"You think I’m useless, don’t you..." Tristan Grayson’s face fell as he pulled his hand back, his voice hoarse.

"No, I was just thinking... if I hadn’t wanted to kill myself back then, your hand wouldn’t be..." At this, Mika Summers looked up. "Tristan Grayson, thank you." 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

’Thank you for not giving up on me, even though you were also hurt so, so deeply...’

***

「Excelsior Private Hospital.」

Archie Lockwood stared through the glass window at the woman standing below, his eyes filled with a dark gloom.

’It’s been over a month, and she still won’t give up...’

’Does she really think everyone else is brainless and heartless, that they’d let her deceive them time and time again?’

’Or does she think that I, Archie Lockwood, am the dumbest, most gullible fool in the world?’

’The fact that I haven’t killed her already is a testament to my mercy. And she still dares... she still actually wants me to forgive her...’

He clenched his fists, tore his gaze from the window, and strode to the hospital bed. He looked at the person lying there, his eyes deep and laced with a sinister viciousness.

’If only he had trusted her mother back then—even just a little—things wouldn’t have ended up like this...’

Eleanor Bishop stood outside for a long, long time, only leaving when dusk began to fall.

She returned to the Bishop family home.

As always, Yara Ross was sitting in the living room, waiting for her.

Seeing her return, she said in a cold, snide tone, "So, you’re back?"

"Yes, Mom. I’m tired, I’m going to rest." As she spoke, EnoEleanor beckoned to Rory, signaling for her to follow her to her room.

However, just as Rory got off the sofa, Yara Ross grabbed her tightly and wouldn’t let her go. Her gaze fell coldly on Eleanor Bishop as she said angrily, "Stop! Eleanor Bishop, you’re not going to rest until you tell me exactly where you’ve been and who you’ve been seeing."

"Mom, where I go and who I see is my freedom and my business. You don’t need to worry about it."

"How can I not worry? EnoEleanor, don’t you know this is a critical time for Jason to inherit the Lockwood Family’s fortune? How can you be out running around every day instead of being with him?"

At the mention of Jason Lockwood, Eleanor Bishop was on the verge of breaking down. "Mom, don’t bring up Jason Lockwood again! Hasn’t he done enough to ruin me and our family? And you’re still thinking of handing me over to him."

Yara Ross sighed softly, her voice full of helplessness. "Oh, EnoEleanor, don’t blame your mother for being cruel. Right now, besides Jason, who else is willing to help our Bishop Family?" People would either spit in disgust or point and curse their family behind their backs.

Even her own relatives on her mother’s side did the same.

The once-glorious Bishop Family was long gone. What else could they do now but face reality?

"He’s willing to help us? We’d be lucky if Jason Lockwood doesn’t stab us in the back. That would be him showing mercy."

Eleanor Bishop’s words instantly infuriated Yara Ross. "If you hadn’t stubbornly refused to marry Jason Lockwood back then, would your father have gotten into trouble? Would the Bishop Family be in this state? EnoEleanor, even now, you still refuse to face reality! Don’t you understand? If you don’t marry Jason Lockwood, our family will never, ever get back on its feet!"

"Mom, you’re the one who needs to wake up..."

Yara Ross stood up, walked over to Eleanor Bishop, and started shoving her. "Get out! Get the hell out of this house! I’m telling you, Eleanor Bishop, if you can’t find a way to get Jason to forgive you, then don’t ever come back! I’ll no longer have you as my daughter!"