Chapter 34
Elizabeth breezed in and out of the store in no time, still in the same clothes, but now with a glamorous woman clinging to her arm and whispering something that made them titter.
“Betty Gilben pushed his glasses, double–checking it was her.
Elizabeth was at a loss for words to clarify.
Paula, though, was all excited, nudging Elizabeth with a sly look. “You finally disch Mr. Jones to find a bit of fun on the side?”
Elizabeth nearly choked. “He’s my uncle, who just returned from overseas. Don’t be absurd.”
She was about to make introductions, but Paula butted in, offering her hand to Gilbert with a flair. “Hi, I
Hi, I’m Paula, a close friend of Elizabeth.”
For the sake of Elizabeth, Gilbert shook Paula’s hand quickly and coldly, then pulled back, and said in a flat tone, “Not trying on the clothes anymore?”
“Nah,” Elizabeth replied, a tinge of regret in her voice, hesitating before she added, I’m grabbing a bite with Paula
It was Gilbert’s scheduled time that got sidetracked.
With a tight smile, he advised, “Try on the clothes before you leave. It’s not like it’ll take an age, right, Ms. Moore!”
The irritation was clear in the way he stressed “Ms. Moore“,
The sudden pressure was intense, Feeling it, Paula promptly switched gears under his pointed gaze, stammering, “R–Right, I’m not in a rush. Let Elizabeth try her clothes first”
– entire space.
The fitting room area was wide and open. Bright white, fluorescent lights overhead cast a stark glow over the
The changing room door shut. Paula, idly munching an apple, leaned against the door, her curiosity piqued. “Elizabeth, this is the first time I’ve seen you out with a guy”
“Stop it, He’s family” Elizabeth said.
“Why don’t I have a handsome uncle like that?” Pauli asked. “With an uncle who looks like him, how can you sull stick with Mr. Jones?”
From the get–go, Elizabeth was the kind to bite her tongue and play the good girl–those labels just clung to her. Paula, though, had only spent a little over a month with Franklin. It was a blink of an eye, yet she felt she’d gotten him all figured out.
She was certain of one thing his feelings for Elizabeth weren’t as cold as the gossip made them out to be.
Munching on an apple, Paula rapped on the door. “Elizabeth, guess what? I bumped into Rachel here just the other day”
“What’s up? Did she hassle you again!” Elizabeth’s voice was muffled from inside.
“Over my dead body? Paula snorted.
Rachel was one of the new hotshots in acting, riding high on her fame.
The fitting room was roomy and well–lit. Elizabeth preferred to change on her own, not one for being fussed over. She zipped up the side zipper. sliding into the new outfit.
Exhaling, she still felt a bit suffocated. “So what’s the problem?”
“She was trying to snatch things that I took a fancy to from me!” Paula was seething, her teeth grinding in frustration, with all her semblance of a star gone. “And that’s not even the worst of it. The worst is that she had the audacity to say that Mr. Jones is backing her now!”
The voice from the other side of the door was a bit dulled but clear enough.
Elizabeth was the one feeling a bit choked. The bright lights flickered before her eyes, causing a brief trance. She was lost for words, her mind wandering off until Paula’s knock on the door brought her back. “Elizabeth, are you okay in there?”
“I’m all good,” Elizabeth answered with a chuckle, sounding unrutiled.
Paula pursed her lips, tasting the tang of the apple and debating whether to spill more.
As Paula stood there mulling things over, the fitting room door opened, and the light hit Elizabeth’s face, pale but as clear as day. Her skin was like snow, and even after three years with Franklin, she still had this fresh, innocent look about her.
Paula, a star in the entertainment world, had seen her fair share of beauties, but none with skin as pure and clean as Elizabeth’s. She choked down a
Chapter 31
piece of the apple without chewing. The lump made her cough.
Still, she had to say. “Elizabeth, I just don’t see what Mr. Jones likes about Rachel. She’s got nothing on you”
Shaking her head. Paula added, “The grass is always greener on the other side, huh?”
“You’re babbling again.” Elizabeth responded, her face not lighting up even with the compliment. Her words sounded more like she was making fun of herself. “Maybe he thinks she’s much better.”“
Feeling indignant, Paula blurted out, “So why don’t you just kick him to the curb?”
It w
was a question that had been on her mind for a while.
Elizabeth casually brushed her hair aside and gave a nonchalant smile, her emotions in check.
“I’ve always thought you’re not in love with Mr. Jones, Paula said, being her usual blunt self. “If there’s no love, why put yourself through this?”
Elizabeth stayed silent.
Seeing she didn’t want to delve into it, Paula dropped the subject. Her phone buzzed in her bag, and with an awkward smile, she said 10 Elizabeth apologetically. “Gotta get to work. Let’s catch up for a meal soon, okay?”
“Sure.” Elizabeth said, watching her go.
Back in the fitting room, Elizabeth’s phone rang out in no time, its echo filling the small space. She glanced at the ID–Franklin–and hung up without a second thought.
As Elizabeth fumbled with the zipper on her intricately designed dress–like a work of art wrapped around her–the collar’s clasp dug into her neck, making it tough to catch her breath. Just then, her phone rang again, adding to her suffocation.
“You went out alone with Gilbert?” Franklin’s voice, usually smooth, came through the speaker, sounding detached and annoyed.
Elizabeth wasn’t surprised. She figured Paula had ratted her out. “Is that a problem, Mr. Jones!”
“What do you think?” Franklin’s self–assured tone was like an invisible chokehold.
Elizabeth replied. “I don’t see any issue.”
“You should see one,” he sneered. “You’re my wife, and you’re okay going out with another man?”
“He’s my uncle, Elizabeth retorted, her frustration rising.
“That’s not okay.” Franklin said firmly.
Exasperated and not getting why Franklin was acting this way, Elizabeth wanted to end the call, but he preempted her. “You’re mine until we’re divorced, and you’ll do as I say?”
The air felt thin. Elizabeth’s vision grew dark, her sight blurry, and Paula’s words echoed in her mind. “Mr. Jones, you’ve got a harem out there, and you’re giving me a hard time for being alone with my uncle? What kind of sense does that make?”
Franklin rose, tossing his white coat over a chair.
His reflection showed in the glass, his eyes cold. “You’ve always been generous, treating my lovers like family. I thought you were oblivious to them. but you do care, don’t you?”
The frost outside blanketed the city’s daylight view.
A heavy silence hung on the phone to Franklin’s ear.
When Franklin
didn’t hear back from Elizabeth, he prompted lightly. “Say something.”
But instead of Elizabeth’s water, a series of sharp noises crackled through the sound of something falling and breaking
