Beyond Goodbye: No Us Anymore

After ending the call with her attorney, Bryan Wilbur, Eleanor turned around and saw Harrison walking out of the nursery.

When he noticed her, it was as though he'd only just remembered her existence.

A flicker of discomfort crossed his face before he spoke casually, "Eleanor, I need your help in finding an expert interior designer."

She didn't move and simply looked at him in silence.

His gaze swept over her briefly before drifting away as he continued, "I realized a lot of things in the nursery aren't appropriate for a baby. It's better to have a professional redesign it."

Eleanor watched him with indifference and said nothing.

Was it really inappropriate, or did Winona just not like it?

It seemed Harrison wasn't even going to pretend anymore.

She returned to the guest room, took out the gifts he'd given her over the years, the ones she'd once cherished and displayed so carefully, and tossed them one by one into the fireplace.

Since she'd already decided to leave, there was no reason for any of these things to exist anymore. Furthermore, the thought of leaving them behind for Winona only made her feel sick.

The flames engulfed the music box she'd received on Valentine's Day, quickly devouring the delicate ballerina perched on top.

"No!"

Eleanor felt a shove from behind.

Winona rushed over in a thin nightgown, ignoring the flames as she reached into the fireplace. "Eleanor, why are you burning my things?"

Eleanor froze.

Her things?

"Eleanor, how could you be so cruel?" Winona cried, tears streaming down her face as she looked up at her.

"These are all I have left to remember him by. Why won't you even leave me this much? You already have Harry. In the future, you'll also be… the mother of my baby…"

Before she could finish, Harrison's tall figure appeared in the doorway.

He took in the mess on the floor, and the crying Winona, and his face darkened instantly. "Eleanor, what did you do?"

Eleanor stared at him without saying a word.

To Harrison, her silence was an admission of guilt.

The warmth in his eyes vanished, replaced by utter disappointment.

Eleanor suddenly laughed, the sound light and airy, yet sharp enough to sting.

She turned and went upstairs. Moments later, she returned and dumped an identical jewelry box, as well as all the unburned "gifts" in it, at Winona's feet.

"They're yours, huh? Do you like them? You can have them all then."

Harrison's heart lurched.

He stared at Eleanor's smiling eyes, which held no warmth at all, and a powerful sense of unease seized him. He instinctively reached out, wanting to grab her hand and say something.

"Harry…" Winona tugged weakly at his sleeve, looking at him pitifully. "It's fine. I'm content with just being able to live here. Even if Eleanor burns everything, it doesn't matter…"

"How could it not matter?" Harrison replied immediately. "Forget it. If they're burned, they're burned. I'll buy you new ones."

His thoughts derailed. Seeing Winona's pale face, he ultimately chose to support her instead.

After everything they'd been through, Eleanor wouldn't leave him.

The door closed, and silence returned.

Eleanor's phone chimed with a message from Harrison. "Eleanor, wait for me to return. We'll talk then. Just put up with it a little longer for my sake, okay?"

For several days after, Harrison didn't return.

That afternoon, Eleanor was in a video call with the head of the War Correspondents Alliance.

"Sue, we've received your request to delay your start date," the man said gently. "We completely understand and agree that you can return after giving birth. A child is a gift from God, after all."

"Thank you," Eleanor replied, a rare warmth touching her expression.

Just then, the bedroom door was kicked open.

Harrison stormed in with Winona and slammed a phone down onto the table in front of Eleanor.

"Eleanor!" His eyes were bloodshot, resembling those of a furious beast. "Why can't you just put up with her? Why did you get people to target her like this?"

Eleanor lowered her gaze and picked up the phone.

The screen was flooded with videos and photos.

Some depicted Winona in disheveled clothes after being "kidnapped", some were screenshots of hate comments calling her a shameless mistress, while others were photos of her lying in a hospital bed with thick bandages wrapped around her wrists after she attempted to take her own life.