Chapter 185: Love?

Chapter 185: Love?
“ No, please, Elly doesn't know anything about this, going out with Oliver was my decision.”

“ No, it wasn't.” Jeremy shook his head, panting.

“ I swear it was, Elly didn't even know until recently that I'm seeing him. It was my decision to sleep with him.”

“ Don't lie to me!” He yelled. “ You'd never do that to me, you wouldn't betray me.”

Eloise choked out a laugh.

“ Elly,” Laera called in relief.

Eloise managed to move, but every part of her body aches with pain. She groaned, chuckled as she sat up with her hands and legs still tied.

She looked up at Jeremy with fire in her eyes.

“ You can't even accept the truth?” She asked with a mocking smirk.

“ Stop, don't provoke him.” Laera pleaded.

Jeremy's nose flared, his eyes blazed with anger at Eloise.

“ You think killing me would make her start loving you or what?” Eloise asked, glancing at the knife as if daring him to do it.

“ You just don't shut up, do you?”

“ No.” She shook her head grinning.

She tasted iron on her tongue and spat out blood.

“ Elly.” Laera cried, looking at her worriedly before turning to Jeremy. “ Please let her go, she does nothing to you, she's innocent —it’s all my decision.”

He ran his fingers through his hair, smirking. “ She's not innocent; she'll keep turning your back on me.”

“ Is that why you kidnapped me? Or because you don't want a witness.”

“ Elly!”

“ She's quite smart.” He chuckled. “ Yes, yes I don't want a witness. If I let you go, you'd run to the cops, and they'll take her away from me.”

Eloise burst into laughter.

His brow wrinkled. “ Why are you laughing?”

“'Cause it's funny. Taking me actually is a mistake, a very big one, Jeremy.”

“ No, it's not.”

“ It is. Believe me, this will be the biggest mistake of your life. Do you think my husband will let you live?”

“ Your husband? You're divorced, you think I haven't heard about you divorcing Mason, and what can that loser do to me? You think that careless man whose sex tape is all over the Internet can save you?”

He burst into laughter, but it soon died as Eloise laughed out loud along with him.

“ A stalker should know how to gather facts or should I say enough information.” She said amidst laughter.

Jeremy's laughter died down, looking at her like she was insane.

“ Mason is not my husband, creep.”

“ You remarried?”

“ What? You want me to die single?”

“ I know you're such a slut. You've only recently divorced, and you're already married to someone else? That's why I don't want you to be near my woman.”

Eloise laughed. “ Your woman? She belongs to someone else now.”

“ I told you to shut up.” He threw her another slap.

Eloise fell, breathing heavily with blood streaming out of her mouth.

Laera called worriedly, crying and pleading with Jeremy while also telling Eloise not to say anything.

Eloise glanced at the knife before saying in her mind. ‘ He'd have known I've gone missing by now, stall more time, El, he'd find you soon, just..stall more time, I can't let him hurt Laera.'

She forced herself to sit up, her heart racing, her head spinning.

Pain coursing through her body.

She feels weak and dizzy.

“ Who kidnapped the ones they loved?” She muttered weakly.

“ Please don't say anything, stop provoking him.” Laera wept profusely.

“ It's love, that is true love, that is how much I love her.” He pointed. “ I'd do anything to have her.”

“ That's not love. Love doesn't inflict pain, look at her, all tied up and in pain.”

“ That's so that she wouldn't run away.” He corrected. “ I will untie her after I make her realize we can't live without each other.”

Tears streamed down Laera's face. Wondering to herself how come she's in such a situation, how could she not see the kind of person Jeremy is before agreeing to be his girlfriend?

What was it about him that made her loved him?

She wept. “ I regret that day.”

Her words drew his attention.

“ I regret it so much.” She muttered, regretting the day she ever accepted to date him.

“ Yes, you should. You should regret leaving me for that bastard. You should regret not appreciating my love for you.”

“ That's not my regret.” She looked up at him with red eyes from tears, sniffling. “ No matter what you do now, it won't change anything. Because Jeremy, my heart beats for someone else now. I didn't even intend for it to happen, but he makes me happy, he makes me feel special, he doesn't raise his voice or hands at me.”

“ I won't.” He cut in, desperately. “ I won't ever raise my hands at you.”

She shook her head. “ You don't understand.”

“ Of course I do. You're doing this because you're still upset with me and I'm sorry.”

“ You are?”

He nodded.

“ Then would you let her go? She's my best friend, I don't want anything happening to her because of me.” Tears of pain and desperation stream out of her eyes.

Tears welled up in Eloise's eyes as she saw her sob and quiver. She'd always seen Laera as a very close friend, a colleague.

The only best friend she had was Tamara.

But ever since she came back in time, and even before she did. Laera has always been there. Always rooting for her.

Always there when she needed a shoulder.

Always there when she needed someone to talk to.

She's never once not shown her love and care.

That's right. She's her best friend.

Someone she also loves and cares about, someone she doesn't want to get hurt.

Tears streamed down her cheeks. “ Idiot.”

Laera turned to Eloise when she heard her call her an idiot.

Eloise added. “ You think I can live if something happens to you? You should be fighting for yourself.”

Laera shook her head. “ You're here because of me. I've seen people cause you pain and hurt you. I don't want to ever be part of it. I care so much about you, Elly.”

“ I know. I know.” She nodded. “ And I care about you too. I hate it so much when you're sad. I love hanging out with you, going on a shopping spree, and spending more than planned. You're a very good person, Laera.”

She gulped, her mind wandering to how much she detested Tamara just because of her.

“ I find comfort in you. You're also part of the reason why I don't feel alone. And I want you to know you're not alone either, don't give yourself to him because of me. Don't trade yourself for my freedom, I want to stick with you through this, and I believe together, we'll get through this.”

A bitter smile curved at Laera's lips before bursting into tears.

Jeremy scoffed. “ Whoa, what a lovely speech. I almost thought this was a love confession.”

His grip on the knife tightened. “ I always knew your presence in her life would hinder the progress of our relationship.”

He dashed to her, grabbed her head, and put the knife to her throat.