Past - 21
Third Party's POV:
He released a cloud of smoke into the crisp morning air, his gaze vacant as he contemplated the day ahead. School wasn't something he looked forward to, but catching even a distant glimpse of her made it bearable.
In their usual secret smoking area at school, Sven waited for classes to end, anticipating the moment he could watch Elysia leave. Brey approached him, furrowed brows and a contemplative expression on his face, taking the cigarette from Sven's hand and inhaling deeply.
"Well, that was a shock," Brey murmured, shaking his head. Sven furrowed his eyebrows, giving him a questioning look.
"I saw Aubrey on my way here," Brey explained. Hearing her name, Sven lost interest in topic then and there.
"I told you not to take that witch's name in front of me," Sven scowled, returning his gaze to the distance.
Brey shrugged his shoulders and answered. "I just thought you'd be interested in knowing things related to Ares Knight."
Sven narrowed his eyes sharply at the mention of Ares. "Where did Knight come from?"
"I saw them kissing in the shared courtyard," Brey responded, extinguishing the cigarette. "Anyway, let's go to class; we're running low on attendance."
Sven froze, staring at Brey incredulously. "What did you just say?" Shaking his head, he asked again, feeling a need to confirm what he thought he heard.
"I said we're low on attendance—" Brey started, but Sven interrupted, seeking clarification and faced him, giving Brey his utmost attention.
"No, before that?" Dread filled Sven's heart as it started drumming inside his chest. He wished he had heard it wrong.
"I saw Aubrey and Ares, kissing in the shared courtyard. They seemed to be dating, probably," Brey stated matter-of-factly.
Sven's heart sank, the news hitting him like a blow. "Elysia," he mumbled in shock, fearing how she would take this revelation.
"Where is Elysia? Have you seen her?" Sven demanded, his crimson-grey eyes wide in horror.
She must not know about this!
"Bro, relax—" Brey attempted to calm him, but Sven was already losing control, gripping Brey's collar unconsciously.
"Brey, where is she? Have you seen Elysia?" Sven barked, desperation in his voice.
"No, I haven't," Brey answered truthfully. He hadn't seen Elysia while passing by the courtyard.
Sven's chest heaved rapidly, throat dry. He turned back to Brey, "Make sure this doesn't come out. Do whatever, I don't care, but keep it covered." Sven stated through gritted teeth before rushing downstairs to find Elysia.
"Bro, Sven—" Brey called after him, but Sven didn't listen. He needed to see Elysia. He needed to get her out of here before she hear about this sh*t.
With heavy footsteps, Sven barged into their classroom on the first floor, breathing heavily, searching for her. When he saw her seat vacant, his heart sank. Elysia never missed classes unless it was truly important. Everyone, including the teacher, paused, looking at him in surprise.
Just a glance at Sven's unusual demeanor, and Esme sensed something was amiss. Sven hastily exited the classroom, prompting Esme to follow suit without a moment's hesitation, leaving everyone puzzled.
She spotted Sven rushing down the stairs in a panic. With swift, practiced movements, Esme leaped off the corridor's railing and expertly landed on the ground ahead of Sven.
As Sven reached the ground floor, he abruptly stopped upon seeing Esme, still not accustomed to her daring maneuvers.
"Is something wrong with Ely?" She inquired before he could speak.
"We need to find her." That was all the information Esme required. Pointing in the opposite direction, she signaled for Sven to search there while she covered the other side.
If Sven was this agitated, it meant the situation was serious. Reasons could wait; Esme needed to ensure Ely's safety.
They both hurried in opposite directions, scouring the entire school, but Elysia was nowhere to be found.
Sven raced out of the school's main gates, frantically searching. Both hands raised, gripping his hair in desperation as he scanned the surroundings.
Where was she?
Unable to locate her, he rushed back to the school to get his bike but abruptly stopped, halting in his sprint when he saw Elysia walking towards the school's main gate.
His lips parted in visible relief at the sight of her safe and sound. As she approached, he wet his dry lips, raising his hand, ready to wave at her, but he froze upon noticing the blank expression on her face.
