Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem novel Chapter 286

Just as Elliot and Evan had made it out of the neighborhood, Elliot said, "Mom called again, must be Elijah spilling the beans about the ceremony," Elliot whispered, a hint of mischief in his eyes.

"What now? If she finds out we met Elijah, she'll freak out even more!" came the worried reply.

"Just keep it under wraps. Mom's easy to fool."

Elliot found a quiet corner to take the call, his voice calm and collected, "I'm just hanging out at home."

Elysia's voice trembled with anxiety, "You're home, huh? But Elijah, he..."

"What about Elijah?"

Elysia lowered her voice, "His dad didn't talk to him about the details, but somehow Elijah knows everything that happened. Did you tell him?"

Elliot remained cool as a cucumber, "Not me. But you know, with all the people involved, someone else might have. Like Mr. Lowell, he was always around me and Elijah's dad, knew all the details, and he's on good terms with Elijah. Maybe he mentioned something."

Elysia paused, considering, "Right, I forgot about Lowell. He was there today, knew all about it."

Feeling somewhat reassured, she added, "Alright, you and your brother head to bed, sweetie. Mom will be home soon."

"Sure thing."

After hanging up, Evan asked, "What if Mom checks with Mr. Lowell?"

Elliot, ever the confident one, smirked, "She won't. Lowell's out of town. And even if he wasn't, Mom wouldn't make it so obvious. She's not going to risk looking suspicious."

"And what if Mom calls Blossom to check if we're really at home?"

Elliot's smile didn't waver, "Doesn't matter. Blossom's as gullible as Mom. Easy to fool."

...

Whatever the circumstances, it was his words that had dragged Elysia through the mud and into a pit of despair.

Suddenly, there was a knock on Elijah’s door.

Tarquin's voice came from outside, "Elijah, are you asleep? If not, I need to talk. There's something important I have to say."

Elijah frowned, hesitated, then shut down his computer and opened the door.

Tarquin entered, a complex mix of emotions on his face, "May I come in?"

Elijah moved back to his room, sitting by the window, clearly allowing the conversation.

As Tarquin took a seat opposite him, the air was charged with tension.

After a moment, Tarquin broke the silence, "Elijah, have you heard about my divorce, about what happened back then?"