From Her Perspective (BWWM)

VIII

William Devereaux

5 years ago

I moaned at the sound of my girlfriend's whimper as I unzipped her jean skirt.

"Please," she moaned as she pulled me closer.

"Someone's impatient tod—" I began but was interrupted by someone banging on our door. Ella groaned as her head dropped to my shoulder. I sighed in frustration and pulled away from her before heading to the door.

I swung it open, and my heart sank upon seeing my father standing there. He didn't mention anything about visiting. I didn't necessarily want to see him. We didn't really talk. He was in his usual attire: his almost intimidating tailored suit. He looked at me with a serious expression. I would have ensured Ella wasn't here if I had known he was coming. I don't feel like listening to his judgment. It's not that there is something wrong with Ella; it's far from it. I have the perfect girl, but my father seems to find fault in everything.

"Father, what are you doing here?"

"Am I not allowed to visit my son?"

"You could've called."

"But I didn't. Am I allowed in?" Father asked sarcastically as he cocked his eyebrow in annoyance. I reluctantly stepped aside and let him walk into our apartment. Ella smiled as she saw him; he frowned at her in disgust.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Auriella, Billy's girlfriend," she said as she offered to shake his hand. He looked at it before stepping back.

"William, why is this girl calling you Billy, and why is she in your apartment when you should be focused on your studies?"

"This is our apartment, Father," I said, earning a scoff from him. Ella looked between the two of us before grabbing her coat.

"I have a class. I'll see you later," she said as she turned and walked out the door without looking back.

"Why are you here?"

"I came to ensure you were keeping up with your studies."

"You don't even call me. You don't care about my studies. What do you want?"

"Your grandfather needs you to take over sooner than you anticipated. He wanted me to tell you the news in person. You might want to let your little girl know you're here for a good time, not a long one."

"Don't speak about my girlfriend. What happened to the end of the year?"

"You are to leave at the end of the semester. Your sister is pregnant and will be leaving sooner than we expected."

"Why didn't she tell me?" I asked. The bastard just shrugged as he started walking towards the door.

"I'll send you the details. Tell Alice I said goodbye."

Present

"This is really good," I complimented Emma on the ratatouille she brought. I looked over to see Ella nodding in agreement as she took another bite.

"Thanks, it's one of Sophie's recipes."

"How are Sophie and Charlotte?" Grandfather asked. Emma immediately smiled at the mention of her family.

"They're excellent. They've come a long way. Charlotte absolutely adores Sophie now. This is the first time the two of them will be without me," she said.

Sophie and Emma met three years ago at Sophie's bakery in Nice. Charlotte was about two years old and immediately hated Sophie. Without a father, she was used to having her mom to herself and didn't like sharing her. I'm pretty sure she ignored Sophie during the first four months of their relationship.

"How long have you been married?" Ella asked.

"About two years, but it feels more like twenty,' she said as she shook her head with a blissful smile.

"How's married life been for you two? Ready to run yet, Auriella?" Grandfather asked. Ella smiled and shook her head.

"Just into Billy's arms. Things have been pretty perfect between us," she said as she looked at me.

"I've never been happier in my life," I said as I grabbed her free hand.

"I'm so glad this worked out. I felt so guilty for stepping down after you had just gotten to college, especially when I discovered you had met someone. Although Daddy still got his way in the end, now he can suck it," I glanced over at Emma, who took another bite. Stop talking.

"How'd he get his way?" Ella asked.

"Didn't William tell you? He threatened to take the company away from him if he brought you to Nice. I always wondered why he cared so much. Daddy's weird sometimes, right Papa?"

"Weird indeed," Grandfather agreed. I looked over at Ella, who looked absolutely hurt. Still, she quickly masked it before casually pulling her hand from mine.

The rest of the dinner was spent with Emma telling us about the renovations to her house. Ella would just silently nod to show she was listening, but I could see the gears turning in her head.

"It was nice finally meeting you, Auriella," Emma said as we walked towards the door.

"It was nice meeting you as well. Maybe we can plan a trip to Nice so we can spend more time together," Ella said with a bright smile. Grandfather smiled at her and nodded.

"A girl with family values. My grandson is very lucky," he said as he pulled her in for a hug.

"I am," I agreed. I am fortunate to have had Ella. She's the love of my life, even if she doesn't want to be.

We said our goodbyes, and as soon as the door closed, Ella turned on her heels to head to her house.

"Would you like to join me for a drink? Maybe we can talk."

"There's nothing to talk about," she said as she slammed the side door in my face. I shook my head before rushing after her.

"No, we need to talk. It's not what you think," I said as I grabbed her and made her face me. She looked up at me with teary eyes.

"You made a fool out of me. You let me pack my bags. You let me plan for our future that you knew we didn't have. You let me tell my brother about us. You let me show up at that damn airport."

"I was protecting you."

"From what?!"

"From my Father. He told me to leave you, and when I refused, he threatened to have you blacklisted from every single art school and art studio in the country. I couldn't get in the way of your dreams."

"Why did he want you to leave me?"

"Because he's him. He hates anything that is not related to the business. He deems love unnecessary. He deemed you a distraction. Baby, I didn't want to leave you," I said as I stroked her cheek.

"Why didn't you tell me? You told me at the airport that you changed your mind. Why didn't you just tell me the truth?"

"Because I knew what you would've said. You would've said fuck him and come with me to Nice, and he would've stood on his word and made your life a living hell. He would've dragged your name through the dirt and slaughtered you. You would've resented me for it. I wanted to give you your best chance," I explained. She nodded before pulling away.

"I would have never left you, Ella. We would've had a life together. We still can. Don't let him ruin us," I said as I leaned closer.

"That was a long time ago, Billy. Thank you for telling me the truth," she said as she backed away.

"Ella."

"Good night."