Chapter 3 IN THE FINAL MOMENTS

In the Final Moments

Elara was devastated. She knew she was innocent, but Nathaniel's words-like daggers-pierced her heart. She felt utterly alone, without anyone to turn to for support. She sank onto the sofa and sobbed, overwhelmed by the weight of the situation.

But then she remembered something-she was also pregnant. She had to put aside her own pain and go to the hospital to ensure her child's safety. She wiped away her tears, forced herself to get up, and left the house.

Arriving at the hospital, she overheard Nathan and Brando talking in the hallway. She stopped, her heart pounding as she strained to listen.

"Stop worrying about my problems," Nathan said, his voice tinged with irritation. Brando's concern was evident in his persistent questions, which only fueled Nathan's annoyance.

"Why don't you just leave Elara?" Brando asked. "If it's going to be like this, wouldn't it be better to just get a divorce?"

Nathaniel sighed. "I can't do that yet, not now."

Elara winced. What did he mean by 'not yet'?

Nathan hesitated, but Brando's persistent nagging forced him to answer. "I have plans, and since I married her, whatever is mine is hers too. If we divorce, everything will be split. I'll lose much more if she leaves."

Elara felt a wave of despair and humiliation wash over her. She finally understood-their marriage was just a contract, a transaction. She couldn't believe how blind she had been to all of this.

A surge of intense anger welled up inside her. Was that all our marriage was worth? Money? She couldn't believe it. She thought, somehow, there was still value in their relationship, something that couldn't be measured in money.

Maybe this is enough. Maybe it's time to really end this.

Instead of confronting Nathan and Brando, she decided to go straight to Shaira. She didn't want to argue with her husband anymore.

As she walked towards Shaira's room, her mind was still racing. But when she saw Shaira, she momentarily forgot her own problems. Shaira was raging, furious, throwing things at anyone who came near.

"Elara!" she screamed when she saw her. "You did this! You killed my child!"

Startled, Elara instinctively shielded her stomach with her arms. At the same time, a hard object flew towards her. A glass shattered against her head, sending a sharp pain through her body.

Elara felt a pang of sorrow as she watched Shaira's intense grief. She knew she wasn't responsible for the loss of the baby, but she didn't know how to make Shaira understand. She tried to calm her down, but Shaira seemed unwilling to listen.

"What are you doing?!" Elara yelled when she saw Shaira pick up a vase, ready to throw it.

Just then, Brando entered and immediately stepped between them, shielding Elara from Shaira's rage.

"Calm down, Shaira," Brando said, his voice firm but calm. "It's not her fault."

A moment later, Nathan arrived and immediately embraced Shaira, as if pulling her away from Elara and showing that she was more important to him.

Elara's heart broke even more. To anyone looking at them, it would seem that Shaira was Nathan's wife, not her.

A bitter smile touched her lips.

"What did you do?! I told you to apologize, not to make her even angrier!" Nathan said sharply, his voice full of anger.

Tears streamed down Elara's face.

"I told you, I didn't push her! She tried to hurt me, forcing me to leave you. She attacked me first, so I avoided her!" she couldn't help but shout her feelings.

At that moment, the conversation she'd overheard between Nathan and Brando-about the divorce-returned to her mind. Her emotions flared even more.

"Shut up! You killed my child! You did it because you're angry at me! You don't want me here!" Shaira laughed loudly, seemingly out of control. "You're always mean to me when Nathan's not around!"

Nathan's face darkened at this, but instead of getting angry at Shaira, it seemed like he was blaming Elara.

Elara just laughed, unable to believe the absurd situation she was facing.

Elara couldn't believe how manipulative Shaira was.

"Enough! Get out of this room if you can't admit your mistakes, Elara! I'm so disappointed in you!"

Elara gasped, feeling a sharp pain engulf her. She was left alone with her thoughts, feeling numb, as if her connection to the world had been severed.

It felt like a nightmare. She couldn't believe that the man she loved-the man with whom she had built a company and a dream-would betray her in this way. She recalled all the times she had defended him, all the sacrifices she had made, and a wave of resentment washed over her.

