Stand By Me Darling
Chapter 107: He Helped Her Silently

Chapter 107: He Helped Her Silently

Talia didn’t want to stay awake anymore and lied on the bed with Rebecca gently not disturbing her.

Talia couldn’t sleep for sometime as her negative thoughts were overwhelming her and there was a part of her blaming her for being a failure.

But there was the other part in her that shone light to the darkness in her. She is worthy and there are a whole bunch of people who love her and would welcome her with open arms.

She can’t be that much of a failure, right?

She didn’t know when she fell asleep, but when Talia woke up, Rebecca was setting up hot pancakes on the table.

She looked out the window and it seemed like there was no blizzard and only some snowfall.

"You’re awake! Tallie, I’m thinking of leaving to my hometown today," Rebecca had a bright smile on her face.

Talia didn’t know she was glaring but her heart was filled with jealousy.

How come she can go to her hometown while I can’t?

"You are heartless!" Talia spouted and stomped her way to the bathroom to freshen up.

"Goodness! What’s with you this early in the morning? Had a bad dream?" Rebecca saw her friend acting odd at her and shrugged.

This one is such an oddball! Who’d guess what she thinks! That guy who fell for her must be a Saint!

When Talia came out of the bathroom, she could hear Rebecca singing,

"Country roads... Take me home... To the place... I belong..."

Talia sat on the chair with a thud snarling at Rebecca. While she sat the table moved a little and some coffee Rebecca kept in her side spilled.

"What a with you?" now Rebecca got a little irritated.

Can’t a hungry pregnant woman eat breakfast?

"I’m sorry," Talia cleaned the spill. She really went too far.

"They keep denying my visa, Rebecca," her voice broke. "It seems like I can never go back to Esteria," she held back her tears.

She really wanted to go back.

"Oh dear..."Rebecca rubbed Talia’s back. Now she felt bad. She was being senseless when she flaunted her return back to her hometown.

" Talia, how about coming with me? " Rebecca asked once more.

" I talked with them. I think they are not that keen in letting me travel now..." Talia pierced the pancake with her fork like she was slaughtering those poor pancakes.

Rebecca sighed. It seems like it is not easy to be a royal. You won’t even have freedom to move around as you wish.

Talia finished the breakfast in an attempt to check her phone for updates. But her phone had switched off since her battery died. So she put her phone in the charger and started cleaning her house. Cleaning was always therapeutic for her. Hearing the scrubbing noise and the bubbles brightening up the tiles, she’d feel excited. And the sound of the vacuum cleaner was also her melody.

After she finished cleaning her house, she took a shower and Talia felt uplifted. And as expected, Rebecca without even packing her luggage was sleeping peacefully on the bed making Talia smile.

She has become more sluggish!

Talia sat on the couch and as expected, there were many notifications.

Talia went straight to the articles from Financial news sources from Esteria about the shocking announcement of the Duke of Oakley about the change of leadership of his company to Arthur Sinclair.

It seemed like a sudden announcement for outsiders as it was reported. But for anyone working in the company, this wasn’t a surprise as they all expected this. They all knew Jerome was grooming Arthur to take on his mantle and most of them were compliant with Jerome’s wishes.

With this announcement, the fall in the stock prices also stabilised and was gradually going up. Even though Talia never got herself involved in the company, till then there was an instability regarding the successor of Northern Star. Many believed that no matter what, Jerome will pass on his legacy to his only living relative and that’s why news about Talia affected the stock prices till then.

Now that the line of succession is confirmed, the company has attained stability.

Talia was happy reading the news and there was a picture of her grandfather hugging Arthur and she was overjoyed seeing that picture. But something caught her eyes.

Her grandfather seemed shorter... A lot shorter than Arthur.

Was he always this short? Talia wondered. In her memories he was always a big and majestic man.

She haven’t seen Arthur with her grandfather back when she lived there. But surely her grandfather was not a short person.

But then realisation hit her and Talia held her chest clenching with sorrow.

It’s been ten years! Ten years is a long time!

As she scrolled down, there was a picture of Arthur in the podium, fixing the microphone as he was giving the toast and Talia saw his left hand holding the microphone probably while he was adjusting it, had no ring in it.

Her heart sank to the deepest part of the ocean seeing that.

He removed the ring?

But then, she was the one who asked for the annulment of their wedding and she knew it was a good plan to save her dignity.

It was her idea and Arthur is doing what she wanted. Even then, Arthur had left her without a word except to trust him and now Esteria is filled with people who hate her making it next to impossible for her to return. These facts made her heart feel very uneasy.

What if Fred decides to leave her? She is not that special!

