Now You Want Me? Too Late

That afternoon, Elena went shopping.

She bought a few flower vases from an antique store. She also picked out an elegant golden candlestick, several scented candles, a small antique clock, and a pair of artistic table lamps.

Elias’s apartment was too plain and lifeless. It lacked warmth.

Elena wanted to make that place feel more alive, more like a home. She smiled as she held a photo frame.

"This is beautiful. I’m taking this too." She handed the frame to the middle-aged man. "Make the bill."

The man quickly made the bill.

Elena made the payment and came out of the store. Her gaze moved to the boutique nearby. Her steps slowed.

It was the same boutique from where she had once purchased her wedding dress. But in the end, her wedding with Noah had never happened.

She had burned that dress she had chosen so carefully.

A trace of pain flashed in her eyes.

She stood there quietly for a moment, staring at the boutique absentmindedly. Before she realized it, her legs had already carried her toward the entrance.

It was a luxurious shop, with both men’s and women’s collections. This time, she went straight to the men’s section.

’Elias has helped me so much. I should buy something for him.’

She roamed around the store, her eyes skimming over the expensive suits hanging neatly on the hangers. Then she paused briefly near the luxury watches displayed inside a glass cabinet.

Eventually, her steps halted before the tie section.

A salesgirl approached her with a smile. "Hello, ma’am. Are you looking for a tie?"

Elena smiled. "Yes. For my husband."

"Wonderful..." The salesgirl took out a few more ties. "These are our latest collections."

Elena checked each one of them. Her attention settled on the deep red tie. She picked it up.

Instantly, Elias’s face appeared in the back of her mind. She thought the color would suit him well. But then doubts emerged in her mind.

She loved red, but it didn’t necessarily mean he would like it too.

"Oh, isn’t it Elena?" A familiar voice interrupted her thoughts.

Elena looked up. The moment she saw Tessa coming over with her friend, her expression instantly changed.

"You came shopping?" Tessa said, her tone mocking. Her eyes dropped to the tie in Elena’s hands. "Elena, this is a luxury boutique. Everything here is extremely expensive. Are you sure you can afford it?"

Elena’s eyes immediately turned cold.

Tessa’s friend laughed softly. "Tessa, maybe she is here to look around, not to actually buy anything."

Tessa also laughed with her friend.

The salesgirl instantly snatched the tie away from Elena. "Don’t dirty it. Or you may not be able to pay for it."

Elena glared at the woman. "How do you know I can’t afford it?"

The salesgirl looked flustered. Clearly, she was being influenced by Tessa and her friend. And now, she was confused.

"Elena," Tessa scoffed arrogantly. "Stop being stubborn. You don’t have enough money to buy anything here. Your bank account is frozen, remember?"

A smug gleam flashed across her eyes. "Without Noah, you are nothing."

Elena rolled her eyes. She didn’t need Noah’s help any longer. "Are you done? If yes, move aside. You are blocking my path."

Tessa’s smile faltered instantly.

"Look at her arrogance," Tessa’s friend snapped. "She clearly has no money to buy anything. Yet, she is acting proud."

She turned to the salesgirl. "How could you allow someone like her to enter the shop? This is an insult to the elite customers like us. Throw her out."

The salesgirl looked at Elena contemptuously. "If I knew she couldn’t even afford a tie, I wouldn’t have allowed her inside."

Elena couldn’t take the humiliation anymore. She finally lost her patience. "You don’t even know me, and you believe I can’t afford the tie. Just because they say so?"

"Alright..." Tessa chimed in suddenly, acting sweetly. She stepped in closer to Elena, her voice dropping to a murmur. "Since you like the tie so much, beg me nicely. I may consider buying it for you."

Elena glared at her. "I have money."

She took out the black card Elias had given her and handed it to the salesgirl.

The salesgirl’s eyes widened in shock and disbelief. It was a global unlimited card. Only extremely wealthy and influential people possessed it.

How could this plainly dressed woman possibly own such a card?

