After pretending to be her sister and married with Julian for three years, Eleanor Vance can finally leave him now.

"Your sister will be back in a month. For this one last month, you will continue to play her part perfectly."

On the other end of the line, her mother Mrs. Vance's voice was as cold as ever. "After everything is over, I'll give you thirty million to live the life you want."

"Understood."

She replied softly, her voice as still as stagnant water.

Hanging up the phone, Eleanor looked up at the enormous wedding photo on the wall.

In the photo, Julian was sharp in his suit, handsome as a god, while she, in a priceless wedding gown, smiled with gentle charm.

"Three years..." she murmured, her fingertips lightly tracing the frame. "It's finally ending."

Three years ago, the century marriage between the Blackwood and Vance families was a global sensation, and her twin sister, Alina Vance, was the Blackwood family's chosen daughter-in-law.

But on the eve of the wedding, Alina ran away, leaving behind a letter:

"Dad, Mom, I don't want to be tied down by a strategic marriage, but I know this is my responsibility.

Give me three years to find my freedom. After three years, I will come back."

To save the partnership between the two families, the Vance parents had no choice but to bring back their younger twin daughter, who had been left in the countryside since childhood, overnight.

And so Eleanor, the girl who grew up in the countryside and wasn't even qualified to attend family gatherings, took on Alina's name and became the substitute bride.

"Julian doesn't love your sister. He loves that poor student his family sponsored."

The night before the wedding, her mother warned her coldly, "Life won't be easy for you after you marry him, but you just need to behave yourself and endure these three years under your sister's identity."

Eleanor remembered just nodding obediently at the time.

Of course, she knew who Julian was—a regular in financial magazines, the most famous young master in high society, the object of countless debutantes' desires.

She had also heard the story of him and Sophia Reed.

The poor student sponsored by the Blackwood family, who got into a prestigious university on a scholarship. Julian loved her so deeply he was willing to defy his family to be with her. But Sophia was aloof and proud; unwilling to accept a love blessed by no one, she chose to break up with him and go abroad.

The Blackwood family was overjoyed and immediately arranged a strategic marriage for Julian.

Life after the wedding was even harder than she had imagined.

Julian's study was filled with photos of Sophia, and he flew to Paris every week to see her in secret. Meanwhile, Eleanor, his wife, wasn't even allowed into the master bedroom and could only sleep in the guest room at the end of the hall.

Eleanor was cautious and meticulous, trying her best to play the role of Alina. To not jeopardize the partnership between the two families, she had been insanely good to Julian for these three years.

When he worked late, she would leave the entryway light on all night waiting for him; his stomach was weak, so she woke up at five every morning to make porridge; he liked quiet, so she made herself the quietest presence in the house.

Gradually, rumors began to spread in their circle that Mrs. Blackwood was desperately in love with Mr. Blackwood, and the way Julian looked at her seemed to have subtly changed.

The photos of Sophia in the study disappeared, the weekly trips to Paris were canceled, he started remembering her birthday, would come home early when she had a cold, and even... shared an intimate relationship with her.

Eleanor almost believed that some real affection had blossomed in this substitute marriage.

Until three months ago, when Sophia returned.

Everything was back to square one.

Julian's heart was once again consumed by Sophia. He started staying out all night, his study was filled with Sophia's photos again, and everyone laughed at Eleanor as if she were a joke, but she just smiled quietly, never making a fuss.

Because she had never loved Julian.

The only reason she stayed by his side was for the money and freedom her parents had promised. His love would certainly make her life easier, but if he didn't love her, she didn't care.

No one knew that although Eleanor and Alina were twins, their fates were completely different.

When their mother gave birth to Eleanor, she hemorrhaged and nearly died. From then on, her mother's gaze was always filled with disgust, and her father, who doted on his wife, saw her as a jinx.

At the age of five, she was sent to a nanny's house in the countryside.

She remembered that winter, the nanny's stove was broken. She shivered from the cold, without even a thick coat to wear.

Meanwhile, Alina was in a warm villa, wearing an expensive wool dress, cherished by her parents.

Eighteen years of being treated differently had long since worn away any expectation she had for familial love.

Now, in just one month, she would receive the thirty million for playing the part of Alina for the past three years, leave this city, and live a life that was truly her own.

Just as she was feeling cheerful, her phone suddenly vibrated, and the caller ID lit up the screen.

Julian.

She took a deep breath and answered: "Hello?"

"Bring some feminine products to the Night Club within twenty minutes."

Julian's voice was as cold as ice. "The overnight kind."

The call ended abruptly. Eleanor clutched her phone, instantly understanding who they were for.

