TRULY YOURS - CHAPTER 61&62 [FINALE}
★𝕬 𝕿𝖔𝖚𝖈𝖍 𝕺𝖋 𝕻𝖆𝖗𝖆𝖉𝖎𝖘𝖊★
𝓕𝓲𝓿𝓮 𝔂𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓼 𝓵𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓻…
“Alright people, we are live in ten minutes! Ashley, outfit check!”
“All ready, Mr. King.” Ashley responded nervously.
“And where is our star?! This whole concert is a bust without her!” Mr. King yelled.
“She’s with the hairstylist, sir. She’ll be done before you know it.”
“She better be. I’m going out now to make the announcement. Everything better be ready in five.” He said then stormed out of the backstage. Ashley let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding and found her way to the dressing room.
“How’s it going here?” She asked and the stylist moved away.
“All done.” She said with a satisfied smile as she stared at the artist in awe.
“You look amazing, Ms. Queen.” Ashley complimented and Eleanor finally turned around with a smile.
“I told you not to call me that. Eleanor is fine.” She stated and Ashley bobbed her head with a smile. She had worked with a lot of artists but none were as humble and spirited as Eleanor.
“Mr. King wants you out in five. Are you ready?” Ashley asked and Eleanor turned back to the mirror. The lady staring back at her was no longer a naive teenager but now an accomplished young woman, and famous artist.
If anyone had told her her story would lead her right up to this point, she might not have believed them at first. She always felt she was destined for fame, for greatness, and meant to shine, and now that she had that, everything else was worth it.
“I’m ready.” She said with a bright smile then left the dressing room with Ashley following behind.
★
“Ladies and gentlemen… The moment you’ve all been waiting for is finally here! Performing tonight is none other than your Queen, our Queen… Eleanor Queen!!!” Mr. King announced and loud cheers erupted amongst the seven thousand plus audience.
“We love you, Eleanor!!”
“You’re amazing!!”
“Please be my girlfriend!!!”
Fans kept screaming on top of their voice which made Mr. King very pleased as he knew that the louder the screams, the bigger his income.
“Alright alright, now let’s give it up for Eleanor as she performs her hit song from her album Truly Yours!!!” Mr. King announced and the audience went wild.
Yes, Eleanor had successfully released an album of her own with the title Truly Yours which comprises ten songs, each talking about her past experiences and her personal growth over the years. Her first solo song and the first on the list of the album was titled It All Started With A Kiss, and got her name out in the music industry as it went overboard with more than a million streams on all streaming platforms she had uploaded it to.
This was the lyrics she had scribbled down on her way to meet with her aunt five years ago and at first she wasn’t sure whether or not to release it but later did and now here we are…
Eleanor gracefully walked into the stage as the light got dimmed with only light rays focused on her. She had on a soft, pale blue pixie gown with a subtle shimmer effect, giving it an ethereal quality. The bodice was fitted, with delicate lace and intricate floral patterns embroidered along the edges. The sleeves long and flowing, with tiny bell-shaped cuffs that added a touch of whimsy.
The skirt was full and flared, with multiple layers of sheer tulle that created a light, airy effect, with the hem slightly asymmetrical, and the front edge slightly shorter than the back, creating a playful, mischievous touch.
The overall effect is one of delicate, whimsical charm, making it seem as though Eleanor had stepped out of a mythical forest glade. The gown seems to shimmer and shine in the light, along with her radiating rosy skin. She looked perfect, her hair was let to fall down her back like a dark river, it was styled in loose and effortless curls with a few stands framing her face and highlighting her delicate features.
Eleanor didn’t need to introduce herself since Mr. King had already done that, so she just signaled the band behind her and they began playing the intro of one of her songs titled A Touch Of Paradise.
𝓘 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓭𝓸𝔀𝓷, 𝓘 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓵𝓸𝓼𝓽 (𝓘 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓬𝓻𝓾𝓼𝓱𝓮𝓭)
𝓘 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓫𝓻𝓸𝓴𝓮𝓷 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓘 𝓷𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓱𝓪𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽,
𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓼𝓸𝓶𝓮𝔀𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮, 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓼𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓱𝓸𝔀, 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓼𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓬𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓶𝓮𝓷𝓭 𝓶𝔂 𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼.
𝓐𝓷𝓭 𝓪𝓽 𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓼𝓽 𝓘 𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽 𝓘 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓭𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓰,
𝓐𝓷𝓭 𝓲𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓭𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓶 𝓘 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓼𝓾𝓭𝓭𝓮𝓷𝓵𝔂 𝓼𝓬𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓰.