In a daze, she moved toward him, and he followed her steps with his eyes. His heart almost stopped beating when she walked straight past him, completely unaware of his presence. Sven blinked, his lips parting in utter shock.
She... She knew!
Sven's hand dropped to his side, and he turned around, watching her stroll away aimlessly. His eyes wavered with an unexplainable feeling inside his chest. After all his desperate attempts, she still learned the truth, and that too in a cruel way.
His steps resumed, following after her. Elysia walked for hours, passing through the streets in a daze, unaware that Sven was walking behind her the whole time, just a few meters away, tracing her path.
She stopped by the bridge, placing her hand on the railing as she walked. Sven mirrored the action, quietly tracing her hand marks with his fingers gently.
When she reached the park, Sven stood silently behind her, hearing her weeping and praying. His jaw clenched, hands forming fists by his sides, and stormy eyes fixed on Elysia.
From the very first day he met her, everything about Elysia Lawson was beyond limits—her naivety, sensitivity, sincerity, loyalty, devotion, genuineness... Then how could her love be within the limits...?
Sven feared this day, that's why he always tried to put some distance between Elysia and Ares but it happened regardless.
They say the pain of your loved ones hurts you more, and today he knew it was true. Elysia was the one shedding tears, yet he felt like every single teardrop of hers fell on his heart.
He tried hard to not fall apart seeing her like this, but he did...tears flowed silently from his eyes, his chest aching. This hurt was worse than when he first realized his feelings for her or the pain of not seeing her the past week.
He intended to let her cry to her heart's content once and for all, but when rain started, he couldn't take it anymore. She always caught a cold easily and she seemed to had no intentions of moving herself.
He looked around, searching for something to cover her but he found nothing. Then his gaze landed on Elysia's bag, lying on the ground beside her shoes.
He stepped forward and picked up the bag, covering her as much as possible. When Elysia looked up, realizing he was there, he couldn't meet her eyes and looked ahead, unable to endure the pain in them.
Elysia's jaw clenched when she noticed Sven. She stood up, pushing his hand away. "Go on your way, Damaris! I don't need your pity," she spoke quietly, putting on her shoes and walking away.
Shocked, Sven rushed to her, holding her hand, which she jerked away. Turning around, her tear-filled eyes narrowed. "WHAT?" she yelled.
"You ignored me for the whole past week, pretending as if we weren't friends, avoiding us without even telling us a reason and now you're suddenly here, pretending to be worried." She uttered in a sharp, angry tone, glaring into his eyes.
Water droplets slipped down their faces, mingling with tears as heavy rain drenched them both.
She was right. She had a right to be angry. A year ago, the three of them vowed to always stay together, friends who were more like a family, and no matter how many differences or fights Esme and Sven had, Elysia was the one who held all of them together, not letting any of them to drift apart.
Yet for the past week, he ignored her as if she didn't exist and even denied her sincerity. Elysia wasn't aware of the turmoil inside of him, doubting that Sven didn't need them in his life anymore.
And this was the worst thing anyone could do to a friend; making them feel non-existent, unneeded.
"Elysia," Sven uttered, staring at her helplessly.
In a friendship between a man and a woman, there's an unspoken boundary that must never be crossed. Even though Elysia considered Sven her best friend, she still always maintained a certain physical distance from him, and Sven never dared to cross that boundary, because she was the only person he had learned to respect and admire truly.
Until today! He couldn't take it, seeing her suffer like this, it was his limit...
He stepped forward, placing a hand on the back of her head and pulled her towards himself, embracing her as her head landed on his chest.
Elysia angrily tried to push him away, tears pouring down her cheeks. "Leave, you also leave," she pushed his chest away with her hands in deep anguish. "Leave," she kept repeating the same thing, but Sven didn't let her go, circling an arm around her shoulders and stroking her head, providing the comfort she needed, and probably Sven too.
After a while of struggling in his arms, Elysia's hands dropped to her sides, giving up her anger and crying her heart out like he had never seen before.
Sven suddenly felt Elysia's weight on him and her crying also stopped.
"Ely?" He mumbled confused, looking down at his shoulder, finding her unresponsive.
