“Elara, don’t cry. I’m fine. Adrian just loves you too much. A little bleeding is nothing. Don’t be angry with him.”
Her tears spilled as she looked at him with heartache, her entire body shielding him from me. That sight broke something inside me. In that moment, I realized—I had completely lost.
She dragged Dorian to the living room to bandage him, leaving me on the balcony with nothing but a cigarette and my thoughts.
Her phone lay unattended on the coffee table. The screen lit up with notifications. My blood roared in my ears as I picked it up. A group chat.
Dorian: “We fought again. Adrian’s so stingy—it’s like he’s not even a man. We’ve been like this since childhood. If he hadn’t hit me, I’d suspect he was a woman.”
Elara: “He’s already like this just after marriage. He deserves to be taught a lesson.”
Friend: “If it doesn’t work out, Elara, just divorce him and live with Dorian.”
Dorian (voice message): ‘I’m not mad. Elara just used Adrian’s card to buy me a villa. Right, Elara?’
Elara: “Yes, yes. As long as you’re happy, I’ll support you with Adrian Westcott’s money.”
Scrolling further, the chat was filled with sneers:
“He’s rich, stupid, and easy to fool.”