Julian remembered Sophia's period more clearly than his company's IPO date.

Rain was pouring outside. The drive from the Blackwood estate to the Night Club normally took at least forty minutes.

But Eleanor still grabbed an umbrella and went out.

Halfway there, the traffic came to a dead stop. She glanced at her watch—twelve minutes left. Gritting her teeth, she pushed open the car door and ran into the rain.

The rain quickly soaked through her clothes. Her high heels slipped several times on the slick pavement, and with a stumble, she fell hard into a puddle, her knee burning with a sharp pain.

But she ignored it, scrambled back up, and kept running, finally arriving at the club in the nineteenth minute.

At the door of the private room, just as she was about to knock, a burst of laughter came from inside.

"Mr. Blackwood, in a storm like this, you really made your wife bring those over?

It's at least a forty-minute drive from your place, isn't it?"

"Sophia is in a lot of pain."

Julian's voice was faint. "She'll find a way to get here."

"True. Everyone knows your wife is crazy about you.

For these past three years, she's stood by you without complaint, even though your heart belonged to someone else."

Someone teased, "But seriously, Mr. Blackwood, a beauty who's so head over heels for you... in three years, you haven't felt a single thing?"

The room suddenly fell silent.

Eleanor held her breath. She heard Julian pause for a few seconds, then say:

"No matter what, between Sophia and her, I will always choose Sophia."

Such merciless words, yet Eleanor wasn't sad. Instead, she felt a sense of relief. She waited for the conversation inside to finish before raising her hand to knock.

When she pushed the door open and walked in, everyone stared at her in shock.

"Holy shit, she's right on time!"

"Your wife... how did she get so soaked?"

Julian stood up, his brow furrowed: "How did you get so disheveled?"

Eleanor handed him the sanitary pads she had carefully protected: "Didn't you say you needed them within twenty minutes?

I was afraid you were in a hurry, so I got out of the car and ran over."

She didn't mention the fall she took, nor did she say her knee was now trembling with pain.

Julian's expression shifted, and he suddenly took off his suit jacket and wrapped it around her: "Put it on."

Then he pointed to the sanitary products in her hand: "Take them to the women's restroom."

Eleanor nodded and obediently walked towards the restroom.

As she knocked on the door, she heard Sophia's delicate voice from inside: "Who is it?"

"Delivering the sanitary pads."

There was silence from inside for a few seconds, then the door opened a crack. Eleanor handed the items in and turned to leave.

Back home, she took a hot shower, the wound on her knee aching faintly.

Lying in bed, she thought about how she would soon be completely free, and an indescribable sense of relief washed over her.

Just as she was about to fall asleep, the bedroom door was suddenly kicked open.

Julian rushed in, grabbing her by the wrist: "Get up!"

Before Eleanor could react, she was roughly dragged out of bed and stumbled as she was pulled to the top of the stairs.

"Julian?

What are you do—"

Before she could finish, a massive force struck her, and she was thrown backward, the back of her head hitting the steps hard as she tumbled all the way down the stairs.

Excruciating pain instantly engulfed her entire body.

She lay at the bottom of the stairs, her vision blurry, a warm liquid trickling down from her forehead.

"Why..." she struggled to prop herself up, "do this... to me?"

Julian stood at the top of the stairs, his expression obscured by the backlight, but his voice was bone-chillingly cold:

"Did you push Sophia down?"

Eleanor looked up, bewildered: "What?"

"Stop pretending!"

He descended the stairs step by step, "Playing the magnanimous wife these past few months, all just waiting for today, weren't you?

Do you have any idea? You pushed Sophia from the windowsill, causing her to suffer multiple fractures. She almost died!"

"I didn't..." she shook her head weakly, but the movement aggravated the wound on her head, and a wave of dizziness hit her.

Julian crouched down, grabbing her chin: "Alina, has my kindness to you these past few years given you delusions?

Let me tell you again, ours is just a strategic marriage. There are no feelings involved."

He leaned close to her ear, enunciating each word: "The love you want is something I can never give you!"

The pain made Eleanor's vision go black, and she suddenly wanted to laugh.

But, she had never... wanted his love in the first place.

Chapter 2

Just as Eleanor was about to speak, Julian pulled her up with a cold expression.

"What are you pretending for?"

His voice was as cold as ice, "Sophia fell from the fifth floor. You just tumbled down from the second."

"Get up. Go to the hospital and apologize to her."

He dragged her outside mercilessly, completely ignoring the blood still trickling from her forehead and that the wound on her knee had split open again, each step an agonizing pain.

