Chapter 110: Two bleeding women.

June 9 2026, 9:57pm.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" He asked again, his frown deepening as he stared at Elara with open scrutiny.

At the sound of his voice, she stepped back then pretended to narrow her eyes at him as she hissed; "What are YOU doing here? Where are the boys?"

Her words, soft and careful, seeped into his ears, snapping him out of his reverie. He paused his lips for a painfully brief moment before he finally let his eyes meet hers.

He said; "They left without me."

They left without me.

The lie sounded easy to believe. It sounded smooth... so smooth that he thought it was foolproof. Anyone who had heard him say them would’ve easily believed him, but not Elara.

Not after what she had seen with her eyes.

"What are you doing here though?" He finally asked her, causing the girl to lift her eyes slowly. Her eyes immediately brimmed with tears when she saw the flicker of suspicion in Tristan’s eyes. She rushed out;

"I...I just wanted a moment to myself. Most times, whenever I feel low, I like to come here and stay for a while. The smell of the old books calms my soul, and the feeling of the wind blowing through my hair makes me feel alive."

"Oh..."

"After that accident three years ago..." she continued softly, intentionally allowing her voice to trail off dramatically in order to make her story sound more pitiful. She continued; "...after Nyx’ara pushed me from this spot three years ago, I always find myself coming back. It feels like something inside of me died that day, but at the same time, something here calls out to me, and I cannot help but answer."

"Elara...!" Now, Tristan sounded pained. His voice broke on her behalf as he walked forward to wrap his arms around her shoulder.

Tristan was one of the few fools who believed that Elara was a saint. He believed she had the heart of a lamb and was incapable of plotting or hurting anyone. So when he saw her standing before him with her hand pressed to her chest with a look of utter dejection on her face, he had no option but to believe her story, as well as the fact that they had both come here coincidentally.

He also decided that he was to console her.

He pulled her into his chest, hugging her tightly but missing the smile spreading across her face with each second that passed.

Elara took the cue and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him even deeper into the embrace.

And he... he did not refuse.

Their lips collided in that moment, and as soon as that happened, everything else disappeared. Tristan’s and Elara’s kiss was urgent, like they’d been holding back for so long, but beneath the urgency, there was something more, something deeper.

His tongue teased hers, sending a shiver down her spine, and she could almost feel the emotions he wasn’t saying, pouring into every movement. His hands feverishly slid up her back, pulling her close, as though he couldn’t stand the thought of even an inch of space between them.

And Elara, the wanton, pressed into him, completely lost in the intensity of his hold, her heart pounding in anticipation and desire. The connection between them was undeniable, electric, as if the kiss was a way to say everything they couldn’t.

His lips moved against hers, rough and sweet at the same time, and she found herself sinking deeper into the moment.

She could feel the world around them blurred, fading into nothing but the heat of his lips and the weight of his body pressed against hers. Her fingers slipped into his hair, holding on as if she was afraid to let go— which she genuinely was.

When he finally pulled back just a fraction, both of them were breathless, their foreheads resting together as his dark eyes searched hers, a silent proof that she was his whenever he wanted, and that he was hers regardless of the several distractions he’s been facing over the past few weeks.

He immediately began to feel ashamed for cheating on her and allowing himself to believe that he could start something new with Leilani. Hell, he had even begun to contemplate calling Leilani right then and there to ask her and to go back.

However, as soon as that thought crossed his head, Elara took his hand, pushed it into her blouse, and pressed her lips against his one more time. She moaned when his fingers flicked at her pebbled nipples, and—

*Ding!*

The elevator doors opened right at that moment, revealing a stunned-looking Leilani whose mouth dropped so low, her jaw nearly hit the floor.

The first thing the girl saw as soon as the doors opened was her boyfriend kissing another woman, and upon closer look her jaw dropped even lower when she realised that the ’other woman’ was his supposed sister.

What the fuck?

She had been in a fight earlier and was extremely tired and upset, so after seeing him like this, with his arms around his sister, the first thought she had had was to return home.

"I can’t deal with this!" She snickered, turning away from them.

Elara, on the other hand, hated that the girl had shown little to no reaction upon seeing them like this. Deep down, she had expected the girl to break down. To cry. To beg.

But all she did was roll her eyes, and that annoyed her.

So she rushed after the girl, grabbed her by the wrist, and spun her around. Her eyes flashed with malice but after pretending to school her features into one of polite softness, she lowered her eyes and her head and muttered;

"I am so sorry you had to see that!"

"No, you’re not."

"I really am. It’s just that Tristan and I have been together for so long and we are in love. I do not know what he told you to make you believe that you ever had a chance with him but it is false. You don’t have to be mad at me or at him, so I’ll apologize for his sake..." she drawled, and went on to kneel while still holding onto Leilani’s arm.

"I am sorry. Please forgive us."

God, she sounded so humble, so gentle that one would easily think she meant her half-assed apology. But Leilani was no fool, and she easily saw through her facade.

Enraged, she forcefully pulled her hand away from Elara’s and snarled; "I don’t care that you’re kissing your brother!"

Elara froze, but for only a second as her plan snapped into place.

She tumbled backward even though Leilani had not pushed her hard enough to make her crash that hard, and then a loud cry slipped out of her mouth as her body slammed into a mahogany bookshelf.

"Argh!" Her cry of agony hit hard into Tristan’s chest, and without another word, he marched up to Leilani, grabbed her by the arm, and shoved her face hard into the opposite bookshelf.

"Bitch!" He growled just as her nose cracked with a sickening squelch.

But he was not satisfied. Elara was bleeding so she had to bleed too.