Chapter 42: I Am Elisha, and I’m Gay

Chapter 42: Chapter 42: I Am Elisha, and I’m Gay

The betrayal hurt more than he wanted to admit, not only because of what Jasmine had done tonight, but because of the realization that his own family, especially his mother, had been behind it.

Sniffing back his emotions, Elisha reached for his phone and checked the screen, hoping to see a message from Henry. But there was still nothing. He pushed the disappointment aside and immediately called his driver.

"Come back to the estate and pick me up," Elisha instructed, his voice firm. "I’m leaving this house immediately."

"Alright, sir. I’m on my way," the driver replied.

Elisha quickly pulled his clothes back on, buttoned his shirt, and slipped his shoes on. He wiped the tears from his face, took a breath, and walked out of the bedroom.

He strode down the hallway, descended the grand staircase, and entered the main living room.

His parents and sisters were still gathered there, apparently waiting for Jasmine to return with good news. But the moment Elisha walked into the room, fully dressed and wearing a cold, composed expression, they all fell silent.

Only Victoria sat quietly apart from the rest of the family. She kept her gaze away from her parents, her expression calm and detached, making it clear she wanted nothing to do with what had happened.

His mother hurriedly stood from the sofa, her eyes widening. "Son... how come you’re dressed?"

Elisha gave her a cold look. "Did you want me to come downstairs naked?"

His mother blinked innocently. "What do you mean?"

Elisha stepped closer, his dark, piercing gaze moving across every face in the room. "I’m deeply disappointed in all of you."

"Count me out of this, please," Victoria muttered from the corner.

His father slammed his hand against the armrest, his face reddening with anger. "Elisha! How dare you speak to us in that tone?"

"Father, let me speak before you start shouting at me!" Elisha shouted back, his voice trembling as he struggled to hold back his tears. "You sat right there and watched your wife set me up with a woman I don’t love! A woman I’ve rejected time and time again!"

He turned his tear-filled eyes toward his father. "When you wanted to marry Mom, did your own parents put you through something like this? Did they try to control who you married and how you lived your life? So why are you doing this to me?"

His mother rushed forward, wringing her hands nervously. "Elisha, please... we were only trying to help you! We just wanted to be sure you were functioning properly—"

His voice grew louder as the frustration he had carried for months finally spilled over. "The pressure is too much! You believe an outsider over your own son because you’re so desperate to see me married! I’m only twenty-four years old. Why are you rushing me into marriage like my life is already running out?"

His father frowned, his voice firm. "At your age, your mother and I were already settled down. We already had your sister, and your mother was already pregnant with you. So what are you saying? Twenty-four is not exactly—"

"That was your life!" Elisha cut him off, his voice breaking. "At my age, you and Mom already had children. So what does your timeline have to do with me? Because of your obsession, you schemed behind my back, forced me to spend the night here, and set me up with a woman I don’t even want!"

Tears spilled freely down his cheeks as he glared around the room. "What is wrong with both of you? Just because I’m your only son doesn’t give you the right to pressure me into doing something I don’t want!"

His mother stepped forward, her expression a mix of desperation and frustration. "Come on, quiet down and ask yourself that question, Elisha. Look at Henry, he’s already engaged. Look at other people your age. Some of them already have children. You have everything it takes to settle down, so what’s stopping you?"

Elisha let out a bitter laugh. "Fine. I was going to tell you all of this calmly. I wanted to sit down with you and explain everything properly, but you’ve made that impossible. So if this is how you want to do things, then fine. You’re all going to hear the truth, whether you’re ready for it or not."

He straightened his posture and wiped the wetness from his face. "I am not the person you’re comparing me to. I am Elisha."

His mother threw her hands up in frustration. "Then what are you waiting for? Just go find a woman and bring her home! I have never even seen you with one!"

"You’ve never seen me with one because I have no interest in any of them!" Elisha shouted.

The room fell completely silent. His sisters all snapped their heads up, staring at him in stunned disbelief, while his father’s expression hardened.

"Yes," Elisha said, his voice dropping into a steady, unyielding tone that echoed through the high-ceilinged room. "I have no interest in women because I’m gay. I love men, not women."

His mother staggered back a step, her face draining of color. "What...?" She took a dazed step toward him, her voice trembling. "Repeat what you just said."

"I’m gay," Elisha repeated, looking her dead in the eye. "I love men, not women—"

CRACK.

Before he could finish the sentence, a hard, stinging slap landed across his face. The force of it whipped his head to the side.

"You shameless boy!" his mother shrieked, tears welling in her eyes as she stared at him in disbelief. "Don’t you ever say something disgusting like that again! We can understand if you’re not ready to settle down yet, but why would you say you’re something you’re not?!"

"That’s the truth, Mom!" Elisha yelled back, holding his burning cheek, his voice cracking with pain. "Stop trying to force women on me! I love men. I’m gay, and it’s not a joke. I am completely serious!"

"No, no, no..." His mother clutched her head, swaying on her feet. "You can’t do this to us, Elisha! I raised you better than this!"

His father finally surged to his feet, his face purple with rage. "You cannot possibly be serious."

"Take it or leave it. That’s the truth," Elisha said, his voice cold and final as he looked between his parents. "I’ve come out to you now, so stop expecting me to marry a woman."

Without waiting for another word, Elisha turned sharply and walked toward the grand front doors.

Behind him, his mother stood frozen for a moment before her legs buckled. "No... no..." she sobbed, collapsing backward onto the sofa.

Panic erupted behind him as his father and sisters rushed over to catch her, calling her name in alarm. Only Victoria remained seated, watching the chaos with a detached, sorrowful expression.

Elisha didn’t look back. He grabbed the front door handle and pulled it open, stepping out into the cool night air.

Just as he reached the bottom of the steps, his driver’s car glided smoothly up the driveway and came to a halt. Elisha pulled open the back door, climbed inside, and slammed it shut.

"Drive," Elisha ordered, his chest heaving as the vehicle pulled away from the estate.

As the gates receded into the darkness, Elisha pulled his phone from his pocket, his hands still shaking from the confrontation. Without a second thought, he unlocked the screen and dialed Henry’s....