Eleanor was forcefully shoved into the car and remained silent the entire way.

She watched the scenery fly by outside the window, thinking only, just endure a little longer,

just endure a little longer, and she would be free soon.

In the hospital room, Sophia was weakly propped up against the headboard, her face pale, her wrist wrapped in a bandage.

The moment she saw Eleanor, she flinched, and her eyes instantly turned red.

"Julian..." Her voice trembled, like a startled fawn, "I... I don't want to see her..."

Julian immediately stepped forward, gently taking her hand: "Don't be afraid. I'm here. No one will dare to bully you."

After speaking, he turned his cold gaze to Eleanor: "What are you standing there for?

Apologize."

Eleanor looked weary, yet unusually calm.

She stared straight at Sophia and asked softly, "Ms. Reed, when you fell from the windowsill, did I really push you?"

Sophia's eyelashes fluttered, and tears instantly fell: "Ms. Vance, if you don't want to apologize, then forget it. I never intended to cause you trouble."

She sobbed, her voice filled with grievance: "I know Julian has been with me these past few days, so it's normal for you to have complaints.

But your relationship was a strategic marriage to begin with, and he doesn't love you. If it weren't for our mismatched family statuses, he wouldn't belong to you..."

The more she spoke, the harder she cried, and Julian's expression grew darker.

"Eleanor!"

He cut her off sharply, "I told you to come here to apologize, not to provoke her!

Are you going to apologize or not?"

Eleanor closed her eyes.

She knew Sophia was framing her.

But... she was leaving soon.

She couldn't let the cooperation between the two families have any problems, otherwise, she wouldn't get the thirty million, nor her freedom.

"I'm sorry."

She said softly, "It was my fault."

After saying that, she turned to leave.

"Stop."

Julian called out to her coldly, "Since you pushed her, you'll stay and take care of her until she's discharged from the hospital."

Eleanor's fingertips curled slightly, but in the end, she nodded: "Alright."

In the following days, Eleanor stayed by Sophia's side in the hospital room without leaving.

Julian practically lived at the hospital too, abandoning all company matters to personally feed Sophia porridge, wipe her hands, and coax her to sleep...

These were things he had never done for Eleanor.

But Eleanor was never jealous, merely watching over Sophia quietly from the side, her expression calm, as if none of it had anything to do with her.

The nurses whispered among themselves.

"Oh my god, I've never seen such a magnanimous wife!"

"You don't get it. This is the highest form of love."

Another nurse sighed, "Because she loves Mr. Blackwood so much, she's even willing to take care of the person he likes, just hoping he'll spare her a glance. How pitiful."

These words happened to be overheard by Julian as he passed by.

He paused, his gaze unconsciously falling on the slender figure inside the hospital room.

Eleanor was looking down, carefully peeling an apple, her profile quiet and docile.

A strange feeling inexplicably surfaced in Julian's heart.

On the day Sophia was discharged, Julian said directly to Eleanor: "I'm taking Sophia on a trip for a few days. Don't contact me unless it's important."

Eleanor nodded: "Alright."

Watching his back as he led Sophia away, she actually felt a sense of relief.

Finally, she no longer had to face them.

Returning home, she began to pack her luggage, preparing for her departure soon after.

A few days later, she came across Sophia's social media feed.

Julian had taken her to the Maldives, made a blank-check bid for her at an auction, and spent a fortune on jewelry she liked...

Eleanor only glanced at it before calmly scrolling past.

She didn't care.

She never had.

Chapter 3

A week later, the Blackwood family's monthly Family Banquet arrived as scheduled.

Julian wasn't there, so Eleanor had to attend alone.

The moment Helen Blackwood saw her, her expression darkened: "Where is Julian?"

Eleanor lowered her gaze: "He's busy and can't come back for now."

Helen sneered and was about to speak when the butler suddenly hurried over, handing her an entertainment newspaper.

The headline was a blatant photo of Julian and Sophia kissing on a yacht!

"Smack!"

Helen slammed her chopsticks on the table, furious: "Alina!

Follow me to the study!"

As soon as they entered the study, Helen commanded sharply: "Kneel!"

Eleanor knelt in silence.

"Useless!

You can't even keep your own husband in line!"

Helen trembled with rage, "I'll give you two choices now. Either call him back immediately, or... face the family disciplinary punishment!"

Eleanor's eyelashes trembled.

She knew that even if she called, Julian wouldn't come back.

And she couldn't disturb his time alone with the one he loved. If he got angry, the business partnership between their two families would likely be in jeopardy.

"I choose the family disciplinary punishment."

she said softly.

Helen flew into a rage: "Say that again?!"

