Chapter 4
971words
Seeing the two of them flustered filled me with joy. After handing the property deed to the real estate agent, I got into my car and drove straight home.
What surprised me was that, as the online backlash grew more intense, Eleanor still had the nerve to show up at my house. Maybe she thought that this was her only option left.
Before opening the door, Mom gave me a worried look and said hesitantly, "Even though you were with her for so long, after this incident, you've clearly seen what kind of person she is. You—"
Before she could finish, I patted her shoulder and assured her, "Mom, don't worry. I definitely won't forgive her."
Only after hearing my promise did Mom open the door.
Mom was usually gentle and polite, but after what had happened, she looked at Eleanor with open disapproval. She blocked Eleanor at the door, where she stood carrying multiple bags, and demanded harshly, "What are you doing here? Someone like you isn't welcome in this house."
Eleanor didn't get angry. She seemed determined to beg for my forgiveness. She smiled and apologized, no matter what Mom said.
The argument dragged on, and our neighbors began stepping out to watch. With more people gathering outside, Mom had no choice but to let her inside.
Once Eleanor stepped inside, she immediately set the gifts aside with practiced ease. Then, she walked straight up to me and dropped to her knees.
"Honey, I know I was wrong to do what I did. As for the one million dollars I took, just consider it the wedding gift you gave me. You had every right to hit me or yell at me.
"But this situation is different. What's trending right now is bad for both of us. Could you make a post to clear things up? If you do, we can go pick out wedding dresses right now, okay?"
I looked at her blankly. Before I could speak, Mom snapped, "Who's your honey? We aren't going to let our son marry someone like you. Do you still think you can be part of this family? Dream on."
Eleanor ignored her. She pulled a small box from her pocket, opened it, and placed it in front of me with a sincere expression.
"Victor, you'll be my husband. You're the man I want to be with for the rest of my life. Victor, I know that I've wronged you, but I'll make it up to you from now on. Let's get married," she said.
Mom seemed utterly infuriated by Eleanor's shameless persistence and stormed back into her room.
I stared blankly at the ring in Eleanor's hand.
After being together for so long, as I looked at Eleanor again, memories of joy and pain surged through me. Only then did I realize how much she had changed from the person she used to be.
I still remembered the first time she had come to my house. She had been shy and reserved. When Mom casually asked her a question, her ears had turned red from nervousness, and she could barely meet her eyes. Still, she followed Mom around the kitchen, helping however she could.
At dinner, when Eleanor accidentally bit into a clove of garlic, she didn't even dare spit it out. She was afraid that if she did anything wrong, it would upset Mom. When she received a gift from Mom, she excitedly told me that it meant Mom had accepted her.
But now…
When I thought of all this, I couldn't help but let out a long sigh—perhaps for all those years of feelings that had gone to waste, or perhaps for the person I used to be.
"There's no need for that. I don't want to marry you. If you keep saying that, people could easily get the wrong idea."
A flash of guilt crossed Eleanor's eyes. She said with a wounded expression, "Victor, seeing the aurora was always Joe's dream. I know that you're blaming me, but I couldn't let his wish go unfulfilled. You know that I only see Joe as a friend."
I scoffed, and whatever lingering attachment I had vanished with her words. I replied coldly, "You said that you couldn't let his birthday wish go unfulfilled, but what if his wish is to become a dad? Are you going to have his child too?"
"N-no."
Eleanor instantly panicked and tried to explain, but I looked straight into her eyes and said firmly, "Eleanor Brook, we're done. With or without Joseph, it's never going to work between us."
Eleanor gazed at me with tears brimming in her eyes. She didn't seem to expect my decisiveness, and the words caught in her throat.
After a long silence, she finally spoke, sounding hurt and wronged. "Victor, you know I love you—"
I nodded. "I know, but you love Joseph more, don't you? Otherwise, you wouldn't have taken the money that was meant to save my life to go see the aurora with him."
A flicker of hope instantly crossed Eleanor's eyes, perhaps because a thought had just occurred to her. She looked at me and said softly, "Victor, if I promise to keep my distance from Joseph, could you forgive me?"
I never expected Eleanor to ask that. I stared at her in disbelief. "Do you really think that's possible?"
After all, this wasn't the first time she had promised to stay away from Joseph.
Just then, her phone suddenly rang.
Eleanor picked up her phone, and I glanced at the screen. It was Joseph calling.
