Beyond Goodbye: No Us Anymore

Early the next morning, Harrison woke up in the guest room. Hearing movement in the bathroom, he pushed the door open and saw Eleanor bent over the sink, retching.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he hurried over. "Are you feeling sick?"

Her face was pale, and she didn't look at him. "It's nothing. I'm just a little nauseous."

Harrison rubbed her back gently. After she steadied herself, he spoke with hesitation. "Eleanor, Mom found out yesterday that you already knew about Winona. She said there's no point hiding it anymore."

Eleanor lifted her head and met his gaze in the mirror.

"She wants us to go back to Luther Manor today," he continued. "She also wants me to bring Winona so we can all have dinner together as a family."

A family?

Eleanor laughed silently.

In his eyes, Winona was already family.

She remembered the family dinner at Luther Manor in her previous life.

On the way back, they were in a car accident, and Winona lost the baby. After that, Harrison treated Winona with excessive care under the excuse of guilt.

Now, she knew how ridiculous that had been. It hadn't been guilt at all. It had been love.

"If you're not feeling well, rest for a bit," Harrison said. "I'll have the driver come pick you up later."

He left the bathroom after saying that.

In the end, Eleanor still went to Luther Manor.

As soon as she stepped inside, she heard her mother-in-law, Miranda Coleman, laughing as she coaxed Winona.

It wasn't until their housekeeper, Lauren Smith, noticed Eleanor at the door that she spoke up quietly. "Mrs. Luther is here."

The laughter stopped abruptly.

Miranda glanced at Eleanor, her smile vanishing. "Since you're here, sit down. Dinner's almost ready," she said flatly.

Eleanor chose the seat farthest away.

The smell of steak made her gag, and she covered her mouth.

"What's wrong?" Miranda said sharply. "Does the food not suit your taste? You're so delicate. You're nothing like Winona. She eats everything with an appetite. You can tell she's built for bearing children."

As she spoke, she piled food onto Winona's plate. "Winona, you're truly a gift to our family. Once the baby's born, I'll raise it myself."

Winona lowered her head shyly and glanced at Harrison. "Thank you, Miranda."

Harrison suddenly slammed his fork down, his expression dark. "Mom, I've said it before. I'll only have one wife for the rest of my life, and that's Eleanor!"

Winona's face went pale.

Meanwhile, Eleanor lowered her eyes and smiled coldly.

He'd said the same thing at their wedding, yet he already had someone else in his arms.

…

No one enjoyed the meal.

When they left, Harrison caught up to Eleanor and spoke softly. "Eleanor, my mom's always been like that. Don't take it to heart."

She didn't respond.

When they reached the car, Eleanor reached for the back door out of habit, but it opened from the inside. Winona was already sitting there, smiling innocently. "Eleanor, I get carsick. Harry said I should sit back here."

Harrison looked a tad awkward. "She's pregnant. It's safer for her back there."

Eleanor paused for a moment, then withdrew her hand calmly and got into the passenger seat instead.

The car fell silent.

All of a sudden, Winona leaned forward and met Eleanor's gaze in the rearview mirror. "Harry, it feels stuffy in here."

As she spoke, she deliberately tugged at her collar, exposing a glaring red mark on her neck.

Eleanor remained expressionless until her gaze fell on the platinum iris necklace around Winona's neck.

Her pupils shrank.

In her previous life, Winona hadn't been wearing it on their way back from Luther Manor, so why was she wearing it now?

That necklace had been placed around Eleanor's neck by her father, Michael Sutton, on her 18th birthday.

Her mother, Annabelle Fox, had smiled and said, "Our little princess is all grown up. This is your coming-of-age gift from us. We hope you'll be blessed with a lifetime of happiness."

It was the only thing they'd left her and the only thing she could remember them by.

Eleanor turned sharply, her voice shaking. "Why do you have my necklace? Give it back."

Startled by her reaction, Winona instinctively clutched the necklace, looking at Harrison with a wronged expression. "I don't know what you're talking about. Harry gave it to me."

Harrison gave it to her?

Eleanor looked at him and felt as though she were staring at a stranger.

He knew exactly how precious that necklace was to her.

Even in her previous life, no matter how bad things had gotten between them, he'd never touched it. And now, he'd taken it from her jewelry box and handed it to Winona himself.

Eleanor snapped. She unbuckled her seatbelt and lunged toward the back seat, reaching for the necklace. "That's mine!"

"Ah!" Winona screamed.

The car screeched to a stop by the roadside.

"That's enough, Eleanor!" Harrison snapped coldly. "It's just a necklace. I already gave you One and Only. That old necklace was something you wore for years. I gave it to Winona because she liked it. She didn't even mind that it was secondhand, so why are you causing a scene?"

"M-My stomach hurts…" Winona sobbed in his arms, barely able to breathe. "Harry, my stomach…"

Harrison's expression changed instantly. He turned to Eleanor, his voice icy. "Get out and take a cab home."

Another wave of nausea surged through Eleanor, followed by sharp pain in her lower abdomen. Her face went pale as she clutched her stomach. "Harrison, I don't feel well either..."

"Stop it, Eleanor!" he snapped impatiently.

The door was opened, and he pulled Eleanor out of the car.

Then, Harrison ordered his driver, "William, go to the hospital."

"Yes, Mr. Luther," William Jones replied as he turned the car around.

The black car sped away, leaving Eleanor standing on the crowded street as pain surged through her body and darkness crept into her vision.

She tried to wave down a cab, but she didn't even have the strength to lift her arm.

Her body finally went limp as she fainted.

…

When she woke up again, the sharp scent of disinfectant filled her nose.

The doctor chided her, "You're awake. You fainted due to anemia and emotional distress. Where's your husband? You're six weeks pregnant. How could he be so irresponsible and leave you alone like this?"

Six weeks pregnant?