"I choose the family disciplinary punishment."

Eleanor looked up, her eyes calm, "Go ahead."

Livid, Helen grabbed a whip from the wall and lashed it viciously across her back!

"Are you going to call him?!"

"Crack!"

"Are you going to call him?!"

"Crack!"

Eleanor bit her lip hard, a searing pain spreading across her back, but she kept shaking her head.

In the end, the pain was so intense that her vision went black and she passed out.

When she woke up again, she was lying face down on a hospital bed, her back covered in bandages.

And Julian was sitting by her bed, his brow tightly furrowed.

"Mother gave you a hard time. Why didn't you call me back?"

he asked coldly.

Eleanor gave a weak smile: "I didn't want to disturb your date with Ms. Reed."

Julian froze.

He stared at her pale face, suddenly remembering what the nurse had said.

"Because she loves Mr. Blackwood so much, she's even willing to take care of the person he likes..."

She... loved him that much?

Loved him enough to rather be punished herself than to disturb him?

That strange feeling in Julian's chest grew stronger.

For the next few days, he uncharacteristically stayed at the hospital to take care of her.

Eleanor said he didn't have to, but he didn't leave.

On the day of her discharge, Julian received a sudden call about an urgent matter at the company and had to go to a meeting.

"Go back on your own."

He tossed out the words and turned to leave.

Eleanor nodded and slowly walked out of the hospital.

Just as she stepped off the stairs, she accidentally bumped into someone.

"Are you blind?!"

the person cursed, "Do you have any idea how expensive this outfit is? Dressed so shabbily, can you even afford to pay for it?!"

Just as Eleanor was about to apologize, a cold, sharp voice came from behind her.

"Get lost."

Julian had gotten out of his car at some point and threw a wad of cash in the person's face: "Is this enough?"

The person was about to erupt, but upon seeing Julian's attire and aura, they scurried away in disgrace.

Julian shot Eleanor a cold glance: "Alina, did the Vance family and the Blackwood family not give you any money? Why are you dressed like this?"

Eleanor remained silent.

The Vance family had never given her money. Although the Blackwood family had a black card, she wasn't the true Mrs. Blackwood, so she never touched it.

Seeing her silence, an inexplicable anger flared up inside Julian, and he grabbed her, pulling her into the car.

"We're going to buy clothes."

In the department store, Julian picked out several couture outfits for her, each one worth a fortune.

Eleanor quietly complied the entire time, like an emotionless marionette.

But just as they were walking out of the store.

"Julian?"

A trembling voice called out.

Eleanor looked up and saw Sophia standing not far away, still in her part-time waitress uniform.

Her eyes were red-rimmed as she stared at them in disbelief: "Didn't you say you were in a meeting at the office?"

"Sophia..." Julian's expression shifted slightly.

"You don't have to love me..." Sophia's tears started to fall, "but how could you lie to me?

I shouldn't have come back. I'm interrupting you..."

With that, she turned and ran.

"Sophia!"

Julian immediately chased after her.

Eleanor stood rooted to the spot, watching his retreating back, her heart a sea of calm.

But in the next second—

"Bang!"

A loud crash!

Glass from high up on the building suddenly shattered, falling directly onto Sophia's head!

She didn't even make a sound before collapsing into a pool of blood...

Chapter 4

Julian's face paled. He rushed forward, scooped up the unconscious Sophia, and sprinted toward the hospital without a backward glance.

Eleanor stood frozen, her fingers curling slightly, but in the end, she followed.

Under the stark white lights of the hospital corridor, the light for the operating room remained on.

Julian stood outside the door, his suit still stained with Sophia's blood, a rare trace of anxiety on his usually calm and composed face.

Eleanor sat quietly to the side, saying nothing.

The operating room doors suddenly swung open, and a doctor rushed out: "The patient is hemorrhaging and needs an emergency transfusion, but she's Rh-negative, and the blood bank is running low!"

Julian's brow furrowed. Just as he was about to speak, Eleanor stood up: "I'm Rh-negative. I can give her my blood."

Julian whipped his head around to look at her, a flash of shock in his eyes.

Eleanor met his gaze calmly: "Saving her is what's important."

She followed the nurse to have her blood drawn. As 400cc of blood slowly drained from her body, her face grew paler and paler, but her eyes remained calm.

Julian stood to the side, watching the needle in her slender arm, and the strange feeling in his chest grew stronger.

Just how much... did she like him?

After giving blood, Eleanor walked out, pressing a cotton swab to her arm, and saw Julian still standing motionless outside the operating room.

She hesitated for a moment, then walked over and said softly, "Don't worry, she'll be okay."

