Chapter 5
† 288 ¡Vouchers
Eloise froze, staring at Aurelie with confusion clouding her eyes.
Aurelie stirred her coffee slowly, her expression dimming.
“I have a congenital heart condition,” she said quietly. “I won’t live past 25. My birthday’s in less than two weeks.”
The words hit like a bomb. Eloise’s hand clenched tightly around the hem of her dress. She didn’t understand why Au- relie was telling her this.
“I lied to you that day. I’m not Leon’s cousin,” Aurelie went on. “We were once a couple. But when I went abroad for treatment, I broke up with him.”
Eloise sat in silence, letting the words sink in. She hadn’t known any of this.
“Later, I heard he wasn’t doing well, so I faked a suicide attempt to force him to move on. Then I heard he was with you. I was genuinely happy for you both.
“I don’t have much time left. All I wanted was for you two to be happy. But I know I’ve shaken things up, and for that, I’m sorry. I know my presence has made your life harder.”
Eloise didn’t speak right away. Her mind flicked back to the airport-to the moment she’d collapsed in tears, to that little piece of candy Aurelie had handed her. Looking back, none of it had ever really been black or white.
Finally, Eloise looked up. Her gaze was calm as she said, “I forgive you.”
Aurelie’s eyes lit up. She smiled, wide and radiant.
Then chaos exploded. A glass shattered nearby-someone had dropped it, maybe thrown it—and the sound cracked through the café like a gunshot. Aurelie’s smile faded instantly. Her face drained of color as she clutched at her chest, fingers digging in.
Eloise bolted up and rushed to her side. “Aurelie! Are you okay? Aurelie!”
Her lips were pale, her body shaking. She baely managed to whisper, “The meds… In my bag…”
And then she collapsed.
Everything around them turned into noise-voices, footsteps, panic-but all Eloise could hear was her own pounding heartbeat. Her hands trembled as she dug into Aurelie’s bag and pulled out the bottle of pills.
Just as she was about to give her the medication, someone slammed into her from the side-hard. She crashed to the floor, the impact driving glass into her palms. Blood pooled fast.
She looked up, dazed. It was Leon standing there. His glare was ice cold, his voice ragged and sharp.
0.0 %
16:43
Chapter 5
† 288 Vouchers
“I never thought you could be this cruel. Yeah, I love her. And if anything happens to her, I’ll stay by her side for the rest of my life. Is that what you wanted?
“If Aurelie dies, I’ll never forgive you.” Every word was a knife, slicing through her without mercy.
Eloise stared at him, stunned, her lips trembling as she tried to speak and explain, “I didn’t…”
But Leon didn’t give her a chance to speak-he scooped Aurelie into his arms and ran out without a word.
Everyone else just stared, pointing, whispering like spectators at a show.
Eloise used to fear that kind of attention. Now, she felt nothing. Just numb.
She slowly got to her feet, blood dripping steadily from her torn palms. She didn’t look at anyone, didn’t care. Step by step, she walked out of the café and hailed a cab to the hospital.
After the doctor finished dressing her wounds, he reminded her, “Keep it dry for a week.” She nodded.
When she returned to her apartment, she wasn’t alone.
Leon was on the couch, long legs crossed, face unreadable. His eyes flicked to her, filled with something she couldn’t place.
“What’s going on?” he asked. Eloise followed his gaze. The property deed. Her chest tightened.
“I don’t like this place anymore.” Something in her voice hit him in a strange way. This was the first gift he ever gave her. She’d always taken such good care of it, made it feel like home.
Now she didn’t like it. And for some reason, that bothered him more than he expected.
Leon nodded slowly, his face still stiff. Then, a pause. “Let’s call off the wedding.”