"Elysia!!" He yelled in horror as she collapsed in his arms, losing consciousness. Sven hurriedly picked her up and left the park, rushing in panic.
***************
"Don't worry; she's going to be fine. I've written down medicines for her fever and cold. She just needs rest." Sandra and Dean Lawson nodded in understanding, worry etched on their features as they saw the doctor off.
"Go and change," Esme instructed Sven after they left the room.
"I'm fine," Sven replied, sitting in the chair beside Elysia's bed. He was still in his wet clothes but didn't want to leave her side.
"You think you can take care of her while being sick yourself?" Esme's voice turned colder. Sven sighed, stood up, and left the room to change his clothes.
Esme rose and sat on the bed beside the still-sleeping Elysia. Her eyes held a rare kind of softness.
She raised her hand, stroking Elysia's hair. "Don't scare me like this, Ely! I've nothing left except you," she whispered, gently planting a kiss on Elysia's forehead.
Neither Esme nor Sven informed Elysia's parents about what had happened, only mentioning that she got sick from the rain. When Sven found Elysia, he texted Esme to handle her parents until he brought her back home.
Elysia's parents entered the room along with Sven, now in dry clothes borrowed from Dean Lawson.
Esme and Sven stayed at Elysia's home that night, providing great support for her worried parents. Since Elysia introduced them to her parents a year ago, the Lawsons had considered them like family. Elysia's parents were welcoming and loving, just like their daughter.
As the night passed and morning arrived, Elysia's fever improved, thanks to everyone's care. Sven stood beside her bed, gazing at her sleeping form.
He made a decision the night before, and now it was time for confrontation. Bending down, he placed a small kiss on Elysia's forehead, lingering for a moment before standing upright and marching out of the house.
*************
He parked his bike in front of the mansion gate and briskly walked inside. No guard stopped him because they knew him well.
Upon reaching the mansion, he kicked the door open and found her standing outside the living room, seemingly informed of his arrival and coming to see him.
Sven's eyes squinted dangerously, enraged by the havoc this woman had caused.
He didn't care about the vow he took years ago to never acknowledge her existence; he was here today, and it was clear he didn't mean well.
Rushing towards Aubrey in a few long strides, he instantly grabbed her neck, forcefully pushing her against the wall and tightening his fingers around her throat.
Aubrey's hand frantically rose towards his grip as her body lifted a few inches from the ground.
"Why?" He growled, his voice carrying a final warning.
Aubrey thrashed in his menacing grip and barely managed to speak. "Y-your... father will k-kill you if you d-do something to m-me." Breathing became difficult, but Sven didn't loosen his grip, indifferent to her words.
"T-this whole p-place has c-cameras; y-you w-would be jailed," she smiled sickly, but Sven still didn't let go, lost in rage. "...and w-won't be able to s-see y-your p-poor Ely. Ha!" Aubrey mocked him further, but hearing Elysia's name and realizing the trouble and hurt his actions might cause her made him lose his grip. He let her go, stepping back.
Aubrey dropped to the floor on her knees, coughing violently. She was shocked by Sven's extreme reaction for Elysia but didn't show it on her face.
"Tell me why?" Sven asked again, this time in a low threatening tone.
Aubrey smirked and looked up at him, "It's simple; we fell in love," she answered, her voice came out hoarse.
"Stop bullsh***ing me; I want the truth." Sven crouched down to meet her eyes, his rage evident, and Aubrey knew a small mistake could expose her game.
"That's the truth! Ares fell in love with me, and I accepted his proposal. It's up to you whether you want to believe it or not," Aubrey shrugged, answering nonchalantly.
Even after scrutinizing her face, Sven couldn't spot any sign of lying.
So, that was it?
Ares got seduced by someone like her?!
Sven stood up, as if he got burned. Until today, he always thought a person loved by Elysia Lawson would be special, different from anyone else.
But the man she chose to love with her everything was so susceptible that he got seduced by the girl who called herself Elysia's best friend?!
Sven never considered fighting for Elysia, not just because it was a lost case, but also because he regarded Ares as someone who could genuinely cherish Elysia, even more than him. He hated to admit it but he really thought that...