Julian looked up at her, his voice a bit hoarse: "You're still here?"

Eleanor shook her head: "Ms. Reed has a misunderstanding about us. When she wakes up, I need to explain things clearly to her."

Julian stared at her pale face and suddenly asked, "Do you really like me that much?"

Eleanor froze.

Just as she was about to speak, the operating room doors opened again, and the doctor came out: "The surgery was a success. The patient will wake up once the anesthesia wears off."

Julian's tense shoulders finally relaxed.

Eleanor silently stepped aside and said no more.

A few hours later, Sophia woke up.

The moment she opened her eyes and saw Eleanor standing by the bed, her eyes instantly reddened: "Julian, did you bring her here again because you want my blessing for you two?"

Eleanor quickly took a step forward and explained softly: "Ms. Reed, you've misunderstood.

Julian really did have a meeting that day. Taking me shopping was just on the way, it wasn't a date, and he didn't lie to you."

Julian nodded as well: "We're just in a strategic marriage. There are no feelings involved."

Sophia bit her lip, tears falling: "Then how will you prove it?

Prove that you don't have a single shred of feeling for her?"

Julian frowned: "What do you want me to do to prove it?"

Sophia thought for a moment, then suddenly pointed out the window: "Throw her into the frozen lake."

Julian's expression changed slightly: "Sophia..."

"You're hesitating?"

Sophia's voice trembled, "You do have feelings for her!"

Julian was silent for a few seconds, then finally sighed and turned to wave at the bodyguards: "Throw her into the lake."

Eleanor's pupils shrank.

She knew Julian would do anything for Sophia, but she never imagined he could be this cruel.

But she couldn't fight back.

She had to endure it.

The bodyguards seized her and walked her outside. Julian stood still, his eyes dark and unreadable.

The water of the frozen lake was bone-chillingly cold.

The moment Eleanor was pushed in, she almost suffocated.

Icy water flooded her nose, numbing her limbs.

She gritted her teeth, forcing herself to stay afloat, but her body sank uncontrollably.

The bodyguards by the lake watched her coldly, not one of them reaching out a hand.

Eleanor's consciousness began to fade. In a daze, she seemed to see herself as a child.

Abandoned by her parents in the countryside, with no warm clothes in winter, shivering from the cold, she could only huddle for warmth in the nanny's woodshed.

In her entire life, no one had ever truly cared about her.

After an unknown amount of time, Eleanor was finally pulled out.

Her body was freezing, her lips blue, and she had already lost consciousness.

In a daze, she felt someone wiping her body with a hot towel, the movements uncharacteristically gentle.

She subconsciously grabbed that hand and murmured, "Just endure a little longer... I can leave soon..."

The next moment, the hand fiercely gripped hers back, the force strong enough to nearly crush her bones.

"Leave what?!"

Julian's voice was as cold as ice.

Chapter 5

Eleanor opened her eyes in pain, finding herself back at the Blackwood estate.

Julian was sitting by the bed, staring at her with a dark expression: "What did you just say about leaving?"

Eleanor's heart skipped a beat. She played dumb, her voice hoarse: "Leaving what?

I must have been delirious from the fever, talking nonsense..."

Julian watched her intently for a long time, seemed to believe her, and released her hand: "Why didn't you tell me you were on your period?

And you still soaked in the lake for so long."

Eleanor gave a weak smile: "If my going in could earn her forgiveness for you, I'd rather not have said anything."

Julian's expression was complicated as he asked again: "Do you really like me that much?"

Eleanor lowered her lashes.

It wasn't like.

She just needed to maintain the relationship between the two families. Once Alina returned, she could leave for good.

The door was suddenly pushed open, and Sophia walked in: "Julian, when are we leaving to go fishing?"

She saw Eleanor was awake and feigned surprise: "Ms. Vance, are you alright?"

Before Eleanor could answer, she added with a smile: "Last time, I was just angry when I told Julian to do that. I didn't think he'd actually throw you into the ice lake. I'm so sorry."

"I heard you were the one who donated blood for me?

Why don't we go fishing together? Consider it my apology to you."

Just as Eleanor was about to refuse, Sophia had already grabbed her hand affectionately: "Don't say no, I've already cleared it with Julian."

Julian glanced at her, signaling her not to be a killjoy.

In the end, Eleanor could only nod.

On the luxury yacht, the sea breeze was slightly salty.

Sophia stuck to Julian's side the entire time, laughing sweetly as she had him feed her fruit, apply her sunscreen, and even coquettishly asked him to carry her on his back to see the ocean view...

