Chapter 1 #2
“He never should’ve agreed to it,” another man muttered. “But you know how Elias is. The guy acts like he was born to be a saint. Have you ever heard him refuse anyone asking for help? Especially someone older.”
“Exactly,” someone else added with a snort. “And Amara’s grandfather practically begged him after her car accident.”
The sound of a glass clinking heavily against the table echoed through the room.
“This whole thing is ridiculous,” the man continued with a scoff.
“If it weren’t for her accident and her grandfather practically begging Elias to marry her after she chased him for three years, he never would’ve married her.
” He shook his head mockingly before taking a sip of his drink.
“Her entire family spoiled her rotten. Only child syndrome. Of course the little princess had to get everything she wanted.”
Amara’s stomach twisted violently.
Her face slowly lost all color.
She lowered her eyes quickly when she felt them start to burn, blinking hard to stop the tears gathering there. But the humiliation still spread through her chest like fire.
Around her, the music continued playing loudly, people continued laughing, waiters continued walking around carrying champagne as if nothing had happened.
“She’s the only heir to Hawk Industries. Everything was handed to her her entire life,” a woman said with a mocking laugh. “Her parents spoiled her so much they never cared what anyone else thought. All they cared about was Amara’s happiness and whatever she wanted.”
Another woman immediately laughed in agreement.
“Exactly. That family has always treated her like the center of the world. All they ever cared about was Amara’s happiness and giving her whatever she wanted.”
“I remember her from high school,” another person added immediately. “Every single morning her father personally dropped her off at school.”
The woman rolled her eyes dramatically before taking another sip of her drink.
“And not just dropped her off. The man practically treated her like she was the center of the universe. Everyone used to stare whenever his car pulled up outside the school gates. Even my father never had time to do things like that.”
She let out a mocking laugh.
“But Amara’s dad? He acted like he had nothing else to do except worship his daughter. Every single day it was all about Amara.”
Laughter immediately spread around the table.
“Well, isn’t that expected?” another woman said with a grin. “Have you seen how bossy she is?”
Someone snorted.
“Honestly, though, I think Elias finally toned her down. From the past year, I haven’t seen that same arrogant attitude in her anymore. Before, everywhere we went, she acted like she owned the world.”
The woman straightened mockingly and copied Amara’s voice in an exaggerated sweet tone.
“‘Let me pay for it.’ ‘Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.’”
Several people around the table burst into laughter again.
“Oh my God, yes,” someone said immediately. “Every single party. Every dinner. Every gathering. She always paid for everything.”
“It was honestly so annoying. Like… what was she trying to prove? That the rest of us were too poor to pay for things ourselves?”
“Didn’t she just offer because she was being nice?” one of the girls at the table asked hesitantly. “I mean… it feels kind of weird to complain about that—”
“I already told you, she made it weird,” the woman snapped defensively. “Before anyone could even take out their wallet, she had already paid for everything. Then she’d stand there acting all smug about it. ‘Oh, don’t worry, I already took care of it.’”
She mimicked Amara’s voice mockingly, making several people laugh again.
“She said it like she was doing charity for us.”
Amara stood outside the VIP room motionlessly.
Her fingers trembled slightly beside her body.
Inside, another woman sighed dramatically.
“And don’t even get me started on her mother,” another woman added with a scoff. “‘My Amara this, my daughter that.’ As if her daughter descended from heaven or something.”
“So fucking annoying,” someone muttered. “Every conversation was about how smart Amara was, how beautiful she was, how perfect she was.” The woman rolled her eyes hard. “Like, what the hell do I care?”
She smirked coldly before continuing.
“And look at them now. Staying quiet and keeping their heads down after practically forcing their daughter into Elias’s arms.”
“They emotionally blackmailed the poor guy,” someone muttered.
“I honestly feel bad for Elias.”
“Me too,” a woman sighed dramatically. “You can literally see the disappointment in his eyes. The sadness too. Everyone notices it, but he never says anything about it.”
A man burst out laughing loudly.
“Honestly, he looks like a man forced into a marriage he never wanted, all because a rich brat couldn’t take no for an answer.”
The entire table burst into loud laughter.
