Two extraordinary men find themselves captivated by a woman of intricate allure, whose heart seems unattainable. These men, driven by their unwavering love, are willing to defy all odds, even if fate conspires against them, in their quest to win her...
"Clover! Clooo....Clover! Please!" Elena's crying and desperate voice immediately startled Clover as she heard it at the door.
"Oh my God... Elena? Quick, hide!" she urged him urgently, wanting to attend to her friend. He obeyed swiftly, his fearful eyes suddenly turning cold. Clover dashed towards the door, swung it open, and the scene before her completely shattered her heart.
"ELENA? WHAT HAPPENED?!" she asked with concern, seeing her disheveled friend crying and soaked from the rain.
"Clo!" Elena cried out, throwing herself into Clover's arms. Clover embraced her tightly, tears welling up in her own eyes as she shared in Elena's sorrow at the doorstep. Seeing her friend in such distress broke her heart. Without hesitation, Clover quickly ushered Elena inside as she felt her trembling from the cold rain.
"I want to die, Clo! I want it to end now more than ever!" Elena cried out, her knees shaking and on the verge of giving way. Clover held her close, shaking her head in disbelief at her friend's words.
"What are you saying, El? Why would you say that? Please... don't say this to me!" Clover pleaded, tears welling up in her eyes as she tried to console her friend.
"Clo, I'm pregnant," she choked out, sinking to the floor as tears streamed down her face. Elena was overwhelmed and exhausted from living a life dictated by others, rather than by her own choices.
"What? Pregnant?" Clover's expression hardened as she crouched down to meet Elena's eye level. Elena nodded shamefully, clasping her thighs in distress.
"Elena, I understand your feelings about pregnancy. It's hard for you to see it as a beautiful thing right now, but I won't dismiss your pain. I hear you, I empathize with you," Clover said reassuringly to the distraught woman.
"I'm three months pregnant, and I don't even remember the night it happened!" Elena cried to Clover. Clover gently cupped Elena's cheeks, seeing the deep sorrow reflected in her eyes.
"It's Carlton's! It happened on the night of the Carter's mayoral ceremony!" Elena choked out, her tears flowing uncontrollably. Clover wiped Elena's tears with her hands, feeling the weight of her friend's pain.
"I'm sorry, El! But that's what happens when you're not careful," Clover said, speaking from experience. Elena shook her head in denial.
"No! No! I'm sure he took advantage of me that night without my consent! I remember how he was in my room while I was sleeping in my bed. He's trying to make me believe that I was the one who initiated sex that night, but it just doesn't make sense to me. I was trying my best to cut him out of my life completely! I was doing everything I could to end whatever we had! I just can't comprehend it!" Elena uttered in desperation, trying to convey to Clover the whirlwind of thoughts racing through her mind about that fateful night.
However, as Clover and Elena knelt on the floor, a sudden moving shadow caught Elena's attention. Her eyes widened in shock as the figure emerged, revealing a familiar face.
"Jack?" Elena uttered in disbelief, locking eyes with him from her place on the floor. Clover, taken aback by Jack's audacity to show up in the living room while she was comforting her friend, felt a wave of unease wash over her.
"Clo, is he the man you've been seeing all this time?" Elena asked, rising from the ground in shock. Clover stood up, trying to compose herself as Elena's realization sunk in.
"Elena, you're pregnant?" He asked, his expression filled with bewilderment. Elena gave him a stern look and remained silent. The fear now visible on his face was a strange emotion for her to process. Entering the room's light, his permanent facial scars became visible to her.
"I overheard you clearly saying that Carlton got you pregnant on the day we were together at my father's ceremony!" Jack exclaimed, his gaze fixed solely on Elena. Clover was well aware of Jack's connection to the McLains, a subject they had clashed over, ultimately leading to the end of their relationship just before he attended the formal dinner at Elena's house to announce their engagement. Her eyes slowly drifted to the floor, a pang of heartache settling in as she realized that Jack had always harbored feelings for Elena.
"I can't believe this! You were carrying his child all this time? Even after knowing how toxic he was when we were in college?" Elena confronted Clover, emphasizing the repugnance of their relationship. Clover lowered her head slightly, unable to meet Elena's gaze.
"Elena! Is your pregnancy the reason why your father called off our engagement? It just doesn't add up," Jack said, trying to capture Elena's full attention. Elena's eyes shifted towards Jack, one eyebrow raised in confusion.
"What?... My pregnancy had nothing to do with what transpired between us! My father simply wanted to separate himself from your family's questionable business dealings!" She retorted without hesitation. Jack chuckled cockily in response, flashing her a big smile.
"You can't be serious, Elena. You can't be that naive," he said, causing Elena to feel a twinge of discomfort as she questioned everything she had come to believe about her father's dealings with the Carters.
"What do you mean?" She asked, bracing herself for the unknown and impending moment.
"Our families never truly severed ties after our engagement ended! Your father even let Axel partner with me in the hotel chains business. They still communicate regularly, with my father advising yours on political matters," he stated, his gaze unwavering. Elena was completely stunned, struggling to process the possibility of her father deceiving her about the abrupt end of her engagement.
She had always sensed something was amiss about the situation. One day she was engaged to Jack, and the next she was expected to marry Carlton as if by magic. None of it quite added up.
"Jack! What are you trying to tell me?" She exclaimed in desperation, feeling her world spinning faster with each passing minute. Jack took a deep breath, his expression morphing into a mask of utter solemnity. The atmosphere between them shifted as he held onto the only truth that she was evidently unaware of.
"I'm sorry! I deeply regret what I did! I stand before you full of remorse and shame for my actions that night, Elena," he confessed, weariness evident in his eyes. Elena's chest felt heavy as she instinctively reached out to steady herself against the wall. Oddly, blurred images from that night began to flash through her mind as she listened to his words.
"Elena, the child you're carrying is likely mine," he stated, observing Elena's stricken expression as she grappled with the overwhelming realization of what she was now recalling. His words unlocked the most profound memories of that night. And then it hit her. She remembered everything, up to the moment she had closed her eyes in Jack's car.
"The wine! You gave me a glass of white wine that night! I remember suddenly feeling so sick. You....you...drugged me!" Elena exclaimed, her eyes wide with realization. The world as she knew it was crumbling right before her eyes. The sound of her heartbeat faded. She was torn from the inside out.
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