𝓐𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓫𝓮𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓲𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓵𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽, 𝓪𝓽 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓼𝓶𝓲𝓵𝓮𝓼 𝓘 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓵𝓸𝓼𝓽
𝓐𝓷𝓭 𝓘 𝓴𝓷𝓮𝔀 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓷 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓘 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓯𝓮𝓮𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓰…
𝓟𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓭𝓲𝓼𝓮… 𝓟𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓭𝓲𝓼𝓮…
𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓱𝓮𝓵𝓭 𝓶𝔂 𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓲𝓽 𝓯𝓮𝓵𝓽 𝓼𝓸 𝓻𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽.
𝓘 𝓷𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝔀𝓪𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓽𝓸 𝓵𝓮𝓽 𝓰𝓸, 𝓬𝓪𝓾𝓼𝓮 𝓻𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓷 𝓘 𝓴𝓷𝓮𝔀 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓲𝓽 𝓯𝓮𝓵𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓪 𝓽𝓸𝓾𝓬𝓱 𝓸𝓯 𝓹𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓭𝓲𝓼𝓮…
The audience sang along while some kept screaming at the top of their lungs. Eleanor’s voice was so enchanting, and mesmerizing that most of them had goosebumps all over. After the wonderful performance, a fan meeting was held for Eleanor to interact with her fans as usual. The line was pretty long but Eleanor didn’t mind. She loved talking with her fans and signing her autograph on her merch which they purchased during every concert.
“Next please.” Eleanor called out after she had rounded up with the current fan. A young woman walked up to her with a kid holding onto the hem of her dress tightly. She had on a face cap that Eleanor couldn’t properly see her face.
“Oh my goodness, your child is so adorable.” Eleanor beamed as she stared at the little one who looked like he didn’t care about anything else but his mom.
“Yeah, he’s perfect.” The woman responded sweetly before turning to Eleanor. “You look really happy, I’m glad.” She said, and Eleanor furrowed her brows.
“Um… Thanks I guess. Where should I sign?” She asked but the woman shook her head.
“Actually, I would love for you to spare me a few minutes of your time… To talk.”
“Of course, it’s a fan meeting after all. Go ahead.” Eleanor responded cheerfully but the woman shook her head.
“Alone please.” She requested but Eleanor only stared at her feeling perplexed. Something about the woman felt familiar but she couldn’t wrap her fingers around it.
“I’m sorry but I don’t think that’s allowed.”
“Even for me?” The woman asked and slowly took off her cap. Eleanor’s eyes went wide in shock as she stared at the last person she was expecting to see. “It’s so nice to see you again, Eleanor.”
“Beatrice? H-How?” Eleanor stuttered, her gaze averting from Beatrice to the kid then back to Beatrice. This was really unexpected.
“Can we talk?… Please?” Beatrice pleaded and Eleanor stared at the line of excited fans. They were still a lot and she didn’t want to keep them waiting.
“Maybe later. There’s a pastry shop nearby, let’s meet up there in an hour.” Eleanor said with an apologetic gaze and Beatrice bobbed her head.
“Alright then, I’ll be waiting.” She responded before walking away. Eleanor stared at her retreating back until she was out of view, she let out a sigh as she wasn’t expecting to come clashing with her past again but with her current fame, it’s only normal for people from her past to locate her.
“Omg!! I can’t believe I finally got to meet you in person! You’re like my role model Ms. Queen and I… ” The loud yapping of the fan snapped Eleanor back to reality and she resumed the signing process.
★ ★ ★
_𝕋ℍ𝔼 𝔹𝔸𝕂𝔼 𝕂𝕀ℕ𝔾’𝕊 𝕊ℙ𝕆𝕋_ 𝟙 ℍ𝕆𝕌ℝ 𝕃𝔸𝕋𝔼ℝ
★ ★ ★
Eleanor slowly walked into the shop, uncertain if Beatrice would come by or not but to her surprise, she was already seated at the closet table to the door with her child who was already stuffing his face with a brownie.
“Eleanor, you came!” Beatrice exclaimed when she spotted Eleanor.
“You thought I wouldn’t?” Eleanor asked as she took a seat at the table.
“I thought you wouldn’t even agree to talk with me at all.” Beatrice replied with a sad tone, her expression filled with nothing but guilt and regret.
“Well it wasn’t an easy choice. How did you find me?” Eleanor asked as she had been curious about that fact for a while.
“Rich parents, remember?” Beatrice said with a slight chuckle. “It wasn’t hard, when I came across one of your videos online, I immediately looked your name up and bought a ticket to your next live performance.” Beatrice explained and Eleanor bobbed her head. Her gaze diverted to the little boy who was only focused on his brownie.
