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She covered her face,staring at Charles with cold,venomous eyes.
“How dare you stare at me angrily?”
Charles kicked her lower back,each blow brutal,until she curled up,blood trickling from her mouth.
But she ignored him and gave me a bitter smile:
“James,look.”
“This is the price I’ve paid for my choice.”
Charles’s veins bulged as he raised his fist to strike:
“You bitch,flirting right in front of me!I’ll kill you!”
Unable to bear it any longer,I stepped forward,blocking him.
Shoved aside,Charles panted,pointing at me:
“James,I knew you held a grudge,scheming to steal her for your happy ending,huh?”
“I've recorded your little affair! Just wait until your reputation is ruined!”
He waved his phone,grinning viciously:
“Thanks for the show,Eleanor.You’re out with nothing!”
Eleanor,drained,murmured:
“Charles…this wasn’t your first plan,was it?”
“What else?”
Charles sneered, his eyes filled with mockery.
“Ten years ago, if you hadn't claimed you were reborn and said the coast was a goldmine, I wouldn't have ditched my secure job for you. Know your place.”
“Good thing I bet right,or who’d waste years on a barren hen like you?”
“Now, I've got plenty of lovers and kids outside, and I'll kick you out to enjoy my endless wealth! How sweet!”
Eleanor’s lips trembled, and she let out a soft laugh.
She lifted her head, her eyes red but tearless.
Struggling to stand despite the pain,she spoke calmly:
“Fine…”
“There's no need for all that trouble, Charles.”
She looked at me deeply,speaking to him:
“Let’s go.I’ll leave with nothing.Divorce now.”
“My only condition is that you don’t bother James again.”
Charles’s eyes flashed with surprise,then fury,his fists clenching:
“Oh,protecting your lover now?”
“Fine,you divorce quietly,and I’ve got no beef with a nobody like him.”
Eleanor,as limp as a ragdoll, let Charles drag her away.
Their disappearing figures in the dark were like a reflection of that rainy night from my previous life.
But this time,at the road’s end,Eleanor turned back,her gaze desolate.
Silently,she mouthed something.
I could see it clearly.
She mouthed,“I’m sorry.”
A chilling premonition gripped me.
The next morning,the doorbell woke me up with a start.
Opening the door,police stood outside,faces grave.
“Mr.James,a fatal car accident occurred nearby last night.Both occupants died on impact.”
“The investigation shows that the deceased, Charles Bennett and Eleanor, visited you last night.”
“Please cooperate and tell us about last night.”
My heart sank:
“Accident?What happened?”
The officer’s lips tightened,expression stern:
“The car veered off a cliff.Both died instantly.”
“The cause was that the passenger,Ms.Eleanor,deliberately causing a conflict,making the driver lose control.”
I stood frozen, with Eleanor’s final glance flashing in my mind.
She’d agreed to the divorce so readily,leaving with Charles.
Had she planned to take him down with her in the accident?
The police soon cleared me of any wrongdoing,and as they shared results,Eleanor’s lawyer arrived at my institute.
She said Eleanor’s will donated all her assets to the ancient architecture preservation foundation.
I turned to the window,gazing at the clouds,emotions swirling.
In such a resolute way,she ended it all,leaving a guilt-laden gesture for the cause I loved.
I opened the window,letting the wind scatter the past—both lives—away.
