Chapter 7: Reliving the Past

Eleanor realized Sebastian had seen her with Alexander and misunderstood, which only caused her great disappointment.

"Don't judge others with your own filthy mind."

"Do you dare say you don't have feelings for Alexander?!" Sebastian challenged.

"I dare say we are just friends. Do you dare say your relationship with Claudia is innocent?"

Sebastian felt a twinge of guilt.

"Whatever happens between Claudia and me doesn't change the fact that you are my wife. After so many years of marriage, you can't possibly want a real divorce. When you're done making a scene, just come home. Why are you even putting on an exhibition and embarrassing yourself outside?"

Sebastian stiffly added, "I... Teddy misses you a lot."

Eleanor laughed.

This made Sebastian feel triumphant.

See? Eleanor still loves me. Just one sentence, and she'll rush right back to my side. Why did she pretend she wanted a divorce? It was clearly all to win me back.

"Sebastian, you truly disgust me."

With that, Eleanor walked straight past him.

Sebastian froze for a long time, staring at Eleanor's retreating back. He clenched his fists in angry humiliation.

Back at home, Sebastian stormed into the room like a madman, tossing all of Eleanor's forgotten belongings into the trash can.

Claudia heard the commotion and came upstairs. "What's wrong?"

"I'm throwing out all of Eleanor's things! I never want to see her, or anything that belongs to her, again!"

Soon, the items were all thrown away, but they only filled half of the trash can.

Sebastian looked at the contents of the trash can, remembering that Eleanor only took a small suitcase when she left.

He realized that this small amount was all she owned after all their years of marriage.

But thinking of her words today, Sebastian's anger flared again.

"Go tell Mary to take all this stuff back to Eleanor. Since she won't come back, she should never come back!"

Claudia immediately went to find Mary.

When she returned, she saw Sebastian placing a photo album into the pile of things.

She recognized it as their wedding album.

Claudia frowned, thinking, What does Sebastian mean by this? Is he hoping Eleanor will see this picture and change her mind?!

Claudia clenched her fists but didn't enter the room.

After Mary left the villa with the belongings, Claudia caught up to her and took the box back.

She looked at the photo of Sebastian and Eleanor's wedding inside the box, a flash of jealous hatred in her eyes.

Two hours later, Claudia returned to the villa, sobbing, carrying the box.

Sebastian was in the living room looking at documents. He immediately rushed over when he saw her. "Claudia, what happened? What happened to your face...!"

Claudia's left cheek was red and swollen, a clear handprint visible.

"I... I thought our problems were all my fault, so I wanted to personally deliver her things and apologize. But I didn't expect... Eleanor not only tore up your wedding photo but also hit me! And she said..."

Claudia threw herself into Sebastian's arms, looking victimized and pitiful.

"What else did she say?!" Sebastian asked anxiously.

"She also said that she already has a new boyfriend and that we shouldn't bother her anymore."

"What?!" Sebastian's anger ignited. "We aren't divorced yet, and she already has a new boyfriend? I have to go find her and get a straight answer!"

"Sebastian, don't go!" Claudia grabbed his arm.

She subtly tugged her dress down, exposing a hint of her full, rounded breasts, and rubbed against Sebastian.

Sebastian noticed Claudia wasn't wearing a bra, her nipples faintly visible beneath the neckline.

Ordinarily, Sebastian would have been immediately attracted, but at the moment, his mind was clouded only with the rage of Eleanor finding a new boyfriend.

He pushed Claudia away directly. "I have to go out."

Claudia nearly fell to the floor. She stared in disbelief as Sebastian hurriedly left.

...

At the suburban villa, Eleanor was sitting in the garden, sketching a new painting.

She was so absorbed that she didn't notice a car pull up a short distance from the gate.

Sebastian watched the villa from the car, constantly smoking.

But he never saw a single man. Did he leave already?

Thinking this, Sebastian called Eleanor from a new number.

He watched Eleanor pick up her phone, hesitate for a moment, and then answer.

"Hello?"

"It's me."

Hearing Sebastian's voice, Eleanor’s tone became cold. "What do you want?"

"Why did you hit Claudia?"

The question was nonsensical. Eleanor was confused. "When did I hit her? Does everything that happens to her have to be my fault?"

"What, you hit her and won't admit it? Claudia came to drop off your things today. You not only hit her, you tore up our wedding photo, and you also said... you have a new boyfriend?" Sebastian probed.

Eleanor laughed dryly, realizing this was all Claudia's performance. Claudia had never even come here.

"I won't take the blame for things I didn't do. Also, remember to ask Claudia for me: what does this new boyfriend look like? I'd love to meet him sometime."

Eleanor hung up the phone.

Despite being hung up on, Sebastian felt much better knowing Eleanor didn't have a new boyfriend.

He hummed a tune, stubbed out his cigarette, and deliberately made noise with his car as he drove away to get Eleanor's attention.

Hearing the noise, Eleanor stood up and looked. She recognized Sebastian's license plate.

Eleanor frowned, wondering what Sebastian was trying to do.

In the evening, Eleanor went out to buy some art supplies.

Walking down the street, she was suddenly handed a rose.

Before she could react, a second and third rose were given to her, until she was holding dozens of them.

The scene felt strangely familiar to Eleanor.

She turned around and saw Sebastian walking toward her, dressed in a formal suit, holding a large bundle of balloon strings.

The image in that moment was identical to when Sebastian proposed to her seven years ago.

She had been in love with Sebastian once. They had spent countless days and nights leaning on each other for warmth.

Even though those days were long gone, the rush of memories still made her eyes well up.

"What are you doing?" Eleanor asked.

Sebastian smiled, handing the balloon strings to Eleanor. "Do you remember what you said when I proposed to you?"

Eleanor thought back. She had been overwhelmed with emotion, crying as she hugged Sebastian and saying she never wanted to leave him.

Everything had changed now, and Eleanor was filled with mixed feelings.

Sebastian raised his hand to wipe her tears. "I thought you'd forgotten, and you actually wanted to divorce me. There's nothing going on between Claudia and me. I can explain everything to you slowly over time. When you calm down, just come home. Theodore misses you."

Eleanor hesitated. She could give up Sebastian, but Theodore was still her darling son. Should she go back to the family for Theodore?

Just as Eleanor was about to answer, her phone chimed with a text message.

It was a photo and message from Claudia.

The photo showed Claudia wearing only revealing lace lingerie, with prominent hickeys on her neck and shoulder. Sebastian was lying next to her, shirtless.

[Eleanor, how does it feel? You've never been able to beat me at anything since we were little. Even the husband you're so proud of and love the most is mine now!]