“Is he really yours?” She asked and Beatrice bobbed her head.
“He’s the best thing that ever happened to me.” Beatrice responded as she stared at her son in admiration.
“So you’re married now?”
“Oh no I’m not. I don’t think I’m ready for that right now.” Beatrice replied but Eleanor only stared at her in a confused state. If she wasn’t ready for marriage, why then did she already have a kid?
“His father is okay with that?” She asked, feeling perplexed.
“He um… He doesn’t know.” Beatrice responded faintly.
“Do you at least know who the father is?” Eleanor asked and Beatrice bobbed her head.
“Wyatt… The one from Ousen… He broke up with me when he found out about… About what Lisa and I did to you. I found out during the school trip and was going to tell him when we got back but then things didn’t end well with us so…” Beatrice paused and let out a sigh.
Eleanor thought about what she said and it finally dawned on her. That day, she remembered how Beatrice kept eating as though her life depended on it. If things hadn’t gone the way they did, she would have actually pointed it out to her.
“So you didn’t tell him all those years?” Eleanor asked with a slight frown.
“I couldn’t tell him. He was so pissed at me that day that I feared he might try to take Damien away from me and raise him without me once he’s born.” Beatrice responded and Eleanor frowned even harder.
“That’s your fear? Have you thought about what your son Damien wants? He deserves to have a father in his life or at least a father figure.”
“I’m going to raise my son myself. I can’t risk losing him. It’s my choice—”
“Or really?” Eleanor asked, cutting Beatrice off. “Like you chose to stab me in the back?” She added and Beatrice’s face fell.
“Eleanor… I regret what I did to you so much that it eats me up every time I remember. You didn’t deserve any of that, you were young and a bit confused but you didn’t deserve being hurt like that.” Beatrice said, and Eleanor’s expression turned cold.
“Is that supposed to be an apology or an excuse?” She asked harshly.
“I didn’t mean it that way. I’m really sorry Eleanor. I wish I could take things back and make better choices but—”
“But you can’t.” Eleanor said, cutting her off. “You can’t change the past, Beatrice and honestly, I don’t want you to. Because it was thanks to you and Lisa that I am where I am now. It was thanks to both of you that I was able to step out of my comfort zone and let my light shine. So as much as I would have loved things between us to take a better turn, I’m actually glad things turned out this way.” Eleanor said with a smile that wasn’t directed at Beatrice.
Beatrice let out a defeated sigh. “Do you think you could ever forgive me?”
“You hurt me when I was at my most vulnerable, Beatrice. I loved you like family and you returned my love with a bullet. I may not hold a grudge against you anymore but I can’t bring myself to trust you like that ever again.” Eleanor replied and Beatrice bobbed her head.
“I understand. Thanks for meeting with me at least.” she said with a smile.
“I did it for old time sake.” She replied and Beatrice smiled.
“I’m glad you’re finally the star you deserve to be. Everyone would be so proud.” She remarked but Eleanor just frowned.
“The last time I remember, everyone wanted to prove they were better than me.”
“That’s not true. We all acknowledged how talented you were. Lisa only felt thr_@tened because of—”
“Gavin?” Eleanor asked, cutting her off.
“Yeah.” Beatrice replied with a sad expression.
“Well I hope she’s happily married now with her prince charming now that I’m out of the picture.” Eleanor said with an eye roll but Beatrice shook her head.
“The wedding fell through.”
“What?” Eleanor asked, feeling a bit confused. She was certain she heard Lisa say her wedding with Gavin would be two days after they returned from the trip.
“Gavin never showed up. According to what was discovered, he ran away with his sister Alice. They couldn’t keep tolerating being controlled by their parents like that so they left. No one has seen or heard from them in years.” Beatrice explained and Eleanor pressed her lips in a thin line.
She felt a bit guilty now for ignoring Gavin’s calls and messages all those times. She had no idea that he actually went against his dad head on. He must have felt lonely and reached out to tell her but she ignored him.
“I guess he also got what he wanted… Freedom from Mr. Gerald.” Eleanor muttered.
“Jake too.” Beatrice continued and Eleanor furrowed her brows.
“What happened to Jake?”
“He left the city too. We found out later that his mother had regained her memories and it turned out Julius wasn’t his biological father. Jake and his mom wanted a fresh start so they left the city. We don’t know where they went though —”
“Why are you telling me all these?” Eleanor cut her off with a frown. If Beatrice thought for a second that telling her this would change the way Eleanor felt about their betrayal, she was wrong.
“I just thought you wanted to know…” Beatrice muttered sadly.
