Chapter Text
“You love me, don’t you?”
“More than anything in this world, my love.”
“Then change. Change for me.”
…
Her eyes opened, head still swimming with foggy memories that felt like they had taken place centuries ago.
Body as still as cement, she struggled to turn her head to the alarm clock, numbers glistening a blood red to tell her it was long passed midnight.
A sigh of resignation left her lungs; the other side of the bed was empty and cold. He had been gone for a long while, sneaking out like a cat in the night, as if he had something unbecoming to hide. How long had this been going on for, months, a year maybe?
Two weeks ago, Elizabeth received an email from her husband’s mistress detailing every nitty gritty detail of what he did when she wasn’t looking. There were pictures, texts, receipts of all the things he had bought the skank.
And it wasn’t an act of kindness either, Tracey (the whore) knew very well that Elias had a wife, in fact, the two of them often spoke. She was his secretary, after all. Maybe that was what hurt the most, the betrayal from both parties - how often had Tracey smiled at Elizabeth as if all was well, as if they were friends?
But the worst part? Elizabeth hadn’t even been surprised, for a long while she had suspected Elias being less than loyal. The lipstick on his collar, the smell of perfume, constantly being home late. The final piece to the puzzle was the woman on his arm, and now everything had come together.
So, for two weeks, Elizabeth wondered what she would do with this information. With all the evidence Tracey had given her, it would be easy to win a court case. Divorce was inevitable, of course, she wouldn’t stay in an unhappy marriage but actually gathering the strength to confront him was a lot harder than she thought.
Not many years ago, he would never have even thought about another woman.
Tracey was probably growing impatient, confused as to why some grand fight hadn’t happened between Elias and Elizabeth. It was obvious the secretary wanted her husband for herself, growing tired of sharing him.
The situation felt unreal, like a hazy dream had washed over her. They’d both changed a lot in their five years of marriage but, even so, a small voice called out in her head… was it safe to leave him? Could she possibly end things? A while ago, such a thing didn’t seem plausible but, then again, neither did him cheating on her.
Keys ratting down stairs broke her away from her thoughts, the scratch of the large front door opening. Elias was home… was there any time better than the present.
Elizabeth threw on her silk robe, protecting her skin from the chilled air. The halls were large, dark and quiet as she roamed towards the stairs… would they weep for her, would they long for her after they left? How would these gilded walls, ones that have known her so long, react to a new mistress?
Downstairs, Elias was in the parlour, fixing himself a drink of scotch, the amber liquid glistening in even the dark.
“You’re home late.”
Her voice was cold, hopefully cold enough for him to understand her indifference, that this was no longer a game she was interested in playing.
Elias flinched and, in the back of her mind, Elizabeth scoffed; four years ago, he would have been impossible to sneak up on, constantly seeing everyone’s next move before even they did. Especially her.
“Darling… I didn’t know you were still awake.”
“You woke me up,” she replied coolly, crossing her arms as she stood in the entryway.
“Sorry, I had some work at the office I had to finish up with.”
“At one in the morning?”
He just shrugged, not even bothering with an excuse before swallowing down the rest of his expensive drink. Was he trying to wash away the guilt or cover up the stench of his mistress’s perfume?
Elizabeth closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath as she tried to will the traitorous tears away. He didn’t get to see her cry or grieve their marriage, she needed to be an emotionless iceberg.
“I know you’re having an affair.”
Elias froze, eyes widening as he looked up at her. His voice stammered in his throat, as if trying to come up with an excuse. Elizabeth up one of her hands, ceasing his pathetic ramblings.
“Tracey told me everything.”
“Elizabeth,” he said with a pathetic smile, as if trying to charm her. “Honey, I would never! That skank-“
“Is less of a liar than you.”
His mouth abruptly shut, understanding that excuse wouldn’t work. He came closer to her, grabbing both of her hands with desperation.
“Baby, she means nothing to me!” He exclaimed, kissing one of her hands. “You’re my everything!”
She snatched snatched her hands away from him, grimacing at him as she crossed her arms. “So, you’d risk our marriage over nothing?”
“I-“ His words caught in his throat, eyes frantically chasing an argument that never existed. “I have needs.”
She couldn’t restrain the scoff that left her mouth, disbelief and disgust clashing in her insides. How had he become so pathetic, so far from what she married. He’d turned into the kind of man he used to hate.
Elizabeth could do nothing but shake her head in disbelief, eyeing him with a gaze her mother often looked at her father with. Hadn’t she promised herself she would never be her parents?
She turned away from him, walking up the stairs again, back into the bedroom before shutting and locking the door behind her. She could hear Elias chasing down the hall, but she paid him no mind as she pulled a suitcase from the closet, shoving clothes and whatever she needed into it.
He wasn’t scary anymore.
She pulled off her nightgown as he frantically knocked on the door, sliding on a t-shirt and jeans before throwing her phone and wallet into her purse.
Harshly, she opened the door, surprising Elias enough to force him to step back. He glanced at the suitcase, face paling.
“Where are you?” He asked weakly, trailing after her as she walked down the hall again, towards the stairs. He didn’t even try to stop her.
“I’m staying at a hotel tonight,” she said coolly. “We’re ending this marriage.”
She ignored his blabbering, his complaining, leaving the mansion without so much of a second glance. The man she married, the man she fell in love with was gone.
And it was all her fault.