I Want You Back

Angel Leffman

The night arrived, and I put myself in a good suit and sent the driver to pick up Elisa because I didn't want to go to the restaurant with her. Perhaps with this, she will complicate things more. I decided to call Harry before I left. "Harry."

"Dude, do you miss me so much that you can't leave me alone for a couple of hours?" Harry said sarcastically.

"Idiot. I just want to make sure you're ready for Elisa's surprise."

"Yeah, yeah, but are you sure her family is going to be there?"

"Although she deserves to be humiliated in public, I won't do it. I'll see you at the restaurant."

"I still don't get the purpose of this meeting, man."

"We'll see what it is about later. I have a feeling that we're in for a big surprise."

An hour later, I reached the restaurant, and Elisa's family, some people from society, and my family were there. I also saw Amelia and Isaac, so I approached them.

"Good evening." I casually greeted them.

"Good evening, Angel," Amelia replied.

Isaac nodded his head at me before turning to Amelia. "Good evening. Babe, I'm going to get us a few drinks while we wait for what this meeting is about."

"Amelia, what is Sofia up to tonight?" I asked straightforwardly, and she looked surprised.

"Angel, what makes you think that Sofia has anything to do with this? In case you don't know, my friend is having the time of her life, and the least she needs to do is think about us," Amelia replied with a sneer, covering for her friend as always.

"I received an invitation in the only place where no one would send it to me," I told her, and she was stunned. "And now you're telling me it wasn't Sofia, so it has to be you."

Amelia glared at me. "No, Angel, you don't get to involve me in this. I also received an invitation that requested my presence."

"Knowing Sofia, this must be something big. She loves doing this kind of thing."

"Don't be offended, but I don't think you don't know my friend, because if you did, you'd know that she doesn't lie when she says things."

"That might be true. Tell me, Amelia, where is she? I need to talk to her."

"I already told you where she is, so just wait for her to return, and if she wants to, she will tell you herself. Look, Angel, your witch of a girlfriend has arrived."

"She is not my girlfriend," I said firmly, and she just gave me a blank look. "People might hear you, and they might create gossip."

"Will they gossip for hearing me after you kissed her in public?"

"I'm not going to argue with you, Amelia. I want you to know that I'm going to have Sofia back, so you can tell her that." I did not wait for her to respond and left her there to go where Harry was. "Everything's ready. What do you think Elisa will tell you when she finds out that you know that she was not a saint?" He whispered to me because people were starting to gather around the place. "We'll see because she knows how to make a drama worthy of an award."

"Did you find out what this meeting is about?" he asked, and I shook my head. "At least they have good whiskey."

We spent almost an hour trying to find out the reason for this meeting, but the others were just as clueless. Elisa and Angelica have spent the time together criticizing everyone they can. Dad tries to get closer, but I ignore him until we hear someone on the microphone. "Good evening," a lady said on the microphone. "I know that most of you are wondering what you're doing here, but the person who made this possible believes that there is nothing better than celebrating an event like this with family and friends." "What's this about?" Elisa asked me, and I just shrugged.

"I am as clueless as you."

"You're still in a bad mood." She noticed, and I didn't get to answer because the lady spoke again.

"I know that your time is precious, so let's not waste it. Tonight, the couple of the night offers you a walk through their love."

After she says that, the white screen shows photos of Germany, France, Spain, etc., and to everyone's surprise, Elisa is in all of them with different men who look younger than her, and they appear to be happy. Wow, this woman really surprises me. "Did you know about this?" Harry asks.

"No. How does my wife find out about these things?"

"Your wife?" Harry repeated in surprised laughter. "Sofia, I should have known, but how do you know i "Intuition."

I was her?"

We continued seeing photos, and then a video showed where a young man asks Elisa to marry him, which she accepts. I saw her parents looking at each other while the others began to whisper.

"Angel, I can explain," Elisa told me in haste, panic written all over her face.

"Me? No, don't worry, there's no need. I see that you had a great time, engaged and all."

"That was before I saw you again."

"Ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome our couple, Elisa Dalton and Adkem Benlega!"

People begin to applaud, even with confusion written all over their faces. In Elisa's annoyance, I applaud as well, and that's when the man from the photos enters the room.

"Love," he said as he approached Elisa, and I stepped away from them with a smile on my face. "I missed you a lot; I was worried about you because I didn't know what had happened to you in London. You told me you would look for the perfect dress, and then, with so much money on you, I thought the worst. If you came back home to your family, you should have told me."

