The morning after the engagement party, Elena woke with a pounding headache. The room was too bright. Her mouth felt dry. She groaned and rolled over, burying her face in the pillow.
"Good morning, beautiful," Eddie's voice came from somewhere nearby.
Remembering the wild night with Eddie yesterday,Elena groaned in her heart,she forced her eyes open. Eddie stood by the bed, already dressed in a crisp suit. He held out a glass of water and some painkillers.
"You're a lifesaver," Elena mumbled, taking the offered items.
Eddie chuckled. "Late night, huh? The party was a hit. Your Instagram is blowing up."
Elena's stomach churned. It wasn't just the hangover. The memory of her conversation with Alfie on the balcony came flooding back.
"I have to go to the office," Eddie said, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "Will you be okay?"
Elena nodded, not trusting herself to speak. As soon as Eddie left, she grabbed her phone. Her latest post from the party had over 100,000 likes. The comments were full of praise and congratulations.
But none of it felt real.
With shaky hands, she scrolled through her contacts. She hovered over Alfie's name for a moment before clicking on Sophie's instead.
"Hey," she typed. "Can we meet for coffee? I need to talk."
Sophie's reply came quickly. "Sure. The usual place in an hour?"
Elena dragged herself out of bed. She threw on jeans and a sweater, not bothering with makeup. This wasn't a day for keeping up appearances.
An hour later, she slid into a booth across from Sophie at their favorite café. Sophie took one look at her and frowned.
"Okay, spill," Sophie said. "What's really going on?"
Elena took a deep breath. "I did something terrible," she whispered.
Sophie leaned forward, her eyes wide. "What do you mean?"
"I... I slept with Alfie," Elena confessed, her voice barely audible.
Sophie's jaw dropped. "What? When? How?"
Elena told her everything. The night she found out about Eddie's indiscretion with Rose. The drunken encounter with Alfie. The weeks of guilt and confusion that followed.
"Oh, Elena," Sophie sighed when she finished. "What a mess."
Elena nodded miserably. "I don't know what to do, Sophie. I love Eddie, I do. But Alfie... there's something there. Something I can't ignore."
Sophie reached across the table, squeezing Elena's hand. "Have you thought about telling Eddie the truth?"
Elena shook her head violently. "I can't. It would destroy him. And our families... the scandal would be huge."
"So what, you're just going to pretend it never happened?" Sophie asked skeptically .
Elena shrugged helplessly. "What choice do I have?"
Just then, Elena's phone buzzed. It was a text from Alfie: "We need to talk. Meet me at Hyde Park in an hour.
Elena stared at the message, her heart racing. She looked up at Sophie, panic in her eyes.
"It's him, isn't it?" Sophie asked quietly.
Elena nodded.
"Are you going to go?"
Elena bit her lip. She knew she shouldn't. But the pull was too strong to resist. "I have to," she whispered.
Sophie sighed. "Be careful, Elena. This isn't going to end well for anyone."
An hour later, Elena found herself walking through Hyde Park. The day was overcast, matching her mood. She spotted Alfie sitting on a bench near the lake.
"You came," he said as she approached.
Elena sat down beside him, leaving a careful distance between them. "What do you want, Alfie?
Alfie turned to face her, his eyes intense. "I want you to be honest with yourself, Elena. About what you really want."
Elena felt her resolve wavering. "I told you, I'm marrying Eddie. We're moving to Boston. It's decided."
"Is it?" Alfie challenged. "Because I don't think you're happy, Elena. I think you're trapped in a life you're not sure you want."
Elena felt tears pricking at her eyes. "It's not that simple," she whispered.
"It could be," Alfie said softly. He reached out, cupping her cheek in his hand. "We could be together, Elena. For real."
For a moment, Elena let herself imagine it. A life with Alfie. Passion instead of comfort. Excitement instead of security.
But then reality came crashing back.
She jerked away from his touch. "No," she said firmly. "I made my choice, Alfie. Please, just let it go."
Alfie's face hardened. "I can't do that, Elena. I won't give up on us that easily."
Elena stood up, her hands shaking. "There is no us, Alfie. There can't be. I'm sorry."
She turned and walked away, her heart breaking with each step. She didn't look back. She couldn't bear to see the pain in Alfie's eyes.
As she made her way home, Elena felt as if she were suffocating. The weight of her lies and conflicted feelings was crushing her.
Her phone buzzed again. This time, it was Eddie. "Hey beautiful, want to grab dinner tonight? I have some exciting news about Boston."
Elena stared at the message, feeling sick. How could she sit across from Eddie, smiling and planning their future, when her heart was in such turmoil.
But she had made her choice. She had to see it through.
"Sounds great," she typed back. "Can't wait to hear about it."
As she hit send, Elena wondered how long she could keep up this charade. How long before the cracks in her carefully constructed facade became too big to ignore?
She didn't have the answers. Compared to the risk of Eddie getting hurt, she is more afraid that the Eric family will oppress her and not let her continue on the path of being a fashion blogger.