The Marvelous Elijah's Return novel Chapter 79

Remember that I asked you nicely first

With a scowl on her face, Melina turned around to look at Peach, and then she looked over at Matt, a few distances away from them, standing close to the wall, his back resting against the concrete, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. 

“Who is he?” Melina asked her tone hard, making it evident that she wasn’t letting this go easily. 

Knowing that the only reason she and Elijah were here was that that was what her mother wanted, Peach tried not to show anything on her face, trying her best to keep her emotions hidden. 

“He’s Elijah’s friend,” Peach answered after taking a deep breath and calming her raging mind. “Elijah has a friend?” Melina scoffed in confusion, raising an eyebrow at Peach before glaring at Matt. 

“What do you want, Melina?” 

“Elijah,” 

Silence fell over them, Peach holding her gaze straight ahead as Melina stared angrily at her, waiting for an answer, only finding it odd when Peach kept silent with an unreadable expression. 

“I want Elijah back… After all, I was married to him first, and my feelings for him never left even after we were divorced.” Melina said, her voice becoming soft all of sudden. 

For a moment Peach didn’t reply, and the only sound that filled the hall was their heavy breathing, until finally, Peach spoke in a hushed voice, struggling not to lose her anger,” What are you saying, Melina?” 

“I’m saying that I miss Elijah… So much… I missed him… And every time I look at him, I realize how much I was stupid to let him go… He was my first love… The one person who truly loved me, whom I truly loved… We were meant to be together… You know that… We are meant to be together…” Melina explained, her eyes beginning to tear up. “You still love him!” Peach scoffed in disbelief, unable to hide the hurt that filled her voice. but she didn’t care. 

“Yes…” 

“What kind of twisted shit are you doing now, Melina?!” 

A few minutes passed between the two women with neither making a move to say another word. Finally, Melina broke the silence. 

“Take a look at our family, Peach… how much pressure they put on us to be perfect, to marry for money and not love, and not stray from the path that they planted in our way…” Melina trailed off sadly, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I let him go because I allowed the pressure from them to get to me, but now, I’ve realized that I can’t continue living without him. Not anymore…” 

“Melina…” Peach mumbled, a sense of annoyance filling her as she watched her cousin cry openly in front of her. “Who put you up to this nonsense? Was it madam Jewel.. your father 

or was it a joint decision, like some sick meeting you guys held? Is that why you all are gathered here?!” 

“No! Of course not… Love just doesn’t die because you stop being together, Peach.” 

“Do you even know where you went wrong in you guys’ relationship… Do you know what you did to him? How much have you affected him because of your deception?” 

Deep down, Melina was frowning inside, annoyed by the question Peach threw at her, and by her inability to give an honest answer. But the fake tears in her eyes only became more apparent, causing Peach to sigh loudly, running her hand through her hair in frustration. “I know, Peach… and that’s why I want him back, to make things right again. To start fresh… and love him as I wanted to do all these while, but was pressured into not doing.” Melina replied softly, looking away from Peach. 

“Elijah is not a thing that you can have when you want and toss when you don’t… It doesn’t work like that! Love isn’t something you can just pick up whenever you feel like it, Melina.” Peach said sternly. 

“So, you are not going to let him go, even though he’s my ex-husband and I am your cousin, Peach… you are still going to be with him after knowing that I still love him… despite everything else I just said?” “Yes, and no! Also, I know that you cheated on him, Madam Jewel said that you got a couple of millions of dollars for being with him… I don’t know what she meant by that… and you don’t even know his friends… I don’t know what you are talking about or why you are doing this, but I am not giving Elijah up.” 

“Peach!” 

“This conversation is over, Melina!” With that Peach turned in her heels, but immediately stopped when she heard Melina whisper, “You know there are other ways to get him back without asking you to leave him, right?” 

Even though she didn’t want to, her emotions hit hard at those words, a look of nervousness appearing on her face. Slowly turning her head to look back at her cousin, Peach whispered,” What do you mean?”