"Adkem..." Elisa whispered his name in both surprise and fear, quite the opposite of what the man was displaying.

"This is very nice. If you wanted an engagement party in your country, with your family, friends, and your culture, you just had to tell me; you shouldn't have gotten lost like that; I thought something happened to you," Adkem obliviously said in worry and hugged Elisa before giving her a kiss. "I'm glad you got reconciled with them."

Elisa's disoriented eyes slide to me and then to her family.

"Congratulations!" I told Adkem and offered my hand. "It's a huge honor to finally meet the groom. We were all wondering when we would meet you."

"Yes, Elisa won't stop talking about you. We already feel like we know you." Harry supported me with so much sarcasm in his voice.

But alas, the naive man believed us and shook our hands with enthusiasm. "They are your friends?" he asks Elisa, who's still lost.

"Yes, we are friends from university," Amelia interrupts. "You are more handsome in person than in the photos; Elisa keeps showing you off," she said with a fake laugh.

"It is a pleasure for me to meet all of you."

"Look, let me introduce you to the Dalton family," I offered, and I guided him to Elisa's family, who still looked confused.

They haven't said a word, and I can't blame them. A few days ago, we were talking at a family dinner, and now she's engaged to an Arab.

Introductions and congratulations from the visitors began, and I left the two to deal with their mess, secretly happy to see how disoriented she looked.

I walked around and saw Amelia on the phone while talking in a loud voice, and as I approached, she was talking to the person I thought she was. "Next time, you could have at least told me that this was the plan. I was as clueless as everyone!"

I heard Sofia laughing. "Well, it had to be a surprise even for you."

"Elisa's going to want to kill you when she finds out that it was you who brought her lost and grieving fiancé to her."

"And I'm not done yet."

"Of course not!" I interrupted them and saw her on the phone, and damn, she looks beautiful.

"It's a private conversation, Angel," Amelia said while rolling her eyes.

I took the phone from her. "I knew you had something to do with this, but I must admit that created quite a show."

"Are you angry because your girlfriend turned out to be engaged? I'm sorry, but I'm not to blame for your stupidity."

This woman with her sarcasm and arrogance, I swear.

"I'm angry, but because you didn't tell me, you keep hiding things from me, Sofia. I would have gladly helped you had you told me."

Sofia let out a laugh. "Help me unite a couple in love where your girlfriend is the protagonist? I highly doubt it, Mr. Leffman."

"You would be surprised. Besides, the night is not over yet." Amelia looked at me without understanding, and I just winked at her.

"How does it feel to see how stupid you've been for years?" Sofia asked in mockery.

"Nothing I can't handle, but like I said, there is still more to reveal."

"Do you need more proof to know that she has lied to you all this time and is not as saintly as she claims to be?! What, Angel, is what you witnessed tonight still not enough for you?!" Sofia exclaimed, clearly upset and frustrated, and I couldn't help but laugh at her cuteness. "And you had the audacity to laugh!"

"I am laughing because you look so beautiful and upset. Because it looks like you want to hit me, but you can't. If you were here, you would release that rage."

The frown on her face did not lessen. "You are making fun of me."

"I would never do that. I have enough to clean up the mess we are in to add more to the list."

"Did you congratulate the bride and groom? Will you be the best man at the wedding? It would be quite an event if you were." Sofia continued to mock me, but I won't back down.

"Yes, I congratulated them, and I agree to be the best man as long as you are the bridesmaid. After all, it's thanks to you that they reunited."

"You don't seem frustrated or upset because your girlfriend has cheated on you and made a fool out of you. Are you that heartless?"

"Why would I be? As far as I know, my wife was and won't be unfaithful, even though she's dancing, drinking, and meeting people around the world," I teased her, and she rolled her eyes at me. "If you are referring to Elisa, I have no reason to be upset; rather, you gave me another reason to make her pay."

I thought about the baby, and the playful aura in me vanished as anger took over me.

"There it is! There is an expression of pain for your girlfriend! Does it hurt that she fooled you?"

"It's not because of my ex-girlfriend, Sofia. I was thinking about the baby that is probably not even mine, and it hurts me because I have made you pay for something that is not your fault and I have possibly cried for something that is not mine." Although with a blank face, I could see that she was upset, and she hid it when she realized that I was looking at her. "When are you coming back?"

"I don't know; I'm still thinking about it. I told you that I don't want to talk to you; in fact, I called Amelia, not you."