As she looked at Elena, confusion filled her eyes.

Tessa snorted mockingly. "Come on, Elena. Stop embarrassing yourself. The moment she swipes it, your lies will be exposed."

She was certain that the card wouldn’t work.

"You know your situation very well," she continued. "Noah has frozen your account. As long as you apologize to me and beg me, I’ll ask Noah to pay for you."

"I don’t need anything from him," Elena said without hesitation. Turning to the salesgirl, she added, "Swipe the card."

"Do you really think it will work?" Tessa scoffed again.

"I don’t know what kind of weird card it is," Tessa’s friend mocked, crossing her arms across her chest. "It doesn’t even look like a normal credit card."

"Because it’s not a normal card," the salesgirl said anxiously. "It’s a global unlimited card. A very few people in the world possess one."

Hearing those words, everyone froze.

Tessa shook her head in disbelief. How could Elena have such a card? Did Noah secretly give it to her?

Even Elena herself was surprised. She had thought her husband was just the CEO of a small finance company. How could he own a card like that?

Even Noah didn’t have one.

For the first time, Elena started doubting Elias’s identity. ’Is he hiding something from me?’

Tessa’s friend suddenly burst into laughter again. "How could she have such a card? She is someone the Sinclair family has taken in out of pity. Without them, she can’t survive at all, let alone buy something expensive."

Tessa immediately nodded in agreement. "Yes, you are right. She is nothing without Noah. And he already froze your bank account. He would never give you his credit cards. This card must be fake."

Elena chuckled, finding the entire situation ridiculous. "You sound very confident. But I already told you – I no longer need anything from him. And you know what – my life is better without him. I already found someone else. And he gave me that card."

"What?" Tessa exclaimed with disbelief. Her expression cracked.

Elena had spent years following Noah loyally, loving him obsessively, and revolving her entire world around him. How could she give up on him so easily and find someone? 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

That was unbelievable.

"How could you say such shameless things?" Tessa hissed. "You are still Noah’s wife. And you found another man behind his back. This is..."

She sighed exaggeratedly. "I know you are lying. Just accept that this card is fake. I promise I’ll buy that tie for you."

She snatched the card from the salesgirl’s hand and gave it back to Elena. "Throw this fake thing away. Don’t embarrass yourself and the Sinclair family."

She then took out a card from her bag and held it up proudly. "Noah gave me this, said I could buy anything I like. I’ll pay for you too."

She smiled, a malicious glint in her eyes. She then leaned over to her and whispered in her ear, "He is happy to learn that I am pregnant."

The word ’pregnant’ hit Elena like a knife. Her entire body went rigid.

"He said he would do everything he could to protect this baby," Tessa added softly, one hand caressing her belly.

Something inside Elena shattered completely. She had been pregnant too once. And now, he was promising to protect Tessa’s baby with all he had.

’My baby was also his,’ she whispered to herself. ’But he killed it as if it was disposable. It turns out that he never wanted a baby with me. He wanted Tessa to give birth to his child.’

"Now you know how much I matter to him," Tessa continued smugly. "If I say a word, he will do it."

She stepped back. "Beg me. I’ll pay for that tie."

Elena took a deep breath and regained her composure. She simply extended the card toward the salesgirl and said confidently, "Why don’t you swipe it first? Then everyone here will know whether I am telling the truth or not?"

The salesgirl swallowed nervously as she took the card. Then she picked up the swiping machine.

"She is about to embarrass herself," Tessa’s friend scoffed.

Meanwhile, anticipation filled Tessa’s heart. She couldn’t wait to watch Elena humiliate herself publicly.

’You brought this upon yourself, Elena. You will regret it.’

But outwardly, she still maintained a fake expression of sympathy.

The salesgirl finally swiped the card.

Elena calmly entered the password.

The payment was successful.

Silence fell instantly. All were frozen in shock, except Elena.

"What? The payment actually went through?" Tessa’s friend almost screamed.

"This is impossible," Tessa murmured in a daze. Shock and confusion were written all over her face.