"Ella, that's enough. You shouldn't eat more or else you will grow chubby!" Ella's mom exclaimed. She looked down and nodded.
Her mom didn't even let her have something except a plane bread piece. She was slim not by choice but because of her mom's imposition.
Her mom was the top and most expensive actress in the country.
She controlled her life to the extent that she didn't even have the liberty to choose her diet.
She went to the university with a heavy heart. She hated going there. Her mom had got her admission to Broadcasting and Entertainment forcefully though Ella wanted to study literature.
She even took a year drop out after school as she couldn't clear the entrance exam since she wasn't interested in it until her mom got it after giving a donation the next year.
She was in her last year of University and every day felt long and tiring. She wasn't interested in her subjects. She was happy that it was her last semester.
Her mom wanted her to become a famous worldwide actress after herself and hence had been controlling her skin and hair care routine, fashion sense, body language, personality, and diet since her childhood.
Her dad was a big industrialist but was a practical and characterless person who flirted with every woman he knew and never paid attention to his wife or daughter.
She was nothing but a trophy wife, to show the world as an achievement while he had his mistresses. They used to fight all the time but her mom didn't leave him because she wanted a rich husband, and prestige in the elite society.
She still remembered how physically abusive her dad was towards her when she was a kid but eventually stopped and turned mentally and verbally abusive after she became a teenager.
She didn't have any good experience with friends too. She got too many betrayals from them and got hurt by many of her fake friends.
Her trauma just made her silent and unlively unlike how she was when she was too young to understand the reality of everyone around her.
Ella sat on the last seat of the class as she was very insecure about herself and didn't want anyone to notice her presence.
————
"Ella? Are you in your senses? God knows how many calories you ate!" Her mom exclaimed as she snatched the packets of junk food from her. She was on her period and wanted to eat something spicy. Her mom grabbed her chin and gasped when she saw dark circles as she watched tv all night to pass over her severe cramps. "You got dark circles too? Why did you watch tv for the whole night? Your eyesight can be damaged and specs don't look good on girls! Why did you eat this unhealthy junk food? You can gain weight! Now go and work out for 2 hours, you won't get dinner for today too." she said.
"Mom, I am down," she said in a low voice and looked down.
"So what? It's not that difficult to handle. Every girl on this planet gets that. You are not special. Get inspired by me who is older than you but still works out in her periods. Now no excuses. Go to the gym right now!" she said and went out.
Ella's eyes teared up. Her heart felt heavy. Her mother wasn't empathic towards her.
She stood up groaning at the body pain and went to the gym.
————
"Ella?" Eunwoo asked as he sat beside her. "Why are you so quiet all the time?" he asked casually. He was a new admission in her class and found her behaviour weird.
"No, I just don't speak much. I like quietness." she slightly smiled.
"We are friends okay! Come to me anytime if you feel lonely! I am a good listener" he sweetly smiled and went to his friends who were calling him to play basketball with them.
She smiled watching him. He seemed considerate.
"You are such a pick-me girl. I hate it when you stoop low to attract guys." Taehyung spoke from behind. She looked behind.
He was her fiance. He had come there to her University to take her out on a date.
He was a young but rich and famous actor. They first met each other at Elle's mom's movie premiere where Taehyung was invited.
She caught Taehyung's eyes and he started to entice her and proposed to her one day and she accepted it since he was so sweet towards her.
"Taehyung, he came to me and it was a normal conversation," she explained and he mockingly chuckled and sat beside her.
"You are clever. You attract guys by being alone and silent so they pity you and initiate a conversation." he glared at her. He was over-possessive and skeptical of her fidelity.
"Taehyung, I love you! Why would I do that?" she said almost tearing up.
"I don't remember the last time you smiled at me, even when I am your fiance!" he said clenching his fists.
She loved him but she had been feeling low and depressed lately.
She smiled at Eunwoo because of his sweet behaviour that she rarely got from someone.
"It's not like that. I am sorry if I hurt you!" she looked down unable to explain herself.
She was conditioned to be like this since childhood. She wasn't allowed to show emotions like anger, sadness or frustration. She was not permitted to get upset with her parent's attitude. She was supposed to be a people pleaser. She was not allowed to value herself above everyone else or think of her feelings first.
"Okay now stop crying! Come with me!" he said and grabbed her hand before taking her to his car.
.
They were having lunch. Ella was just replying. She wanted some time alone but didn't want to look rude by saying that to Taehyung.
"Why are you wearing such a short dress?" Taehyung asked as he looked at her bare legs. Her mom chose her outfits for every day. "You look like a slut when you wear scantily clad clothes!" he glared at her. His statement almost teared her up.