"Amelia is having fun getting to know the Arab; I even like him. Are we really going to let them get married?" ""Why? Do you want to stop them?"

"It's not the poor man's fault that he fell in love with a manipulative woman. He seems like a good person."

"He is, but come on now, you are not one of those who thinks about others, Angel. You just don't want your girlfriend to marry someone else."

"My girlfriend can't marry another because she is already married to me, thank God. Could you stop calling her my girlfriend? She's irritating, and she makes me uncomfortable."

"Should that matter to me? You deserve that and more."

"Okay, okay. I already know that it's my turn to win you over, but you know that being in different countries, it's difficult."

"When did I say that I would let you? I've already wasted a lot of time with you. You're not the only man that exists on this earth, and I hate you, Angel."

I know it's a lie, but it still burns, and you deserve it, Angel.

"You don't hate me, but I'm telling you from experience that pretending to feel it is not going to be easy. I would love to continue talking to you, but I have to resolve another matter. I'll call you later."

"Don't call me because I won't answer. Don't waste my time, Angel."

"You know, I wonder how you managed to get all this information."

Sofia raised her head. "There is no need to wonder. With my IQ, that isn't so hard to do."

"I love you, Sofia, even if you don't believe me, and when you feel like coming back or telling me where you are, I'll be here waiting. Don't make a mess; remember that you are mine."

"Do you see me as an object now? Something you can own? Your property?"

"Is that question coming from a woman who said I was hers and that she would destroy anyone who dared to touch me?" I teased her with a raised brow.

"I did not say that! I'm happily divorced, and I'm not going to waste my time with you anymore." She glared at me before cutting the call, making me chuckle.

This woman is so stubborn. I went to where Amelia and Isaac were and gave her cell phone back to her. "Thank you for helping Sofia with this, but I have a question: how does she get this kind of information? Because it was the same with Alexis." "Let's just say that I have an intelligent friend," Amelia answered in avoidance of my question.

"Did you help her?" I asked and turned to Isaac. "I should have known."Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

The two look at each other without saying anything.

"I only know that the friends of my friends are mine. Same with the enemy," was Isaac's safe answer.

"Alright. I'm leaving you two because I have to do something." I gave Amelia a kiss on the cheek and whispered, "Liar, but I'm glad to know that Sofia has someone as reliable as you."

I went looking for Harry and found him far from the others. "Are you still going to do this at her own engagement?

"I don't think she's having a good time anyway. Does it look like she has any plans to marry him?"

"I feel sorry for the man. It's obvious that he loves her, but she couldn't care less about him. Tsk, the poor guy," Harry commented while shaking his head.

"Yes, but what can we do? Only he can save himself from this."

"Angel!" I heard Elisa shouting my name, and she almost clung to me. "Please let me explain."

"Okay, I'm listening."

Elisa sent Harry a dirty look. "Leave us alone, Harry."

"No, he stays; he doesn't approve of an engaged woman being alone with another man." I countered Elisa, who looked annoyed but desperate.

"Angel, please."

"Start talking, Elisa. Minutes are passing."

"He was my boyfriend for a year. I wanted to give myself a chance, and I thought I loved him until I saw you again and knew that I still loved you." Elisa started with tears in her eyes.

"You were looking for your wedding dress in London when you saw me and told me that one of your aunts was sick. You spent your savings to help her, and you didn't ask your family for money because you had a rough patch with them. The story seemed strange to me, but I didn't doubt you." "Angel, I know what this looks like, but..." She tried to explain, but I held up my hand.

"You had the money he gave you, so you were able to travel around."

"I love you, and if I told you that I was with someone, you weren't going to help me. That's why I didn't tell you, knowing that you still loved me. I just got scared I would lose you again."

"Wow, how convincing and convenient for you, Elisa," Harry interjected, and Elisa sent him a deadly glare.

"Maybe if she will cry real tears, I'll believe her. What do you say? I don't know how she thinks I'm going to believe such a story."

"Angel, I'm telling the truth," Elisa begged, and her parents came to where we were.

"Elisa," her mother called her. Angel, are you two going to explain to us what all this is?"

"There must be a good explanation," her father says in controlled anger.

Elisa ignored her parents and looked at me. "Angel, listen to me."

"I'm listening to you, Elisa. You were dating him, you saw me in London, you realized that you loved me, and you lied to me, as well as the rest of your family."

"I didn't lie!" She cried.

