Chapter 90 Meeting Helena
When she left, they were back to their room as Arabella wore her pendant again. She kept it secured with her all the time, refusing to let go of it.
William saw her wearing the pendant and cleared his throat to get her attention, standing behind her when she was struggling to lock it.
“I… told you that pendant doesn’t mean anything to me,”
“Seeing that pendant reminds me how you became an animal and now ‘I’ don’t want to let go of it.”
He almost helped but stopped, throat drying when her eyes displayed- ‘I won’t forget.’
“Each time I will see it, it will remind me how I cried, screamed, begged but you didn’t trust me, kissed me forcefully, and showed why I must not seek a chance ever again,”
She smiled coldly, piercing an arrow through his chest. His hand mid-air, hanging his head low in dejection.
Curling it in a fist, he moved his hand back, lowering his gaze in shame.
“Arabella, I have told you I am sorry for what I did. Those were not my intentions. I lost control, I lost-”
“Me.”
“What?”
“You lost me then and there, William.”
Pushing him back, she wore the pendant herself and laid down to sleep.
From that moment, she swore to herself, discarded her feelings, her years of mindlessness, she won’t submit to an untrustable man.
The one who won’t give her the respect, trust, or love she deserved.
She woke up with that determination everyday. She had to remind herself that all the time.
Because in the end, she knew her heart was incredibly weak for him and more push and she might foolishly… give him another chance.
Later, on the weekend, Arabella was watching a series, munching on the popcorn as William was working on his laptop but received a text.
He sighed in frustration, “Arabella,”
“Hmm?”
“Helena wants to meet you. Stay on the 26th floor,”
She smirked, “Oh, hiding the obsessive side from the dearest sister, huh?”
Not in the mood of hearing her taunts, he held her wrist, taking him along.
“Come,”
Upon entering the 26th floor, it was exactly the same as theirs except for their bedroom. It was undoubtedly lavishing like theirs but the normal bedroom made Arabella feel strange.
“Doesn’t even smell like me, wow,” She sniffed.
Their apartment was overflowing with her jasmine fragrance but this one seemed bland and tasteless despite the expensive embellishments.
“Oh, are you missing our home?” William pushed her a little by his shoulder, bringing her back to her senses.
“Yeah, I forgot how it feels to be normal,”
“Don’t worry, it won’t last long,”
“Of course, how anything can be normal in my life as long as you are in it, you obsessive freak,” She smiled mockingly.
Rolling his eyes, disliking how she regarded his deepest yearning like that, he muttered, turning his head away.
“She will be here anytime,”
“Do you want me to dress up like a doll to impress your sister, Sir?”
“Don’t mock and I can bet Helena has seen you in your worst forms already. I doubt she will care,”
Unintentionally he spoke of a fact and went inside the room.
Truly, Helena had seen her friend go hysterical, from her breakdown to her obsession towards William and senseless devotion to Luke.
Helena had witnessed all phases. From the best to worst. All of it.
Smiling sadly at the thought, Arabella took a seat, waiting for her to arrive and hugged her when she did.
“Hey,”
“Hey,”
They greeted each other and sat down. Helena was exchanging distressful glances from time to time, wanting to say something but William’s presence sealed her lips.
“So, where is Hayden?”
“Oh, he had plans with his boys so I thought about coming here.” And looked at Arabella, “I think we still have a lot to talk about,”
“Oh, and what did you talk about?” William asked temptingly, pretending to be ignorant.
Holding Arabella’s hand who kept looking down with nervousness, hoping he hadn’t known about anything.
“These are our talks. You don’t have to interfere.”
“Oh, so you have forgiven us already?” William smirked.
Helena couldn’t help but to smile sorrowfully, sparing a glance at the couple who once passionately loved each other one-sidedly but today.
Even holding the hands felt cold as if there were irrecoverable distances between them.
“When two people are fated to be, they will meet under all circumstances.”
“And Luke?”
“He will recover, he has to be,” Exhaling, she leaned back and shrugged her shoulders.
“I mean, Bella is not the last person on the Earth. It will hurt, will be too difficult but he must move on,”
“I guess,”
They all hummed and before it could convert into awkwardness, Helena waved her hand in the air to cut the talk short.
“Anyways, leave this. I am here for Bella so will you excuse us?”
“Where am I supposed to go?” William frowned.
“I knew you would say this. Hayden is downstairs. I told him to tag you along on his outing. Go and enjoy,”
“I am not ready-”
“Oh, you look handsome as always, William. Go and enjoy~”
Waving her hand, not listening to his reasoning, she made William leave but gave Arabella a warning stare to not say something she shouldn’t and left.
When William was gone, Arabella liberated a long sigh of relief, leaning her head back and rubbing her temples.
“Oh, thank God,”
“He truly doesn’t leave your side. Hayden was right that he kept you close at Jed’s party,”
“Hmm,”
“So how is everything?”
“Hollow,”
“And what are you going to do? Do you want to give your relationship a chance?”
Arabella chuckled dryly, “Do you think I haven’t tried? I swear I did but when he doesn’t want to. How can I imagine a future for us?”
“So he, like, doesn't even consider you a human?”
“Nope. I am a thing he can use to play with, he can use whenever he pleases. You know what I am,”
Smiling wretchedly, a tear pricked in the corner of her eyes, enunciating her worth in William’s eyes.
“A piece of Decoration,”
Curling her hand in a fist, she slammed her hand down, tears blurring her sight as carrying this bond had become a burden for her.
“In that case, tell me what should I do when he doesn’t want me to be his wife?”
“If that’s the case,” Helena gulped, “Why don’t you piss him off enough to make him regret marrying you and let you go?”
Arabella laughed, “I had been doing this ever since I come here,”
Considering her hesitant suggestion a joke, Arabella told the list of things she did but none of them worked.
In fact, it increased his carving. It made him desire her more.
“Oh Lord… if that’s the case,”
Scrutinizing her situation thoroughly, after knowing nothing is going to work, Helana suggested a dark thought.
“Why don’t you do something extreme…?”