"I am sorry. I will avoid such clothes." she apologized.
"You are going to be my wife soon. You should take care of my stature. Kims have standards to live up to!" he said. She nodded.
He dropped her home later after lunch.
Ella opened the main door and flinched when she heard her parents fighting for a stupid reason in the lounge while the servants were watching them but they didn't seem to care.
"I am not entitled to listen to your nuisance!" her mom shouted.
"Well, then leave me. Why don't you divorce me?" her dad shouted back.
"You want divorce so you can easily hang out with your mistresses?" Her mom fired back.
She decided to walk past them but her dad saw her.
"Ella, look what your mom did. I sweetly asked her to serve tea for my friends and she started fighting with me in front of them. It's so embarrassing that they left our home because of her unmanageable behavior! She still thinks of herself as perfect. Do you think it was my fault?" her dad complained.
"I am not your servant who would serve you or your guests. You did it to degrade me in front of them. Ella, tell him how much low he is!" her mom complained.
She nibbled her lips and sighed before walking away from the drama.
"Look, your daughter is just like you. She has so much attitude. You had one daughter and you couldn't even raise her right!" her dad said.
"I didn't conceive her from anywhere else. She was your daughter too but you were too busy with your girlfriends to nurture her!" her mom shouted.
"Shut up!" her dad said.
Ella closed the door of her room and strode to the bathroom.
She took out the air pods from her bag and started listening to songs, to avoid the shoutings from outside.
It wasn't a new thing. Her parents had always been like that. Fighting with each other was as if their love language.
She sighed as she got a call from Taehyung. She took a deep breath before picking it up.
"I want you in my apartment, right now!" he said and hung up. She frowned.
—
"Ah! Fuck, this feels so good!" Taehyung moaned as he thrust hard inside Ella.
He had been pounding inside her angrily for an hour. He was mad because he lost a reality show contract because of a fight with the producer over the residual. He wanted to vent his anger out.
Ella exhaled deeply as he stopped thrusting after he came. He hugged her.
"Please pull it out, it's hurting me now!" she finally spoke after minutes of enduring pain.
"Ssh! I feel good! Let me sleep like this!" he said making her clench her fists in pain.
—————
"Ella, what is wrong with you? What are you wearing? This is the reason why I don't let you choose your outfits! You don't have any fashion sense!" her mom criticized her.
She was wearing a lilac dress which wasn't showing much of her skin.
Her mom took out a Xanadu skin-fit short dress that was backless. She had gifted it to her on her birthday but Ella never wore it.
"Mom, this is too revealing," she said looking at the dress.
"Big directors and producers would be at the party. I want them to feature you in one of their upcoming films. You have to catch their eyes!" she said smiling.
Her mom had organized a party and invited top directors and producers along with famous actors for this purpose only.
"But-" she cut her off.
"Come downstairs in 10 minutes!" she said and walked out.
Ella felt sexually objectified. She looked at the mirror and then at the dress.
—
Ella just politely smiled as Mr. Lee who was a known producer talked to her.
Her mom had instructed her talk to him though she wasn't interested.
She looked aside to find Taehyung glaring at her while drinking wine with his friends. She looked down.
"Excuse me! Can I take her for a moment?" Taehyung smiled at Mr. Lee as he approached them.
"Sure!" Mr. Lee smiled and went away. Taehyung looked around before grabbing her wrist and dragging her inside her house.
He pushed her on the bed before locking the room.
"You do it deliberately, don't you? I told you to not wear such dresses but still, you wore it to make me angry! Who are you trying to attract in the party?" Taehyung glared at her. She looked down.
Who was she supposed to abide? Her fiance or her mother? Cause her choice was never an option.
"I am sorry, Mom made me wear this!" she politely said.
"I don't care, go inside and wear something else!" he said pulling her arm harshly.
"I can't! Mom would be mad!" she tried to convince him.
He slapped her. She closed her eyes at the humiliation, it wasn't the first time either. He was abusive at times.
"You should be more worried about my anger!" he said and removed her clothes while she stood there holding her tears. He took out another dress and made her wear it."Stop crying now! I can't take you out with these puffy eyes!" he said wiping her tears, she nodded.
He took her out with a smile on his face while Ella couldn't fake a smile, she was hurt.
"Ella!" Her mom came to them. Taehyung sighed and left her alone. "Why did you change the dress? Why are you wearing such a basic outfit?" her mom scolded her.
"I accidentally spilled juice on it!" she lied.
"Leave that and take this wine. Can you see Jungkook, who is standing there in a black shirt talking to that guy? Go to him and talk!" her mom said handing her a glass of wine. Ella didn't know who he was.