"You had an ill aunt in London who made you spend all your savings, but you were actually buying a wedding dress. You needed money to return to the country, but you couldn't ask your parents because they couldn't know. But it turns out that your boyfriend gave you a lot of money. You said that we could get back together and that we were going to get married when I told you that I was already married. I asked you if you were dating anyone, and you denied it."

"Angel, I know everything looks bad, but I swear what I said was the truth, and what I felt was true." Elisa insisted, and I gritted my teeth.

"Truth? The same truth when you told me that I took your virginity in a drunken state and I believed you, only to find out that I didn't touch a hair of yours that day," I revealed, and her eyes widened. "The same truth with which you told me that you weren't with anyone at the university except me, that it was all rumors, and I believed you, but it turns out that you have a list of men where you even slept with professors. The same truth in which you told me that Sofia set me up when it's you that he's with and you two planned everything. Although I still don't know what you gained from that."

"What are you talking about, Angel?! Be careful what you say about my daughter!" Dave, Elisa's dad, angrily said.

"I'm not a man to make false statements about a woman, nor did I plan to say it in front of you, but, since Elisa insisted that she only tells the truth, I want to know which one she is referring to. Tell me, was I really the father of that child you were expecting or was I just the only idiot who believed you? Or did you not even know who the father was?"

"Pregnancy?" Hanna, her mother, interrupts with a loud gasp and a hand on her chest. "What pregnancy are you talking about?" She asks with two wide eyes, looking at Elisa.

"Elisa, your mother asked you a question," Dave intervened.

"What a surprise," I interjected. "How come you don't know about the pregnancy? Because, as far as I know, Elisa told me that when you found out, you told her that you were disappointed and ashamed of her."

"What the hell are you saying?!" Dave curses and grabs her by the arm. "What is Angel talking about, Elisa?!"

Elisa is pale, and I can see fear in her eyes. "Daddy, you're hurting me!"

"God, who is the daughter I raised?" Hanna exclaimed in disappointment while crying.

"Welcome to the club, ma'am. I don't know about you, but I must admit that she is a very good actress, and I was stupid in believing her. Rest assured that I have proof of everything I said, and your daughter is not a saint. She made me believe that she lost her virginity to me while I was drunk, so I assumed paternity to a child that perhaps is not even mine. I defended her from everyone who treated her badly, but it turns out that she was exactly as they claim to be because she even slept with professors for favors."

Elisa gasped loudly and warned me with a glare. "Angel!"

"Oh, you finally found your voice back? What, are you going to deny it? Because I have evidence, Elisa, and even more than one confirmed it to me at the faculty meeting." I took out a recorder where more than one admitted that they had slept with her. "And they are not the only ones." I approached her while her parents tried to understand what was going on. "I told you not to lie to me because I wasn't the same Angel from the university. I warned you to be careful with what you did, and because of you, I made the woman I love suffer, and that is something I am going to make you pay for."

"A-Angel." She stuttered and looked at me with fear, and I fed off it.

"You will know why people say that I am ruthless and cruel. Now, you better tell me the truth about how you lost the baby while I'm still being nice."

"I can't believe this," her mother interrupted. "What kind of daughter have I raised?"

"Elisa," we said, turning to Adkem, who, unlike before, now had an unfriendly look on his face. "Tell me everything I heard is a lie."

"Adkem..." Elisa muttered anxiously.

Ah, this turned out better than I imagined, and I hadn't planned it.

"You told me that you had been raped at the university; that's why you weren't a virgin," he revealed, and I almost laughed. "That since that day, you had never had anything with any man because you hated yourself until you met me. Was it all a lie?" Adkem asked with pain and betrayal in his voice.

"Welcome to the group," Harry tells him, gripping his shoulder. "I assure you one hundred percent that she was not raped and that more than one man touched her before you."

"Enough!" Elisa screamed, and everyone looked at her. "I..."

"I'm leaving. When you manage to get all the answers to my questions, let me know. Until then, keep in mind that we are not finished; you still owe me certain explanations." I declared, patted Adkem's back in sympathy, and sent a look at Elisa's parents' way.

I left all the chaos behind in the restaurant. I must admit that although I want to see her suffer for making a fool out of me, I couldn't care less about that anymore, and I only want to make her suffer because Sofia suffered because of me for believing in her lies, and I'm going to make Elisa pay me for it.

This is just the beginning for Elisa. I'm sure she didn't see everything happen tonight, and she's probably dying of anger, but now at least she knows who she messed with.