“Elena! Lovely seeing you again!” Came the cheery voice of Meghan as she saunters into the villa. She was dragging a garment rack behind her before she enveloped me in a hug. Her Dior scent was lovely, and it brought a smile to my face. “Lovely to see you as well, Meghan. How was the flight over?” I ask her, and we make polite conversation. We had bonded over the dress design, and I quite liked her.
“You need to see how this dress turned out! Oh, you will be in absolute love!” She says with excitement to her voice that causes me to get hyped up as well. We walked over to the garment rack and as she unzipped the dress, my heart rate rose. It wasn’t just beautiful, it was exquisite! The rose gold shimmered in the light sweetheart neckline that would amplify my modest bosom, and the long sleeved shawl/bolero with Queen Anne neckline would keep the chill away. The dress had me melting!
The Midford Winter Ball was always the last event before Social Season kicked off. They would expect me to attend all these events as a Dumont Representative, and somehow, I knew I could do it. “By the way, love, I thought you might want to know that Sarah’s family hosts this ball. She is a Midford.” He says, and my eyes widen at this. Sarah Midford? So not only did Sebastian screw around with his business partner, she was a Midford as well. This bothers me some, as he could easily have married her instead of me. Where I was literally royalty, she had a powerful name and family. They hailed from Australia and settled here over ten years ago. They did not have the same pull as The Wiltshires or Dumonts, but the name demanded respect. “Why didn’t you settle for someone like Sarah, Sebastian?” I blurt out without thinking, and I see the scowl forming on his face. Damnit, I surely know how to put my foot in it. He sighs. “Because as much as Sarah and I shared a b
Elijah!I take in his blonde hair that had fallen out of the ponytail he had it in, and his bloody knuckles from punching Nicholas, who was now curled up in a ball on the floor. Elijah looks at me, then looks away as he takes off his suit jacket. He walks towards me with downcast eyes and covers up my torn dress.I could do nothing but stare at him in a daze while my tears kept on falling. Nicholas had sexually harassed me and was about to do God knows what if Elijah didn’t step in? I couldn’t help it. I threw myself into his arms and he held me as I sobbed for my lost dignity. “Shh, it’s okay, Elena. He will not get away with this.” Elijah says, trying to console me as I wept.Then he reached into his pants pocket and pulled out his phone. “Sebastian, I need you to come to the hall leading to the ladies’ room. Something has happened.” He says, then pockets his phone again.The reality of his
It was the Oxford Open Day, and I was a ball of unrepressed nerves. The last month has been extremely hectic in terms of my mental health and I finally realise now that what happened to me was not my fault. Nicholas has been a sexual predator since high school, and after my story hits the news and media outlets, so many other girls have come forward with their own stories, some even with stories that played out while I was still with him.It seems I started a #MeToo movement among the wealthy upper class.As it turns out, there was no video footage of what occurred between Nicholas and I. It had been erased but Sebastian and Elijah’s statements coupled with my torn dress and photos of my bruises were enough to prosecute him. But Anabelle’s statement was what surprised us all; what she had to say cemented Nicholas’ fate, and the Addington's became pariahs in the social circles. Sebastian financially crippled them by causing their stocks to drop. I woul
I walk up to Elijah at the end of the lecture with Anabelle in tow and shake my head. “Very sneaky, Mr Somersett. Why didn’t you tell me you were the alumni delivering the lecture this morning?” I ask, and he tries to hide his smile. “I guess I wanted to surprise you. Did it work?”Did it work? More than.“Well, I was certainly surprised, yes. Your lecture was very well thought out and spoken, I think I might just take this course after all.” I say and I see him turn serious at this. “It’s not easy though, Elena. Exeter will test you proficiently, and if you fail, it takes quite a while to come back from it.” He says, and I am taken back at the honesty of his words. Surely it wasn’t that difficult?“Are you speaking from experience, or are you only trying to scare me from applying?” I ask him, crossing my arms in front of me, “Anabelle has enrolled, and she is extremely happy here.
ElenaCurled up in bed as the day's events play over in my head. I truly wanted this position at Exeter, but Elijah has put me off going. I refuse to do online courses because I am tired of being stuck in this villa all day. Urgh!I changed my mind about going out tonight. I'm not interested in being around people right now. Today has been more disappointing than anything else and it all had Elijah's name written on it. I have grown so tired of his advances. How much longer will he continue to pursue me when he knows that I am Sebastian's?A knock on the door sounds and in walks my husband with a worried frown on his face. "Is it safe to enter?" he asks, and I smile as I sit up from the safety of my fluffy blanket. "Only for you, love," I answer and he walks in after closing the door behind him. He sits down next to me on the bed and takes my hand in his. "What happened after our phone call?" he asks, holding my gaze. I sigh at this question. Ho
Elena Our first week in Little Cayman was heaven! The villa he bought was luxurious and had all our needs catered to. It was a five bedroom log villa with floor to ceiling windows, lush gardens, an indoor pool if needed and a Jacuzzi on the terrace. Why Sebastian felt the need to buy a flipping 5 bedroom home, I would never know. Sebastian had all his appointments done via Zoom and Skype video calls, so he was basically still working, but playing at the same time. He was right in what he said back in London; I have not been myself since the thing with Nicholas happened, and I was allowing myself to get dragged under the weight of it. I really wasn't doing well and hiding it, even from myself, but he saw right through it. It's amazing what a break from your daily routine can do to you. My inspiration is back in full force and I can already feel the heavy cloud over my heart lifting. I decided to do my written work on oppressed female authors, wh
Elena"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!"Sebastian stumbles into our bedroom, and his eyes fall on me as I jump on our bed. He frowns, "What the hell, Elena!" He asks with a scowl as he takes in my widened eyes. "Did you see a spider again?" I stopped jumping and hopped off the bed into his arms, but I couldn't get my words out. "I... I... Exeter... Got... In..." I say through laboured breaths, but I see the cogs turning in his head when he realises what I have said."You got into Exeter?" He exclaims and I nod so much I swear my head would have fallen off. He picks me up and swings me around while I giggle with glee. I got in! I got into Exeter with my own written work! No help from anyone except citations and I got in. Tears of happiness stream down my cheeks and Sebastian kisses them. "I am so proud of you, Elena," he says and kisses my lips softly. My bottom lip trembles when he says this and I legitimately ugly cry! "Oh, b
Sebastian“I will be a terrible mother. My own mother never showed me any love growing up, so how would I show it to a child? I would ruin them with my unloving presence, and they would grow up jaded and looking for love and acceptance in all the wrong places. I would only make them suffer, Anabelle, therefore I do not want any children.”As soon as I heard these words fall from Elena’s mouth, I knew things would be different between the two of us. She had never been this honest with me in the past regarding this. And for what reason? Did she think not having children was a deal breaker in our marriage?She looks up as if sensing me, and the moment our eyes meet, I see the guilt cloud her eyes. Oh, Elena, do you not know that I would love you even if you chose not to bear my children? I walk towards her and Anabelle and the latter look at me before giving Elena a kiss on the forehead and taking her leave. Elena doesn&r