But now?
"Why do you seem upset? Don't you think it's your chance now that Ares is out of the picture? I can help you if you want," she suggested with the same arrogant expressions on her face, but she only wanted to hear his answer. She had no intention to actually help him.
Sven let out a mocking snort, "You think I would need your help?" He smirked, "My love for Elysia isn't so cheap that I'd have to use dirty tricks to have her by myself, unlike someone else... Who knows nothing except manipulating things to make people love her." Aubrey's face turned red in anger and humiliation at his words, and Sven's smirk widened, knowing he had hit the nail on the head.
He was done talking and turned around to leave when Aubrey spoke again, "I can break up with him if you want." Sven turned his head to look at her, his eyebrows furrowed in disgust.
"If you accept our engagement and come to me," Aubrey stated her condition.
"You were pathetic before, and you still are." He spat, clenching his fists by his sides. He didn't even consider her condition worth thinking.
He was about to leave when Aubrey's eyes flashed with desperation and panic. Her plan was failing. She quickly blurted out, "What? I thought you loved Elysia a lot, didn't you? If you come to me, I'll leave Ares, and Elysia can have him back." She instantly stood up, expecting a favorable answer this time.
After all, she thought Sven could do anything for Elysia.
Sven stopped walking and turned around to answer her ridiculous suggestion. "A man who could be seduced by just anyone isn't worth my Elysia."
He departed the mansion immediately after uttering those words, leaving Aubrey frozen in shock as she watched his retreating figure.
He left the mansion immediately after completing his sentence, leaving Aubrey frozen in shock as she watched his retreating back.
Slowly, she moved from her spot and ascended the stairs, making her way to her room, lost in thoughts.
Memories of the past year flooded back. When she first met Elysia, she found her quite naive, which led her to want to be friends with her. However, Aubrey soon discovered that Elysia came from a less privileged background, and Aubrey Anderson never lowered her status for friends.
Nevertheless, Aubrey believed Elysia to be quite submissive, making her think she could easily puppet her around. So, she kept up her act, and she wouldn't have used her like this if Elysia hadn't tried to steal what was always hers.
Sven Neve Damaris!
She was ten years old when their parents promised to marry their children. That was the day Aubrey Anderson fell in love with him. She was confident that Sven would agree since she was the heiress, rich, beautiful, and everything that guys fell for.
But Sven not only rejected her but also humiliated her, just because she was his parents' choice. Aubrey did everything to be with him, but he pushed her away, making her feel worthless.
Countless times, he expressed his hate towards her and their parents' decision. When she didn't give up, he refused to acknowledge her existence and threatened her to never tell anyone that they were acquainted because apparently, he thought it was shameful to be linked with Aubrey in any way.
He acted as if he didn't know her, in school, in their family gatherings, events, parties—everywhere. He even refused to glance at her, spending his time with countless different girls but never her.
That was the moment when Aubrey changed her strategy. She accepted his demands, acting as if they were strangers. Sven thought she had finally accepted the fact that it's never gonna happen. However, he had no idea what was going on behind his back.
Aubrey entered her room, closing the door behind her. She directly walked to her wardrobe area, entering the smaller room. Her gaze fell upon the little broken doll, as the memory from that particular day rushed back to her.
"Mom! I want that doll," six-year-old Aubrey clutched her mother's sleeve, pointing towards the doll in another girl's hand.
Her mother snatched the doll from the little kid's hand and handed it to Aubrey. "Here, it's yours now!" Aubrey happily took the doll but then noticed the other girl started crying, asking for the doll.
"Ma'am! I'm sorry, but this doll was picked by this girl before. Would you mind checking other toys in the shop? We have plenty," the attendant remarked politely, as the other girl's parents rushed to her.
"Do you even know who I am? I picked this doll, and it's my daughter's now," her mother answered in a loud voice, glaring at the sales attendant.
The girl's parents started arguing with Aubrey's mother, and people gathered around due to the commotion. Looking around scared, Aubrey didn't want the doll anymore. Yet her mother never listened and, in the end, broke the doll by twisting it around and throwing it on the floor.