Eleanor stood on the deck, quietly watching the horizon as if none of this had anything to do with her.

It wasn't until Julian took a call and stepped away that Sophia walked over to her and suddenly said: "I really don't get you sometimes."

Eleanor turned to look at her.

Sophia narrowed her eyes: "Everyone in our circle says you're deeply in love with Julian, willing to do anything for him. But shouldn't love be about possession?"

"I framed you and made you apologize, you showed no emotion; he threw you into an ice lake, you showed no emotion; even now, watching him and me being intimate, you show no emotion..."

She leaned closer to Eleanor, her voice low: "Do you actually like him or not?"

Eleanor tugged at her lips. She had guessed right; she really didn't like Julian.

Before the words could leave her mouth, a giant wave suddenly struck!

"Ah—!"

The two of them lost their footing and were swept into the sea at the same time!

The icy seawater instantly submerged them, the metal edge of the yacht cutting long gashes into their arms, and blood immediately bloomed in the water.

"Someone's overboard!

Save them!

Hurry, save them!"

The deck erupted into chaos. A rescuer quickly jumped into the sea, but he resurfaced just as fast, his face grim: "Mr. Blackwood, their blood will attract sharks soon!

And they're drifting in opposite directions. To be safe, we can only save one of them first!"

Julian's face changed drastically, his eyes frantically scanning the surface of the water.

On one side was Sophia struggling desperately; on the other, Eleanor was being pushed further and further away by the waves...

"Save Sophia first!"

He practically roared the words.

By the time Eleanor heard those words, she had already choked on several mouthfuls of salty, bitter seawater.

She watched the rescuer swim toward Sophia, watched Julian's anxious face, and with a bitter smile, slowly closed her eyes.

She should have known.

In his heart, she was always the one who could be abandoned.

Water filled her lungs, and her consciousness began to fade.

In a daze, she saw a dark shadow rapidly approaching.

It was a shark!

A sharp pain shot through her leg. Her last conscious thought was the image of the azure seawater being stained red, bit by bit, by her blood...

Chapter 6

When Eleanor woke up again, the first thing she saw was the stark white ceiling of a hospital.

"You're finally awake!"

The nurse let out a sigh of relief. "You're so badly injured, we need to contact your family right away."

She paused, then couldn't help but sigh: "Look at Ms. Reed next door. She also fell into the sea, her injuries are much lighter than yours, but Mr. Blackwood hasn't left her side, doting on her like she's a treasure. Where's your family? It's been two days, and no one has shown up..."

Eleanor twitched her lips but said nothing.

Just then, the door to the hospital room was suddenly thrown open.

Julian stood in the doorway, his face grim, his gaze stabbing into her like a knife.

The nurse froze, seemingly confused as to why Mr. Blackwood was here, but seeing his foul expression, she quickly retreated.

The moment the door closed, Julian swept the medicine tray off the bedside table, the piercing sound of shattering glass echoing as pills scattered across the floor.

"Was it you who pushed Sophia into the sea?"

His voice was as cold as ice.

Eleanor froze.

She didn't understand why Sophia would still frame her; a wave of exhaustion washed over her heart: "I didn't do it."

"Still denying it?"

Julian seized her wrist, his grip so tight it felt like it would shatter her bones. "Sophia told me herself!

Weren't you always so magnanimous?

Why did you suddenly change like this?"

He sneered, as if he'd figured something out: "Could it be... all that tolerance before was just an act?

Just to get my attention?"

Eleanor's face went pale with pain, but she just looked at him calmly, too weary to even bother explaining.

A look like that thoroughly enraged Julian.

He violently flung her hand away. "Fine. Since you won't admit you're wrong, then you can bear the consequences yourself."

He turned to leave, his voice bone-chillingly cold: "From now on, no medical staff will attend to you.

Suffer this pain on your own!"

The next few days were exceptionally difficult for Eleanor.

With no doctors on rounds and no nurses to change her dressings, she had to drag her battered body, inch by inch, to the medicine cabinet and apply the medication with trembling hands.

Several times, she fell, bruising her knees, but she always gritted her teeth and pulled herself back up.

Julian probably thought that she, the "great miss of the Vance family," wouldn't be able to withstand such torment.

But he didn't know that she wasn't Alina, not some socialite raised in a greenhouse.

She was Eleanor, who had grown up tough in the countryside, abandoned by her parents as a child, forced to endure even sickness all on her own.

What was a little pain like this to her?

A few days later, just as Eleanor had finished her discharge paperwork and was packing her bags, the door to her room was suddenly kicked open.

Julian stormed in, his face dark, and grabbed her wrist: "Come with me."

