The silence in the car on the way back was suffocating. Elena sat stiffly beside Alexander, her arms crossed, her thoughts in a storm she was trying really hard to contain. The city lights blurred past the window, but all she could see was Mrs. Kane's cold smile, her sharp words mocking her entirety, and Alexander just sitting there… saying nothing.
Finally, she couldn't hold it anymore. "Are you going to tell me why your stepmother hates me?"
Alexander didn't look at her. His profile was in its normal perfect sculpture, hard and unreadable. "It doesn't matter." He says, his voice is almost in a mutter like he is very uninterested in this conversation.
"It does matter!" Her voice cracked with anger. "She practically called me unworthy to my face and you just sat there like I was invisible. You said nothing to her when she did that."
He shifted slightly, eyes still on the dark road ahead. "It's better not to engage her. She thrives on conflict."
Elena let out a bitter laugh. "So you let her walk all over me instead?"
The car's interior seemed to shrink, the air becoming too tight for both of them. She wanted him to yell back, to feel something, to prove she wasn't losing her mind in this house of glaring monsters. But Alexander only adjusted his tie, his face still unreadable.
"You knew she would treat me like this," Elena whispered, the realization sinking in. "You knew, and you brought me there anyway."
He finally turned to her then, his gaze piercing. "You are my wife, Elena and that is my family, whether you like it or not, this is all part of it."
Her breath caught. The words feel like multiple slaps against her soul.
She looked away quickly, blinking against the sting in her eyes. She hated crying in front of him. She hated that she even cared enough to want to cry.
The rest of the ride passed in silence, the air heavy with unspoken words.
When they reached the penthouse, Elena didn't wait for him. She stormed upstairs, her heels clattering against marble, and slammed the bedroom door behind her. For once, she didn't care if he heard.
She paced the room, her chest heaving. The anger that had been simmering since dinner finally boiled over. She wasn't going to survive this marriage if she stayed quiet, if she kept swallowing the insults and pretending Alexander's silence didn't gut her.
No. If he wanted a wife who bowed her head, he'd chosen wrong.
Her phone was in her hand before she even realized it. She dialed her mother, and the sound of that gentle, familiar voice reached her like a balm.
"Elena? Are you alright, baby?"
She closed her eyes, gripping the phone tighter. "Can I come by tonight?"
There was a pause, then, "Of course you can. You don't even have to ask."
The relief that rushed through her almost buckled her knees. For the first time since stepping into the Kane household, she felt like she could breathe.
She ended the call quickly, afraid Alexander might overhear, but when she stepped back into the hallway, he was nowhere in sight. Good. That made it easier.
That evening, Elena dressed how she wanted. Not in the soft, neutral dresses Alexander seemed to prefer, but in a fitted red jumpsuit that clung to her figure like a second skin. Her hair, usually in tame waves, was now pulled into a high, sleek ponytail. She lined her lips in bold scarlet gloss.
She caught her reflection in the mirror and smiled coldly. If they wanted a showpiece wife, they were going to get one, but not the version they could control.
She grabbed her purse and headed for the elevator, rehearsing her words in case Alexander tried to stop her. But when the doors slid open on the ground floor, she froze.
Alexander was there, standing by the concierge desk, his expression unreadable.
"Going somewhere?" His tone was casual, but his eyes were sharply looking around as if to check if someone was waiting for her.
Elena lifted her chin. "Yes. I'm going to see my mother."
The silence stretched, heavy and cool, until he finally nodded once. "Go with the driver and don't stay out too late."
His indifference stung, but it also gave her the confirmation she needed. She walked past him without looking back, her heels clicking defiantly against the marble.
Her mother's health had been fragile lately, and Elena knew something was wrong when she arrived at the hospital instead of the little house she expected. Her heart twisted seeing her mother lying on the bed, pale but smiling the moment she spotted her.
"Sweetheart, you didn't tell me you were coming today," her mother whispered, reaching out weakly.
She was in a better state than when Elena had seen her last but the recovery was slow even with the new medicine.
Elena rushed forward, squeezing her hand. "Why didn't you tell me you were admitted again? I should have been here."
Her mother stroked her knuckles gently. "I didn't want to worry you. You have enough on your plate."
Elena bit her lip, swallowing hard against the lump in her throat. The world around her blurred until she heard a familiar voice.
"Elena?"
She turned sharply and blinked in surprise. "Dennis?"
Dennis, her childhood friend, stood by the doorway in his white doctor's coat, carrying a clipboard. His easy smile hadn't changed, though there was a sharp look of confidence in his eyes now.
"You're my patient's daughter?" he asked, clearly surprised.
"Yes," Elena breathed, then realized how ridiculous she sounded. "I didn't know you worked here."
"Cardiology," he said with a small shrug. "Transferred two months ago."
He glanced at her mother, then back at Elena, his expression softening. "She's in good hands, I promise."
Something in the warmth of his tone, the care in his eyes, made Elena's chest ache. She had been drowning in indifference and cruelty for weeks, and Dennis kindness felt like sunlight on her frozen skin.
They spoke briefly about her mother's treatment, and Elena felt herself relax in a way she hadn't since the wedding. Before leaving, Daniel touched her arm lightly.
"You look… different, Elena. Stronger, maybe. But if you ever need someone to talk to, you know where to find me."
Her pulse skipped at the sincerity in his voice, but she quickly nodded and excused herself. She couldn't afford to linger. Not tonight.
When she returned to the penthouse, the air was as heavy as she had left it and she was starting to get anxious for no reason again. Elena slipped off her heels and pushed the door closed quietly, not wanting another confrontation. She vowed that wouldn't even talk to him if he tried to say something to her.
But then she froze.
A laugh, soft, feminine, and horribly familiar, drifted from the living room.
Her stomach dropped as she stepped forward, her hand gripping the wall for support. And there, sitting comfortably on the cream leather sofa, was Isabel.
"Elena," Isabel said smoothly, rising with a practiced smile that Elena was definitely beginning to hate now. "I was hoping we'd meet again."
Elena's breath caught, and she could feel the world dangling beneath her feet.
Behind her, she felt Alexander's presence and when she turned to look at him, his gaze was still unreadable. Normally, it would've been fine, but now, it seemed more daunting than she could deal with.
There and then, standing in the middle of the two people that were slowly starting to make her lose her mind, her heart clenched with hate.