying a violin, a cello, a harp, and a flute. They stood at the corner of the room and began to play, the soft, serene melody filling the entire restaurant.
Elara looked at Marcus, her eyes wide. “You hired live musicians?”
“I wanted tonight to be perfect,” he said simply.
A waiter approached their table with menus, but Marcus waved them away before Elara could even open hers. “I’ll place the order for both of us.”
Elara raised an eyebrow. “You’re ordering for me?”
“Unless you want to?”
“I don’t know half the things on that menu,” she admitted. “And I don’t want to order something I won’t end up eating. You’re the expert here. You order for me.”
Marcus smiled and began speaking to the waiter in low tones, listing off dishes that Elara had never heard of. French names that sounded weird but expensive. When he finished, he looked at her. “I ordered you the duck confit with roasted vegetables and a truffle reduction.”
“With what?” Elara laughed. “That sounds so funny. Are you sure I’ll like it?”
“Relax, you will,” he said, his eyes crinkling with amusement. “Trust me.”
“You keep asking me to trust you tonight.”
“And you keep doing it. I’m counting that as progress.”
14:56 Mon, May 11
Chapter 68
The waiter returned with drinks. Marcus had ordered champagne for himself, and when he looked at Elara, his expression turned into questioning,
“I guess no champagne for you?” he asked, gesturing to the bottle.
Elara shook her head, trying to keep her expression neutral. “No, not tonight.”
“I wonder why though,” Marcus said, his eyes curious. “You were drinking champagne at our end of the year gala and the fire exit wall we met. But lately you keep turning it down.”
Elara’s heart skipped a beat. This was her opening. The perfect moment to tell him. But something held her back, some instinct that said not yet, wait for the right moment after dinner when the mood was even lighter.
“Yes, I’m going to tell you the reason tonight,” she said instead.
Marcus’s eyebrows shot up. “Whoa, really? Finally, I can’t wait.”
“You’ll have to be patient a little longer,” Elara said, smiling at him.
The waiter brought her a fresh-pressed apple and ginger juice instead, served in a beautiful crystal glass that made it feel just as special as the champagne.
The food arrived in what felt like zero time. The kitchen staff must have been working overtime, because dish after dish came out perfectly plated and still steaming hot. Elara’s duck confit looked like a work of art, the meat tender and falling off the bone, the vegetables roasted to perfection.
They started eating, and Marcus had been right. Everything was delicious. They laughed and talked between bites, the conversation flowed easily. Marcus told her stories about business deals gone wrong, about Dante’s terrible dating history before Mimi, about the time he’d accidentally insulted a potential investor’s wife and had to spend an entire evening apologizing.
Elara found herself relaxing completely, the nerves she’d been carrying all day slowly melting away. The music played softly in the background, the candles flickered, and for the first time in a long time, everything felt right.
When they finished their main courses, the waiter cleared their plates and offered dessert menus. Marcus ordered a chocolate soufflé to share, and when it arrived, warm and decadent with a molten center, they ate it together, their spoons occasionally clashing in the middle as they both reached for the same bite.
The whole mood was lively. Elara felt it in her bones. This was the moment. Right now, while he was relaxed and happy and full of good food. This was when she needed to tell him about the pregnancy.
She set down her spoon and looked at him. “Marcus.”
“Hmm?” He looked up, still smiling.
“I have something really important to tell you.” Her voice came out more serious than she intended, and she saw his expression shift slightly, concern creeping in. “Please promise you won’t get mad at me. And even if you do, you’ll forgive me in no time.”
She squeezed her face like a baby about to cry, giving him her most pitiful expression.
Marcus’s smile softened. “What is it, Elara?”
Chapter 68
This was it, no backing out now.
65 vouchere
Elara reached for her clutch, her fingers were fumbling with the clasp. She opened it and pulled out the folded piece of paper she’d tucked inside before leaving the house. The pregnancy test results from the hospital.
Her hands were shaking slightly as she unfolded it, trying to smooth out the creases so he could read it clearly. She was so focused on getting the paper ready that she almost didn’t notice when Marcus’s phone started buzzing.
One notification, then another and another. The sound was loud in the quiet restaurant, alerts that wouldn’t stop.
Marcus frowned and pulled his phone from his pocket, glancing at the screen.
Elara watched his face change. The smile left his cheeks, his eyes went wide. He swiped through notification after notification, his jaw getting tighter with each one.
Then he looked up at her, and the expression on his face made her blood freeze in place.
“What?” he said, his voice sharp and in disbelief.
He turned the phone toward her, but she couldn’t make out what was on the screen from where she was sitting.
“Elara, what the fuck?”
“What is it, Marcus?” she asked, her heart starting to race. “What’s wrong?”
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