Chapter 4

"Mommy and Sebastian are going back to Italy?"

Eleanor's voice trembled from the hospital bed. She stared at Alessia, who had just walked into the room, her face flushed with barely contained fury.

"Yes, El," Alessia replied sharply as she placed her bag on a chair. "Sebastian, his mother, and even Valentina were taken away tonight. That cowardly man ran away!"

"What about Valentina?" Eleanor asked, tears beginning to stream down her sunken cheeks. "Why would they take my daughter away without my permission?"

"Stella claimed it was so you could focus on your treatment without being disturbed by a child," Alessia scoffed in disgust. "But we both know that's just an excuse. Claudia and Stella deliberately took Valentina away from you so the girl would become even more dependent on Claudia!"

Eleanor closed her eyes. Her chest felt unbearably tight, and her breathing grew rapid.

The phone on the bedside table vibrated. A text message arrived from Sebastian's number. Eleanor picked it up with trembling hands and read every word on the screen:

"I'm sorry, Eleanor. I can't be your donor. Mommy strictly forbade it, and she even went on a hunger strike out of panic. Valentina also needs me to be healthy enough to take care of her. We're leaving for Italy tonight.

I've hired a private nurse to look after you at the hospital. I'll continue sending money for all your medical expenses from there. You have to hold on and recover if you want to remain my wife."

Eleanor let out a hollow laugh. The bitter sound was abruptly broken by a burst of sobbing.

"What did he say, El?" Alessia asked anxiously as she moved closer.

"He's telling me to keep fighting in my current condition..." Eleanor whispered, her hoarse voice laced with disbelief. "While I'm lying in a hospital bed fighting for my life, he's asking me to struggle through this alone if I want to remain his wife."

Alessia snatched the phone from her hand, read the message, and cursed furiously. "That shameless bastard! He truly thinks you have no worth at all!"

"I want a divorce, Al," Eleanor said suddenly. Her voice, which had been hoarse moments ago, became startlingly calm, yet so cold it seemed to freeze the air around her.

Alessia froze. She stared intently at her best friend. "Are you sure, El?"

"Five years ago, I left everything behind for that man. I gave him my career, my time, and my life," Eleanor said, staring blankly ahead. "Yet when my life is hanging by a thread, he asks me to die slowly and alone. I have no reason left to keep holding on."

"Good," Alessia said firmly, gripping Eleanor's hand tightly. "I'll have a lawyer prepare your divorce papers right away."

"I want to recover, Al," Eleanor whispered again, her fingers clutching Alessia's in utter desperation. "I want to get better, reclaim my life, and take Valentina away from that family."

"You will get better, El. I promise I'll help you."

However, before they could put their plan into action, Eleanor's still-unstable condition following her critical episode suddenly deteriorated once more. The shrill sound of the heart monitor filled the room!

Eleanor clutched her chest, her breathing becoming severely labored before her eyes closed and her body went limp.

"Doctor! Nurse! Help!" Alessia screamed hysterically.

Eleanor remained in a coma in the ICU for three days.

When her heavy eyelids slowly opened, the bright white light from the unfamiliar VIP hospital room lamps briefly blurred her vision. Everything around her felt different—far more luxurious and peaceful.

"El? You're awake, sweetheart?"

A deep voice filled with warmth greeted her ears. Eleanor slowly turned her head. Beside her bed stood a middle-aged man dressed in an expensive suit, his eyes swollen and red. Next to him stood an elegant woman, crying as she covered her mouth with a handkerchief.

"Daddy... Mommy...?" Eleanor whispered, her voice barely audible.

"Oh, thank God... Thank you..." the woman—Eleanor's mother—whispered before carefully embracing her daughter's head.

Behind them stood three tall men with stern expressions and an unmistakable air of authority. Their faces were so familiar, yet she hadn't seen them in five years. They were Eleanor's three older brothers.

"You nearly drove us insane, Eleanor," her eldest brother said, his voice hoarse as he struggled to contain his overwhelming emotions.

"Why... are you all here?" Eleanor asked in confusion.

"Alessia contacted us when your condition became critical, even managing to get past the ICU restrictions," her father replied gently, though his voice carried an undeniable authority. "We immediately transferred you to the best hospital owned by the Rockwood family."

Eleanor lowered her head. A deep sense of guilt weighed heavily on her chest.

"Daddy... Mommy... I'm sorry. I gave up our family name and chose a simple life for Sebastian..."

"That's enough, sweetheart. Don't talk just yet," her mother interrupted, gently wiping away Eleanor's tears. "What's most important now is that you're safe."

"We already know everything, Eleanor," her father interjected firmly, his expression hardening. "How the Tores family has treated you over the past five years while you concealed your identity from them. And how that foolish man abandoned you in the hospital for another woman."

Eleanor closed her eyes, tears falling once more. "I was wrong, Dad. I'm so sorry..."

"You're not wrong for having once loved the wrong person, El," her eldest brother said, stepping closer and gently stroking her hair. "But you are wrong if you continue allowing yourself to be trampled on by a lowly family like theirs."

"Leave Sebastian," her father declared without compromise. "The Rockwood family will never allow our only daughter to be destroyed by a shameless man like that Tores!"

Eleanor looked at her father, then slowly shook her head, her expression resolute.

"I decided to divorce him before I lost consciousness, Dad," Eleanor stated firmly and coldly. "I will never return to Sebastian or the Tores family."

Eleanor's father smiled faintly, his expression filled with pride. He gently patted his daughter's shoulder.

"Good. Now focus on recovering. Let Daddy and your brothers handle the search for the best organ donor in the world for you."

"What about Valentina?" her mother asked gently.

Eleanor's eyes gleamed with determination and cold vengeance. "As soon as I recover, I'll take my daughter back from them."