The Spiteful Bride, Marry to Rival's Son-Chapter 67

The house felt unusually quiet, the soft ticking of a clock in the hall being the only sound Mia could hear.

Elena had excused herself after breakfast, and she was feeling alone so she decided to go into Elena’s room.

Reaching the door, she knocked lightly.

"Come in!" Elena’s voice called out brightly from inside. Mia pushed the door open slowly, finding Elena sitting on the edge of her bed, phone in hand, scrolling through something with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Hey, stranger. You disappeared on me this morning. What’s up?" Mia asked lounging opposite Elena on the bed.

A wide grin spreads across Elena’s face. "Just needed some time to think, I guess."

Mia raised a brow "About?"

"Nothing as important as you sneaking out of Stefans room early this morning" A blush rose on Mia’s face. Making her forget why she was here.

"What.....are you saying? Of course nothing like that happened. I didn’t sneak" The thoughts alone was making her feel some kind of way.

Elena raised an eyebrow, amusement on her face "Uh-huh. Sure. So, you’re not going to tell me what really happened last night? Because I’m dying to know."

Mia felt her stomach twist. Elena’s teasing tone hadn’t changed, but something in the way she said it made Mia feel self-conscious, like she was somehow being examined under a microscope.

"I don’t know what you mean," Mia said quickly, trying to keep her voice steady, though her cheeks were already starting to burn.

Elena’s lips curved into a mischievous smile. "Oh, come on. You can’t expect me to believe that. After all the hints I picked up, you’re telling me nothing happened?"

Mia shifted uncomfortably, avoiding looking her in the eye, feeling the heat in her cheeks intensify. "It’s not like that. I... I just don’t know what’s happening, to be honest."

Elena looked at her with concern now, the teasing tone fading. "Mia, what’s going on? You’ve been acting weird all morning. You’re not just tired, are you?"

Mia hesitated. She didn’t want to tell Elena everything. She didn’t even fully understand it herself, but she couldn’t keep pretending like nothing had happened.

"I don’t know how to explain it," she started, her voice low. "But... last night, after everything with Stefan, I don’t even know what’s real anymore. I’ve never felt like this before."

Elena listened intently, her expression softening as she placed her phone on the bed beside her and turned toward Mia. "You’re not making any sense," she said gently. "What happened? Did anything happen at Sterling or your dad’s place?You know you can talk to me, right?"

Mia swallowed hard, trying to find the words to explain what had been running through her mind. "No...nothing we couldn’t handle. It’s just....... I was with Stefan... in his room," she said in a rush, her hands fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve. "And I... I don’t know what I was thinking. I just... I touched him. Where I shouldn’t have."

Elena’s eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly masked it with a soft laugh, there was much teasing in her voice. "Wait, you... you touched him? As in.....oh my god, Mia!"

Mia winced, feeling embarrassed all over again. "I didn’t mean to, okay? It just... happened. I was dreaming, but when I woke up, I was supposed to leave immediately. But I didn’t.....i still touched him in places I shouldn’t."

Elena sat back, still stunned, but her gaze softened. "Mia, you don’t have to be ashamed of it. Because, well... Stefan is.... I’m not sure if I should be saying this about your husband, but he’s kinda hot. Any girl would have done worse. But, what did Stefan do?"

Mia let her gaze fall to the floor. "That’s the issue here ..." this made Elena looked at her confused, not understanding what she was saying.

"I kind of touched him when he was sleeping." She continued, but this type slowly that Elena had to stretched her ears to hear. She closed her mouth in a dramatic way.

"I had no idea my friend was this forward" she teased mia playfully. Tickling her on her both sides. Mia let out a loud laughter.

"Stop it please" Her breath was hitched, Elena always does this to tease her. And Mia on the other couldn’t always do anything because this was her weakness.

Elena stopped but a small smile was still on her face, she reached out, placing a hand on Mia’s shoulder. "You’ll figure it out. But just know, no matter what happens, I’m here for you. And I’ve got your back, okay?"

Mia felt a wave of gratitude wash over her. She had always known that Elena cared about her, but this.....this was different. It was comforting, knowing that even in the midst of all the chaos, she wasn’t alone.

"Yea I know," Mia said, her voice soft, still laced with laughter. "I appreciate it more than you know."

Elena nodded, then added with a wink, "Just don’t think about it too much."

Mia laughed, the tension in her chest easing a little. "I’ll try not to."

As Mia turned to leave Elena’s room, her thoughts couldn’t help but drift back to Mose. He had been distant for some time, and the strange tension between him and Elena hadn’t escaped her notice. Something was clearly off. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

She knew Elena well enough to understand when something was bothering her. And right now, the way she was acting about Mose made it clear that whatever was going on between them wasn’t just casual.

She hesitated in the doorway, glancing back at Elena, who had returned to her phone.

"Mia?" Elena looked up, her eyes softening when she saw the conflicted expression on her face. "Is there something else?"

Mia paused, unsure of how to bring it up. Finally, she spoke up. "What about Mose? What’s going on with you two?"

Elena’s expression tightened immediately, and she shifted uncomfortably. "There’s nothing to talk about, Mia," she said, her tone dismissive, but her eyes betrayed her calm demeanor. There was more beneath the surface.

Mia wasn’t satisfied. She knew Elena too well, and this was one subject that Elena didn’t want to face. Not yet, anyway.

"Don’t brush it off. I know something’s wrong," Mia insisted, her voice gentle but firm. "You and Mose... it’s obvious. You’re not the same around him."

Elena sighed, a long, weary sound, as if the weight of everything was starting to press down on her. She set her phone aside and leaned back against the bed, looking up at the ceiling as if she could find the answer written up there.

"Mia, it’s complicated," she finally said, her voice tinged with frustration. "There’s nothing to fix, nothing to make better. We’re just... two people sharing the same space."

Mia frowned, feeling a pang of frustration rise in her chest. She knew there was more to the story than that. She also knew that Elena deserved more than this half-hearted attempt at moving on.

"No. It’s not just that," Mia said, her tone insistent. "Elena, you’re not giving him a chance to explain."

Elena shook her head, a sad smile playing at her lips. "You don’t get it, Mia. It’s not about trying. It’s about the things that have already happened. What’s done is done. I can’t just ignore the past."

"But it wasn’t his fault," Mia countered softly. "He only followed Stefans instructions."

Elena’s gaze faltered, her eyes momentarily flickering with something...... guilt, regret, or perhaps both. She opened her mouth to say something but closed it again. Then, slowly, she met Mia’s eyes.

"You don’t know what it’s like," she murmured. "That night, he stood there and did nothing. He said nothing."

Mia took a step forward, her voice gentle but firm. "You need to let go of whatever happened that night. It’s not about you, it’s about his loyalty to Stefan."

Elena shook her head slowly. "You don’t understand, Mia. It’s not that simple."

Mia pressed on. "It is that simple. He doesn’t have control over what Stefan decides for him. But you? You have the power to choose. You have the ability to decide if you’re going to let what happened control you, or if you’re going to forgive and move forward."

Elena’s shoulders slumped, her eyes downcast. "I don’t know if I can."

Mia’s heart went out to her, seeing the vulnerability beneath the tough exterior Elena tried so hard to maintain. Elena wasn’t as strong as she seemed. Not in this.

"Because you thought I was in danger?" Elena said nothing, but her silence was enough.

STEFAN HAD ZONED OUT. OVER A PICTURE.