Chapter 1

The intense passion in the bedroom finally subsided after two hours. The sound of water splashing against tiles soon echoed from the shower. Eleanor Thompson, still trembling, got out of bed and picked up her clothes from the floor. Nathaniel Carter had been rougher than usual today, leaving her feeling disoriented. She fumbled with the buttons of her pajamas, struggling to fasten them.

Nathaniel emerged from the shower, tall and strikingly handsome, with a towel wrapped around his waist. Water droplets glistened on his abs. Noticing Eleanor still in the room, he frowned slightly.

Eleanor avoided his gaze, continuing her battle with the buttons.

"Isabella will be discharged from the hospital tomorrow," Nathaniel said abruptly as he passed her. "Go pick her up. I've already told your mother she can stay here for a while."

Eleanor's hands froze mid-button. She turned to look at Nathaniel, her husband of two years and the heir to Amity Group. The woman he mentioned was her adopted sister, Isabella Morgan.

When Eleanor was five, she went missing at an amusement park and was only found at sixteen. By then, her parents, Edward Harrison and Margaret Bennett, had adopted Isabella. Edward had explained solemnly that during Eleanor's absence, Margaret had been inconsolable, leading them to adopt a girl from an orphanage.

Upon Eleanor's return, the family was reunited, but life wasn't as harmonious as expected. Eleanor had grown up in a rural village, while Isabella had been raised with all the privileges of the Harrison family, mastering dance, painting, and piano.

More importantly, the Harrison family had a prearranged engagement with the Carters. Nathaniel's fiancée had always been Isabella until Eleanor's return. Nathaniel and Isabella were childhood sweethearts, a bond disrupted by Eleanor's sudden reappearance.

Lost in thought, Eleanor quickly regained her composure, abandoning her struggle with the buttons. She pulled her clothes together and said, "Alright," before leaving the room. Her bedroom was at the end of the hallway.

On their wedding night, Nathaniel had told her he wasn't used to sharing a bed. Eleanor understood immediately and moved to the guest room without a word.

Eleanor was perceptive. Even when Nathaniel didn't inform her in advance about Isabella staying, she wouldn't question him. After all, this was his house. If he decided to replace the lady of the house, no one would object, and as his wife, Eleanor had no right to speak.

...

The next day, Eleanor drove to the hospital. Standing outside the hospital room, she heard voices inside.

"So, is Mr. Carter coming to pick you up today?"

"I'm not sure," Isabella replied softly. "He's always so busy with work. I doubt he'll come."

"That's not for sure. You're special to him. If Eleanor hadn't shown up back then, you would have become Mrs. Carter! Everyone in our circle knows Nathaniel likes you."",