She felt like she was hanging by a thread with raging deep waters under her.

But still... It is needed.

Now that she read proper news, she decided to check the social media platforms and she felt a chill pass through her spine seeing #Taliathetramp trending in Esteria.

There were various comments that talked about her serial seduction of men in the foreign country, using them as a cushion and stepping stone before leaving them for a better person. They didn’t forget to mention her marriage with poor Arthur Sinclair who was her first victim. She was the black widow spider who seduced men to her wicked web and sucked them dry as per those comments.

Those thirsty women who commented thought they could get Arthur for themselves if they were sympathetic towards him enough! That they can be the shoulder he could lean on to share his worries! In their dreams!

Of course Talia didn’t know these were all women who commented that but she decided them to be anyways!

Talia rubbed her hands together to warm herself up. Somehow these type of comments questioning her morality and character made her enraged. She was enraged at the commenters and even more so at Arthur.

How dare he let me get bashed like this? I only had three boyfriends and I didn’t even sleep with them. He knows about it. Why is he letting these people talk trash about me? Does he want to be coddled by thirsty women this much?

That guy! He threw the ring away and the next moment he went on acting pathetic to get into the pants of women! Idiot Fred!

Talia’s chest heaved up and down in rage and she almost threw her phone on the floor.

But then she has a slight belief in the corner of her heart that Fred is not such a person and searched for more stories.

That’s when she saw a new breaking story. The picture of the annulment of marriage certificate. The paper that officially stated that Talia Mary Ann Whiteford Brunton and Arthur Frederick Boswell Sinclair were never related legally. That the marriage that happened between them is illegal and invalid.

Talia bit her lips and leaned on the couch holding her heart. There was an odd feeling in her chest. She should be relieved seeing the proof that there is no relationship between her and Arthur, but all she felt was emptiness.

Well Talia, you wanted this! And it’s fine. Once this all blows over, you can get married to him, for real this time!

And Fred really tried to help you, don’t you see?

Talia consoled her heart. She noticed the date in the annulment certificate and she didn’t know how but he had changed the date to two days after their wedding ten years back.

Obviously he must have gotten the annulment only recently. He was proudly professing he’s her husband when he was here. But he has been considerate towards her and changed the date really closer to the day they were married so that no one would call her an adulterer.

’Oh, Fred! I love you so much!’

Talia who was raging at Arthur some moments ago, melted like ice on a summer day as soon as she saw the date. In fact it was her deep feeling. Her love for him was deep as the Mariana Trench yet she rarely realises it.

Even after that information, people were still cussing her. Even though she didn’t cheat on her marriage, she did have one too many relationship as per those people. Talia was surprised to see most commenters that were cursing her were all females.

Guess no matter what I do, no one will accept me, huh!

Talia lost her will to continue. She couldn’t help but scroll through other gossips. There were plenty. Ever since blogging became a thing, everyone thinks they are a journalist and starts writing whatever comes to their mind. But she was a bit consoled seeing some articles in support of her.

Guess not everyone in Esteria hates her.

And as she mindlessly scrolled through the hundreds of articles about her and Arthur, she found a specific one.

Arthur Sinclair might have found love again?

Talia got curious and clicked the article. The first few paragraphs were about the true love Arthur held in his heart and his waiting for Talia to return. It was why he wore the ring even after the marriage was annulled.

But yesterday when he attended the party, he was not wearing the wedding band on his left hand but another ring on his right hand. It was because of this ring did the poster of this article thought Arthur has found another love.

Talia was surprised by the attention to detail of the person who posted this and there was a zoomed in picture of Arthur’s right hand and Talia immediately recognised the ring.

There was a loud choir singing cheerily in her heart and she felt like a fluttering butterfly who found a nectar filled flower.

She frowned at one of the comments to that article. ’You douche! He wore that ring till now because he needed to make Old Brunton believe that he loves his granddaughter. Now that he got his company, he has no need to carry on with his act and threw away the ring! Don’t you remember? He is a Boswell! Divine love? Shame on you! There is no pure love in this word! If there is, it is only for money! ’

Talia snorted at the comment. She would have believed it if it was some days back but now.... She knows!

’Fred wore the ring I gave him! He removed the wedding band and wore the ring I gave him as a token on love!

I knew it Fred! I knew it! I never doubted you for a moment!’

Talia holding her phone in her hand, danced standing on her tip toes so not to awaken Rebecca. She was so happy. She forgot the cuss words written about her in the tabloids and comments. She only thought about Fred and became so happy.

Now that she knew everything was part of Arthur’s plan, she racked her brain about what it might be.

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