A guilt

Elaine sat on a park bench, her arms wrapped tightly around herself as she tried to hold back the tears. But no matter how hard she tried, the humiliation, the betrayal—it was all too much. The moment Alexander told her to apologize to Olivia, it felt like the final stab to her heart.

She had always known that he was engaged, but a part of her had hoped that maybe—just maybe—he would stand up for her. That hope had been crushed in front of everyone.

"Why am I even crying over him?" she muttered bitterly to herself, wiping at her tears with trembling fingers.

A familiar voice interrupted her thoughts. "Because you're too kind for your own good."

Elaine looked up to see Mary standing there, her arms crossed, an exasperated but concerned expression on her face. Without a word, Mary sat down beside her and handed her a tissue.

"Don't waste your tears on pathetic people, Elaine. They don't deserve them," Mary said firmly. "Especially not that arrogant Olivia or Alexander, who clearly doesn't have a backbone."

Elaine let out a shaky breath. "I just... I didn't think he'd do that. Not like that. I knew he'd never choose me, but I thought..." Her voice broke, and she shook her head. "It doesn't matter now."

"It does matter, but you're not going to sit here and cry all night," Mary declared. "We are going out. And I called Ryan."

Elaine's eyes widened. "Mary! Why would you—"

"Because you need a distraction, and Ryan is the best at making people forget their troubles," Mary grinned mischievously. "And let's be honest, he's going to be furious when he hears what happened. I want to see him rip Alexander apart."

Elaine sighed but didn't argue. A part of her didn't want to be alone right now, and she knew Mary had the best intentions.

---

They sat in a cozy restaurant, Elaine pushing the food around on her plate absentmindedly. Mary, however, was talking animatedly about the incident at the mall while Ryan listened, his expression darkening with every word.

"He actually made you apologize?" Ryan's voice was sharp with disbelief. "Are you kidding me? I always knew he was an ass, but that's a new low."

Elaine winced. "Ryan, please. Can we not—"

"No, because that's not okay," Ryan cut her off. "He humiliated you in public for what? To keep that spoiled brat happy? Pathetic."

Mary smirked. "See? I told you he'd be mad."

Elaine shook her head, but a small smile tugged at her lips despite everything. It felt nice to have someone on her side.

Just then, Ryan leaned forward with a wicked grin. "You know what you should do? Find another dress—one ten times better than Olivia's—and wear it somewhere she'll see you. Rub it in her face."

Elaine chuckled softly. "I don't think revenge shopping is the answer."

Mary rolled her eyes. "Fine, but at least let yourself be happy for once. Here, let's change the topic. I swear, if I hear Alexander's name one more time tonight, I'm going to start charging you every time you mention him."

Ryan laughed. "And trust me, Mary takes her debts seriously."

Elaine shook her head, but she couldn't deny that their banter was slowly pulling her out of her sadness. For the first time that day, she felt a little lighter, like maybe—just maybe—everything would be okay again.

---

That night, Alexander sat alone in his study, staring blankly at the drink in his hand. The guilt gnawed at him, refusing to let go. The image of Elaine's tear-filled eyes haunted him, making his chest tighten with shame.

He had done the one thing he never wanted to do—hurt her. And for what? To please his father? To keep Olivia satisfied? The moment he had told her to apologize, he had felt the weight of his own cowardice crushing down on him.

Alexander ran a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply. "Damn it," he muttered, slamming the glass onto the table.

Meanwhile, across the city, Olivia sat in the lavish sitting room of her family estate, sipping on a glass of wine as she recounted the incident to her mother.

"And you should've seen her face, Mother!" Olivia laughed, leaning back against the couch. "She looked so pathetic, standing there with everyone staring at her. I almost felt sorry for her—almost."

Her mother chuckled, setting down her teacup. "Well, it's only natural, darling. Some women need to learn their place. She should've known better than to get in your way."

Olivia smirked. "Exactly. And Alexander? He did just what he was supposed to do. He's finally learning where his priorities should be."

As they laughed, completely unbothered by the damage they had caused, Alexander remained lost in his thoughts, drowning in guilt he didn't know how to fix.