My Boyfriend and Best Friend Whispered in Spanish, My First Language Chapter 03

My Boyfriend and Best Friend Whispered in Spanish, My First Language Chapter 03

I didn’t go back to the house Derek and I shared.

I went to my own apartment. He didn’t know this place existed.

I’d never talked much about my family.

To Derek, I was just an ordinary girl grinding it out with him.

The truth was, my bank account had a fortune than he could ever dream of.

Lying in bed, I pulled up my medical records from three months earlier.

The day my fever hit 103, I’d taken a ride to the hospital by myself.

I checked in alone. Paid the bills alone. Sat through my IV alone.

After I got home just before dawn, I called Derek.

He didn’t pick up. Eleven calls.

He finally answered the twelfth.

“Elara, I’m stuck at work. I really can’t get away right now.”

“Drink lots of water, stay bundled up. I’ll come take care of you the second I’m done.”

In the background, I could hear a woman’s voice.

Back then, I assumed it was a coworker. Now I knew exactly who it was.

The next morning, Derek finally came home. There was a red mark on his neck.

When I asked, he said a coworker had accidentally scratched him with a folder.

And I bought it.

Even with a fever, I dragged myself out of bed to make him chicken noodle soup.

I was worried he’d skipped meals while working late.

He held the bowl, grinning from ear to ear, then wrapped me in his arms and kissed me over and over.

“Elara, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

I smiled like a fool.

I honestly thought I’d found the man I’d spend the rest of my life with.

It wasn’t until today, when I overheard Derek and Mira speaking Spanish, that everything finally clicked.

I really had been a fool.

He hadn’t been working late that night. He’d been with Mira.

The mark on his neck hadn’t come from a file folder either.

And the only reason he hadn’t dumped me was because I was useful.

I thought I’d cry. But not a single tear fell.

Whatever feelings I still had for him were gone. I’d let go of them a long time ago.

My phone suddenly lit up. Derek was video-calling me.

I declined it immediately. A text arrived seconds later.

[Elara, why didn’t you pick up? Where are you? Why aren’t you home?]

[Got called into work.]

[Your tiny company works you that hard? Quit lying. Are you still mad about us?]

[No.]

[Then come home when you’re done. I’ll be waiting.]

I stared at his profile picture.

He really was handsome. Too bad that beautiful face had fooled me for five years.

[Derek, let me ask you something. The night I had that high fever—where were you, really?]

The typing bubble lingered for a long time before his reply came through.

[Working overtime. I already told you that.]

[Who was with you?]

[How am I supposed to remember that? It was months ago.]

[Elara, what’s with you today? Where’s all this coming from?]

[No reason. Just curious.]

He sent a smiling emoji.

[I get it. This is because Mira and I were speaking Spanish today and I drove her home, isn’t it?]

[Elara, you’re not actually jealous of her, are you? She’s my childhood friend, and she’s your best friend too.]

[If it bothers you that much, we won’t speak Spanish in front of you anymore. Happy now?]

I knew this routine by heart.

He always had an excuse. And I used to fall for every single one. Now it only disgusted me.

I typed back causally: [Fine. Get some sleep.]

I closed the chat and opened my email.

At the top was an internal message from the Soraya Group.

Addressed to: [Ms. Vance, Special Advisor to the Board.]

Signed by my grandfather.

The body of the email was a single line in Spanish.

[Elara, the choice of our partner in America is yours.]

I replied with just one line.

[Understood, Grandpa.]

That night, for the first time in a long while, I slept peacefully.