Chapter 118
Chapter 148
Over an hour later, Ellie stepped out of the taxi and stood on the sidewalk in front of her apartment, stunned as she gazed at a tree.
[11]
The first son of winter hadn’t arrived yet, and all the leaves had fallen, leaving only bare branches swaying in the cold wind.
Ellie gently paited the trunk of the tree. Some trees may look strong from the outside, but their insides are hollow, Onlookers waiting for spring may not realize that many of these tires have already given in to aginter’s chill.
She wrapped her arms around the large tree and pressed her face against its cold, dump bark. Closing her eyes, tears streamed silently down her checks. Long ago, her brother had told her not to share her struggles with their parents.
They couldn’t help, and it would keep them awake at night. Yet, despite that, she felt she couldn’t case her dad’s burden. As a child, she had been sent to the Warren Family. She never got to grow old alongside her dad
Many nights, she had sat under the apple tree in their yard with her dad, watching the moon. The moonlight stretched their shadows into different
In those moments, her shadow was the longer one, while Harold’s shorter shadow reminded her of his fleeting years.
Around three in the morning, with gentle rain falling, Ellie mourned her recently deceased dad, weeping against the hollow tree as if time stood
Across the street, Alex watched from a distance, sharing in her grief as if it lasted a lifetime.
Hours later, as dawn broke softly, Layton found Alex in the hotel suite, still drinking.
hands.
“Good heavens, call home right away. Nancy thinks you’ve lost your mind Layton snatched the wine glass from Alex’s han Alex shook the empty cigarette pack, realizing he had run out of cigarettes.
Layton continued. “Ellie’s mother used her husband’s death benefit to cut ties with your family and keep Ellie away from you.” Alex hunched over on
over on the sofa, elbows on his knees, fingers digging into his hair as he bowed his head and held back all his emotions. Leaning against the bar. Layton declared, “Everything is over now. Harold is buried, and Haley has faced her reckoning. If you want to make things right, the best thing to do is send some money to the Thompson family and then distance yourself from them.”
“I can’t do that!” Alex suddenly shouted, his red eyes shining with fear. “She might hate me, but she can never leave my sight.”
“I knew it” Layton stared at Alex, momentarily speechless.
- n. When you chased after Haley, you managed to win her over, but then you broke
They fell silent for a while before Layton spoke again, “W promises. I knew back then that you’d regret it.
your
“Caugla în a dilemma, you felt responsible for Haley’s inability to have children while secretly fallin
falling in love with Ellie, a truth you were too afraid
“If you had realized it sooner, you might have had a clunce. But do you really believe that’s possible now? “Elle has been through so much to save you. Think about everything you’ve done to her for Haley–could you really tolerate that kind of treatment
Layton pointed to the tattoo on Alex’s finger. “When you got that tattoo, Ellie was right there watching. Even if you lost a finger to show your guilt. dlar would never forgive you”
gaze fixed on the tattoo on his left ring finger, horror tightening in his eyes. He remained in that position for what
Alex slowly straightened up, his g Telt like agen
After a long pause, he finally choked out. To expect in to let lier go would take nothing less than my death” Layton could only stay silent.
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7:10 AM c c ·
Chapter 148
Two days later, at noon, Ellie took a half–day off work from the hospital. She walked numbly down the street, clutching her medical exam results.
The results showed that her body was mostly normal and ovulation was fine, but for unknown. reasons, her follicles were damaged and couldn’t mature properly.
In other words, her reproductive system was severely impaired; she would never be able to have children of her own.
Her heart felt heavier than the gloomy, rainy weather. Without an umbrella, her blank stare wandered aimlessly through the busy streets.
Aaron and Joanna would be back tomorrow; earlier that morning, Aaron had called to check if her test results had come
She didn’t know how to tell her only two remaining loved ones that she could never have children.
in
From the moment Harold’s accident happened, to Joanna bringing her into the Warren family to settle debts, and now this terrible test report… it felt like a huge weight pressing down on her chest, almost suffocating her.
The discomfort in her heart was overwhelming, and she felt a desperate need to find a place to release her pent–up emotions.
Ellie lost track of time as she aimlessly walked. By evening, the sky was filled with gloomy rain, and she stood soaked and numb on the overpass
The river below was covered in fog, the murky water mixed with the distant sounds of boars, their horns echoing like the helpless sobs of a lost soul
She had no idea how long she had been standing there, until trafic behind her eased, until the overpass became brighter, until the area quieted down to reveal her solitude.
Ellie screamed toward the river. “Dad! In the next life, I will still be your daughter!” Her anguished cries followed.
On the overpass, a silver sports car screeched to a halt across the street, and Alex sprinted through the rain toward her. Just a step behind Ellie, he dared not get any closer.
Seeing Ellie, soaked and on the edge of collapse, pain gripped Alex’s heart. Tears gathered in his eyes as he looked down at a wet report lying at her
He bent down to pick it up. Even though the paper was soaked, he could still read it clearly. Upon reaching the last line, he was struck dumb, as if lightning had hit him
Follicles damaged beyond hope, unable to mature. Even though he wasn’t a doctor, he understood what that meant. Holding Ellie’s medical report tightly, Alex’s brow furrowed, burdened by a heavy despair.
It felt like an invisible hand was tearing at his heart, the pain making it hard for him to breathe. Only when he saw Ellie’s body suddenly weaken and start to collapse did he finally react, stepping forward to catch her.
Ellie cried out, exhausted, finally realizing it was Alex holding her, struggling to stand
hand
Standing behind her, Alex tightened his embrace, apologizing, “It’s all my fault. He gritted his teeth and said, “If you want to let out your pain, aim
“Please, Ellie, don’t hurt yourself any longer: Alex buried his head against her shoulder, not wanting to pull away,
“Don’t touch me with your hands, they make me feel sick.” Ellie’s icy voice rang gout, leaving Alex frozen in place.
He released his grip, and Ellie turned away. Wiping her tears, she looked down and fixated on Alex’s left hand. “Your ring finger has the name of your beloved, yet here you are playing the tormented lover with me. Absurd!”
Alex followed her gaze to the tattoo on his left ring finger.