"But why?" she asked confused.
"He is the owner of a big production company! You should go and become friends with him! You can even seduce him if needed!" Her mom shamelessly said making her look at her in shock.
How could a mother ask that to her daughter?
She sighed and walked to him, there wasn't any choice anyway.
Jungkook politely smiled as he saw her approaching him. His friend got a phone call and left.
"Ella?" he asked as he recognized her, she handed him the wine glass.
"How do you know me? Have we met before?" she asked confused. His smile dropped. It panged his heart, he cleared his throat.
"You are the daughter of a big actress, how am I not supposed to know you?" he lied with a short smile. There was a moment of awkward silence before Jungkook broke it. "Are you dating Taehyung?" he asked.
"Umm yes." she said nervously. She wasn't good at socializing.
"Are you happy?" he asked staring into her eyes.
"Why would you ask that?" she gulped as he interrogated.
"Because I saw how he dragged you inside the house before you came out in a different outfit with a red mark on your cheek, puffy eyes, and tears that you are still holding back by biting your lips continuously!" he said with a blank face as he caressed the red mark on her cheek, the tears that she was holding back flowed out of her eyes, unknowingly. He wiped it gently. "Why are you still trying to act normal?" he softly asked. She looked down.
"It's not like that, you are misinterpreting! Excuse me!" she said as it became difficult for her to hold back her tears. She tried to go away but he held her wrist.
"You are lying to yourself, Ella! I am not a blind person to believe what you said!" he said before letting her wrist go.
She got inside her house before running to her room. She dropped herself on the floor and hugged herself before tears left her eyes.
She was feeling pain in her heart.
—
Jungkook stood on his terrace as he looked around the city at night.
He was playing with his lighter that he always carried as a lucky charm.
"She doesn't remember me!" he sadly chuckled looking at the lighter. "Well, that's not concerning me right now! How could she so pathetically endure her boyfriend's abusive behaviour along with her parent's toxic one?" he asked himself.
................
Jungkook smiled sheepishly looking at his class fellow. She was a quiet girl who was always in her own world.
She was his crush, she was so pretty and kind. He was endeared my her.
Unfortunately, he never had the courage to talk to her or even make eye contact with her.
Ella looked at Jungkook with her blank eyes making him look at the other side, his heart started beating aggressively.
"Is she still staring at me?" he nervously asked himself fixing his hair.
"Liya!" Aria, their class bully shouted a girl's name. Jungkook didn't care about it and started staring at his crush again.
Liya was from a middle-class family while the other class students belonged to rich families and that was the reason why she was bullied a lot.
The school was expensive but Liya had got admission in it through scholarship.
Aria laughed as she snatched Liya's maths assignment. Liya looked down as they went away.
Ella looked at her and then at her assignment. She cut out her name on the assignment and wrote Liya's name on it before passing it to her. Ella slightly smiled.
"Don't be sad! You can take it!" she said. Liya smiled before thanking her.
Their maths teacher was strict but Ella still chose to be kind which made Jungkook gasp in shock.
Their maths class was in the last period so throughout the day Jungook wrote Ella's assignment before anonymously putting it on her desk.
She looked around the class in confusion but sat as their maths teacher came inside the class.
She just gave that assignment as it had her name on it thinking that Liya did that for her, he smiled looking at her.
He loved playing football but he skipped the practice just so he could complete her assignment.
————
Jungkook chuckled as he remembered an incident.
He never approached her in school, maybe that was the reason why she couldn't identify him.
Also, he went abroad to study in London and lost all contact with everyone for a few years.
..............
Jungkook was sitting across from Ella after curbing a lot of courage while she was just staring at her lunch while eating it.
Aria came to Liya with her minions, who was sitting beside Ella, eating her fried chicken.
"You like fried chicken, don't you?" she said before throwing all of it on the floor. Liya looked down as she slapped her head before going away speaking ill about her.
Ella passed her lunch to Liya."I don't like fried chicken, can you eat it for me?" she asked with pleading eyes as Lily smiled.
Ella loved fried chicken but chose to lie at the moment.
Ella was looking at Liya with a sweet smile as she ate fried chicken. Jungkook was amazed by her kindness.
Jungkook took out the chocolate and juice bottle he had got for Ella and stood up and secretly put it in front of her before going away.
He used to put such stuff in her locker secretly. Ella looked in front of her and looked around.
"Can I eat it?" her chubby class-fellow asked drooling over the chocolate.
She smiled and nodded while Jungkook sadly pouted from far as she gave the chocolate to their classfellow.
She looked at the juice bottle, she was thirsty and drank it making Jungkook smile.
