Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem



After Blossom had picked out her drink, Tarquin went ahead and ordered them some snacks.

Blossom, curious, asked, "More food, huh? Planning on making this a long chat? What about Elysia?"

That's when Tarquin chimed in, "She's upstairs sleeping. Didn't catch her husband today."

"Oh? Why not? That jerk still not willing to give Elysia a break?"

Tarquin shot back, "Her husband, he's got ties to the Bradford Group?"

"The Bradford Group? What's that scumbag got to do with them?"

It was clear she had no clue.

Tarquin probed further, "Did she ever mention anything else about him?"

Thinking for a moment, Blossom recalled, "Oh, right, her husband's into guys!"

"Into guys?" Tarquin was taken aback.

"Yeah! Elysia told me. I bet that jerk's dragging his feet on the divorce just so he can keep Elysia as his beard. To cover up his thing for guys." Tarquin frowned, all too familiar with the term "beard."

A beard is a woman married to a gay man, someone used as a cover-up, a victim sacrificed for the sake of secrecy.

Beards are helpless, pitiable.

They're either deceived their whole lives, never receiving love from their husbands, or they discover the truth and are left in despair.

If Elysia's deadbeat husband truly preferred men, that would explain his reluctance to divorce.

But that meant Elysia was the one suffering.

Annoyed, Tarquin's brow furrowed as he sent off a message to Lowell,

"Check who in the company is gay, ASAP!"

Putting away his phone, Tarquin calmed down for a moment before showing Blossom Daphne's information,

"Do you recognize her?"

Blossom glanced at the photo and her info for a while before shaking her head, "Don't know her."

Blossom and Winona Newsom had only met Elysia in college, aware only of her three terrible relatives, nothing more.

Since the Thorne family didn't reside in Jindale City, she'd never met them.

Winona, however, had encountered the Thorne family once, a memory Blossom vividly remembered.

It was a Saturday, and Elysia was working her usual part-time job at a local café.

The Thorne family barged in demanding money from her, with Winona happening to be there.

That day, following a dispute over Zane, Winona had argued with her parents. They disapproved of Zane, calling him a social climber unsuitable for a lady of Winona's stature, insinuating he was after her wealth.Original content from NôvelDrama.Org.

Winona, sharp yet hopelessly romantic, had fallen hard for Zane, determined he was "the one," regardless of anyone's opinion.

In the throes of love, she couldn't stand any criticism of Zane, leading to a fallout with her parents.

She stormed out, seeking solace with Elysia at the café.

As the Thorne family stormed in, demanding money and hurling insults, calling Elysia ungrateful, Winona was shocked.

While most parents support their children's education, the Thorne family was the opposite, not only refusing to contribute but also demanding money from Elysia!

Elysia, still a student, obviously had none to give.

When Elysia refused, the Thorne family threatened to cause a scene at her school, ensuring everyone knew of her "ingratitude."

Winona's sense of justice was outraged.

Ignoring Elysia's protests, she generously handed over a thousand dollars to the Thorne family.

The scene that followed was chaotic...

The Thorne family left, pleased with the money, while Winona, rejecting Elysia's attempt to repay, tore up the IOU and tossed it in the trash. She then, in her seven-centimeter heels, chased after the Thorne family, leaving the café behind.