Chapter 124 Fooled again

Chapter 124 Fooled again
Elara's POV

Crash!

The glass of juice I held in my hand fell to the floor. The sound of the glass breaking filled the air, but I just stood there, unmoving, as I watched the scene in front of me.

Jayden... with Zia?

My vision became blurry. As soon as I blinked, a tear rolled down my cheek, and my lips trembled.

No...

I couldn't stand to watch it, so I turned around and began walking away.

My mind wasn't in the right place. I could barely think. The scene just kept replaying over and over again in my head.

Jayden and Zia, making out.

I never thought I would see that, ever in my life. Not even after finding out that they were engaged.

It became hard to breathe. I gasped for air, but the more I did, the more the tears rolled down my cheeks.

Nobody could catch me like this.

I couldn't allow anyone to see me. There was no way to explain the tears if I was asked why I was crying.

Why?

Because two people who were engaged were kissing?

"Yeah..." I nodded, murmuring to myself as I got to my room. "They are engaged."

They were to be married in a few months.

Yet that fucking bastard...!

"Arghhh!" A scream tore from my lips, and I slammed my fist against the wall, feeling the impact against my hand, but it was nothing compared to the pain in my chest.

"Stupid! You're fucking stupid, Elara!" I yelled, pounding my fist against the wall over and over again.

But no matter how hard I hit the wall, it didn't reduce the pain in my chest one bit.

"Ahhh!" A loud sob left my lips, and I rested my hands on the wall.

God! Fuck, it hurt.

I knew Jayden was like this. A bloody player. Someone who did everything with a plan, one that always worked in his favor.

I knew everything, yet I still allowed my crazy heart to lead the way.

I allowed myself to be swayed by his words, his gestures, and the way he looked at me, and I fell for him.

Slowly, I slid down the wall, falling to my knees.

...

After Jayden left the dining room the way he did, the room became suffocating, mainly because of the way Zia stared at me.

Thankfully for me, she stood up a few minutes later, muttered something under her breath, and walked away.

The twins took a bit longer. I wanted so badly to leave, but I couldn't leave them on their own. Only after they were done did I stand up, about to walk away, when Victoria called me back. She said she wanted to have a conversation with me, just me.

"Do you like my son?" Victoria asked as soon as the boys ran up the stairs.

The question had taken me by surprise. My mouth hung open, and I was unsure of what answer to give.

The question came so suddenly.

Victoria leaned closer, a knowing look on her face. This was one of the rare times she didn't have a smirk on her face.

For the first time, I was seeing Victoria being very serious.

"Look, Elara," she began in a calm tone as she stared at me. "I'm asking you to be sincere with me. Don't think about anything else. Don't think about anyone. Just Jayden."

I swallowed.

Victoria paused for a few seconds before speaking again, this time her question different from the last.

"Do you love him?"

Love?

My eyes widened.

"Love is a strong word..." I wanted to chuckle, but Victoria's face looked too serious for me to make that kind of joke.

Instead, her words rang over and over in my head.

I hadn't allowed myself to think about my feelings for Jayden, so I wasn't sure.

One thing I knew was that those feelings existed and that I wanted more.

My mind went back to a few hours ago at the library. The way his lips felt on mine.

He had shown me his vulnerability, something he didn't do often.

And after that, back in my room, the way he held me in his arms. We didn't even have to do anything. I just felt safe.

After much thought, I finally nodded, giving the older woman an answer.

"I like him," I said, looking at her. "I like him a lot."

I felt lighter almost immediately.

This was the first time I was allowing myself to confess my feelings for Jayden.

The first time I was accepting what I felt for him.

But...

What was the use of accepting it?

A picture of Zia appeared in my head, and the small smile that had been threatening to form on my face disappeared.

"But I cannot do anything with my feelings," I said to Victoria, pressing my lips into a thin line before speaking again. "He already has a fiancée. One that you, as his family, chose for him."

I emphasized the last part a bit too much, just so Victoria could realize that she was the reason. She was the reason I couldn't do anything with my feelings.

Because Jayden wasn't mine.

Jayden's sister's wedding came to mind.

Her husband was chosen for her too, just like Jayden. Despite everything, no matter how much she tried to run and escape, she was still forced to marry him.

Would Jayden's case also be like that?

Victoria's next words answered that question.

"And I can also unchoose her," she said, her tone void of any form of joke or laughter. "I picked Zia because she's the only girl Jayden has had even remotely any familiarity with after his ex died."

So that was why?

Because she... she wanted Jayden to be happy?

"Jane, right?" I asked.

Victoria's brows knitted together in surprise, as though she hadn't been expecting me to know the name of the famous Jane.

"You know about her?" she asked, staring at me suspiciously.

Slowly, I nodded, pressing my lips together.

"Jayden talks about her sometimes."

"But he never talks about her," Victoria whispered under her breath, staring at me like I was an alien. "He doesn't even like someone saying her name."

He doesn't?

"What?"

But whenever we were together, she seemed like his favorite topic.

He barely reacted whenever I said her name.

"But when I say her name, he doesn't..."

"He likes you too," Victoria interrupted me, her lips pulling into a small smile. "He really likes you," she muttered.

She leaned forward to grab my hands. Holding them together, she looked up at me and smiled.

My heart warmed.

For the first time in my life, it felt like I finally had a mother.

"Since both of you like each other, there isn't much to be done," Victoria said softly, caressing my hand, which made me look up at her. "The last question remains. Can you fight for each other?"

...

I had actually been considering that.

But how could I fight for someone who, right from the start, had decided that he wasn't going to be on my team?

How could I fight for someone who was helping the enemy defeat me?

Victoria hadn't been so wrong. Jayden doesn't like me. He only needed me at that moment.

But my brain was too clouded by fairy tales and imagination to think.

If not, I would have known.

My lips quivered as another sob broke free.

This was the second time I was trusting him.

The second time I'd had my heart handed back to me in pieces after entrusting it to Jayden. Once was a mistake, but twice?

"Stupid," I whispered, speaking to myself. "I'm just so stupid."

I sniffled before wiping my cheeks with the back of my hand.

"It's not too late to do the smart thing," I muttered to myself, taking in a deep breath.

Twice Jayden had made a fool out of me.

There wasn't going to be a third time.

Fuck Hillary Ashford.

I was leaving.