"For what?"

Eleanor frowned.

"Sophia has been kidnapped by Leo Carter."

Julian's voice was tense. "He specifically demanded you in exchange. He'll let you go after three days."

Eleanor's heart shuddered.

Leo, the notorious pervert in their circle. Every time he saw her, his cold, slimy gaze was nauseating.

"I'm not going."

She refused outright.

Julian's eyes turned icy: "You don't have a choice."

He stared at her, his tone suddenly softening: "Leo is interested in you; he won't do anything to you. Just be obedient, and after this is over, I'll agree to any condition you name."

Eleanor looked up at him and suddenly smiled: "Alright then. I want a wedding."

Julian was taken aback: "What?"

"We only registered our marriage back then, we didn't have a wedding."

Eleanor said softly, "I want you to make it up to me."

This was part of her plan.

When Alina returned, she would need a grand wedding, to let everyone witness the handover of the "Mrs. Blackwood" title.

Julian was silent for a long time before finally nodding: "Alright, I promise you."

When Eleanor was sent to the Carter estate, Leo was lounging lazily on the sofa, watching her with a grin.

"Mrs. Blackwood, long time no see."

His fingertips brushed across her face. Eleanor fought back her disgust and didn't pull away.

The torture of the past two days had been "mild." Leo had just had people draw her blood, tube after tube.

She was already numb to the pain of the needle piercing her vein, but watching her own blood fill one glass tube after another, her heart couldn't stop trembling.

Until the third day, in a half-dreaming state, she heard the bodyguards outside whispering:

"Has the young master gone crazy?

Is he really going to drain her blood to make a specimen later?"

"Shh, keep it down... The young master said she's too beautiful, that only by making her into a specimen after she's dead can she be preserved forever..."

The blood in Eleanor's veins instantly froze.

This was Julian's promise that "nothing would happen"?

She was about to lose her life here!

A bone-chilling cold shot up from the soles of her feet to her spine. She bit her lip hard, only managing to suppress her trembling when she tasted blood.

Taking advantage of the guards' laxness, she felt for the crystal ornament on the bedside table and smashed it against the window with all her might.

"Crash!"

Shards of glass flew everywhere. She used a sharp edge to cut the ropes, and as she leaped from the second floor, a sharp "crack" came from her right ankle.

The intense pain made her vision go black, but she didn't dare to stop.

Dragging her sprained ankle, she stumbled out of the Carter family's property and ran all the way back to the Blackwood estate.

As she pushed open the living room door, she saw Julian kneeling on one knee, carefully applying medicine to Sophia's ankle.

"Julian..." Sophia's eyes were red. "Ms. Vance has been gone for so long, aren't you worried at all?"

Julian's movements paused, his voice impossibly gentle: "I'm only worried about you. Why didn't you tell me you sprained your ankle? Are you trying to make me worry to death?"

Eleanor stood at the door, soaked to the bone, her ankle swollen high, yet she didn't receive so much as a glance.

She walked past them, her face devoid of expression.

"Eleanor?"

Julian finally noticed her and shot to his feet. "You..."

Chapter 7

His gaze swept over her, as if checking if she was hurt, and finally, he let out a sigh of relief: "What happened these past three days?"

Eleanor tugged at the corner of her mouth, her chapped lips cracking and bleeding: "Nothing."

She cut straight to the point: "The wedding you promised me, when will you deliver?"

Sophia immediately looked up: "What wedding?"

Julian was silent for a moment: "She and I are going to have a make-up wedding."

Seeing Sophia's eyes instantly redden, he quickly explained: "It's just a ceremony, Sophia. You're the only one in my heart."

Sophia forced a smile: "I understand... I'm not angry. You're doing this to save me, after all."

She suddenly looked at Eleanor and said softly: "Ms. Vance, why don't I help you pick out a wedding dress?"

In the following days, Sophia followed Eleanor everywhere as she tried on wedding dresses, never leaving her side.

In the bridal shop, Eleanor stood before the fitting mirror, the pristine white wedding dress outlining her slender waist. Sophia followed her every step, inspecting every gown and nitpicking every single detail.

"This neckline is too low."

Sophia critically tugged at Eleanor's collar. "Change into something more modest."

"The waistline isn't flattering enough."

She picked up another dress. "How can Mrs. Blackwood wear such a plain style?"

Eleanor quietly complied the entire time, like an emotionless marionette.

When the final wedding dress was chosen, alone in the empty fitting room, Sophia finally dropped her facade.

"So you weren't indifferent after all, you were just playing hard to get."

