Chapter 7
“What… did you say?” Those words hit Eloise like a bomb. She froze, unsure if she’d heard him right.
Leon avoided her gaze. “It’s not good to keep things from the dead around the house. Ellie needs peace and quiet to
recover.”
This time, Eloise heard him clearly. Her hands slowly dropped to her sides. Her eyes flushed red, and tears began to fall silently, hitting the ground one by one.
She was going insane. How could Leon throw away the only photo her mother had left behind? He knew how much her mother meant to her.
“Where did you throw it?” Her voice was hollow, drained of life, only disappointment left.
“I don’t know. It was probably taken away with the rest of the trash.” As soon as the words left his mouth, Eloise turned and ran, but Leon grabbed her arm.
His face was filled with disapproval as he looked at her pale expression.
“Are you crazy? It’s pouring outside!” His grip was so tight it left a red mark on her skin.
But at that moment, it wasn’t her arm that hurt-it was her chest. If she couldn’t find that photo, she didn’t even want to imagine what would happen.
Rain pounded down as Eloise threw herself into the storm. She found the nearest dumpster and shoved it over, sink- ing to her knees and clawing through the wet trash.
The stench was overwhelming, but she didn’t notice. She moved on instinct, digging, searching, desperately hoping to see that photo.
Thunder cracked overhead, making her flinch and curl into herself. Rain streamed down her back, soaking her through, but she didn’t feel the cold-only the raw, empty ache in her chest.
Nothing!
She staggered to the next dumpster. Her fingers were pale and shriveled from the water, and her eyes stung from the rain. She couldn’t tell what was rain and what were tears anymore.
Then she saw it—just for a moment. A soft figure, smiling at her, reaching out a hand. “My sweet Elle…”
Eloise dropped to her knees. She stared blankly at the woman in front of her, eyes glassy with hurt. The injustice in them was almost spilling over.
“Mom, I miss you so much!” She rushed forward, wanting to hold that figure-but the next moment, it vanished.
She collapsed to the ground. It had been an illusion. Her trembling voice whispered into the puddle beneath her, nails
0.0 %
16:43
Chapter 7
scraping the concrete, drawing faint lines of blood.
288 Vouchers
“Please, Mom! Don’t take the last thing you left me.” Her left hand brushed something solid, and she froze. Slowly, she pulled it out-it was the photo frame.
Water had seeped inside, ruining the already-faded picture. But she didn’t care. It was still here. It wasn’t gone. She clutched it tightly and broke down, crying hoarsely in the rain.
Inside his car, Leon sat motionless. The wipers screeched across the windshield. He stared at Eloise in the downpour, kneeling in the filth, clinging to a ruined photo.
His face was expressionless. But his hands were trembling on the steering wheel. He closed his eyes. And saw, again, the memories-those times Eloise had tried to end her life, again and again.
When he opened them, she was already collapsed in the rain.
He pushed open the car door and ran to her. And when he saw the soaked, half-destroyed frame still held in her arms, his pupils trembled. His throat tightened.
He bent down and scooped her up. Raindrops clung to her lashes. He reached to wipe them away-but jerked back from the heat of her skin.
“Elle, I’m taking you to the hospital.”
