Forever After All(83)

Her smile drops when she notices me, and she looks startled, her cheeks turning rosy. The room falls silent, and it isn’t until then that I realize my entire family is here.

Lucian and my mother are standing opposite Elena, while my grandfather is standing next to her. They look guilty when they see me standing here, and my mother and brother both look away, not bothering to hide their dismay.

“What a warm welcome,” I say, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

Grandpa clears his throat and glances at his watch, before smiling at me stiffly. “Alec, my boy. What are you doing here? Slacking already?”

Elena wraps her arms around herself, smearing even more chocolate on herself. She looks away, but I want her eyes on mine.

I drag my gaze away from her and shake my head. “Just needed a sick day, that’s all. Not feeling great.”

Elena’s eyes shoot up to mine, concern reflected in them. She scans my body, a frown marring her beautiful face. She looks fucking stunning. Looks like she isn’t struggling to sleep, like I am. I bet she isn’t spending every waking hour thinking of me, memories replaying in her mind.

I glance around the room and shake my head as I walk away, leaving my heart behind. She’s got my family spellbound. She left, but it looks like she only left me —not my family. I can’t believe they’re inviting her over behind my fucking back. Even my damn grandfather is in on this shit.

I walk into my bedroom and lean my forearm against the wall, my eyes falling closed. Just seeing her wrecks me, but she looked perfectly unaffected. Uncomfortable at most.

I take a steadying breath, willing my body to listen to me even as every fiber of my being demands that I go to her. I’ve only just about got my raging heart under control when my bedroom door opens.

Elena walks in, freezing when she finds me standing by the door. I straighten, and her eyes roam over me.

“What are you doing here?” I ask, my voice coming out harsher than I intended.

She bites down on her lip and takes a step closer to me. The way she clasps her hands in front of her tells me she’s nervous.

“You’re not feeling well?”

I stare at her, unable to figure her out. “Since when do you care? You fucking left, didn’t you? Why are you here now?”

I take a step closer to her and she takes a step back, crashing into the door. I lean over her, caging her in with my forearms, my face inches from hers. “I don’t need your fucking fake concern, Elena,” I snap, my jaws clenching involuntarily.

I look into her eyes and the anger and hurt I see in them throws me off. “That’s right,” she says. “Why would you need me, when you’ve got Jennifer?”

She pushes against my chest, hard, but she fails to move me. “Let go of me, Alexander,” she says, her tone harsh.

“Jennifer? What the fuck are you talking about?”

Elena laughs, the sound shrill and humorless. “You don’t need to pretend anymore, Alexander. You’ve probably been seeing her all along, haven’t you? Forget it. You and I are no longer together. You can do whatever you want. Forget I came here at all.”

She ducks underneath my arm, and I grab her hand, pulling her back to me before she can rush off.

“Seriously, Elena. What the actual fuck are you talking about?” I ask, confused.

She turns around to look at me, her eyes filled with accusation. She pulls her hand out of mine and jabs my chest with her finger. “You… you… asshole!” she yells. “It’s been two weeks and you’re already back with her, photos of the two of you getting intimate all over the tabloids. Two weeks , Alexander. I know you don’t care about me, but did you need to rub it in that way? Did you need to publicly humiliate me?”

She shoves me, putting her weight into it, and I stumble back. Her cheeks are flushed, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. I can barely make sense of what she’s saying.

“Elena…”

I grab her and push her back against the wall, pinning her wrists above her head to keep her from shoving me, jabbing me. There’s no way there are any photos of me anywhere, so I have no idea what she’s talking about. After Mom’s divorce, Elliot has taken extra care to keep us out of the news as best as he can. There isn’t much that doesn’t go through him first. Unless… unless he screwed me over. I wouldn’t put it past Lucian to ask it of him. My brother would pick Elena over me any day, and if he thinks I was unfaithful, there’s no way he’d let Elliot brush it under the carpet. God damn it.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, baby. Seriously. I have no idea,” I say, my voice soft, pleading.

Elena is breathing hard, her lips slightly parted, her chest rising and falling rapidly. She’s so fucking beautiful, and even more so now that her eyes are flashing with anger. I bridge the remaining distance between us, pressing my body against hers.

“So you weren’t with her at Inferno? I saw the photos, Alexander. Cut the crap. I saw the way she was holding your cheek like she was about to kiss you, and you let her. You let her touch you. What else did you let her do? It couldn’t have been a more perfect reminder that it’s only my body you were after. It’s no surprise you replaced me so easily, and with the woman you actually wanted too. That worked out perfectly for you, huh?”

She glares at me, but I see the pain in her eyes, the heartbreak. She’s hurt over some dumb misunderstanding.