Chapter 9

Chapter9

"Eleanor, are you doing well?" The words lingered in Eleanor's mind like an echo she couldn't shake. It had been so long since anyone had asked her that question—so long that she'd even stopped asking herself. The answer was obvious, yet she replied without hesitation, "I'm doing fine."

"That's good, then," Julian responded, his voice calm but distant. After a brief pause, the line went quiet.

"If there's nothing else, I'll hang up now," Eleanor said, her tone flat.

"Alright," Julian agreed.

Just as her finger hovered over the end call button, his voice cut through the silence again. "I'm sorry for leaving without saying goodbye back then. I've thought about you a lot these past years while I've been abroad." He paused, then added softly, "It's getting late. You should get some rest."

With that, Julian hung up.

Eleanor stood frozen on the stairs, her phone still pressed to her ear. Minutes passed before she finally lowered her hand and turned to head back to her room. That night, Nathaniel didn't come to her. Yet, sleep eluded her. Julian's call had stirred something deep within her, and her dreams were restless.

In her dreams, she was back in the early days after returning to the Harrison family. Edward and Margaret had thrown a lavish welcome party for her, but the guests' smiles were hollow. The whispers and sneers of her so-called peers echoed in her ears. They mocked her for her "country roots," laughing at her supposed ignorance of high society's luxuries.

The memory of the rooftop pool at the banquet hall came flooding back. A group of them had lured her to the edge, pretending to befriend her. Then, with cruel laughter, they pushed her in. The water had swallowed her whole, filling her lungs as she struggled to surface. The suffocation, the panic—it was all too vivid, even now.

Her eyes snapped open, her chest heaving. The unfamiliar yet familiar surroundings of Nivis Villa disoriented her for a moment. She blinked, grounding herself in the present. The dream was gone, but its weight lingered.

Eleanor glanced at the clock. There was still over an hour until her usual wake-up time, but sleep was out of the question. She lay there, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought. Then, the bedroom door swung open.

She turned her head sharply, her heart skipping a beat.

Nathaniel stood in the doorway, his expression unreadable. For a brief moment, surprise flickered in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by his usual composure. "Ten minutes. I'll be waiting downstairs," he said, his tone cold and commanding.

Then, he turned and left.

Eleanor frowned, confusion knitting her brows. "For what?" she called after him.

"The hospital. Didn't Victoria tell you?" Nathaniel's voice carried a hint of impatience as it drifted back to her.

Her hands clenched into fists. Of course, Victoria knew her well. She knew Eleanor would never willingly agree to a medical check-up, so she'd enlisted Nathaniel to force her hand. But when had they even spoken about this? Eleanor didn't know, and she didn't care to find out.

"Eight minutes," Nathaniel's voice cut through her thoughts again.

This time, Eleanor didn't look at him. She simply lay back down, pulling the covers over her. "I'm not going."

Silence followed. She knew her refusal had displeased him, but she didn't care. Before she could close her eyes and try to drift back to sleep, Nathaniel reappeared in the doorway. He strode over to her bed, his movements sharp and deliberate, and yanked her upright.

"I said I'm not going!" she snapped, pulling away from him. "Stop pretending you care, Nathaniel! You don't even want a child!"

His jaw tightened, but he didn't respond. Instead, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of bed, his grip firm and unyielding. Eleanor resisted, but it was no use. Nathaniel's determination was as cold and unrelenting as ever.

Today's Bonus Offer",