Chapter 6
769words
He clenched his fists until his nails carved bloody crescents into his palms, yet felt nothing.
In his mind, Seraphina's smug smile twisted together with my desperate eyes, each memory slicing deeper into his soul.
No! This couldn't be happening! He couldn't accept any of it—couldn't bear that a woman had played him for a fool, couldn't face that he'd driven me away with his own actions.
He stumbled through streets and alleys like a man possessed, accosting passersby to ask about me, desperately seeking confirmation from anyone who might know if I'd truly married.
Yet every answer came back with devastating consistency.
"Eleanor Vance? Yeah, she married Ethan Kale a few weeks back."
"Absolutely. Richard Vance announced it himself. Small ceremony, but definitely official."
"Mr. Thorne, haven't you heard? Eleanor and Ethan are the golden couple of high society now."
Each confirmation hammered another nail into his coffin of despair.
Panic and disbelief gave way to horrifying clarity. This wasn't some elaborate game I was playing—this was reality, cold and unforgiving.
I had truly married. I had truly left his world forever.
He returned to Thorne Industries in a trance, bursting into his father's office like a feral animal.
"Father! I'm breaking off my engagement to Seraphina!" Julian roared, his hair wild, face ashen, eyes bloodshot.
Mr. Thorne looked up from his paperwork, startled by the sudden interruption.
He set down his pen with deliberate calm. "Julian, what madness is this? Look at yourself!"
"It's not madness—it's the truth!" Julian slammed his hands on his father's desk, his entire body trembling. "Seraphina lied to me! She manipulated me with her lies! She's no victim—she's the villain! She framed Eleanor, she—"
"Enough!" Mr. Thorne's fist crashed down, silencing his son. "Get hold of yourself! This engagement isn't some childish game! It represents a crucial alliance between Thorne Industries and the Vance Group's Victoria Carlton faction. The future of both families hangs in the balance! You think you can just cancel it on a whim?"
"But Eleanor…" Julian's voice cracked with desperation. "She—"
"Eleanor?" Mr. Thorne scoffed, his eyes cold with contempt. "Eleanor Vance is married to Ethan Kale! It's done! Over! What makes you think you have any right to pursue her now? Do you honestly believe she'd ever come back to you?"
His father's words doused the last flickering ember of hope in Julian's heart.
His world crumbled to ash around him.
"No!" Julian's head snapped up, his eyes wild with obsession. "I won't accept this! I want her back! Father, use the family's core trust document! Void their marriage! Force her to marry me instead! She belongs with me!"
Mr. Thorne's face drained of color. He rose and struck Julian with a vicious backhand.
Julian crashed to the floor, stunned by the blow.
"You ungrateful fool! You've completely lost your mind!" Mr. Thorne towered over him, finger jabbing the air. "The family trust isn't your personal plaything! You think you can still act like a spoiled child? From this moment, all your privileges are suspended! Get out and don't return until you've regained your sanity!"
Mr. Thorne's verdict fell like a guillotine. Julian lay broken, yet still whispered my name like a desperate prayer.
News of Julian's disgrace spread through high society like wildfire.
The once-proud Thorne heir had become a laughingstock—a deranged obsessive mocked behind cupped hands. His reputation lay in tatters.
Meanwhile, I sat on a swing in the Vance Tower's rooftop garden, basking in golden afternoon light.
A gentle breeze played with my hair, carrying the sweet scent of blooming flowers.
Ethan had brought me pastries from Golden Spoon after work, and I savored each bite, utterly content.
News of Julian's downfall stirred nothing in me. He had become irrelevant—a closed chapter in my life.
My assistant stood nearby, watching my peaceful expression with barely contained indignation. "Ma'am, you're too forgiving. That bastard Julian is finally getting what he deserves!"
I merely smiled, saying nothing. My thoughts drifted to Ethan's countless kindnesses—how he'd secretly restored my mother's Iris Brooch to its original beauty.
On our wedding night, he'd respected my boundaries, simply holding me close and whispering promises of forever against my hair.
He'd given me a security and love I'd never known existed.
Just as I was lost in these sweet memories, the garden door burst open with a crash.
A wild-eyed figure with unkempt stubble stormed in like a hurricane.
"Eleanor!" he rasped my name, his voice raw with desperation and agony.
Julian. He'd actually invaded my sanctuary.
