Sorry for the long update!
But here it is! Enjoy!
Erza's company took the fall.
Yes, it went bankrupt due to the employees running away from her.
Everyone's calling her a traitor, just like the headline news said:
'Erza Scarlet, The Traitor
Ms. Erza Scarlet—or recently found to be Mrs. Fernandes—was revealed to be marrying Jellal Fernandes, her own rival company's CEO. A reliable source told that they were spotted entering the same apartment building recently and seemed to have been married for quite a while.
Scarlet inc. is currently on an unstable position and predicted to reach its limit by next week. Up until today (8/12) the presence of both Erza and Jellal Fernandes are still unknown.'
Erza closed her laptop and put it on the bedside table. That news was published two weeks ago and the news hadn't even slightly calmed down. She couldn't leave her hotel room and she knew that she could only stay for few more nights before she ran out of money in her wallet to pay the hotel fee.
Ever since she told Jellal she wanted to divorce, she left the apartment and decided to stay in a hotel for a while. She was aware how she should had find a temporary house before she ran out of money, but going out during this kind of situation was too risky for her to do.
Erza rolled herself in the single sized bed—Back and forth, back and forth. She tried her best to shake off all the thoughts on how she wouldn't have to experience all of this if she refused the arrange marriage in the first place. But she definitely couldn't. Jellal deserved all the blame and she knew it. Everything would be better if Jellal didn't do something to chase her away like that. Something so… sly. Something that hurt more than being stabbed by seven knives at once.
Betrayal.
Erza phone suddenly rang and she picked it up, "Mom," she said weakly
"Erza! I heard you want to meet us?"
"Yeah, I do. In fact, you, dad, Mr. and Mrs. Fernandes and Jellal too."
Erza's mom stayed silent for a while, "For what?" she finally asked
"I want a divorce, mom." Erza said. She could hear her mom gasped on the other side of the phone "Jellal betrayed me," she said before her mom had the chance to ask. "And it's not something as petty as a mere lover spat. I want a divorce. I don't even care being disowned by the family because I violated the Scarlet family tradition. For the third time, I want a divorce."
Erza knew her mom was speechless. She might be crying or hurt over there, but she should get over it. If Erza can stop crying from being betrayed by Jellal, her mom could do the same too.
"Okay,"
"Really?" Erza almost shouted
"You're so stubborn about it, what can I do? It can't be helped."
Erza smiled, "Thanks, mom." She grabbed a calendar on the bedside table "Then, can you and dad meet us tomorrow, mom? We're planning to meet at the Fernandes's residence, Mrs. Fernandes insisted."
"Does she know about this?"
Erza shook her head even though her mom couldn't see it "No," she said "I couldn't bring it up. When I said that I want to have a family dinner, all six of us, she cheered and I couldn't spoil it for her. At least not then."
Erza's mom sighed, "All right. Meet you tomorrow, darling."
"See you, mom."
Erza threw herself into the bed again after putting back the calendar. She had marked the calendar with red mark. This is it, she thought.
All Jellal said was, "OK" when Erza texted him about today.
Erza brought all of her belongings and checked out of her hotel. Her dad was going to pick her up with his car, so she decided to stay at her parent's house until she find herself a new job.
"And why did you want to divorce again?" Erza's dad asked
"Because I was betrayed."
"Define betrayed." Her dad asked "Or more like, tell me what he did."
"Setting me up to ruin my life, especially my company. That kind of betrayal."
"Maybe he didn't mean it," Her mom said
"And how can anybody 'not meaning it' when he's destroying someone's life?" Erza almost shouted. Veins started to appear on her hands as she crumpled them up like a ball, ready to fly a punch or two to Jellal if she saw him
"Come on, you're exaggerating. Maybe it was all an accident. Paparazzi are everywhere and he couldn't avoid all of them. He only wanted to take you out on a romantic ball but accidents happen."
Actually, that thought never crossed Erza's mind. All that conquered her mind that Jellal was setting her up so he could ruin her life.
"Think about this again, will you?" her mom asked.
Erza didn't say anything until they arrived at the Fernandes's residence.
By noon, everyone was already seated on the dining table—well, most of them. Jellal was nowhere to be found and it irritated Erza how he thought he could run away from today. Erza roughly cut her hamburger steak like she was trying to kill it—and it's already dead and well-cooked!—All the train of thoughts about Jellal made her mad every time. I can't believe I'm marrying the kind of loser who couldn't even show up his face in front of me after I mention a divorce!
And her phone started to ring.