The girl cried more intensely as her parents took her away, giving sharp looks to them.
On their way back to the mansion, Aubrey held the broken doll in her hands.
"This doll is broken, Mom," she said, looking at her mother.
"At least it's yours now," her mother replied. "If you want anything that you don't have, then snatch it. If you can't, then destroy it. Do you understand?" She asked Aubrey.
Furrowing her little eyebrows, she nodded her head. She didn't understand completely but learned one thing that day.
If she can't have something, then no one can!
•••
She crouched down on the floor and picked up the doll, staring at it blankly. She never played with the doll, not even once. It just stayed there, along with her other toys.
She recalled the second day of their Year 11 where she coincidentally saw Sven blocking Elysia's way and talking to her. That was her flipping moment, the time she started brewing her plot.
The guy who didn't even give her a second glance was looking at Elysia Lawson with a rare kind of spark in his eyes.
The guy who changed girls like clothes was sticking up to one girl. He always had girls around him but he never had any feelings for any of them, just messing around and never once involving emotions.
Aubrey knew that very well because she was the one behind the disappearance of any girl who developed feelings for Sven. She knew that he was rebelling against his family, but in the end, he would have to marry her, so she simply let it be, until Elysia Lawson came into the picture...
Their every interaction, their every meeting, their every outing, they were never alone. Aubrey was always somewhere around them, looking at them, observing them, plotting against them.
Everyone else was a pawn in her game, even Ophelia Blake. The only reason Ophelia wasn't out of Sven's life was that Aubrey still needed her for her plan. She was controlling everyone without even them knowing. Every time Ophelia was able to know that Sven was out with Elysia, whether it was an amusement park or any other place, Aubrey was behind the anonymous informer.
Everything was going according to her plan until Esme Indira Vasquez interfered. She was like a silent eagle, watching over Elysia, her gaze always that of a lioness ready to attack anytime if someone dared to mess with her cub. It complicated Aubrey's plan further, and she had to hide behind the veil to play her cards discreetly, very carefully, without a sound or even a whisper...
Aubrey couldn't understand why Elysia had the kind of effect that even the coldest people like Esme and Sven melted for her.
She had never hated anyone like she hated Elysia Lawson.
And then came Ares Simon Knight...!
Aubrey looked up, staring at her reflection in the mirror. She had to watch Elysia like a shadow to find out her weakness, and after months, she did find it.
The letters...!
Whether Elysia was foolishly naive or a complete idiot, she never noticed her rough letters disappearing from her bag.
The poor girl must have practiced her calligraphy skills for countless hours to make her letters perfect, yet it became her only mistake, the most foolish one... Because her calligraphic letters became too different from her usual handwriting.
Elysia foolishly left just after seeing a smile on Ares' face because of her letters, but she never saw him desperately looking for 'his letter girl,' but Aubrey did.
Elysia didn't see Ares checking a lot of notebooks, keenly searching for the same writing as her letters.
When Aubrey saw Ares checking Elysia's notebook and still not recognizing her writing, Aubrey knew she had found the right move. She did what could have possibly hurt Elysia the most—she stole her Ares from her by pretending to be the girl who wrote him those heartfelt letters.
She created the storm that would destroy three lives; Elysia would lose the only guy she had loved, Ares, and Sven would go crazy seeing Elysia in pain, and Ares...?
A smirk appeared on Aubrey's face. Well, he would never know the girl he had fallen in love with without seeing was the same girl he subconsciously followed around with his gaze.
Aubrey was finally successful in causing a hurricane in everyone's lives who never took her as a threat.
Her eyes moved to the red hand marks on her neck, and her smirk disappeared, a dangerous glint flashing in her eyes.
"For a pathetic girl like her, you did this to me," she murmured, her voice holding contempt.
Why did no one want her?!
Even that Ares Simon Knight!
What did Sven say? Got seduced by her?
She acted her best, giving him her most innocent face, the utmost vulnerable eyes that she ever had made for anyone...
Yet, that b*stard Ares still had the audacity to look disappointed after knowing she was the girl who wrote letters to him. He had the nerve to avoid her kiss...
