Chapter 3: Leaving, Two Hearts That Could Not Be Warmed

At eight that evening, Eleanor waited in the living room for Alexander and Ollie.

Both of them came in smiling. The moment they saw her, both smiles vanished at once.

"Mommy..." Ollie stood stiffly and called out, awkward.

Alexander only glanced at her. He had no intention of speaking. He took Ollie's hand and started for the stairs.

"Alex, Ollie, where did you go this afternoon?" Eleanor asked quietly.

Ollie pressed his lips together and looked at her. He thought for a moment, then began, "Mommy, Daddy and I..."

"Ollie. Go upstairs and wash up."

Alexander cut him off before he could finish, patted his son's back, and nudged him toward the stairs.

Ollie looked from one parent to the other. He glanced back three times before he climbed the last step.

The living room fell silent. Eleanor looked at Alexander. "Alex, we're husband and wife, and Ollie is my son too. Why do you guard him from me like I'm a thief? Do you think I would hurt my own child?"

Alexander let out a mocking laugh. "Eleanor. What did I tell you the day we married?"

Her face stiffened. The memories rushed back like a tide.

---

Five years ago, she had become pregnant, and Alexander had been forced to marry her.

There was no announcement. No wedding. Only a signed marriage certificate.

That night, he had thrown the paper onto the floor and stared down at her like a warning. Even now, she remembered every word.

He told her he didn't like her. That he hated her, even. That he would never have given in if not for the pressure from his grandmother.

He told her that apart from that piece of paper, nothing between them would change, and she was not to interfere in his affairs.

And finally, he told her not to think of the pregnancy as an excuse to slack off. It was her duty, and she had better do it well.

Perhaps because everything had changed between them, Alexander grew colder and more ruthless. At work, he came down on her again and again.

She remembered being four months along when a project went wrong. Alexander had torn into the entire team, and he hadn't spared her.

She had almost lost the baby while working overtime and had been rushed to the hospital. She stayed there a week, and he never came.

Even on the day she went into early labor, he left her alone at the hospital because of a meeting.

Thinking back, Eleanor could hardly breathe.

"I agreed to marry you five years ago for Grandmother's sake. That doesn't give you the right to meddle in my life!" Alexander looked at her pale face and sneered. "So don't think of yourself as my wife. You aren't qualified."

She leaned against the sofa and struggled to keep her voice from shaking. "So now you're giving my child to someone else?"

The only answer she got was a scornful snort.

He said nothing more. But Eleanor knew she was right.

Alexander had never stopped her from talking to Ollie over the years. But three years ago she had been sent to Ravenmoor, leaving just when her son needed her most, and Vivian Sterling had been free to come and go through the manor every day to look after him.

As his real mother, all she had left were holiday visits and daily video calls to ease her longing.

Eleanor's lips curved, and a sad laugh escaped her.

Was Alexander now going to strip her of even her rights as Ollie's mother?

He gave her one last warning look, walked past her, and went straight upstairs.

Eleanor closed her eyes and swallowed the bitterness. Then she slowly slid to the floor, her hand still clutching the sofa.

---

Half an hour later, she had pulled herself together. She went upstairs and knocked on Ollie's door.

"Come in."

She pushed the door open. Ollie looked up. "Mommy."

Eleanor hummed, set the milk in front of him, and quietly smoothed his blanket.

Ollie watched her, frowning, thinking hard.

What does Mommy mean? Is she putting on a cold face on purpose, to show me she's angry?

But she's the one who came back without telling anyone!

He had promised Lily's mommy ages ago that they would go out together today. If he had canceled to be with Mommy, Lily's mommy would have been sad. Daddy said you should never make the person you love sad. That was why he couldn't abandon her!

Ollie walked up to Eleanor and spoke first. "Mommy, are you angry?"

She paused and looked at him. "No."

He sat on the bed and swung his legs, then pouted. "Mommy, you are angry. Why are you lying to me...?"

"But Daddy and I didn't do it on purpose. He works so hard every day to take care of us. When we were about to leave today, something went wrong at his office, so I went with him on a business trip. Mommy, you should feel sorry for us!"

"And anyway, it's my birthday. I'm not even mad yet..."

He said the last part quietly, but she still heard it.

The last scrap of hope in Eleanor's heart went out.

He was lying to her.

She knew exactly why. He wanted to hide that he had spent his birthday with Alexander and Vivian.

Strangely, the hurt and disappointment, even the anger, vanished all at once.

She looked at her son and stroked his cheek, calm. She was smiling, but there was hardly any warmth in it.

"I see. I understand."

Seeing that, Ollie giggled and hugged her, looking up innocently. "What about the cake you got me, Mommy? I can eat yours first. It can count as my birthday!"

Eleanor calmly pulled his hands away and tidied his little pillow. Then she stood. "The cake melted. Someone already took care of it."

"If you want some, I'll buy you another one tomorrow."

"Okay!"

She told him to go to bed early and left the room with the empty cup.

Ollie dropped his arms and patted his round belly. He had eaten plenty of cake with Lily's mommy today. Lucky for him that Mommy's cake was gone, or he wouldn't have had room for even one bite!

He thought of the day at the amusement park and smiled. Then he picked up his phone and sent Vivian a *good night*.

---

The next morning, after Alexander and Ollie had left, Eleanor came downstairs at nine with a suitcase in hand.

Mrs. Porter saw it and asked, "Madam, are you leaving already?"

Eleanor forced a smile. "I have something to take care of. Also, I'll be sending something to Alexander later. Would you please pass it to him?"

Mrs. Porter hesitated. "...Of course."

Eleanor pulled her suitcase out the door. The wind swept her hair back, and Mrs. Porter gasped. "Madam, your forehead is swollen! Let me put some ointment on it!"

Eleanor touched it, and a trace of mockery curled at the corner of her mouth.

Yesterday, on the way to buy the cake, a car had hit hers from behind. The waiter at the restaurant had noticed the scrape on her arm. Mrs. Porter had noticed the swelling on her forehead.

Only the two people she loved most hadn't said a single word.

She closed her eyes. "It's fine. Thank you."

She walked away with her back straight.

Mrs. Porter watched her thin figure go and frowned. From the way the lady carried herself, she must have found out what happened and been hurt by it. But Mrs. Porter was only the housekeeper, and it wasn't her place to speak.

---

An hour later, Eleanor stood at the door of Willowbrook Court and rang the bell.

The door swung open in two or three seconds, and she was pulled into a crushing hug.

"You rotten girl, you're finally back!"

"You're strangling me..."

"I should strangle you! You heartless little traitor, forgetting your best friend the minute you got a man!"

Eleanor had no reply.

Over the years, between work and family, she really had neglected so many of the people who loved and cared for her.

"Okay, okay, I'm kidding. Come in." The woman pulled her inside.

On the sofa, Eleanor and Chloe Bennett sat side by side, pillows hugged against their chests.

When Eleanor finished telling her everything, Chloe asked, "Have you really decided to divorce Alexander?"