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Near the end of the drive, Cora grew restless with her game. “I’m thirsty,” she
announced.
Cora nodded eagerly. “Can we get ice cream after?”
As they pulled up to Cora’s school, Damien turned to Elara. “I’ll drop Cora off and then take you to work.”
“That’s not necessary,” Elara said quickly. “I can take a cab.”
Confused, Elara stared at him. “Does it matter?”
“You’re beautiful just as you are,” Elara said automatically, reaching to stroke her daughter’s hair.
“Put that back, Cora,” Damien said evenly, his eyes briefly meeting Elara’s in the
rearview mirror.
Ten minutes into the journey, Cora suddenly looked up from her tablet. “Dad, are you texting Vivi?”
Cora reluctantly obeyed, closing the compartment with a soft click. The car fell silent again, heavier than before.
When they finished, Eleanor insisted on clearing the dishes herself. “You three should get going. Don’t want to be late.”
Elara kissed Cora goodbye and stepped out of the car. As she watched them drive away, a cold realization washed over her. Damien hadn’t wanted her to sit in the front passenger seat because it was Vivienne’s seat. He’d reserved it for her, keeping it empty even in her absence.
Elara nearly choked on her coffee. She set the mug down carefully, avoiding Eleanor’s
eager gaze.
She held up a small designer clutch that Elara had seen Vivienne carrying at company events. The evidence of Vivienne’s presence in Damien’s personal space – his car, his life was overwhelming.
“Daddy, can Vivi come for ice cream too?” Cora asked suddenly, her eyes bright with
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The drive was mostly silent, punctuated only by Cora’s occasional giggles at her game. Elara stared out the window, trying to ignore the tension vibrating through the car.
“No need,” Damien said curtly. “Get in.”
“No need,” she said quickly. “I’ll get out here and take a cab. I need some fresh air anyway.”
“Oh, that was nothing,” Eleanor waved dismissively. “Just a little encouragement. You two need more than herbs to fix what’s broken.”
“Nonsense,” Eleanor insisted. “Family rides together.”
Before Elara could protest further, Cora bounded into the kitchen, her school backpack bouncing against her small frame.
Eleanor frowned, her eyes darting between them. “Nonsense. You’re just not trying hard enough.” She turned to Elara, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “Men are simple creatures, dear. You need to be more… proactive.”
“There’s nothing to fix,” Elara said quietly. “Some things just can’t be repaired.”
“Eleanor, please,” she said, keeping her voice steady. “After what you just tried to do with the soup…”
Without hesitation, Damien handed his phone back to Cora. Elara caught a glimpse of Vivienne’s smiling face on the screen radiant, confident, everything Elara wasn’t.
Thirty minutes later, they sat around the dining table eating breakfast. To Elara’s surprise, Damien took the seat beside her rather than his usual place across the table. His cologne – subtle and expensive drifted toward her, stirring unwanted memories.
Cora jerked away slightly. “But not as pretty as Vivi. Dad says she’s the most beautiful woman in the world.”
Eleanor clapped her hands together. “Perfect! You can drive Elara to work too. It’s on
your way.”
Elara watched their interaction with a familiar ache in her chest. This easy affection between father and daughter was something she’d longed to see for years. Now that it existed, she felt like an outsider looking in through frosted glass.
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“That’s enough, Cora,” Damien’s voice was sharper now. “Put everything back where you found it.”
The implication was clear that Elara wasn’t that woman, but Vivienne was. The thought pierced her heart like a needle, small but precise in its pain.
Elara’s gaze flicked to the front seat. Damien was indeed tapping out a message at a red light, his fingers moving swiftly across his phone screen.
Feeling inexplicably dismissed, Elara walked around and slid into the back seat next to Cora, who was already engrossed in a game on her tablet. Damien took the driver’s seat without another word, adjusting his mirrors with methodical precision.
In the driveway, Damien opened the back door of his sleek black car for Cora, then walked around to the passenger side.
Cora eagerly opened the storage compartment between the front seats. “I don’t see any–oh!” She pulled out something small and cylindrical. “Look, it’s Vivi’s lipstick! The one she was looking for yesterday!”
Elara’s breath caught as she recognized the distinctive gold tube – Vivienne’s favorite brand, ridiculously expensive and impossible to miss.
“I can sit in the back with Cora,” Elara offered, not wanting to endure the silent tension of sitting beside him.
“There should be water in the compartment,” Damien replied.
“What’s not appropriate is giving up on your marriage without a fight,” Eleanor replied sharply. “Damien needs a woman who knows what she wants and goes after it.”
“I’m fine,” Elara replied stiffly, knowing exactly what Eleanor was fishing for. Evidence that her drugged soup had worked, perhaps.
“Not today,” Damien replied, his tone betraying nothing. “She has a meeting with
sponsors.”
“Not that side,” he said. “Take the other door.”
“She’s so pretty,” Cora sighed dreamily. “I want hair like hers when I grow up.”
“We’ll see,” he said, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. “Go eat your breakfast first.”
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He didn’t argue, which somehow made it worse.
“Good morning!” she chirped, making a beeline for Damien. He ruffled her hair affectionately, his expression softening in a way it never did for Elara.
Elara froze mid–bite. The casual mention of Vivienne Vivi- as a natural part of their family outings was like salt in an open wound.
“Can I see her picture again?” Cora asked eagerly.
Elara’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “Eleanor, please stop. This isn’t appropriate.”
“Yes,” he answered simply. “She’s asking about dinner plans.”
“I’ve been thinking,” Eleanor said, breaking the tense silence in the kitchen. “It’s been seven years since you two gave me Cora. Don’t you think it’s time for another grandchild?”
“Are you feeling better today?” Eleanor asked innocently, passing the toast.
Damien remained silent, his face unreadable as he continued drinking his water. His indifference stung Elara more than she cared to admit.
Sensing it wasn’t worth arguing, Elara reached for the handle, but Damien’s hand shot out, stopping her.
“Ready for school, princess?” he asked.
But Cora was already rummaging deeper. “Her purse is here too! The little one you bought her in Paris!”
“It does,” he replied without explanation. “Take the seat behind the driver’s side.”
The message couldn’t have been clearer if he’d spoken it aloud: Vivienne belonged
there. Elara did not.
As they pulled out of the driveway, Elara caught Eleanor watching from the front door, a satisfied smile on her face. The older woman truly believed she was helping, which made the situation all the more tragic.
The casual statement hit Elara like a physical blow. She turned back to the window, blinking rapidly to clear the sudden moisture in her eyes. Damien remained silent, his
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eyes fixed on the road ahead.
“I’ll be taking Coco to school today,” Damien announced abruptly, changing the subject. “I have meetings near her school.”
Cora pouted but didn’t argue. Elara pushed her food around her plate, appetite gone. The breakfast continued in awkward silence, broken only by Cora’s occasional chatter
about school.
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