Simon
"What?!" She shouted angrily
"Whoa—"
"Speak or I'll cut it off."
"Have you seen Jellal?" Simon immediately asked
"That loser? No, he was too afraid to even show his face on family dinner because I mentioned divorce," Erza bluntly said, and she's now stabbing the harmless hamburger meat with her fork.
"You want a divorce? Why so suddenly?"
"Simon, I've always wanted a divorce ever since day one I married him. It is not suddenly." She pressed
"Erza, if you're mad about the paparazzi thing, it's all an accident. Jellal didn't plan it. He may look that way but he is a sweet guy. He wouldn't dare doing something like that. I know him from collage and he's not that kind of guy, Erza." Simon tried to explain. Erza took a bite of her steak "You need to talk to him. You know… You're the only one who could help him. He's not as strong as you thought he is."
Is he really? Erza thought
"Believe me, Erza. Believe on Jellal."
"Why should I?"
"Because… I don't know. Find the answer inside of you. Is Jellal that kind of a jerk?"
"Yes."
"Right now, that's your answer. And maybe it'll change if you just talk to him. Please, Erza."
Erza hung up. She didn't know what to say or what to do. What she knew that Simon didn't sound like he was lying. In fact, he was desperately begging for Erza to consider her decision. Honestly indeed it had never crossed her mind that this was all an accident; the paparazzi both on the ball and on Jellal's office, also the fact that on that night he was desperately hiding the fact that our marriage became viral. Everyone had been saying the same thing, accidents happened this, accidents happened that. And it really made Erza thought twice about everything.
Mr. Fernandes took a sip of his coffee—with one sachet of sugar, just like how Jellal liked it. "Where's Jellal?" he asked
Jellal's mom stayed silent for a while before finally asked "What day is it…?"
"Friday," Erza answered
"I mean, what date is it?"
"September 4th."
"That explains it." Jellal's dad said. Erza was dumbfounded—so were her mom and dad. "Well, Erza… Can you make the 'announcement' without Jellal's presence?"
"No…" Erza said "In fact, I need to meet Jellal before I decided whether this announcement should be said or not."
"Well then, go fetch him," Jellal's mom said, all smiley as if it was such an easy thing to do
"What?"
"I'll draw you a map, you go there. Oh! And no worries about paparazzi, that place was deserted anyway."
Erza's dad threw her his car key, even though he had completely no idea on what's going on. Erza froze there for a while. Are these guys for real? She couldn't even process what's going on in here anymore. But there was one thing she needed to do.
She needed to give Jellal a chance. Just once—for now.
Erza parked the car. Jellal's mom was not kidding when she said this place was deserted. It was far, it took 2 hours by car and there's no way someone could reach this place using the train because she hadn't spot any train station ever since she entered the area.
Now the thing was, how could she find Jellal in a place like this?
She locked her car and walked through the grass. The grass was yellowish and tall, as tall as Erza's waist. At first she thought it was just an empty and unpopulated land, but there were few children playing in a nearby pond and there were few houses about few hundred meters from where she was standing.
"Excuse me," Erza approached one of the kids "Have you seen a man, with blue hair and red tattoo on his face?"
"You mean Jellal?" the kid said
"Yes! How do you know him?"
"He comes here often," the kid said "He's definitely at his usual spot."
The other kids nod, "Usual spot?" Erza asked
"Yep! See that hill? If you keep going, there's a cemetery. He's there. I'm sure."
"Cemetery, huh…" Erza thought out loud "Thanks, kids."
Erza followed their direction, and yes, there was a cemetery. A very small one, barely could be called a cemetery. She could see Jellal's there, standing in front of one of the graves. He looked at it deeply as he stroked the head of the tombstone as if he were stroking the person—affectionately.
She'd be lying if she said she didn't want to jump there and asked Jellal for explanation, but she couldn't. She was stunned. She could exactly feel the deep sadness hiding in every Jellal's gestures.
And somehow it hit her.
Erza had a hunch.
She might had read too many romance novels in the library when she was bored, but she knew that it must had been Jellal's lover, before death teared them apart.
"I know someone's there." Jellal suddenly said. Erza froze in her position, starting to sweat bullets. "Come out," he ordered
And Erza stepped out. Jellal's eyes widen—he definitely didn't expect her to be here. Both of them stared at each other for a while, not knowing what to do. Erza decided to take a few steps closer but Jellal followed with faster and longer steps. He grabbed Erza's shoulder and turned her back to the direction of the cemetery entrance.
Erza knew, Jellal didn't want her to step further.
