(Elira's POV)
The sadness of wanting to meet Matthew but lying every time only to avoid him started to kill me. It had been weeks since I last saw him. He kept texting me every other day, expressing his frustration at being unable to talk to me in person, however, I had no choice but to change the topic.
"Now is not a good time, Matt. I will tell you."
I was on the phone call with Matthew talking about various things. A few nights ago, he nearly quarreled with me as he felt like I had been avoiding him. I calmed him down again with my lies, but I knew it wouldn't take much time for him to be more suspicious.
The night we quarreled was the same night I last saw Mr. Wolfe. Even though he didn't come to my bedroom, through the window I saw his car leaving. It was a surprise to me that he came to the villa, but instead of coming to me, he left for unknown reasons. I could only assume he again forgot some files.
Days passed, but I got no update from Mr. Wolfe. In the initial days, I felt so happy because of his absence, but a strange feeling started to erupt inside me whenever I texted him for permission to go out but was left in the seen zone.
That weird feeling hurt me not because I didn't get the permission from him but because he didn't bother replying to me even after reading the messages when in fact he always replied to me in a few seconds. That feeling weighed on my chest, and probably because I was used to seeing him regularly, I started to miss him, and I started to hate myself for it.
"Then when is the good time?" Matthew's voice was laced with frustration. "I have a lot of things to tell you and share with you. I can't just tell all my good moments on the phone. I want to tell you in person and see the happiness on your face."
"Matt…"
"I know. I understand that you are very busy and staying at god knows where, but it's strange that you can't even have some spare time for your…" There were a few seconds of silence before he spoke, "Friend."
He was not just a friend, and we both knew it. I let out a sigh, taking in his frustration. I had nothing to say, and I didn't even want to say anything because all there left were lies.
"Elira… I'm sorry. It's just… I want to see you. But I can't force you. Like I said before, I'll wait for you."
"I am sorry, Matt. I'll definitely meet you soon."
We then talked for a few more minutes until the clock struck twelve, and then he cut the call. I opened my chat with Mr. Wolfe, where most of the chat was filled with only my messages. The last message I sent was in the morning about my wish to visit my sister.
Frustrated, I sent the text again. "Hi!"
I waited for the reply, but I didn't get any. My fingers clicked on the phone button, quickly calling him, and unfortunately even my calls were unanswered.
It was unusual. I started to wonder if anything had happened to him, and the "kind" part of me started to worry for him, so I left a voicemail, hoping he'd text me after listening to it.
"Um… hi! I… I texted you and called you but didn't get a reply. Mr. Wolfe, I hope you are fine. I am…"
I couldn't bring myself to tell him that I was worried about him.
"…waiting for your reply. Please text me back once you receive this. Also, it's been so many days since I visited Mira. I have been waiting for your reply, and I can't wait anymore."
Mustering up the courage, I spoke, "I want to see her. Tomorrow I am going to the hospital. I informed you, but you didn't reply, so don't come at me again for not taking your permission. It's your fault."
I sent the voicemail and waited for him to call me. I was sure my ending words would provoke him and he'd respond, but I was wrong.
The next day, I asked the security to take me to the hospital, but they hesitated. I showed them my texts and voicemail, claiming I already asked him about it. To double-check, one of the guards called Mr. Wolfe, and his angry response only hurt me more.
"Take her wherever the fuck she wants to go."
Mr. Wolfe answered his call and responded to everyone but me. I had always known that I meant nothing to him, but deep in my heart I knew that he gave me some priority. But it all changed.
Then I visited my sister and stayed with her for a while. Whenever I visited Mira or Matthew, I never wore anything Mr. Wolfe bought me, as the branded items would definitely raise suspicions.
As Mr. Wolfe was not replying, I started to leave him messages wherever I went so that he wouldn't again blame me for not informing him beforehand. The guards also stopped disturbing him and only checked my messages before taking me anywhere.
"Yeah, even I heard about his continuous meetings with that actress. He must be staying with her now."
I overheard the guards' conversation when I went to the garden for fresh air.
One of the guards asked, "Ms. Yung seems so nice. What will happen to her now?"
"Maybe, he'll leave her. He doesn't even care about her anymore."
I walked away with conflicting emotions. I was so happy that he got someone else and that he'd not torture me. But a very little part of me felt sad that I'd not be seeing him again. Despite everything, he was my sister's savior.
After their conversation, I started to go out more the next few days. The security guards also took me everywhere without asking anything more. It was a chance to finally meet Matthew, so I texted him, "Let's meet for the dinner. I will send you the location."
Wearing a dress of his favorite color, blue, I started to get ready. I played music while I applied my makeup, and the excitement of seeing him was clearly visible on the face of my reflection in the mirror. In the chaos of my happiness and excitement, the lipstick fell to the floor. When I bent down to take it, a pair of black shoes stopped in front of me, and when I raised my head, the devil greeted me with his usual smirk.
"Missed me, babygirl?"