A recent, just yesterday's memory flashed before her eyes.
"I have loved you since forever..." Aubrey confessed, shyly looking at the ground.
Ares was still in a state of shock after seeing the letters she showed him. The girl he had been looking for months was right in front of him, yet he didn't feel the happiness he thought he would feel. Instead, there was a weird feeling; a feeling that something was wrong, very wrong.
When Aubrey noticed that Ares didn't reply and the flash of disappointment in his gaze, she cursed inwardly, a feeling of hate surging within her.
'This idiot is going to ruin my plan that I plotted for months.' Aubrey thought.
When she saw Elysia seeing them, Aubrey immediately made a move, going closer to Ares.
Ares, still in a state of shock and confusion, noticed Aubrey suddenly getting closer to kiss him and subconsciously turned his head a little as her lips landed on the corner of his lips, instead of directly on his lips. He couldn't push her away, thinking she was the girl who sincerely loved him a lot.
Aubrey moved away, acting as if she didn't notice his discomfort, and continued saying made-up nonsense until Elysia was gone from there.
"I... I'm really sorry, um, Aubrey, but I need some time to think about this. It's just... a little too sudden," Ares finally responded after a while.
Aubrey hid the anger that flashed in her eyes and offered him an innocent smile. "Okay, I understand," she stretched her hand out to hold Ares' hand when he suddenly stepped back as if acting on his subconscious.
Realization hit him when he saw hurt in Aubrey's eyes, and guilt gnawed at him. "I'm sorry, I..." He couldn't explain his condition in words; he found himself repulsing her touches, and it truly shocked him.
"I-it's okay, we can talk after you have thought about it," Aubrey responded, welling up her eyes.
Ares noticed her tears, and a burdened feeling caused his head to ache, but he still couldn't bring himself to stay there and retreated without looking back, hurrying out of school.
Aubrey's teary eyes turned murderous the second Ares turned his back on her, leaving as if he was being suffocated around her. She gritted her teeth in pure hatred, stomping her foot on the ground.
Never before in her life had men ever ignored her tears. They always softened at her teary eyes, got seduced by even just her one long glance, and yet these two men never even looked at her.
Ares wouldn't have even given her a second glance if not for her lie, and Sven, he never even considered her worthy of his attention, neither in the past, nor in present...
Squinting her eyes, Aubrey made her way to follow Elysia. She wanted to see her broken state, but she only found her unresponsive and blank, filling her with disappointment.
She intended to follow her again, and she would have if she hadn't noticed Esme searching around for Elysia. In order to keep her act behind the veil, she had to leave.
As they say, the worst enemy is the one who is hidden behind the mask of a friend...
•••
Aubrey stood up and walked towards the mirror, tracing the marks on her neck. A towel draped over the stand, beside the mirror, caught her attention, as Elysia's face flashed in front of her.
The time she wiped her face and stayed with her, looking after Aubrey while she was sick...
Not even her parents did that for her, always busy and leaving her at home alone, going for business abroad.
Aubrey felt a faint sting in her eyes, and an unfamiliar restless feeling gnawed at her, just for a moment before her face flashed with anger, staring at her reflection in the mirror.
"YOU ALL MADE ME LIKE THIS!!!" She screamed, picking up the crystal decor and threw it at the mirror, shattering it into a thousand pieces as the crashing sound echoed throughout the room.
Within a matter of minutes, one by one, all precious decor were thrown on the ground, turning into nothing but a mess, as Aubrey stood in the middle, breathing heavily.
There started the oldest battle between selfish love and selfless love.
There was one love that had the power to destroy, even the one she loved intensely. And there was one love that had the power to annihilate herself for the one she loved unconditionally...
Aubrey Anderson never realized when her love and relentless pursuit of Sven Damaris transformed into nothing but a matter of excessive ego, unaware that those obsessed with pride and ego often end up empty-handed.
She was the one who stirred the storm; she was the one who ignited the fire, yet she was unaware that within that very blaze, destiny had inscribed her own burning too...
*****************
Thoughts..?
3 or 4 chapters from past before we shift to present in the upcoming week! ✨