Just like how Jellal was trying to push Erza out of his life.
Somehow everything made sense now.
"Who told you?" Jellal asked
"About? This place or whoever grave you're visiting?"
"Both."
"Your mom and dad told me about this place. And I don't know whose grave you're visiting."
"Keep it that way, and stay out of this place,"
Both of them had arrived at where Erza parked her car. Erza slapped Jellal's grip at her shoulder and looked at him in the eye "Who are you to order me not to do this and that?"
"I'm your husband,"
"Barely." Erza said. She unlocked her car and entered it. Jellal was still standing there, and Erza pulled down the window to look at him straight in the eyes again, this time even more intimidating "I have a hunch. My instinct has been correct when it comes to these kinds of thing, you see... She must've been someone you loved so deeply much. An ex-girlfriend, maybe? Tell me,"
Jellal turned his back and walked away
"Tell me or I'll go find out about her myself,"
Jellal stopped "And do you even have the power to do so?" Jellal's back was facing her but Erza could imagine how Jellal looked when he said this. He'd look exactly like he did when Erza was in his office. And it's pissing her off "Everything you tried your best to achieve crumpled up and fell right in front of your eyes, Erza. You have nothing now. Not even the power to find out about her."
Erza thought everyone deserved a second chance. And here she was, giving Jellal her second chance before he threw it away like a piece of garbage.
"I was here to give you a second chance," Erza shouted. You know what? Let's finish this once and for all, she thought. She walked out of the car and ran to him, pulling the back of his shirt tightly "If you just explain everything to me, I will… I will…"
"You will what?" Jellal asked
Erza put both of her hands on Jellal's shoulder and made him face her. Jellal didn't even want to look her in the face.
"I don't know." Erza said "Do you even want to divorce?" Erza asked "Because I'm not too sure." Jellal gulped but he didn't answer. Erza somehow knew that meant he didn't know it himself. "You promised me to go to the family dinner didn't you? Let's go and talk." Erza now put both of her hands on Jellal's cheeks and forced him to face her. But her eyes were still avoiding her.
"No." Jellal said "There's nothing we could talk about,"
"I have a LOT to talk about,"
"Not the things I want to talk about."
Erza shook her had few times before she put down her hands from Jellal's cheeks. "Hear what I've been thinking though, will you?" Jellal didn't answer, but she'd say it anyway "All of these things were an accident, right? You didn't plan it from the start. You wanted to bring me to the ball because you thought that it was about time we open up to each other. But then everything kept going to the wrong way and it became such a scandal. You tried your best to keep you calm but the reporters were hard to tame. I jumped to conclusion and thought you did it, and you couldn't say anything because if you did, I wouldn't believe in you anyway."
Jellal finally looked at Erza. And he found Erza smiling—more like smirking.
"You must've thought, wow, this girl is so naïve." Erza said with a full smirk.
Jellal tried his best to hide his gasp, but he couldn't. "Erza…" His voice was shaking, and it stabbed Erza right in the chest.
"I know the truth, Jellal. Even without anyone telling me," Erza said. She held Jellal's hands and surprisingly Jellal held her hands back "Tell me the truth,"
Jellal sighed, "You got me," Jellal smiled weakly.
Somehow seeing it made Erza wanted to cry. She shouldn't have said that to him… She knew she crossed the line with her sarcasm. Her words must've cut Jellal deeply in the heart, but that was the only way to lure him into telling the truth.
"You must've known by now, I planned this from the start... the paparazzi and everything. And the grave I was visiting was… My ex-wife."
And he finally told the truth.
Erza smiled, trying her best to hide her tears as she nodded.
"Tell me all about it on the way back?" Jellal nodded as he tightened his grip on Erza's hand—harder than ever.
Yes, the mastermind behind all of this is Jellal
And yes, it is his second marriage
And yes, he has his reasons.
Ouchie to be Erza, no? I feel you, I feel you. I wouldn't be as strong as Erza if I were in her position. But the moral lesson is: No matter how bad it gets, try your best to stay strong!
Oh, and anyway. If you're thinking of killing me or ranting in the review section with your curse words (which hopefully you won't do) because the plot twist, I suggest you wait until the next chapter. And uh... Yes, I have something on my sleeve but that doesn't mean I allow curse words next chapter either... Uh... what I'm trying to say is... be prepared! Hopefully you'll be patient enough to wait!
Sincerely,
Keiko Amano
P.S.
For the old readers, I am 100% grateful of you who still follow me and my stories even though it's been years!
For the new readers, hopefully you will continue reading my stories.