The journey back to Utah was pretty fast as compared to the time it took to reach Garibay Penitentiary. In a time frame of five hours or less, she had arrived. It was about seven in the evening when she got out of the cab that she had taken back after she had visited him in prison.
Elena wasn't expecting to find Ethan in the state that he was; broken both physically and emotionally. If anything about him came across her mind, was that he was having an easier time than her as she assumed that he was hiding behind high walls never to face the wrath of the unforgiving world that she was currently battling on the outside. The shame and spiteful smite that she had fallen prey to.
Elena walked slowly towards the motel, feeling beaten and exhausted as her mind still plundered into thoughts of the earlier day. She had never cried this much before him as he too hadn't ever. Telling him what she felt and underwent day in day out felt surreal and she hoped that it was worth it. Her most battling quest to him was telling him about the pregnancy. It was nothing but the truth. She wondered if he needed to know about that this soon through her or it felt satisfying to humiliate him... kind of bittersweet revenge on him.
Slowly as if counting her steps to record them somewhere like her diary again, perhaps, Elena walked back to the motel. She noticed that the restaurant below was still active with music and noises from people going on about their life clichés. The bar on the far end of the building was opened and there was a loud nagging sound of Karaoke going on in it. It was really disturbing... to her. Perhaps because of her pregnancy issues. She shrugged angrily at the noise and as a thief crept up the stairs to reach the room above. The lights were out from what she could see on the outside and it looked pitch dark. The pregnant woman wondered where her companion scout was. Suddenly an idea sprung in her mind. 'Oh, this is the surprise!' She thought soliloquy. 'He wants me to switch on the lights so that he can surprise me with a group of people. Ha!' She brought her mind to think and come up with different situations. She wondered further about whom he had in there. Probably not Shallon and Mike, since they had called her during the day to wish her a happy birthday, same as her mother and Caroline. Her dad sent her a long message to congratulate her on the many years she'd lived.
Quickly bringing her mind to the door before her, she opened it in haste only to find it locked. She dug her hand into her purse to search for her spare key and once she found it, she jacked it in the keyhole. She held the doorknob and opened the freaking passage. She got in and switched on the light whose switch was right on the wall next to the door. She gasped in shock when she found Lance sitting dumbfounded on her bed, alone.
Her eyes skimmed his worried face and watery eyes. There were tissue wipes on the floor. He had a creased and an unbuttoned shirt. His hair was a mess, abandoning the nice glamor it possessed when the day began. He was holding a beer bottle in his hand and he seemed wasted. Elena looked at him suspiciously. Then suspicion turned to worry at last.
"L... Lance, what's wrong? What happened here?" Elena inquired as she closed the door behind her. She could feel her voice as it was broken when she hoisted her purse down from her shoulder.
Lance took time to turn his head to face her at the door. He gave out a lost smirk with his blue eyes drowning in hopelessness. "How is he?" He asked. His voice was heavy and seemed to be in pain.
Elena gulped immediately as her eyes widened in shock at the sudden question. She gritted her teeth in fear. "Who?" She asked intently.
Lance looked at her longingly and playfully. He shrugged later on. "You know who." His voice was a heavy torn lag. Her teeth gritted even further. "I know you went to see Ethan." He continued.
Elena brushed back some loose strands of her midnight hair as she looked at him sharply. "How did... you know?" She asked, stuttered. Her voice betrayed her as she wanted to sound brave.
"It's pretty obvious." He afforded a weak smile. "Garibay Penitentiary is six hours south of here. I don't see why you couldn't have gone to pay him a visit during your birthdays."
Elena sighed, closing her eyes in submission. "Yes, I'd gone to see him." Lance shook his head slowly. "Is there a problem with that?"
He nodded, slowly. "Elena, why didn't you tell me?" There was worry in his warm voice.
"I know that you two hate each other a lot and the thought of you knowing that I'd gone to see him would have sparkled some anger in you... and I wanted to avoid that."
Lance stood up on his feet and gazed at Elena's body. Her hips were broad and she was gaining weight from what he could see. Her hair was beautifully placed above her chest in some stylized manner of fashion. Her brown skin was pure and free of marks, seeming to have healed past the injuries that Ethan inflicted on her five weeks ago. Her face was pretty, though sadness could be seen pulling from the corner of her eyes. And with her falter dress almost showing off her thighs, she looked stunning. All in all, she was a masterpiece of creation from his perspective.
"What if something bad had happened to you Elena?" He told her. She could feel the worry embedded in his voice.
"Nothing bad was going to happen to me Lance. I just needed to do this on my own." She mumbled.
His eyebrows shot up. "I know Elena. But I cannot lose you..." He shook his head coherently. He didn't seem wasted now. Wait, what was happening?
"Lance, you didn't have to worry about me that much. You're putting too much pressure on yourself." Elena budged in.
He kept quiet and looked at her strangely. He placed the bottle on the floor and stood up and scoured her further. "I get it... that you're a grown woman and all Elena, but after what he did to you, I cannot forgive myself if anything else bad ever happened to you."
"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you." She whispered to him softly. Lance got closer to her and brushed her hair back. Her dark eyes grazed his face strangely. He pulled her closer for a hug and she embraced him choreographically. "I'm sorry." She continued further under his chin.