I gave everything for Nathan.

"No matter what I say, you won't believe me, will you?" she whispered, her voice trembling slightly.

Nathan was surprised by the tone of her voice. He sensed the pain in Elara's voice, but at the same time, it felt like some kind of fire was burning within him.

Their eyes met, and he saw the deep disappointment in Elara's gaze.

"For all the time we've known each other, you've made me out to be cold-hearted, making it easy for you to believe I could hurt someone. You didn't even ask my side of the story. You just sided with her," Elara said firmly, feeling the weight of each word she uttered.

"Because you're a liar!" Shaira screamed. "Don't listen to her, Nathan! Look what she did to me! She killed my child!"

Shaira cried again and clung tightly to Nathan's arm, refusing to let go. Nathan was momentarily confused by Shaira's actions, but Elara didn't miss that scene.

And that further ignited her emotions.

All of this was too much for Elara. She was also carrying a child, but the father of her child chose to defend another woman.

She didn't know what came over her, but for the first time, she wanted to take what was rightfully hers.

Tension filled the room. The air was heavy. Elara stood there, her fists clenched tight, trying to control her feelings. Nathan was beside Shaira, his full attention focused on her.

Elara's fingers trembled slightly as she took a deep breath, steeling herself for what she was about to say.

"Let her go," Elara said suddenly, her voice cold.

Nathan and Shaira looked at her.

Meanwhile, Brando-Nathan's longtime friend-had always seen Elara as someone with strong resolve. He knew why they got married, and in a way, he admired Elara for staying by Nathan's side. Despite everything, Brando knew Elara loved his friend, but it seemed Nathan never noticed.

But now, Brando saw a different Elara.

"Let her go and come with me. I need you," Elara said firmly, her gaze fixed on Nathan, hoping he would understand how serious she was.

"Stop being ridiculous, Elara. Just leave if you're not going to apologize. I need to stay with Shaira."

"I need to talk to you," Elara insisted.

Nathan raised an eyebrow, annoyance evident on his face. "Can't it wait? Shaira needs me right now."

Elara's world seemed to crumble at his words. The way he dismissed her, prioritizing Shaira over her, was a stark reminder of her place in Nathan's life-far from his heart. But she had to tell him about her pregnancy before pain and despair consumed her completely.

"This can't wait, Nathan. Please," her voice was almost pleading.

And in an instant, his reply was cold. "I told you we're not discussing this now. Just leave. You're not helping the situation."

Elara bit her lip, holding back her emotions. Enough.

"I thought we were in this together, Nathan. I thought we would face everything together," her voice was soft but laced with pain.

Nathan's gaze turned cold, his face hardening. "Shaira is my priority right now. I can't ignore her for this."

Her world shattered at his words. Her fears were confirmed-she had given everything, but she would never have Nathan's heart. His connection with Shaira was stronger than anything they had.

Pain and anger filled her heart. She had long avoided facing this truth, but now, she had no choice.

"Then let's end this. I can't do this anymore, Nathan," her voice trembled with a mix of pain and determination. "I gave everything, but it was never enough. There's nothing left for us."

Nathan's eyes widened, his cold mask momentarily disappearing.

"We're over, Nathan," Elara's voice was firmer now. "I'm filing for divorce, and you don't have to worry about your money. I won't take a single cent. You don't have to worry about the company either. It's all yours."

Nathan's expression changed-from shock, it turned to disbelief and profound understanding. It was then that she realized Nathan was hiding more secrets than she thought. All the conversations she'd overheard between him and Brando flooded back into her memory.

She didn't look back.

As she walked alone down the hospital corridor, tears streamed down her cheeks. She took out her phone and called her older brother.

"Elara?" her brother's voice was surprised when he heard her on the other line.

Alone and heartbroken, Elara sat in a corner of the hospital, sobbing at the pain of her shattered illusions.

"Can you pick me up?" she asked weakly.

And her brother, even without knowing what had happened, immediately stood up from an important meeting, ready to leave everything for her.