Chapter 6: Noah brought Tessa to the party.
Sunday arrived.
Elena got ready for the party. She stood in front of the mirror, adjusting her dress. For a flitting second, her eyes lingered on her reflection.
There was no excitement, no anticipation. What was left inside her was stillness.
’I’ll say a proper goodbye to them,’ she thought.
Noah’s message popped up on the screen.
’I won’t be able to come to pick you up. Arrange a ride on your own.’
Elena didn’t show any sign of irritation. She put the phone into the bag.
She had stopped expecting anything from him. But she couldn’t ignore the Sinclair couple.
They had been kind to her and treated her well all those years.
’This will be the last time,’ she told herself.
She stopped a taxi and left.
The party was happening in a luxurious banquet hall nestled atop a hill, away from the chaos of the city. The air was cooler. From the top, the entire city was visible, spread like a sea of glittering lights in the foothills.
Luxury cars lined the driveway. Guests in tailored suits and designer gowns entered the hall.
Elena stepped out of the taxi and walked in, poised and calm. Her eyes roamed around until they landed on Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair.
They were standing in the middle of the hall, talking to the guests.
Elena approached them.
Catherine Sinclair stopped talking when she saw Elena. Her face lit up instantly. "Elena, dear."
She pulled her into a warm embrace. "I’m glad you came."
She clasped her hand, searching her eyes. A hint of sadness crossed her expression as she asked, "How are you?"
"I am fine," Elena said slowly.
Catherine’s eyes dimmed slightly. "Elena, I..."
"Please," Elena interrupted. "I don’t want to talk about it."
Catherine forced a smile, though her eyes shimmered with tears. "As long as you are okay, we are fine. But why are you alone? Where is Noah? Did he not come with you?"
"He will be here soon." Elena looked down at the gift box in her hand and handed it to Catherine. "This is for you."
Catherine smiled. "Thank you."
Elena’s face clouded with uncertainty. "Catherine, I have something to tell you," she started cautiously.
Catherine, who was oblivious to the falling relationship between Elena and Noah, didn’t catch the sadness in her eyes. "What is it?" she asked casually.
Elena didn’t know how to say it, but she forced herself to speak. "I’m leaving."
"Catherine, look who is here," came Richard Sinclair’s cheerful voice. "Come over."
Catherine didn’t even hear what Elena had just said. She grinned even wider, "Yes, coming."
Turning to Elena, she said in a hushed tone, "Call Noah."
There was a hint of irritation beneath that composed face. "Tell him to come quickly."
With that, she strode to her husband’s side and busied herself attending the guests.
Elena stood there, restless. She looked at the phone, hesitating. She shrugged and dialed his number. Her gaze moved to the entrance and saw him coming. But he was not alone.
Beside him was Tessa, hands around his arm.
Elena instinctively clasped her fingers around the phone. For a moment, she forgot how to breathe.
’He brought her to the party!’
She disconnected the call, a sneer forming in the corners of her lips. ’Of course, he will bring her. After all, she is his legal wife.’
All eyes turned to Noah and the woman beside him as they approached.
"Tessa?" Catherine stared at the woman beside her son with disbelief. "What is she doing with Noah?"
Richard Sinclair’s features hardened. "Noah, shouldn’t you be with Elena? What are you doing with that woman?"
Tessa instantly removed her hand from Noah’s arm. She lowered her head, visibly trembling.
But Noah didn’t falter. There was not a flicker of hesitation or guilt.
"Mom, Dad, please hear me out. Two years ago, when I was abroad on a business trip, Tessa saved me. She risked her life for me and got injured."
Both Richard and Catherine looked at each other in surprise, then turned to Tessa.
"Really?" Catherine asked with disbelief. "You never told us anything about this."
"I didn’t want to worry you," Noah explained. "So I never mentioned it. But I can’t ignore what Tessa did for me. She took the knife that was meant for me."
Catherine bit her fingers, shock written all over her face.
"I promised her I’d take care of her," he added. "Now she is suffering from heart issues because of that incident. So I brought her here to take care of her treatments."
