White Lies and Sweet Compromise( 𝐁𝐖𝐖𝐌💕)

Chapter 42

Evelyn's apartment.

With a tentative sip of the hot liquid, Elizabeth lowered the cup to the table still clasped in both hands that were trembling slightly. She was contemplating if finding out what was behind Evelyn's potent need to rid Deacon of Wendy Preston was her ticket to getting the hell away from Evelyn sooner rather than later.

She knew she was in an apartment but as to where that apartment was she had no idea. She knew Evelyn was tipping the scale on irrationality and there was no telling how far she would go if she should defy her. She knew her foot injury stemming from the broken glass and the slight ringing in her ears from her hitting her were just s few of the incidents she was not keen on repeating.

If she was to get out of here anytime soon she had to do what she planned but the need to find out what took Evelyn on a trip to loco land was just as overwhelming as wanting to get away.

"Have you ever been in love?" she found herself asking. As she looked down into her cup she realised that asking Evelyn such a question had her coming to terms with the fact that love was the reason she was at the point in her life now, however, it was her insecurities and high-minded ways that propelled her into destruction.

The room was silent for what seemed like hours and Elizabeth thought she was not going to receive a reply and found herself drifting off to her own part in her demise.

The thought of Conrod sent a searing pain of regret through her heart and she bit her lips to stifle the pain. She was to blame for her life being nothing more than a big show.

The famous model with an illustrious life. The girl of thirteen that made her mark and kept it there, but the real world of Elizabeth Cadwell held nothing but pretence and illusions.

Her first marriage at nineteen to the renowned French photographer Egon Dubois who was twenty-seven years her senior had nothing to do with love it was her haven in her quick rise in an inundating world. It lasted six years until he died of a heart attack.

She had in the latter part of six months found herself married to Amir Bently another renowned model though as young as she he dominated their world fastidiously...the cruel and black world that bordered on one thing alone, image. If you're image ever faded or even as much as slightly cracked you were replaced and forgotten as it was a dog-eat-dog world.

Over the years all she knew was to be a leech feeding off people who could keep her further afloat in the only world she knew but was never able to face on her own.

Amir served his purpose until he cracked and being a has-been was not going to keep her safe. She was filing for a divorce when he committed suicide as his carefully orchestrated life was in shambles and he knew she was too selfish and yes weak to help him.

The tragic and unfortunate deaths of her husbands were serving a great purpose for her too. Magazines, tabloids and talk shows sought after her and caused her name and story to be on the lips of everyone. Fashion Houses wanted the woman who rose from the ashes of tragedy to propel their brand, Agencies fought to have her signed to them so that her name could be associated with their Industry sending it propelling into regions they would never even get a foot in.

It was lovely for her to be the weakling who needed the support of others to make it through. All she had to do was show up and be the cogent model Elizabeth Cadwell who in reality was nothing but a parasite who became a very good pretender.

It was all going well thankfully, she realised that she did not need a marriage and husband to secure stability so in the next few years she divorced twice as affairs could provide for her just the same.

She was now a proprietary leech making a name for herself with her perfume line Royality, life had propelled her into the life of men that kept her where others stumbled from with just a mere slip.

She wanted to tell herself this was the life, she had it all but in reality, all she had was an empty existence where people used her as she used them. She ended up with her life centred around nothing but compromises until she met Conrod Shaw the one man who gave her an ultimatum that she was too scared to grow up and take.

Her hand left the cup and nestled against her still-flat stomach. How could she be so senseless? She had over time gotten to know this life was centred around give and take to satisfy any whim and any fancy was never going to last but she was foolish enough to be willing to ride it out as long as she could. It was always 'It's not over yet, just a while longer ' until life started to show her signs it was time to let go and venture on a new path.

Her life had a few people she could call friends, her only affair that offered her solace was that of Conrod. He was not out to offer compromises that garnered from selfish desires. He wanted her, the real her. The woman he saw was hidden deep within her wanting to be free.

She had been so scared to let that woman out and she had decided to imprison her further holding onto the self-centred creature that believed she was always going to have her cake and eat it.

She had friends that she could buy to indulge her whim and fancy, she had a man who was keen on being as emotionless as her. He lived by rules that suited her well and fit with her life purpose but Conrod had shown her that there was more to life than this. He wanted her love, he wanted her heart. It was never her fame, the sex or her money.

She had thought when he had told her it was all are nothing after she informed him about the baby that she still had the upper hand. She had Deacon and his affair to keep her, Kylie and Jenna were there too they were all from her world broken and seeking a healer. They would not turn away from her because they needed each other like junkies needed a fix.

How wrong she had been. Life had shown her just how wrong when Conrad had left her apartment not looking back followed by Deacon moving on with Wendy Preston.

The cycle kept on because shortly the news that Kylie was to leave for Africa in less than a week to make something of the mess that's her life and Jenna was about to commence her role as CEO of her family's business became clear warnings, but she was still too stubborn and yes coward to realize and face that life was telling her she too had to grow up.

Deacon's pompous attitude later on had added fuel to injury and when Kylie had called telling her that she and Jenna were going to have a celebrity drink out to cheer the new chapter in their life she had taken it as life's scorn for her so
she had wasted herself at the club telling herself that Conrod did not want her or the baby.

She was the only one who could break free the shackles that held the woman she had imprisoned all those years ago, the woman who Conrod desired. She was the one holding back herself and it was time she stopped being a coward living by appearances.

She was through living as Elizabeth Cadwell the renowned model it was time she lived as Elizabeth Cadwell the woman, mother and someone's love.

"Yes I have," she heard Evelyn answer cutting into her thoughts. "I have been in love before."

"How about telling me about it over another cup of tea and some buttered scones."

Her heart raced thinking the woman would refuse but when she rose and went to the counter bringing the tray of leftover scones from breakfast along with the knife and butter her heart fluttered with relief.

𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷

Hey friends 😊

Elizabeth has finally gotten to facing some truths and hard realisations, pity it had to be at the hands of a disillusioned Evelyn who is lost in making her world how she wants it to be.

Thanks for reading and voting and being here for White Lies and Sweet Compromise 😊