3 An Elephant Is In The Room

'Then what?'

Ely rotated to his side. Due to the restrictive diets he had when he was younger, Ely found out that he was infertile. His mother decided to keep it a secret, especially hiding it from her husband. His mother reassured him that this didn't make him any less of a man.

In all honesty, Ely couldn't have cared less about it.

He wasn't bothered by the idea of being single or unable to become a father. Or not having the luxury at his fingertips. Although he didn't cross out the idea of a mansion he was fine without it as well.

Though he knew what would come of him if his father heard about his medical issue.

He'd curse the ancestors about the terrible fate brought on his son and agonize over wasted time with old geezers who only cares to flex their riches as they flaunted it in Liu's face.

With these thoughts, Ely added to the list of requirements his future wife had to uphold. One being, she didn't want kids either. They could pretend to be expecting, but adopt some kid that looks similar to them to keep up with appearances.

She'd have to at least have a decent face—he didn't expect her to be a supermodel but at least it wouldn't be like the start of a horror movie when he turned over and saw her face.

'She'd have to be hygienic.'

While traveling, Ely saw the difference between women who did take care of themselves and the ones that didn't. He didn't see the use of making his wife do the house chores since they could hire or cleaner or take turns.

The only thing that Ely found on his list that would be the one to make him say yes is, 'She can't like me.'

He was tired of the ruckus women who did admire him made if the women he married were similar to him. Understood the hustle, didn't care much about him unless it was needed, and could act on the spot. This would be enough to make him 'fall in love.'

Ely would be able to tell right away if they did like him or had no care of what he did or looked like.

Ely got up from his bed and tugged at the drawstrings of his pants before making his way to the table. For his tenth birthday, his mother desperately wanted to know what he wished for.

"You can tell Mom! It's okay if it's expensive Ely, do you think we don't have money? Mommy can get it for you," she knelt down in front of him before they went inside the house.

At the time, Wei's appearance was more elegant rather than something that showed her age. With a pencil skirt paired with a white blouse. She wore the jewelry her husband gifted her to bring attention to her neck and wrists. She wore her natural hair color—beach wave curls that came down to her collarbone, and a natural face of makeup.

Ely looked at her with an unchanged expression, "I want ice cream cake."

Wei's expression dropped as she looked at her son, "You only want that because of the other boys on set, what do you want?"

Her tone became coarse the more she looked into Ely's eyes, he didn't reply to her only looking down at his shoes.

"You're getting older, there has to be something you want, no?"

At ten years old, Ely kept his eyes on his shoes while his mother pushed her face into his view, "I want everyone to eat together," his mouth became more strained as he spoke.

His mother's face quickly brightened, "Of course, and then we could go to that place with the pretty sea! The one you liked, remember? We took you there when you were still a baby," Wei let out a few chuckles as she thought back at how disgusted small Ely was when a shell brushed past his leg in the water.

She took her son's hand in hers and quickly walked inside her heels clicking with every step, "Jin Yiang! Clear out everyone's schedule, we're taking Ely to that beach again and making a reservation at a restaurant with Liu on it as well!"

"Yes ma'am," Jin quickly opened her tablet to act on Wei's orders, she was a woman in her twenties. Jin especially liked working with the Calvillo Family since their son was a treasure in the show franchise.

Wei had taken Jin under her wing after learning she was a mother of two from a young age, a sympathy that was hard to come by in the cold gaze of others.

There were some days Wei would allow Jin to take Ely some days to play with her two daughters, Namine and Naeva under the agreement she didn't upload any photographs or go to crowded places. Jin never put the family in jeopardy but she did use old 35mm cameras to capture the moments Ely would play king and her daughters were the princess.

Ely understood that Jin was a kind woman and well-raised so he never ratted her out. Jin would compliment Ely's self-awareness during those days.

The dinner went normal, his father focused on how the restaurant looked while his mother kept touching up Ely's face and clothes, "Your bow tie is crooked again!"

The family came together to take a midnight walk at the beach barefoot, Wei dressed in a welcoming white dress, the father in beach shorts, and their son with a designer sweater, and tailored pants. Wei took group selfies with the two before blabbering the whole walk. Liu had zoned his wife out and Ely was more preoccupied with his reflection in the water.

When he was a baby Wei would take her son to various places, but the times he was most engaged were places that had water. She went to a shaman desperate to see if it was some curse by someone with an 'unwanted' [Divinity]—to her avail, the shaman said her son wasn't being hexed instead he was inconsolable.

Wei yelled at the elder for saying such things, "You ridiculous old man!"

Slamming the money onto the table, she left in a hurry but her chest felt lighter after yelling at the man. She continued taking Ely to the seas, and bodies of water in resent of the shaman, a way to prove him wrong.

However, there was a time Wei wasn't watching Ely as he played in the ocean and when she turned around he was completely submerged in the water, his face turned to the water instead of trying to get air.

She ran to her son screaming for help from others as she pulled her son out of the water.

"Mommy, I'm okay?"

Wei let out a groan of pain and worry as she held Ely close to her clothes completely soaked by the water while whispering sweet things in Ely's ears. Rocking him back and forth as he wrapped his arms around her.

The car ride back was silent as Wei bit on her tongue to hold back tears—reassuring herself she was overreacting.

She stayed at Ely's side until he fell asleep before she got up, and went to walk around the house silently weeping, Jin had been sent home early and her husband was out at a company's resort. Even if he was there he'd ignore his wife's cries, and go straight to sleep.

As Ely recollected his memories he stopped at one of the daughter's names, Namine. Unlike her sister, she detested Ely but never acted out on it because of her mother's words. Her face would immediately go cold when he stood next to her but in front of her mother, she acted as if he was her best of friends.

'Like Namine, someone like Namine.'

He knew Namine could be his wife if he wanted it, Jin would heavily push her daughter into it—Namine liked pleasing her mother. It would be no struggle, and if she still has the same mindset. It's no surprise she is also still single. Naeva, on the other hand, was the kind of woman Ely was trying to avoid.

Extremely possessive, clingy, and demanding of him. He remembers awkwardly trying to step away from her whenever they played make pretend.

Her face would pout into a sour tomato, "Why would you make sissy the queen?"

Ely would try to find small details to get her Naeva off his back, "Because she has a crown."

Namine sat further away from the two, her eyes watching aimlessly at the two of them. Keeping the side of her face held implanted into the palm of her hand.

Ely's skin crawled when he thought about what life would be like if he had a wife like Naeva. But his father would never allow him to marry Namine in the first place despite her having an exceptional psyche and face was considerable. She was intelligent as well, Ely could picture her being someone big in the field she pursued.

As he went to shut his eyes, his phone started to ring.

'It isn't Friday yet?'

His mother's face took up the screen of his phone, in the photo she had curtain bangs, and dark brown hair that was cut to her jawline. At the time, her husband would jester about her new look and that week she quickly changed it to something more fitting for her face. But, Ely still kept the photo saved.

He hit answer and put the call on speaker as he laid back down, "Yea Mom?"

Ely's mother's voice was delighted on the call, "Ely! Your father has some exciting news to tell you!"

'Why is she bringing up father now?'

There was only one justification that came to mind for Ely.