Catherine glanced at Richard, who remained impassive. The air around him was cold.
She turned to Tessa and mustered a smile, trying to ease the tension.
"I didn’t know all this. Thank you so much."
"No, Aunt, please don’t thank me," Tessa said sweetly, reaching out and holding her hand. "I’m glad that Noah is fine."
She looked up at him and smiled. Noah also glanced down at her, smiling back at her.
Elena remained in a stunned silence, watching them. Their expressions told her everything – they couldn’t look away from each other. It was as if the whole world stopped existing for them.
She picked up a glass of wine and stepped away quietly.
No one stopped her. No one noticed her. They were so busy with Tessa that they forgot about Elena.
"Let’s cut the cake now," announced Richard.
"Yes. All are waiting for it. Where is Elena?" Catherine looked around. "She was right here."
Noah swept his gaze around the hall and noticed her standing near the table stacked with wine glasses and neatly arranged starters. He moved toward her.
"Wait." Tessa caught his wrist before he could take a few steps. "Stay with uncle and aunt. Let me call her."
Noah hesitated for a moment. "Are you sure?"
Tessa nodded with a reassuring smile. "Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing."
She strode toward Elena, her lips curling into a sly smile. "Hello, Elena."
Elena turned.
Their eyes met.
Her grip on the wine glass tightened when she realized who it was.
The innocent look Tessa had carried in front of everyone was gone. What remained was the cunningness.
Elena stared at her. She could see nothing but malice in her.
She had believed she had lost to someone courageous, who had saved Noah without caring about her own life. But the sudden change in Tessa’s expression surprised her.
"Long time, no see." Tessa snorted mockingly.
Elena nodded, taking a slow sip of her wine. "So, you saved him, took the knife for him."
"I love him, and I can do anything for him," Tessa said without hesitation.
"Love?" Elena snorted. "You left him, broke his heart. And you dare to claim that you love him. Ridiculous."
Tessa didn’t lose her temper.
"You may be his fiancée, but Noah loves me," she said confidently. "He cares about me. He said he owed his life to me and would take care of me for the rest of his life."
Elena scoffed inwardly.
Noah had said the same to her, only to hurt her in the end.
She took another sip of her wine, her expression indifferent. ’She clearly knows the truth, but she is still calling me Noah’s fiancée. Okay. I’ll play along.’
"He bought this for me from an auction." Tessa brushed her fingers over the diamond necklace around her neck. "He spent ten million just to get this for me."
Elena’s gaze moved to the necklace, and she froze. The blue diamonds reminded her of something. The design was the same as the bracelet Noah had given her.
"Oh yes, along with the necklace, a bracelet came free," Tessa continued. "I hope you got that."
She flashed a mocking smile.
Elena’s eyes stilled. Something inside her cracked.
’He spent ten million on her and gave me a free thing.’
Her insides burned. This showed how insignificant she was to him. Bitter bile rose to her throat.
"It doesn’t matter whether he loves you or not," Elena said coldly. "I am the daughter-in-law of the Sinclair family. Sooner or later, we’ll marry. And you..."
She held her gaze. "You will remain in the shadows... As his mistress."
Tessa’s smile disappeared. "Mistress? The unloved one is the third wheel. I don’t need a title. I already have his heart."
That hurt more than anything.
It was right. Tessa was the woman Noah loved. She was the one he had married. Of course, she was important to him.
And Elena... She was nothing.
"You can have all his heart. But he will never bring you to his family. Because I am the only one his parents approved as his wife."
Elena didn’t show any weakness, though she had no hope left in Noah.
Tessa sneered. "So confident? Let’s see who he cares the most."
She clasped Elena’s hands.
Elena frowned, wine spilling out of the glass. "What are you doing?"
Before Elena could understand what she was up to, Tessa fell back, deliberately hitting the display of the wine glasses.
Glasses shattered into pieces, and wine spilled all over the floor.
Elena gaped, shock flooding her eyes.