Ellen stretched her arms above her head as she moved into her final yoga pose, but her thoughts kept drifting back to last night. She had waited for Mason to come back after he went to talk to Aubrey, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stay awake.
This morning, the first thing she had done was ask him how it went. She’d hoped for some sense of closure, some confirmation that things were settled between him and Aubrey. And Mason had given her an answer—everything went well. He had said it so simply, so casually, like there was nothing to worry about.
Ellen knew she should be happy, relieved even. Mason had chosen her. He had made it clear that he wanted to be with her. But still, something gnawed at the back of her mind. Was everything really as "well" as Mason said?
Did Aubrey really just nod and say, "Yep, okay, I’ll let you be with Ellen and live happily ever after," like some fairytale ending? Or did she say she’d give up, just like that? Ellen couldn’t imagine it. She knew Aubrey too well.
No, it was going well only from Mason’s perspective, because he had said what he needed to say. He had done his part, checked it off his list. But what had Aubrey said? How had she reacted? The more Ellen thought about it, the more she was convinced that things weren’t that simple.
Still, she told herself she didn’t need to feel so worried anymore. Mason had chosen her, right? He had made that clear. And yet, the curiosity was eating her alive.
What exactly had happened between Mason and Aubrey last night? Part of her regretted not going through with her original plan to follow them. She had considered it, just to make sure everything was really okay, but in the end, Ellen had decided to give them the privacy they needed. Just this one time, she’d let it go.
As she finished her yoga session, Ellen sighed. Her muscles felt relaxed, but her mind was still restless. "Maybe I’ll just ask Mason again later," she thought as she rolled up her yoga mat. But deep down, she knew that prying more wouldn’t change anything. Mason had said what he said, and pushing further wouldn’t make her feel better.
By the time she had showered and changed, Ellen was feeling slightly better. She had brunch plans with Helga. But as she checked her phone, she saw a message from Helga. Something had come up, and she wouldn’t be able to make it. Ellen texted back, telling Helga it was fine and to take care of whatever she needed to.
"Great, now I’m all alone," Ellen thought, trying to keep her mood from sinking. She had been looking forward to the company, especially since Clara wasn’t around either. "She’s probably busy with work or something," Ellen muttered to herself.
Sitting at the café, Ellen picked at her food. She took a bite of her toast, trying to focus on the taste. Suddenly, the chair across from her scraped against the floor, and someone sat down. Ellen looked up, surprised, to see Gerald smiling at her.
She blinked in surprise, her heart sinking slightly when she saw who had decided to sit down. But Ellen knew better now. That smile wasn’t warm or kind; it wasn’t friendly at all.
She sighed, her mood instantly soured. She had hoped for a quiet, peaceful meal, maybe a moment to clear her head, but of course, Gerald had other plans. He always did.
"Well, this is just perfect," Ellen muttered. She straightened in her chair, her eyes turning serious when she faced Gerald. "You know, Gerald, if you’re here to ruin someone’s day, I’d really appreciate it if you found someone else. You’ve already done more than enough in trying to ruin my marriage, don’t you think?"
Her words came out cold, laced with sarcasm. She wasn’t in the mood for his games today, or ever, for that matter. Gerald’s smile faltered for a second, but then it returned, tighter this time, more sinister. He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms casually, like he was settling in for an argument he had been anticipating.
"Come on, Ellen," he said smoothly. "Is that any way to talk to someone? I’m just here to have a nice chat with you."
Ellen scoffed, rolling her eyes. "A nice chat? With you? Please. I’m not in the mood for whatever game you’re playing today."
"Oh, so that’s it? You’re just going to ignore me now? Pretend like everything’s perfect in your little fantasy world with Mason?" His smile fading completely as he leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table. "Do you honestly think this whole thing is going to last? You really think Mason’s going to stick around when—"
"Shut up, Gerald," Ellen snapped. She clenched her hands into fists under the table, her nails digging into her palms.
Gerald raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by her reaction. "Oh, I hit a nerve, didn’t I?" He laughed to himself, shaking his head. "You’re so predictable, Ellen. Always trying to act like you’re above it all, like you’re so much better than everyone else. But the truth is, you’re not. You’re just a cheap little—"
"Find someone else to ruin their life, Gerald," Ellen interrupted, her voice trembling slightly with anger. "You’ve been trying to tear mine apart long enough. And guess what? You’ve failed. Miserably."
He leaned forward even more. "You think you’ve won? You think just because Mason picked you, you’ve won? You’re nothing, Ellen. Nothing but a pathetic, disrespectful little—"
"Don’t you dare," Ellen hissed, her eyes blazing with fury.
"Bit*h. That’s what you are," Gerald spat. "A cheap, little—"
Ellen stood up so fast her chair nearly toppled over. Without thinking, without hesitating, she swung her hand across the table and slapped Gerald hard across the face. The sound echoed in the small café, drawing the attention of a few nearby customers.
Gerald flinched, his hand flying to his cheek, his eyes wide with shock. For a moment, there was silence between them. Ellen’s chest rose and fell rapidly, her heart pounding in her ears. She had never hit anyone before, never let her anger get the best of her like this. But with Gerald, it seemed like it was just a matter of time. He had pushed her too far.
She reached for her purse, her hands shaking as she grabbed it from the chair next to her. Without another word, she tossed a few bills onto the table to cover her meal and turned on her heel, and walked off with her chin up.