“You ruined my relationship with Jake and any chances I had with Gavin and now you pop out after five years to do what? Redeem yourself?! You chased away the two most important people I had in my life for your so-called friendship. Why aren’t you with Lisa now? Why are you here? If you think this would change anything, you’re wrong.” Eleanor snapped, her eyes tearing up but she forced the tears back. She didn’t want to cry in front of Beatrice, she didn’t want to show her weakness anymore. She was a better version of herself now, and Beatrice didn’t deserve to see the fragile side of her anymore.
“Eleanor I’m sorry. I would kneel or lie down or do wh@??ver you want me to do if it means gaining your forgiveness. I was young and foolish and I drove away the most important person in my life. Everyday without you was hell for me Eleanor. I missed you so much I couldn’t eat for days and almost lost my baby —”
“Don’t blame this on me, Beatrice. You brought it all upon yourself.” Eleanor cut her off and Beatrice let out a sigh. She knew now that there was no fixing anything. The damage had already been done, the scar had already been made and couldn’t be removed that easily.
“I understand.” She said and dug her hand into her purse. “There is a little get together dinner holding at Ousen in three weeks for ex graduates. If you feel like it, you can attend.”
“And why should I? It’s going to be filled with people who never cared about me.” Eleanor said with a frown.
“I care about you, Eleanor. I always have, I was just too stupid to realize that. If you feel our friendship is long gone and buried, that’s fine but there’s someone else who has cared about you from the beginning and would love to see you. At least give him a chance.” Beatrice said as she pushed the invitation card towards Eleanor then stood from the seat. Damien followed immediately.
“Bye, Miss.” The four year old boy said in his cute childish voice.
“I wish you all the best Eleanor. Thank you for being my friend, I would forever treasure our memories together.” Beatrice said with a sad smile, a tear drop escaped her eyes and she quickly wiped it off.
“Mummy don’t cry.” Damien said with pleading eyes as he stared at his mother who was his entire world. Beatrice carried her son and kissed his forehead. She felt she didn’t deserve him because of the things she had done to Eleanor but the universe decided to bless and curse her. Damien was a daily reminder of her bad choices and her blessing as well because she loved him more than she had ever loved anyone.
She stared at Eleanor one more time, the sister she could have had but lost… This might be the last time they meet or not but she was glad she got to see her again. “I love you, Eleanor. You’ll always be my beloved sister.” She said and began walking towards the exit.
Eleanor stared at the card and then back at Beatrice. She wasn’t sure what to make of her emotions at that point but she knew that she still loved Beatrice. Even with the betrayal, she never stopped loving her. It was a bittersweet feeling and she knew that the only way to get her closure from her past, was to go back to where it all started. She was also curious to know whom Beatrice was referring to. Could it be Jake? Or Gavin? Or Bryan? Or probably someone she doesn’t even know? There was only one way to find out.
“Trice…” Eleanor called for the first time in five years and Beatrice turned around immediately, her eyes wide in shock as though she too wasn’t expecting it.
“Yeah…” She answered.
“I’ll think about it.” Eleanor responded with a smile, a genuine smile that was directed at Beatrice this time around. Beatrice returned the heartwarming smile as tears escaped from her eyes. She wasn’t sure if Eleanor had decided to forgive her or not, but this alone gave her hope, it was more than enough.
As Eleanor watched Beatrice leave the shop, she felt a sense of peace, the same she felt when she left five years ago. She was indeed a better version of herself and she loved this side of Eleanor very much. She might not have ended up with Jake, but she was happy he got his happy ending with his mom. Gavin might not be in her life anymore, but she was glad he finally got the freedom he wanted and as for Bryan… She hoped that he was doing alright.
Her journey has taught her that life isn’t always what you expect. We won’t always have our ways with things like love, friendship, career, and family. We shouldn’t be afraid of change, as change is constant. Sometimes we gain and sometimes we lose. Sometimes we laugh and sometimes we cry. Sometimes we live and at some point we die. We just have to embrace every moment and make the most of it because life happens to you when you least expect it.
And with that, Eleanor ordered herself a banana flavored cake to call it a day. She was finally happy, and at peace and that feeling is worth a thousand heartbreaks.
.
.
.
🌌 🎀 𝒯𝐻𝐸 𝐸𝒩𝒟 🎀 🌌
What’s your favorite scene or chapter in Truly Yours?
Who’s your favorite character?
How do you find the ending? (Happy, sad, not satisfied or in-between all?)
What did you learn from Truly Yours?
Have you had any similar experiences in life (betrayal) and how did you handle it? (Feel free to share with us but this is optional)