The sound shattered something inside Amara.
Every laugh felt like another knife twisting deeper into her chest.
Her fingers trembled violently around her purse as she stood frozen outside the VIP room. The color had completely drained from her face, and her throat burned painfully as she fought to swallow the suffocating lump rising inside it.
But what hurt the most…
Not once.
Not even once…
Had Elias ever defended her.
People talked about her like this openly in front of him, mocking her, humiliating her, turning her into a joke right in front of him. Yet he had never denied any of it. Never stopped them. Never told them they were wrong.
It was as if he simply didn’t care what they said about his wife.
Amara’s breathing became shaky. The realization crushed something inside her.
Her chest tightened so painfully she could barely breathe, the ache spreading through her entire body while humiliation and heartbreak clawed at her from the inside.
Her throat burned painfully as tears filled her eyes faster and faster.
Before anyone could notice her standing there, Amara quickly stepped back out of the darkened hallway beside the VIP room, her trembling hand brushing against the wall to steady herself.
She lowered her head immediately, hiding her face as voices and laughter continued behind the closed door like knives twisting deeper into her chest.
Then she turned and hurried away.
Her heels hit the floor rapidly as she pushed through the crowded club, her breathing growing more uneven with every step.
The flashing lights blurred in her watery eyes while the loud music pounded painfully in her head.
She ignored the confused looks around her and rushed straight toward the exit before shoving the club doors open and stumbling outside into the cold night air.
The moment she stepped outside, cold rain poured heavily over her.
The storm outside was heavy.
She crossed the road quickly toward the quieter side of the street where there were fewer people around, her breathing uneven and broken. Within seconds, the rain soaked through her dress completely, the thin fabric clinging tightly to her trembling body.
Wet strands of hair stuck to her cheeks as tears mixed with the rain running down her face.
But she barely noticed any of it.
Her vision was blurry.
Not only because of the rain—
But because tears kept falling no matter how hard she tried to stop them.
The voices inside the club continued echoing mercilessly inside her head.
Amara pressed a trembling hand against her mouth, trying desperately to hold back her sobs, but it became impossible.
One broken cry escaped her lips.
Then another.
And another.
Her shoulders shook violently as she stumbled through the rain, unable to breathe properly anymore.
Cars rushed past in the distance while thunder echoed loudly above the city.
Her heels slipped against the wet pavement, and the long dress wrapped around her legs as her blurred vision made everything around her spin.
Then suddenly—
Her heel caught in the soaked fabric.
Amara lost her balance instantly.
A frightened gasp escaped her lips before her body crashed hard onto the pavement.
The impact was brutal.
Pain exploded through her body instantly as her knees slammed against the ground and her head struck the wet pavement hard enough to make everything around her blur.
For a second, she couldn’t hear anything except the ringing in her ears.
Rain poured heavily over her collapsed body while her trembling fingers weakly pressed against the cold ground.
Amara forced herself back to her feet unsteadily, nearly slipping again as her soaked heels struggled against the wet road. Her breathing was uneven while strands of wet hair clung to her face and neck.
Her knees trembled violently beneath her, and every part of her body hurt, especially her head, but she clenched her jaw and looked around anyway.
Her shaking fingers quickly pulled her phone out of her purse without caring that both the device and her hands were getting drenched by the rain. The screen blurred slightly from the water as she opened the app and tried calling for an Uber.
Nothing.
No cabs nearby.
Of course there weren’t.
These kinds of elite business parties were always hosted in secluded areas far away from the city, where regular traffic barely passed, especially at this hour during heavy rain.
Amara lowered her phone slowly.
Then she turned around and started walking.
Her feet hurt.
Her head hurt.
Everything inside her body hurt.
But strangely, the physical pain almost helped distract her from the unbearable ache inside her chest.
Rain continued pouring over her as she walked down the empty road alone, her soaked dress clinging tightly to her body with every shaky step. Her heels scraped painfully against the wet pavement, but she barely noticed anymore.
The voices from the club kept replaying inside her head over and over again.
Then suddenly—
A blinding light appeared in front of her.
Bright headlights cut through the darkness as a car sped toward her.