Chapter 1  Veiled Hearts

"I know you've been sleeping with my son for a year,” Mrs. Bernard yelled at her. "But now is the time for you to get out of his life." Eleanor struggled to find her voice, still reeling from the revelation. "I... I don't know what to say," she stammered. …………………………. It was a usual day in Eleanor's life, working diligently in the bustling kitchen of a popular restaurant. She was familiar with the busy surroundings, the sounds of kitchen activity, and the enticing aromas filling the air. She had mastered the daily tasks effortlessly. However, on that specific day, an unforeseen disruption broke her usual pattern. As Eleanor was busy preparing dishes, a coworker suddenly approached her, gasping for breath. "Hey, Eleanor," he said, trying to catch his breath, "the CEO wants to see you." Eleanor stopped in her tracks, her brow furrowing in confusion. "Why on earth would the CEO want to see me?" she wondered aloud, her voice tinged with surprise. Her coworker shrugged, looking equally puzzled. "I don't know," he replied, "but you better wash your hands and head to his office right away. He insisted on seeing you immediately." As Eleanor hurriedly washed her hands and left the busy kitchen, she felt a sense of unease. She had been working at the restaurant for a year but had only seen the CEO once before when he visited for a special occasion. His office, located on the upper floors, was a world apart from the bustling kitchen she was used to. As she walked towards the CEO's office, Eleanor was filled with a flurry of thoughts. Why did the CEO want to see her? Had she done something wrong, or was there some other reason for the meeting? The uncertainty made her hesitant, and her steps became increasingly slow as she approached the door, ready to face the unknown in the CEO's domain. Eleanor knocked on the door. "Yeah, come in," a stern voice replied from within. With curiosity and apprehension, Eleanor opened the door and entered the CEO's office. To her surprise, she found Mrs. Bernard, the CEO's wife, sitting at the desk instead of Mr. Bernard. Mrs. Bernard regarded Eleanor with an unreadable expression, making the atmosphere in the office even more uncertain. Her voice was shaking with worry and confusion as she spoke in a quiet voice. "Mrs. Bernard, I was told that the CEO wanted to meet me." Eleanor was staring right into Mrs. Bernard’s eyes, and her face was stiff and serious. "You're not good enough for the CEO to want to meet you," she told him straight out. "I wanted to talk to you." With a deliberate move, she threw a bunch of photos onto the table. The photos were all over the place, showing moments between Eleanor and her son, David Bernard. It was hard for Eleanor to believe what she saw when she looked down at the private pictures. How could Mrs. Bernard have known that she was having an affair with her son?  Eleanor started stammering. Mrs. Bernard leaned forward and locked her eyes with Eleanor. "I know everything. My son never keeps anything from me. I told him to keep his affair a secret. At the right time, I will talk to his dad." It was becoming clear to her that she was in the middle of a difficult and possibly life-changing conversation with the domineering Mrs. Bernard. Eleanor felt a flood of misery rush over her as Mrs. Bernard's disapproval weighed heavily on her. It was a terrible blow to know that her relationship with David, had been exposed and condemned. Mrs. Bernard placed another stack of photographs on the table, each one revealing a heartbreaking truth. Eleanor picked up one snapshot after another, each a painful reminder of David's betrayal. In one photo, he was seen passionately kissing Rita Myers on the cheek, their affection clear. The next moment, David and Rita hugged, their grins displaying genuine delight as if Eleanor never existed. The third shot showed Rita whispering something intimate into David's ear, showing their clear bond. Eleanor couldn't stomach looking at the photographs any longer. The misery of witnessing the man she had dearly loved in another woman's arms was unbearable. She averted her gaze from the pictures, tears welling up in her eyes, overwhelmed by pain and betrayal. She struggled to find her voice, her heart devastated by seeing that David had moved on with Rita Myers, leaving Eleanor to face the awful reality of their relationship's end. Mrs. Bernard's stern tone persisted, and her comments hit Eleanor like a cold, hard reality. "If you cannot leave my son," she asserted with a steely resolution, "then you can stay in his life as his mistress, just as you have for the past twelve months." The word "mistress" hung heavy in the air, carrying implications Eleanor hadn't considered. She was deeply saddened, but Mrs. Bernard's strong ultimatum left no space for dispute. Eleanor felt a shiver run down her spine when Mrs. Bernard made her threat. "But you should be more careful than before," Mrs. Bernard added, her eyes narrowing in warning. "If I see any single picture in the media with you and my son, then you will regret that day." Eleanor's sadness weighed heavily on her as she exited Mrs. Bernard's office. The weight of the news, the new reality of her relationship with David, and the stark ultimatum had all left her profoundly devastated. She went out of the office mechanically, her thoughts muddled and disorganized. Instead of going to the changing room to get her coat, she made her way across the restaurant, her uniform a harsh reminder of the life she had lived up to that point. It was a terrible night outside, with rain lashing against the windows and wind roaring fiercely. But Eleanor wasn't concerned about the harshness of the weather. As she stepped outside into the storm, the rain-soaked her to the bone as the wind ripped through her hair. She did not seek refuge or look for a means to protect herself from the storm's intensity. Her bodily suffering was nothing compared to the torment that engulfed her soul. Every step she took brought back painful memories of the shattered love and dreams she had held dear. Eleanor wandered through the storm, her tears mixing with the raindrops on her face. It seemed as if the storm outside reflected the turmoil inside her emotions. At the time, nothing else mattered but the raw misery she was experiencing, and she had no regard for the world or its elements.