................
Ella was cleaning her wardrobe when her mother rushed to her.
"Stop all of this and get ready. You are going on a lunch with Jungkook!" her mother said. She looked at her in astonishment.
"But why?" she asked.
"I called him to have lunch with you and to your luck, he agreed to it immediately. I want you to become friends with him so that he launches you in one of his upcoming films!" her mother said taking out a pistachio dress. "Wear this and I will do your makeup!" she said and went out.
"Why does she have to make me feel worthless by presenting me in front of people like that?" Ella said as her heart clenched.
—————
Ella entered the 7-star restaurant and looked around for Jungkook. She sighed as she found him.
She didn't know but he was waiting for her for more than 30 minutes. He was so happy when her mom called him to set them up for lunch. He couldn't even sleep last night in happiness.
He might have forgotten his crush on her but now after seeing her again, he wasn't able to hold back his feelings though he knew he was doing wrong by falling in love with a committed girl.
"Hey!" Jungkook smiled and stood up before hugging her. It took her a second before she hugged him back. "You look good!" he said pulling away.
"You look good too!" she smiled. He pulled the seat for her and beckoned her to sit. She looked at him in amusement, Taehyung had never done that for her."Thank you!" she said before sitting on it. She looked down, it felt awkward to meet him like that.
'He must be thinking of me as an opportunist' she thought.
"Shall we order?" he asked to break the silence. She nodded.
They ordered their lunch and again the awkward silence engulfed them.
Jungkook was said to be a social butterfly but right now he felt nervous sitting across from his old crush. As if the words had drowned in the awkwardness.
"Umm how about you tell me about yourself?" he said nervously.
Though he knew everything about her but that was years ago and he believed that her choices must have changed along with her appearance. She had grown more beautiful now.
"I am not an interesting person. All I do is write, read and paint in my free time!" she politely smiled.
"That's interesting! Usually, girls say things like shopping, doing make-up, or traveling. I heard a different response from you!" he smiled.
"Is that so?" she chuckled.
"You must be a literature student then! I have heard that they are quite knowledgeable!" Jungkook said making her smile drop.
"Umm no, I am not a literature student!" she said.
"But why? I guess you love that field?" he asked.
"Mom didn't want that. Let it be, I will graduate from University this year anyway!" she replied.
"I wonder how you are still quiet? For how long are you going to endure such toxic behaviour?" he asked.
"Sorry?" she asked confused.
"Leave it! How about we go shopping after this? I want to buy some clothes for myself! Maybe you could help me select them?" he asked.
He wanted to spend more time with her. She nodded with a smile.
—
"Do I look good in this?" he asked as he came out of the changing room, wearing a grey-blue shirt.
"Yes, you do!" she smiled.
"I will buy this then!" it was the 10th shirt he was going to buy just because she said he looked good in them. "How about we shop for you too?" he said after changing his clothes.
"Umm I don't think so, I have many clothes at home!" she replied.
Her mother used to buy most of her clothes. She had stopped shopping for herself because of constant criticism for her choice by her mother.
"I have never heard a girl say no to shopping! But today is my day, so we are listening to me!" he said.
He paid for the shirts and gently held her wrist before pulling her to an expensive boutique.
.
Jungkook was reading a magazine, sitting on the couch when Ella came out of the changing room. He looked at her and his ears turned red. She was looking so beautiful in that indicolite dress. As if the colour was just made for her.
He came out of his trance as he saw her caressing her arms in discomfort.
"You look so fine! Is there any problem with the dress?" he walked towards her worriedly.
"Yeah, it's too short! I don't look good in such dresses!" she said looking down.
Taehyung had made her feel so insecure that she just didn't wish to wear any scantily clad clothes.
"And who said that?" he asked frowning.
"Don't I look attention-seeking while wearing this?" she asked him unknowingly.
"No! You look bold, assertive, and untouchable!" he said with a smile as he cupped her cheek.
She looked at him astonished. Nobody had ever said that to her. It just instantly boosted her confidence that she had strangled years ago.
If it were Taehyung, he would have embarrassed her by speaking ill.
"Ella, you are like a butterfly! They don't know they have beautiful wings all their life just like you! You don't realize how beautiful and deserving you are! Your mind has been corrupted by the people around you!" he said caressing her cheek.
Nobody had ever handled her with this gentleness and care. It felt like a dream.
She looked down and went inside the room.
She clutched her heart which was about to explode out of nervousness.
—
"Hope we would meet soon!" Jungkook smiled as they reached her house. She nodded.
"Take care!" she said and got out of his car.
"You need it more than me!" he mumbled looking at her disappearing figure.