Chapter 4: The Revelation
1095 Words
Elizabeth’s POV
With solemn expressions and weighty, unsaid words, my parents occupied the seat across from me. There was a knot in the pit of my stomach that tightened. My father's voice broke the tension as I saw Tony's face flicker before me, his smile fading.
"We need to talk, Elizabeth," he said again, for the umpteenth time, his tone firm, cutting through the air like a blade. "It's about Tony."
My heart skipped a beat. Tony, the one to whom I had given my all, had stabbed me in the back and betrayed me.
Then he dropped the bomb, and I felt like passing out. My eyes felt blurry all of a sudden, and I wondered if I was in hell.
This couldn't be happening to me now, not now. It was all too much. I couldn't bear it. My heart tightened, making it difficult for me to breathe.
"You have to cut every tie you have with Tony," he said immediately, throwing me off balance. "And also, cut the engagement. When you appear before the media, think of something else to say. I don't want my image tarnished. You've done enough already."
I tried to speak as tears swelled up in my eyes. I looked from my father to my mother, searching for answers in their readable expressions.
"Why?" I asked, my voice shaking. They already knew what happened. They knew that Tana had slept with him. I looked up to Mom for help, but she looked away. When her gaze met mine, her eyes flickered with hidden disdain.
"Don't you think Tony is too good for you? Besides, you are not up to his standard," she spoke, cutting through me like a blade.
"Don't you see the love in his eyes when he looks at your sister?" She continued. "He’s eyes are always on your sister. You should let go of him and let her have him instead."
She spoke of Tony as if he were a shirt I had bought at the mall and didn't want. She moved in her chair and looked at me. "We have a deal, sweetheart."
"Elizabeth, we need to talk," he said, his voice tinged with an emotion I couldn't place. "It's about Tana."
My breath caught in my throat as his words washed over me like a tidal wave, sweeping away the shield of calmness I had left behind. What happened? What was going on?
I couldn't understand. Why had they had a secret meeting behind my back? It was all staged, all planned. I stood there, staring, all of them playing me for the inability to speak up for myself. I felt like a fool, being told around like a piece of paper.
Staring at him, looking like a fool, as he dropped another bombshell, and I could die from it.
"We just have to cut the engagement," he said, then looked away from me. The silence that dwelled in the living room was enough to make the deaf hear again.
"I don't understand. Why are you doing this to me? What wrong have I done to you?"
"I'm so sorry, Elizabeth. This was not what you were hoping for. I know we have both come a long way, but we have to cut ties to go our separate ways," he said, alarm evident in his voice as his hands ran through his hair. "We can't be together."
Confusion swelled within me, mingling with the ache of betrayal. What deal? And why did it involve Tony?
"I think Tony will explain better for you to understand," Mom said.
The room spun around me as Tony's words hung in the air of betrayal and broken promises. How long had he been hiding this from me? The world crumbled around me as he said the next set of words.
"Forgive me,Elizabeth, but I'm in love with your sister, and I want to marry her."
I became breathless immediately I looked into Tony's eyes, looking for answers, I never saw.
"I ...we... tried to tell you but I knew I will break your heart ,I was so scared." He looked at Tana who smiled approvingly at him urging the sick i***t to go on.
Go on and tell me nasty things ,to break my heart. And he did go on,tears rolled down my cheeks, multiple times I died and resurrected
"But we are in love, and I want to get married to her as soon as possible so she won't have to take care of the children alone,"
He said, confusion evident in my headphones as a sudden headache set in.
"Marry? Children? I don't understand. What are you saying to me?" I whispered, my voice trembling, my legs failing me.
I almost passed out. What was going on?
God, please,no.
"Your Dad and Mom, they know about this. You're carrying my children. You're expecting twins."
That was when I died.
I had cried enough tears that my eyes were dried. I didn't know what to do now and turned away from him, fresh tears streaming down my face.
"For how long has this been going on?" I asked, finally finding my voice.
"For six months, Elizabeth. I really wanted to tell you," he said, moving closer to touch me.
I recoiled. "Why? What did I ever do to you, Tony? I turned to him, and I only loved you, yet you betrayed me."
"I can make it up to you, Elizabeth," Tony said, his voice raspy.
My eyes opened wide in shock.
"You know it would be inappropriate for me to leave Tana pregnant. You know it's wrong."
"How much do you need? Five hundred dollars? A million bucks?"
I shook my head. This was more than I bargained for.
I sat there, my hands shaking. For the first time in years, words failed me. I stared at Tony, speechless. His last words felt like a bomb, a bomb that didn't give enough warning before it exploded.
I glanced at Tana. There she was, gloating, happy over my pain, a smirk played by the sides of her lips.
"You don't want Tony to get married to you and leave me and my unborn child to suffer, do you?" She asked, looking down at her stomach, waving circular motions on it with her hands. "Certainly, you can't be that cruel, Elizabeth."
Money? A thousand bucks? So that's what I was worth. His words weighed in the air, and the revelation of what he had just said shattered my life. But what they said next left me reeling.
- Writer
