Forever After All

by Catharina Maura

How am I only just finding out that two people I’ve known forever aren’t straight? Am I really that clueless?

Yeah hunny you ARE

I hate that I put them in this situation. This isn’t something either of them should have to experience, and this is entirely on me. I’m the one that brought them here. I should’ve known to come alone.

Finally get to see him get his hands dirty

He doesn’t need to know just how dirty I get my hands for our family.

But I do

“You were worried about that, huh? Elena has always only ever had eyes for you. Always, Alec. I’m sorry I didn’t speak up sooner. She has a heart of gold, and she would never betray you.”

“Tell me you forgive me.” Elena smiles and tightens her grip on my hair. “Then ask me for forgiveness, Alexander. Don’t command it.”

I told her love would never be an option for us, but I want to be the one her heart belongs to, the only one she can see.

“Clumsy, wifey. You need to be more careful. What if you cut yourself really badly? What if the cuts leave scars?”

“Alec,” I whisper. “Please tell me you did not call Dr. Taylor over because of some tiny cuts.” He purses his lips and ignores me, turning to the doctor instead. “My wife cut herself,” he says, still on his knees in front of me.

“Um, they’re essentially just paper cuts,” I tell him, my voice small.

“They’re not just paper cuts,” he says. “She could get infected. There are cuts on her feet too.” Dr. Taylor nods and kneels down in front of me, a medical kit on the floor beside him. “I see, Mr. Kennedy,” he says, nodding, as though Alexander is right, and my injuries are actually grave.

Oh I am eating this up unfortunately. Need a golden retriever boyfriend. Aaron is sort of like this I guess haha.

Dr. Taylor tries his hardest to suppress his smile, but he fails,

He greets us politely before walking out, and Alec stares at the closed bedroom door. “I don’t like him,” he says. “I don’t like the way he looked at you, the way he touched your feet. He’s too young to be a doctor anyway. I’m requesting another background check on him.” I bite down on my lip to keep from bursting out laughing. “You don’t like the way he touched my feet?”

“Elena, don’t tempt me. Your injuries won’t stop me.” I laugh, I can’t help it. “Injuries, huh?”

He’s hurting me every single day by withholding the one thing I want from him most.

Things have gotten much better between us lately, and he’s never treated me this well before, but it’s not love.

“It was good to see you, Jennifer,” I say. “I wish you and Matthew the best. You deserve each other.”

“This console, it’s connected to the car. Somehow, someone managed to manipulate it, to make your mother lose control of her car. I’ve brought the part here for you. All my technical team could tell me is that it was tampered with, but I was unable to find out more.”

“I’m not going to lie to you, Elena. I never want to do that. I don’t know if I’ll ever love you. I certainly don’t want you to expect it, or to wait for it. Love… even if you and I find it together, it won’t last. My marriage with you is forever, Elena. And love? Love doesn’t last forever. I much prefer what we have right now. A partnership. Mutual trust. Amazing sex.”

Ew

“What I can promise you, Elena, is this. I don’t love Jennifer. There are no lingering feelings there—whatever I thought was there is gone. I didn’t feel a thing when I saw her. All I could think about was you and wanting to come home to you.”

“It’s okay,” she says. “I knew what I was getting into when I married you. You’ve been very clear on what not to expect, and I’m fine with that, I am. It’s just that when I saw those photos… Alec, it hurts. It hurts to know you gave her everything that you don’t even want with me.”

“I’m giving you all I can, Elena. All I am. All that’s left of me.”

“But since you can’t take a hint, let me remind you of the words you spoke when I left home, and then again when I begged you to help me save my mother’s life: I’m no longer part of your family. And quite frankly, I’d rather eat shit than sit with people that’d happily let my mother die.”

PERIOOOOD FIBALLY

I’ve called you that since you were about six and you were obsessed with The Powerpuff Girls.”

I see her outrage when she finds out she’s programmed in as Buttercup Kennedy. I chuckle as she changes it into Wife.