She suddenly gripped Eleanor's wrist, her nails digging deep into the flesh: "Let me tell you, don't think you can steal Julian from me this way. He can only be mine!"

Eleanor didn't even lift an eyelid, simply pulling her hand back calmly.

There was no playing hard to get, nor was there any intention of stealing Julian.

She wanted to leave more than anyone, wishing for this farce to end quickly.

But she never expected that Sophia would be so convinced she was trying to steal Julian, and would start causing trouble again.

On the eve of the wedding, Julian suddenly kicked her door open.

"Did you lock Sophia in the fitting room?"

His face was dark. "Do you have any idea she's claustrophobic?!"

Eleanor closed her eyes wearily: "I didn't."

"Still trying to argue?"

Julian yanked her to her feet. "It seems the last lesson wasn't enough!"

Ignoring her struggles, he had the bodyguards lock her in the dark, damp basement.

In the darkness, Eleanor sat in a corner, hugging her knees.

Around midnight, she suddenly heard a rustling sound,

and then, a bag of live rats was thrown in!

"Ah—!"

She screamed and jumped up, frantically pounding on the iron door until her nails split, but no one came to save her...

The next day, Julian opened the door with a cold expression: "It was just one night. Why cry the whole time?"

After a whole night of torment, Eleanor's face was ashen: "Sophia let rats in..."

Julian scoffed: "Sophia would never do something like that."

He turned on the light: "Where are the rats you mentioned?"

Eleanor froze.

The basement was spotless, without even a single rat hair.

Sophia... had already cleaned up all the evidence.

She opened her mouth, but in the end, said nothing.

Julian said coldly: "The wedding is in three days. I'll be with Sophia until then. I'll only show up on the day of the ceremony."

He gave her a warning glance: "Don't cause any more trouble, or the wedding is off."

Chapter 8

After saying his piece with a cold face, Julian turned and left the basement.

Eleanor listened as his footsteps faded away before slowly pulling herself up, leaning against the wall.

For the next three days, she locked herself in her room, hardly ever stepping out.

She only took a few simple bites of the meals the maids brought; no matter how beautiful the sunlight was outside, she never took a single step out of her room.

She couldn't give Sophia any more opportunities to frame her.

Fortunately, Julian was true to his word. He spent those three days with Sophia and didn't even return home.

Eleanor often saw them appearing together in the gossip columns.

Sophia would be holding Julian's arm, her smile radiant and captivating, and when Julian looked down at her, his gaze was filled with overwhelming tenderness.

The day before the wedding, she sat at her desk, meticulously writing down all of Julian's likes and dislikes:

"Hates cilantro, doesn't eat spicy food; only drinks Americanos, no sugar; shirts must be ironed impeccably; no light at all when he sleeps..."

After she finished writing, she folded the note and called for the maid, Xiao Tao.

"Here, take this."

she said softly, "Give it back to me after the wedding is over."

Xiao Tao looked confused: "Ma'am, what is this...?"

"In case I forget."

Eleanor gave a slight smile, "You know, my memory has been poor recently."

Although Xiao Tao found it strange, she obediently took the note. "Don't worry, Ma'am. I'll keep it safe."

After Xiao Tao left, Eleanor dragged a long-packed suitcase from the depths of her closet.

She took one last look around the room she had lived in for three years, her gaze lingering for a moment on the wedding photo on the wall.

In the photo, Julian was impeccably dressed in a suit, as handsome as a god, while she, in a priceless wedding gown, smiled with gentle charm.

She gently took down the frame, placed it facedown on the desk, and then left without a backward glance.

In the airport terminal, Mrs. Vance had been waiting for a long time.

She handed Eleanor a bank card and a plane ticket. "Thirty million. Not a penny less."

"From now on, you have nothing more to do with the Vance family."

Eleanor took the card, her fingertips trembling slightly.

She looked up at her mother, only to find that the woman wouldn't even grant her a single glance.

"Thank you,"

she said softly.

Mrs. Vance's tone was icy. "You've done well these past three years, making sure the partnership between our families went without a hitch."

She paused. "Go on. Go live the life you want."

Eleanor nodded and turned toward the security checkpoint.

At the corner, she glanced back one last time. Mrs. Vance was already gone, her retreating back so resolute it was as if she had never had a daughter.

But she wasn't sad. She clutched the plane ticket, her eyes growing warm.

This time, she could finally live for herself.

She walked toward the boarding gate without looking back, her figure just as resolute.

And at that very moment, in the Blackwood estate,

a woman who bore a striking resemblance to her was putting on a wedding dress, quietly waiting for the next day's ceremony.

Alina was back.