Chapter 8 Unwanted

• Elara
• Finally, I couldn’t bear the silence in the car any longer. I turned to Alaric, my heart pounding in my chest.
• “What are we going to do?” I blurted out.
• “Play nice for six months, apparently,” he replied without taking his eyes off the road.
• I pursed my lips and looked away, watching the city lights blur past the window. My mind kept wandering back to Alaric’s brother, back to the tense moment he had looked at me. It was like he was seeing right through me. Through both of us.
• “Do you think people could tell we weren’t really together?” I wondered out loud. “Do you think Asher will try to prove that we’re lying?”
• Alaric’s grip on the steering wheel tightened a little at the mention of his brother. The movement would have been imperceptible were it not for the subtle squeak of the leather and the way his knuckles whitened ever so slightly.
• “To achieve his goals, he’ll stop at nothing. So I wouldn’t put it past him.” Alaric paused, his gaze briefly sweeping over my face before returning to the road. “If you encounter him, just try to stay away.”
• I was momentarily taken aback. I had assumed Alaric’s attention toward me was purely out of duty, but his words now almost seemed to carry a hint of… was that genuine concern that I heard in his voice?
• “Are you worried about me?” I asked cautiously.
• “I’m concerned about maintaining our facade,” he said flatly. “If Asher gets to you, he could unravel our entire plan. And we could lose the girls. So just do as l said.”
• Right. I wasn’t sure why I thought, even for a moment, that he had any motivation other than our arrangement.
• And honestly, I didn’t even really want him to have one. I thought that my heart must just be in some kind of wishful thinking state—perhaps due to sadness over discovering that Mason and Olivia were now engaged and I was stuck like… this.
• “To ensure the plan goes smoothly, you need to quit your job. And from today onward for the next six months,” he began suddenly, “you, I, and my children will live together.”
• A flicker of irritation crossed my heart, especially at those words: his children. Did he not realize that Zoe was as much my child as she was his? That I had given birth to Ella?
• “They’re my kids, too,” I ground out.
• He didn’t so much as glance at me as he drove. “You’ll be well-compensated for your time, you know.”
• I rolled my eyes. “I don’t want your money, Alaric,” I said, beginning to feel frustrated by this insufferable businessman.
• “How high do I need to raise the stakes for you to finally accept?” he asked.
• I stared at him incredulously. “I already told you, it’s not about the amount. Not everything revolves around money.”
• He raised an eyebrow. “In my experience, most things do.”
• “Well, not in mine,” I shot back.
• Thankfully, the estate was just up ahead, which meant that I didn’t need to be around him for any longer tonight. Alaric pulled into the driveway, and I immediately swung my door open the moment he put the car in park, forcefully unclicking my seatbelt.
• Alaric turned off the engine and looked at me. “If you’re upset about the money, I won’t apologize for it. You’re being ridiculous.”
• I couldn’t contain my irritation any longer. “If you think I’m upset because of the money, then you’re completely wrong.” With that, I climbed out and slammed the car door as hard as I could. I marched toward the house without sparing him so much as another glance.
• The moment I stepped into the grand foyer, I felt an unfamiliar, suffocating pressure. The opulence of the mansion was overwhelming—marble floors, towering ceilings adorned with crystal chandeliers, and walls lined with ancestral portraits.
• A pang of regret hit me for agreeing to this arrangement in the first place. This wasn’t home to me or to Zoe. It was a strange place, far too big with too many rooms for so few people. For all I knew, it was haunted.
• And it smelled like him everywhere.
• Suddenly, a small figure dashed toward me. “Mommy!” Zoe beamed up at me and gripped my hands. “Smile!”
• Despite myself, a smile tugged at my lips. This was a ritual of ours; if one of us was feeling sad or down, the other would grin as big as we could and say, “Smile!”
• It was just a silly little thing that I had started whenever Zoe used to cry going to daycare, but it had stuck. And it always worked.
• “There’s my girl,” I said, kneeling down to hug her. “Did you have a good day?”
• She nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! I colored and explored the new house.” But then her face turned slightly wistful. “But… I tried to play with Ella, but she got mad and locked herself in her room.”
• I sighed softly. “Ella’s still adjusting. Just give her some time.”
• “Okay.” She tilted her head, studying my face. “You look sad, Mommy.”
• I forced a brighter smile. “I’m just a little tired, sweetheart.”
• “Maybe Daddy can make you feel better!” she suggested, just as the door opened behind us. I begrudgingly turned to see Alaric entering the house, his face as cold and impassive as ever. The very sight of him made my blood begin to simmer.
• But then, suddenly, Zoe was running over to him. She tugged on his hand, looking up at him with the biggest grin on her face I had ever seen.
• “Daddy, smile!”
• He hesitated, clearly uncomfortable. “It’s late, Zoe. You should be getting ready for bed.”
• “Please?” she pleaded, her lower lip jutting out in an irresistible pout.
• Alaric glanced at me, perhaps seeking rescue, but I merely raised an eyebrow in a silent challenge. If he wanted to take over as her parent so badly, then he’d better get used to this. I wasn’t about to let his overly serious nature snuff out Zoe’s spark.
• Finally, under Zoe’s persistent urging, he reluctantly forced a smile. It didn’t reach his eyes—it was more like a grimace, like someone was tugging on his cheeks from either side.
• I quickly looked away, covering my mouth with my hand to avoid laughing out loud. Had he ever smiled before?
• Zoe clapped her hands with delight. “See? Now we’re all smiling!”
• Alaric’s gaze softened just a fraction as he looked at her. “Alright, time to get ready for dinner.” With that, he crouched and scooped her into his arms.
• I shot to my feet again, watching with wide eyes. Seeing my daughter in a strange man’s arms wasn’t exactly enjoyable, and yet… I couldn’t deny the way that he held her so tenderly, the softness in his usually-hard eyes.
• They had a bond. The sort of bond that only a little girl and her father should share; a blood bond.
• As I watched them ascend the stairs together, I couldn’t help but think of Ella—the little girl who I, too, shared a blood bond with.
• A pang of guilt pricked at my heart. She was somewhere in this vast house, probably feeling just as out of place as I did. Maybe even more out of place, what with a new woman and a little girl coming to her home and throwing everything off kilter.
• I had to check on her.
• I made my way down the hallway, searching for her room. Finally I paused in front of a closed door with a hand-written sign drawn in crayon hung: “Ella’s Room — Keep Out!”
• Taking a deep breath, I raised my hand and knocked gently.
• There was a shuffling sound, and to my surprise, the door was yanked open from the inside.
• Ella stood in the doorway, her eyes widening and then narrowing when she saw that I was standing there. Confusion, followed by mistrust, then finally settling on hatred, flashed across her face.
• “Get out!” she hissed, moving to slam the door in my face.
• I held my hand out and stopped it from closing.