"You guys, why have you brought me here?" Elara asked, her gaze flickering between the three men, Antonio, Xylon, and Alex.
Xylon nodded at the bartender, who immediately pulled out a clean soda can with no alcohol from the cabinet and offered it to Elara.
"Well, I heard someone was still brooding over the past and not forgiving herself. So I thought I might as well put some sense into your head."
Xylon’s words made Elara look at Antonio, who cleared his throat and looked away, pretending someone was calling him, and left briefly to avoid her scolding.
"Don’t scold him. We are all just looking for our former teammate, Lara," Xylon said.
Elara’s hand on the soda can froze for a second when she heard the name, Lara, the one she had once famously used to establish her dream of forming a team that would—
She couldn’t stop thinking about the mistakes. Would life really go back to normal? After all these scars, these bruises over her heart.
She didn’t snap out of the marriage in a second; it happened slowly. Her love was real. How do people really let go of the life they held onto for so many years? Was it that painful? Was there a process to make it less painful?
Especially when she hated herself more than that man, because at the end of the day, she allowed it to happen—she allowed them to turn her life upside down.
"What are you thinking about?" Alex’s words made her snap out of her thoughts.
"I never realized I left behind so many dreams just to be loved by a man. I wasn’t possessed, Alex. It was a well-thought-out decision. How could I go to that extent, and why?" Elara asked.
Xylon’s eyes softened for a few seconds. She was deeply affected by that man, despite saying she wanted to forget him; if she wouldn’t forgive herself, how would she ever really move on?
"I just wonder, since I ended it, would it really go away?" Elara asked.
"I know you are hurt, Elara. But do you know who else is?" Xylon’s words made Elara look at him.
"Your parents, your friends, the people who cared about you, your brother, and me, too," Xylon said, looking directly in her eyes before he narrowed his eyes into slits and stepped forward, holding her shoulders.
"So you better snap out of whatever this self-pity party you are going through is, because you are answerable to all of us and must make up for all the damage you have caused. Take accountability like the brave Frost you were," Xylon said.
Elara looked into the man’s intense gaze before nodding.
She wiped the corner of her eyes and then exhaled loudly.
"Don’t worry. I know why you are saying all these words. I am not going back to that man, no matter how painful it might be. This time, I have returned to make things better for myself. I am going to choose myself from now on," Elara said before she looked at the dance floor and smiled.
"Dance?" She asked.
Xylon raised his brows.
Elara was wearing a red dress that hugged her in all the right places, accentuating her curves and making her look enchanting.
With her bangs down that she didn’t pin up like she used to around Andrew, and her long, brown thigh-length hair flailing around even with a little movement, she looked like Satan’s spawn on Earth, ready to corrupt men tonight.
"Remind me why I never thought about courting you," Xylon smirked, winking at her casually.
"Well, because when you tried to do it, you ended up locked before a panther for two days," Alex commented, and Xylon glared at the man for ruining the mood for him.
Elara chuckled at the memory.
It was true. The day Xylon casually mentioned he liked her, George thought he was trying to court his sister, and he had locked Xylon in an area with a panther, its cage thankfully closed, to scare Xylon from having any such thoughts.
"Those were some good days," Elara grinned at Xylon’s miserable expression while everyone in their group chuckled.
"Fine. Fine. The lady wants to dance. Let’s go," Xylon said.
Elara moved to the dance floor, and her friends immediately formed a semicircle around her, keeping enough distance for her to enjoy the freedom while protecting her from other lecherous men in case someone misbehaved.
"You know, if George found out I brought you here without telling him, he won’t let me sleep at night in peace," Alex commented.
Elara nodded without a care before she closed her eyes and let the lyrics flow through her body. She moved her hands in sync with the beats, enjoying herself and letting out all her negative emotions.
The way she swirled around, not in a seductive but sensual manner, made people look at her. While men looked at her with lust and admiration, women looked at her with envy and jealousy, all while her friends chuckled and danced around her to enjoy her return.
At the same time, Andrew, who had noticed her in the club long ago, couldn’t take his eyes away from her either.
It was almost as if he was seeing a side of Elara he had never seen before. His fingers clenched around the glass of wine he was holding.
Sean, who had been talking about how his father was going on and on about a project that they should invest in and he didn’t think was a good idea, looked at his friend, annoyed when he did not say anything.
He followed his gaze and noticed a familiar woman.
"Who is that woman? Looks strangely familiar. Are you interested in her? Should I ask the manager to bring her here? Why does she look like a celebrity?" Sean, who was a major shareholder in the club, asked.
Trevor, who was just enjoying the music and beer, opened his eyes and looked at the woman they were talking about.
His brows quirked when he recognized her immediately.
"Elara?" he asked.
Sean looked at his friend with raised brows, then at the woman.
"Elara? That’s Elara?" Sean observed the woman before gasping.
"Whoa, man, what the hell? I nearly confused her with a celebrity. What is she doing here, dressed like this? Wait. Don’t tell me she is here to make you jealous and catch your attention. She is really doing everything, no?" Sean asked.
Andrew watched his wife enjoy the male attention and pressed his lips into a thin line.
After listening to Sean, he couldn’t help but wonder if what he was saying was true.
After all, how come they were having such drastic coincidental meetings? He could understand the horse-riding arena, but the club, too?
And then she says she wasn’t following him? Andrew scoffed before he stood from his place.
"I don’t think that’s a good idea," Trevor commented when he understood what his friend was trying to do.
"Bro, that’s his wife dancing openly with another man. Are you waiting for her to cuckold our friend?" Sean’s words were like fuel to the fire, and Andrew didn’t waste a single second in rushing to the dance floor.
"Do you have no shame?" Andrew grabbed Elara’s hand and turned her with such force that she stumbled on her heels, her foot twisting.
However, before she could fall, Xylon’s hand had already reached to support her.
Alex, who confused Andrew for a drunk man trying to mistreat their friend, didn’t hesitate to throw hands.
Punch!
Everything happened so quickly that the people around them didn’t even have a chance to react.
One moment, Elara was enjoying herself; the next, Andrew was on the ground with a bleeding nose.
"Andrew! Have you guys lost it?! How can you do this, Elara?" A shrill, angelic voice rang out, and everyone saw a girl in white rushing to help Andrew, her eyes accusing Elara.