Chapter 42. Me Against the World

Elena’s POV

“Keeping me away from Mark ... .maybe it’s convenient for you,” I said quietly. My hands were shaking now. “But do you even bother about what I want?”

He didn’t answer right away. I swallowed and kept going, my chest tight. “Even Bella fights for her husband. She stands up for him no matter what. And you…” My voice cracked. “You won’t even support me in this.”

In the next second, his hands were on my shoulders. He pushed me back until my spine hit the rough bark of a tree. “Don’t compare yourself to him,” he said harshly. “At least he’s fucking married to her. He’s tied to my family. You?” His eyes were cold. “Who the hell are you to me, Elena?”

The question landed harder than the shove. Who was I, really?

Everyone around him kept whispering that I mattered. That I was different. But this didn’t feel like how you treat someone who matters.

“So that’s it,” I said, my voice barely holding. “I’m just… something convenient.”