Beyond Goodbye: No Us Anymore

Everyone believed that Harrison Luther loved Eleanor Sutton beyond reason.

If not for what came later, Eleanor herself would've believed it, too. She would've believed in his sincerity for the rest of her life.

But reality was always far crueler than imagination.

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself standing outside the mansion, her hand resting on the door she was about to push open.

"E-Eleanor?"

Kieran Zeigler shot to his feet from the couch, clearly flustered. "What are you doing here?"

Eleanor didn't answer him. Her gaze slipped past him and landed in the garden.

There, Harrison was feeding a spoonful of mushroom soup to her best friend, Winona Birch, his movements slow and careful, his expression gentle.

Kieran followed after her, panic creeping into his voice. "Eleanor, please don't misunderstand. It's not what you think. Harry's doing this for you."

For her?

Eleanor laughed coldly to herself.

What a ridiculous excuse, and yet it was identical to the one she'd heard in her previous life.

Back then, when Winona had shown up pregnant, Harrison had said the same thing, and she'd believed him.

What followed was watching him smile tenderly as he stood beside Winona and her child while growing colder toward Eleanor by the day, until Eleanor died in a rainy night.

Kieran started again. "Eleanor—"

"Shut up."

She looked at the couple standing together so naturally, slipped the wedding ring off her finger, tossed it onto the ground, and turned away.

She had barely stepped back into the house, and the entryway light hadn't even been turned on yet, when the door behind her was pushed open.

Just like before, he spoke first. "Eleanor, listen to me. I can explain."

"Explain?" Eleanor finally said, her voice hoarse. "Fine. You can explain to me why Winona is carrying your child."

Harrison paused before answering, "My mother wants a grandchild. As long as we give her what she wants, we'll be able to stay together in the long run."

He reached for her hand, but Eleanor pulled back sharply.

Harrison took a box out of his pocket. "Eleanor, I promise you that even if there's a child, you'll always be my only one."

Inside was a diamond necklace known as "One and Only", which he'd bought at an astronomical price.

Eleanor sneered inwardly.

In her previous life, that necklace had belonged to Winona. Now, he was handing something meant for his mistress to her instead.

His idea of being someone's one and only was laughably cheap.

Still, she let him fasten the necklace around her neck. The diamond pressed coldly against her skin, and it made her feel sick.

"Once the baby's born, the nanny will take care of everything," Harrison continued, already envisioning a happy family of three."It won't interfere with our life together. You'll always be my one and only wife."

The phone on the coffee table vibrated.

A message from Winona popped up. "Harry, I'm wearing the pajamas you bought me. When are you coming back?"

Attached was a photo of Winona in sheer black sleepwear, her pregnant belly unmistakable.

Harrison turned off the phone almost immediately, hesitation flickering across his face as he looked at Eleanor. "Eleanor, something urgent came up at the company. I have to go take care of it."

He stood up. "Go to bed early. You don't have to wait for me."

The door closed behind him.

Eleanor watched the closed door, reached up, pulled the necklace off, and tossed it into the trash as casually as if she were throwing away an ordinary piece of rubbish.

"What a shame, Harrison. If you'd said all this in my last life, I might've been moved. But now, I don't want your 'one and only' anymore."