Chapter 78

Eleanor refused to let the tears fall.

From a young age, she had learned that tears only moved those who cared for her, and Nathaniel certainly didn't fit that description. At this moment, her tears would only repel him.

Swiftly, Eleanor raised her hand and wiped them away.

Nathaniel stood across from her, observing her every move. His brows knitted slightly, but she didn't notice.

Instead, she pressed on, "Where were you that night?"

"What?"

"The night I lost the baby. Where were you?"

Nathaniel remained silent.

Eleanor's voice softened further, almost a whisper, as she asked, "Isabella told me you were at an auction. Buying her a birthday gift. Is that true?"

"She had mentioned wanting it before. As for what happened to you... It was an accident," Nathaniel explained.

He said it as if that could even be considered an explanation.

Eleanor couldn't help but laugh. It was as if she had just heard the punchline to the cruelest joke. Her body trembled with laughter, and her eyes were red-rimmed. Yet, not a single tear fell.

"Nathaniel, it wasn't an accident," she said. "Isabella pushed me down the stairs."

His brows furrowed deeply. The moment the words left her lips, he instinctively opened his mouth to deny it. But when his eyes met hers, the protest died on his lips.

"You don't believe she would, do you?" Eleanor asked.

"It's in the past," Nathaniel finally said.

"In the past?" Eleanor looked up. "Nathaniel, that was just a lifeless piece of flesh to you, right? But to me... that was my child.

"And when you came back, you didn't even ask me if it hurt.

"Also, where were you on our wedding anniversary? What about on my birthday? Where were you then?" She unloaded all the questions she had been holding in for two years—questions that had circled endlessly in her mind. Now, she finally found the chance to voice them.

Even though... they didn't matter anymore.

Nathaniel stared at her for a long moment before letting out a low laugh. "Are you interrogating me now? If you had so many questions, why didn't you ask before? Don't you think it's a little pointless to dig up old grievances now?"

Eleanor nodded. "You're right. It is."

Before today, Eleanor had never even considered asking these questions aloud. Just as Nathaniel said, these things were already in the past. Bringing them up now was pointless.

She didn't want to lose her last shred of dignity by breaking down and questioning him hysterically. But she couldn't hold back anymore.

The questions had been circling in her mind endlessly. If she didn't ask them, she felt like she might suffocate under the weight of them.

And now, Nathaniel's response told her everything she needed to know.

He hadn't explained anything back then, and he wouldn't do it now. He would only say it was all pointless. "Since it's pointless, I'm leaving," Eleanor finally said.

After saying that, she turned on her heel and walked forward. She had wiped her tears away, but her eyes were still red-rimmed. She couldn't stand to look at him anymore, and she kept her head down as she made her way to the door.

However, Nathaniel grabbed her arm.

She tried to pull away, but his grip only tightened.

"This is the real reason you brought up the past, isn't it?" he asked with a low chuckle. "You think dredging all this up will change what we talked about this morning? That it won't count anymore?"