My Boss’s Hidden Heir (Elara and Marcus) novel Chapter 131

Chapter 131

Chapter 131

Elara’s POV

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The bedroom door opened and Marcus walked in looking like he’d been through hell. His shirt was wrinkled, his hair was a mess, dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep.

Elara stood in the middle of the room with her arms crossed, her entire body rigid with anger and hurt.

“Elara,” Marcus started, closing the door behind him. “I know how this looks…”

“Why is she wearing your shirt?”

Marcus stopped. “What?”

“Your shirt, Marcus. Aurora is down there wearing your white dress shirt like she just rolled out of your bed. So I’m asking you, why is she wearing your clothes?”

“She spilled coffee on herself this morning. I gave her the shirt so she could…”

“Stop.” Elara held up her hand. “Just stop lying to me.”

“I’m not lying…”

“You spent the night with her! You were down there all night, alone with your ex-girlfriend who’s been trying to get you back since the moment she showed up! And now she’s walking around in your clothes looking like you two just…” Elara’s voice broke. She took a breath, trying to steady herself. “I can’t do this.”

Marcus took a step toward her. “Nothing happened. I swear to God, Elara, nothing happened. I slept on the couch. I woke her up every two hours like the paramedics said. That’s it.”

“That’s it? That’s all you did? You didn’t talk? Didn’t reminisce about old times? Didn’t let her get close to you?”

“We talked, yes. But it was just small talk. Nothing important.”

“And the shirt?”

“I told you, she spilled coffee…”

“I don’t believe you!” Elara’s voice rose. “I don’t believe that every single thing that happens with Aurora is just an innocent accident. The wine spill, the towel drop, the concussion, now the coffee? At what point

do the pattern, Marcus?”

“I see it. Trust me, I see it. But what was I supposed to do? Let her walk around covered in coffee?”

“You could have told her to go back to her own place and change! She lives here, Marcus! She has an entire guest house full of her own clothes!”

Marcus ran both hands through his hair, frustration clear on his face. “You’re right. Okay? You’re absolutely

16:52 Mon, May 11

Chapter 131

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right. I should have handled it differently. I should have set better boundaries. But I was exhausted and not thinking clearly and I just wanted to come home.”

“Well, you’re home now. Congratulations.”

“Elara, please. Don’t do this. Don’t shut me out.”

But Elara was already moving, grabbing clothes from her dresser and shoving them into a bag. She needed to get out of here. Needed space to think without Marcus standing there looking at her with those eyes.

“What are you doing?” Marcus asked, alarm creeping into his voice.

“I’m going to stay with Mimi for a few days.”

“No. Elara, no. We need to talk about this.”

“We just talked about it. You gave Aurora your shirt. You spent the night with her. You keep choosing her over me, over and over again, and I’m done pretending it doesn’t hurt.”

Marcus grabbed the bag from her hands. “I’m not choosing her! I’m trying to be a decent human being to someone who had a medical emergency!”

“And what about me?” Elara’s eyes were burning with tears she refused to let fall. “What about being a decent husband to your actual wife? What about considering my feelings for once instead of always worrying about Aurora’s?”

“I do consider your feelings..,”

“No, you don’t! If you did, you would have come home last night instead of sleeping on her couch! You would have hired a nurse or called a friend or done literally anything other than spending the night alone with the woman who’s been actively trying to sabotage our marriage!”

“She has a concussion! She could have died!”

“And I’m dying, Marcus! Every single day watching you with her, I’m dying a little bit more inside! But you don’t see that because you’re too busy being her hero!”

The words hung in the air between them. Marcus looked like she’d slapped him.

“That’s not fair,” he said quietly.

“Fair? You want to talk about fair? Is it fair that I have to compete with your first love? Is it fair that she gets to parade around here playing damsel in distress while I’m supposed to just smile and be the understanding wife?”

“You’re not competing with anyone.,.”

“Yes I am! I’m competing with every memory you have of her, every moment you shared, every feeling you used to have. And I’m losing, Marcus. I’ve been losing this whole time.”

Marcus moved closer, reaching for her hands. “You’re not losing. El, you’re not. I don’t have feelings for

16:52 Mon, May 11

Chapter 131

Aurora. What we had is dead and buried.”

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