Tahlia curled her fingers, the nails digging into her palms. She hated the fact that two powerful men were fighting over Elowen.
’Both Soren and Theron want a nobody like Elowen? What is it about that woman?’
Elowen was just a broken woman, with no family background and no status. She didn’t even know who her father was.
If that incident seven years ago had not happened, Elowen would never have had a chance of marrying into the Vale family.
Soren hated Elowen. Yet tonight, he had fought for her as if she were the most important woman in his life.
And Theron, an emerging business tycoon, had returned from abroad after so many years just for Elowen.
Tahlia had always been the center of attention among their friend circle. But tonight, Elowen had snatched that spotlight without even being there.
Tahlia’s anger burned hotter. She wanted to tear Elowen apart.
"Let me make this clear, Theron." Alex’s voice boomed through the room. "Elowen is Soren’s wife. She is a Vale. How he treats her has nothing to do with anyone else. Stay away from her. Drop the idea of taking her away."
Theron watched him coldly. Then he quirked his lips. "Are you threatening me?"
Alex shook his head. "No..." He let out a defeated sigh. "You and Soren are my friends. I can’t stand here and watch you two fight and tear each other apart."
He took a step toward him, his expression softening. "Forget Elowen. She is already married."
"She was forced into this marriage," Theron muttered coldly. "Soren doesn’t love her. Why would she stay in a marriage that suffocates her? I’ll help her break free."
"Theron, you are going too far."
"That’s enough." Tahlia’s sharp voice silenced them. She glared at Theron and then turned to Alex.
"He is right. Soren never loved Elowen."
She tilted her chin up. "He loves me. He will soon divorce Elowen and marry me. So what’s the problem if Theron wants to pursue her?"
Alex opened his mouth, but no words came out. He knew Soren had loved Tahlia since they were children.
They had grown up together. Alex had witnessed how much Tahlia had meant to Soren. But Tahlia had broken up with him back then and left the country for further studies.
Alex remembered how badly Soren had taken that departure. It had taken him a long time to recover from that heartbreak. Eventually, he had moved on.
Although Soren had treated Tahlia well, he had never told any of his friends that he was getting back together with her.
"You know how suffocating Soren felt in that marriage," Tahlia continued. "He told me he would divorce her soon. So there shouldn’t be a problem if Theron wants to go after her."
Alex wasn’t sure whether Tahlia was telling the truth. Soren had never told him that he was reconciling with Tahlia. And after what he had witnessed tonight, Alex couldn’t simply take her words for it.
"He has not divorced her yet," Alex countered. "Elowen is still his wife, the daughter-in-law of the Vale family. Don’t think of taking her away unless the divorce is finalized."
Alex stepped back. "The party is over for me."
He turned and walked out.
Theron watched him leave, his grip around the glass tightening. The next moment, he slammed it onto the floor.
Crash
The glass shattered into pieces.
No one dared to move. No one said a word.
Tahlia gathered her courage and stepped toward him. "Theron, I can help you get her."
He slowly turned his cold glare toward her. "I don’t need your help."
With that, he left the room.
One by one, the others followed.
Tahlia was left standing alone in the room. Her mouth twisted with hatred.
"Elowen, you bitch," she cursed. "First, Soren. And now Theron. What spell did you cast on them?"
She clenched her fists. "You will never get any of them. I’ll make you disappear."
Soren drove through the rain, his hand gripping the steering wheel tightly. The raindrops pelted against the windshield, the wipers struggling to keep up.
’I love her, and I am taking her away.’ Theron’s words kept echoing inside his head. ’She is the woman I have loved for ten years, way before you appeared in her life.’
Soren couldn’t stop thinking about what happened at the club. He couldn’t accept the fact that Elowen had been Theron’s dream girl all along.
"Ah..." he let out a heart-wrenching cry.
He suddenly pulled the car to the side of the road, slamming his fist against the steering wheel again and again.
"Why? Why is this happening?" He looked through the windshield at the gloomy sky as if demanding an answer from God.
"He wasn’t there in my past life. Why is he here in this life?"
His fingers trembled around the steering wheel. "You gave me a chance to make things right. Then why send a love rival? Why, God?"
Pain hollowed out his expression while rage tightened his chest.
"I already lost her in the past life." His voice dropped. "I can’t lose her."
He hung his head down. "Elowen no longer trusts me. It’s already hard enough to win her back. And you’ve added another challenge. This is not fair."
Lightning tore across the darkness. A second later, thunder shook the car.
Soren flinched, startled. Then he laughed bitterly. "What?" He looked up at the sky yet again. "Are you scolding me now?"
Another thunderclap roared as if it were telling him to stop complaining.
"Fine. Fine... I get it." He threw his hands up in exasperation. "I won’t complain. But let me tell you this."
His voice was filled with determination. "Throw as many challenges as you want in my way; I won’t accept defeat. I’ll never."
He stepped on the gas pedal and drove away.
By the time he arrived at home, the rain had grown even heavier. He stepped into the house, hoping to find Elowen waiting for him in the hall.
But no one was there.
The hall was empty. There was no Elowen rushing toward him to take his suit jacket. She wasn’t there to ask him if he was hungry.
No one was waiting for him.
His shoulders drooped.
"What am I expecting?" he muttered under his breath. "When she used to take care of me, I took her for granted. Now she won’t wait for me."
He took a deep breath. "It’s my turn now. I’ll take care of her, wait for her, and pursue her."
A second later, his eyes turned cold. "And I won’t give that bastard Theron a chance to get close to her."
He walked straight to Seraphina’s room, guessing Elowen would be there. When he opened the door, he stopped.
Elowen was sitting on the bed beside Seraphina, reading her a story.
Both of them looked up.
"Daddy, you are back." Seraphina’s face lit up with a grin.
But Elowen looked at him with surprise. ’Why is he back so early?’
Soren smiled and walked over to them. "I promised I’d come back early. So here I am."