Chapter 5

The next day, when Eleanor woke up, she was determined to find Nicholas and talk to him about the divorce.

It was the second day since her discharge, and even though it wasn’t much time, she still felt anxious and restless as hell. It was as if she couldn’t stand staying in this house anymore. As if she was suffocating and the only way to get some fresh air into her lungs was to break all ties that connected her to this life.

So she got up, took a shower, and got dressed in a beautiful blue sundress, ready to pay Nicholas a visit at his office if need be.

But just as she stepped out of her room, she bumped right into something—or rather someone—ard. She stumbled back, her hand instantly flying to her head to make sure everything was fine up there.

It was. Thankfully so.

“Hey! You okay?”

Eleanor looked up at the person she had bumped into and realized quickly that the visit to Nicholas’ office might no longer be necessary.

Considering he was right there, right in front of her.

So, he did come back home last night, she thought.

For a moment, she just stared at him. He was standing there in all his glory, shirtless and with damp hair falling over his eyes. The last time she had seen him without a shirt was a few days after their wedding. She had made the mistake of walking into his room when he didn’t answer any of the knocks, and there he was, stepping out of the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around his waist.

He had looked annoyed at her intrusion. She had felt embarrassed and had quickly apologized before scurrying back to her room.

Since then, she had made sure to knock a lot louder and to wait patiently until she heard his reply before entering.

But today, she wasn’t expecting him to be up so early. In fact, she wasn’t expecting him at all. Not to forget, she didn’t receive any text from his assistant yesterday to inform her that he would be coming home whatsoever.

Anyway. Not that it mattered.

Earlier, she used to feel giddy at the thought of seeing him after so long. She would feel her heart race and her cheeks heat up. She would wait for him for hours, hoping to spend some alone time with him, even if it lasted only a few minutes. But now… Now she just felt numb.

“Are you okay?”

Nicholas’s voice brought her back to reality, and she realized she was still staring at him.

She quickly looked away and nodded, taking a step back to put some distance between them. “Yes. I’m fine.”

Nicholas studied her for a moment and then frowned. “Going somewhere?” he asked, probably noticing she was all dressed up.

Eleanor nodded again, not meeting his gaze for several reasons. First, he was too tall for her neck not to hurt just trying to meet his gaze, and second, he was still half naked for some alien reason.

However, for the sake of her sanity, she tried her best to ignore it all.

“Yes. I was planning to come by your office. But it’s good that you’re here. I need to talk to you about something.”

Nicholas raised an eyebrow, looking curious. “What is it?”

Eleanor turned to face him fully. “I wanted to talk to you about div—”

Before she could even finish her sentence, she was cut off by a very chirpy Luna. “Oh, Mr. Beaumont, you’re awake! Good morning!” She turned to face Eleanor. “Good morning to you, too, Mrs. Beaumont. Did you rest well?”

Eleanor nodded. “Yes. Thank you.”

Nicholas looked over Eleanor’s head at the older woman and nodded. “Good morning. Is breakfast ready? I need to leave for the office soon.”

Luna smiled. “Yes, it is. I was just about to call Mrs. Beaumont. It’s on the table. I’ll be right back with your coffee.”

She disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Nicholas and Eleanor alone again.

Nicholas turned back to Eleanor. “You were saying?”

Eleanor opened her mouth to speak, but then she felt a sudden wave of nausea hit her. She placed a hand on her stomach and took a deep breath, trying to steady herself.

“You okay?” Nicholas asked, frowning.

Eleanor shook her head, not trusting herself to speak. She could feel the bile rising in her throat, and she quickly turned around and ran to the nearest washroom, her hand covering her mouth.

She barely made it in time before she started throwing up.

It was horrible.

She felt like her insides were being ripped out. She clutched the toilet seat and closed her eyes, trying to block out the pain and the disgusting taste in her mouth.

When she was done, she sat back on her heels, panting and sweating. She felt weak and drained. She didn’t know what was wrong with her. She hadn’t eaten anything that could have made her feel this sick.

Suddenly, she heard a knock on the door.

“Mrs. Beaumont? Are you alright?” It was Luna.

Eleanor cleared her throat. “I’m fine. I’ll be out in a minute.”

“Okay. But should I call a doctor? You don’t look well.”

Eleanor shook her head. “No. I’m fine. It’s probably just something I ate. Just give me a few minutes.”

She heard Luna sigh and then walk away.

Eleanor sat there for a moment, gathering her strength. She then got up, flushed the toilet, and washed her face. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and frowned.

She did look pale. And exhausted.

Of course, she did. She had spent two weeks in the hospital with barely enough strength to take care of herself. If not for the nurses helping her take a walk, a bath, and comb her hair whenever they turned into a nest, she wasn’t sure she would have walked out of that building with her sanity intact.

She shook her head, dismissing the thought. Those were among the most depressing days of her life, and even though she wanted to remember them so she wouldn’t fall back into her previous routine of pleasing everyone, she didn’t want to think about them all the time either.

It hurt to think of those times.

And it hurt even more to remember how lonely and helpless she had felt at that time.

Eleanor took a deep breath and walked out of the washroom.

Luna was waiting for her with a glass of water and some medicine. “Here. Take this. It should give you some relief.”

Eleanor took the glass and the medicine and smiled at Luna. “Thank you.”

Luna only smiled, fidgeting with her fingers. “Mrs. Beaumont, are you sure you don’t want me to call a doctor? I mean… what if you’re… you know… pregnant?”