Chapter 7

When Eleanor woke up, the first thing she smelled was disinfectant.

She was lying in a hospital bed. Almost instinctively, her hand moved to her lower belly, but the space beneath her palm felt empty.

The realization hit her all at once, and a pain far sharper than any physical wound tore through her chest and spread outward until her limbs felt numb.

Her baby was gone.

Tears slipped down the corners of her eyes without a sound, soaking into the pillow.

The door opened, and Harrison walked in, his eyes still bloodshot.

Seeing that she was awake seemed to loosen something in him. He crossed the room quickly and stopped beside the bed, his voice hoarse. "You're awake. Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere? Do you want me to call the doctor?"

Eleanor didn't respond. She just looked at him, her gaze hollow.

The look made Harrison uneasy. He instinctively avoided her eyes and reached for her hand. "Eleanor, listen to me. I already reported everything to the police. Don't worry. Whoever did this to you, I won't let them get away with it."

Eleanor slowly pulled her hand back, avoiding his touch.

His hand hovered awkwardly in the air. He swallowed and softened his tone even more.

"I know you're hurting. I'm hurting, too. About the baby… We can still have children. Once your body recovers, I'll take you away for a while. We can go anywhere you want. We can clear our heads and—"

"Get out," Eleanor finally said.

Harrison froze. "Eleanor, you—"

"I told you to get out," she repeated, refusing to even spare him a glance.

For several days after that, Harrison came every day.

He brought his tablet and sat beside her bed, enthusiastically showing her travel plans, jumping from the clear blue waters of Mardor to the snowy peaks of Sylora.

"What do you think about this place, Eleanor? It's private, with standalone villas over the water. We can watch the sunrise and sunset every day and not think about anything else."

"Anything's fine," Eleanor replied absent-mindedly, her eyes fixed on the window.

"What about Sylora?" he continued, swiping through the photos to pique her interest. "We can go skiing over there. You always said you wanted to see the snow-covered mountains. I can hire the best instructor."

"Okay."

His smile stiffened, but he kept going anyway.

That afternoon, a man in a tailored suit walked out of Eleanor's ward just as Harrison arrived carrying a thermal flask.

Harrison paused, his sharp gaze sweeping over the stranger before flicking back toward the room. "Who was that?" he asked casually.

"An insurance salesman," Eleanor replied, her tone flat.

She didn't elaborate, and Harrison didn't press the issue.

He walked in and opened the thermal flask. The familiar smell of shrimp bisque drifted through the room.

"Have some," he said, lifting a spoon toward her lips. "Winona made it herself. She said it'd help with your recovery."

The moment she heard Winona's name, nausea surged up violently. Eleanor forced it down and turned her head away. "Take it away. I don't want it."

Harrison was about to say something else when his phone rang. Winona's name flashed across the screen.

He answered almost instantly. "Hello? What's wrong, Winona? Don't cry. I'm already handling it. Okay, okay, it's my fault. Don't be mad. I'll come over and be with you right now."

He hung up, stood, and was already turning toward the door when he added, "Remember to eat. I'll come back later."

"Harrison," Eleanor said, reaching under her pillow and pulling out several sheets of paper. "Sign this."

"What is it?" he asked, his tone casual.

"It's a company document that requires your authorization. Joseph sent it this morning and said it was urgent."

Harrison took the papers, flipped straight to the last page without reading, and signed his name in one smooth motion.

Watching him, Eleanor curved her lips into a faint, mocking smile. "You're signing anything. Aren't you afraid I'll sell you out one day?"

Harrison laughed and reached out to ruffle her hair, his touch familiar and intimate. "Why would my wife do anything to hurt me?"

He leaned down and kissed her forehead. The warmth of it made Eleanor's entire body stiffen.

"Rest well," he said. "The doctor said you can be discharged tomorrow. I've already arranged the flight. After that, I'll spend some quality time with you."

The door closed, shutting out the rest of the world.

Eleanor picked up the divorce agreement and stared at the bold signature that read Harrison's name before letting out a humorless laugh.

She pulled out her phone, bundled together the explicit videos and every provocative message Winona had ever sent her, and forwarded them all to her attorney.

After that, she retrieved the suitcase she'd packed long ago, went downstairs, and got into the car that had been waiting by the road.

As the car pulled away from the hospital and turned at the intersection, it passed a familiar car that was speeding in the opposite direction.