Either way, both men offered a price for my body, and that seems to be all that’s valuable about me.

Sebastian glances at me and grabs my hand, clenching tightly. “Elena, please, tell him.” “And that’s where you went wrong,” he says, yanking Sebastian’s hand off mine,

“Why the fuck do you look so fucking beautiful today anyway?” he says through gritted teeth. “You weren’t even sure I was going to be here. For all you know, my grandfather would’ve done tonight’s speech and I never would’ve even showed up. Who do you look this beautiful for, huh?”

“Jealousy looks cute on you,” I tell him. “Me? Jealous?” he says, huffing.

“Say that again.” I raise my brows, and Alec brushes my hair out of my face. “I love it when you call me husband like that.” “Do you now… husband dearest?” Alec pauses in the middle of the dance floor and nods. “Yes,” he says.

“In fact, I want to hear you being referred to as my wife in public everywhere we go. I want people addressing you as Mrs. Kennedy. I want the whole world to know that you’re mine.” He drops down on one knee in the middle of the dance floor, and several gasps sound around me. The music stops, and a spotlight illuminates us.

It’s happening oh my

“You’ve had me enthralled from the moment I ran into you again, all those months ago. I’ve fought my feelings for you for as long as I could, but it’s a losing battle.” He opens the ring box, and I gasp. It isn’t the ring I picked—but it’s the ring I secretly wanted. He noticed? “I can’t even imagine the rest of my life without you,” he says. “Please, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?” I blink in disbelief and nod. “Yes. Yes, Alec. A thousand times, yes.”

I’m going to make it my job to give you everything, even the things you don’t dare ask for.” “Alec,” I whisper. “All I want is you.”

We’re so lost in each other that we’re both startled when Alec’s grandfather puts his hand on his shoulder.

“Congratulations, kiddo,” he says, looking as happy as we do. He glances at me and cups my cheek in an uncharacteristic yet totally grandfatherly way. “You picked a keeper. I couldn’t be more proud.”

“Marry her before the first of July,” he says, his eyes on Alec. “And my positio...

I’ve never been happier than I am today, yet this happiness feels fleeting, and I’m terrified I won’t be able to hold on to it.

“Hmm, I remember that. It was the last birthday you spent with us. Lucian called me in a panic when he realized everyone forgot about your birthday, and he made me come home from college to prepare you a little party.”

My most precious memories are with Lucian and you, and I wasn’t really a child anymore then.”

“Soon enough we’ll be besties too,” she says, winking at me.

“Three things, huh? You made me an amazing dinner, the world now knows that you’re mine, and I’m going to fuck you really hard later.”

She bursts out laughing. “Alec,” she says, her voice teasing. “One of them didn’t even happen today, and one is yet to happen.”

I look at you while you work and I cannot believe you’re my husband. I’m so proud of you.”

“I would’ve swallowed, you know.” I stare at her open-mouthed. “You’ll drive me crazy, Elena. Completely crazy.”

She smiles at me. “That’s fine,” she says. “So long as you’re crazy about me.” Fuck me. I think I am.

to my surprise, my mother is staring back at me, her lips turned up at the corners in a small smile.

“Your mother doesn’t seem to have any muscle contraction. She must have been given regular Botox injections to prevent it, and I suspect she received regular physical therapy to stretch her body too. It doesn’t quite add up. You wouldn’t do that for a person you’re knowingly keeping in a coma.”

Dad didn’t know it was Matthew and Elise and the step bitch

“They did it, because I was paying for it.”

From what he told me, it seems like it was Jade who contacted the hacker, but the payments… the payments came from Matthew. He tried his best to route them through as many countries as possible, but Elliot put his all into tracing them, and it was him, Elena. It was Matthew.”

Yeah

“E… El… Elena,” she says, her voice rough. My eyes widen and I look at her, shocked. “I… l—love… you.”

“She’s been practicing to say that to you for hours,” Dr. Taylor says to me from behind.