95

"Mom, I will help Elena" I stand up as Dorothy walks back to the table, smiling at me as if we were accomplices.

"Don't use the opportunity to make a mess, kids" Elliot shouts. I want to use the same tone to tell him to go to hell, but that wouldn't be very gentlemanly of me.

"I wonder where your education ended" I hear Mia murmur.

I reach the top of the stairs with the same nervousness I felt on my wedding day. And there she is, beautiful as an angel, wearing the gift I gave her earlier.

"If you do not want to sleep with me, we can go home" I say. I do not want her to feel uncomfortable just to please others.

"Let's not sleep together" is all she says before starting up the steps. Honestly, a slap would have hurt less.

Not that I understood what she meant by that, but I was just willing to follow her.

Be whatever Elena wants!

Upstairs, I go right down the hall to the door of my childhood bedroom. The place is not my favorite place in the world, but the feeling of anguish I feel doesn