Chapter 1 Her Husband’s Mistress
“Mrs. McKenzie, you have already waited for several hours. I’m afraid Mr. McKenzie will not be coming back.”
“It’s fine. I’ll wait a little longer.”
After three years of marriage, she wanted to properly celebrate their anniversary for once.
However, her husband was making headlines with another woman.
“World-Class Couple! Gabriel McKenzie Personally Picks Up Sienna Sullivan at the Airport! So Sweet!”
Sienna was her husband’s first love. The whole world supported him in winning her back.
But none of them knew that Gabriel was married.
No matter how many times she called, all she ever heard was the cold, automated message that the phone was turned off.
In the end, she did not wait for Gabriel, but instead, she received a call from a nurse at the hospital.
“Ms. Weston, your grandma’s condition has worsened. Please come immediately.”
The nurse’s anxious tone exploded in her ears like a thunderclap, making her entire body tremble.
She grabbed a coat, picked up her car keys, and rushed out.
Running countless red lights on the way, Eleanor Weston arrived at the hospital with shaking hands.
She had been picked up from the trash by her grandma, Margaret Grant. To her, Margaret was her only family.
Margaret was still in the emergency room. Distraught, she clutched the nurse’s arm and asked, “What happened? Wasn’t she fine yesterday?”
“I… I don’t know either,” the nurse quickly explained. “Ms. Weston, you know me. I’ve always taken care of your grandma with all my heart.”
“Did anything unusual happen before she collapsed?”
“Oh, right, there was a Ms. Sullivan who came by today.”
Ms. Sullivan? Sienna!
Like a bolt of lightning, Eleanor’s mind buzzed, and her entire body turned ice-cold.
Sienna had no connection to Margaret. She wouldn’t have visited for no reason.
Eleanor forced herself to stay calm and asked, “Do you know what she talked about with my grandma?”
“The door was closed at the time. From outside, I only heard her say something about marrying someone. Then your grandma argued with her for a bit. Later, Ms. Sullivan left, and when I went in to check on your grandma, she had already collapsed…”
Eleanor clenched her fists and braced herself against the wall, trembling with rage.
She had always hidden bad news from Margaret, afraid that she would find out about Sienna and Gabriel.
But Sienna had gone straight to Margaret!
The emergency room light turned off, and a doctor walked out.
Her heart pounded violently.
The doctor removed his mask and said wearily, “The patient suffered an acute cerebral hemorrhage, likely triggered by emotional distress. My condolences.”
She had imagined a thousand possible outcomes, but never this.
The doctor’s words felt like a steel wire tightening around her chest. Forcing herself to stay upright, she walked to the hospital bed.
The only person who had ever been good to her now lay beneath a white sheet, forever separated from her.
Grief swallowed her whole. She couldn’t even cry. She clutched Margaret’s cold hand as memories flooded her mind, warm moments from the past, now turned into heavy blows, crashing down on her, leaving her breathless.
She let out a sob, covering her mouth as she slowly slid down the wall into a crouch.
It was unclear how much time had passed before a familiar voice brought her back to reality.
“Eleanor.”
She slowly looked up.
The man before her exuded a powerful presence, his handsome features striking.
“It’s you…” she muttered, her gaze empty. “Grandma’s gone…”
Her only family had left her.
She wore a thin nightgown, huddled in the corner, like an abandoned child.
Gabriel’s throat was dry as he crouched down beside her. “Margaret wouldn’t want to see you like this, if she were still here.”
Eleanor’s heart felt hollow.
Some pain cut deeper than bones, and no matter how much she breathed, it couldn’t ease the tightness and anxiety within her.
Numbly, she watched as Gabriel handled everything. By the time they arrived at the funeral home, she had regained just a little strength.
On the first night of the vigil, an unexpected guest arrived.
Sienna, dressed in black and holding a wreath, walked in.
It was the first time Eleanor saw her.
In person, she was even more beautiful than on TV. Her long black hair, straight and flowing to her waist, cascaded like water, her features small and delicate, especially her eyes, which seemed as if they had been washed with water, deep, pure, and exuding an innocent, almost seductive charm.
She walked up to Eleanor and spoke in a clear, crisp voice, “Ms. Weston, please accept my condolences.”
Eleanor remembered what the nurse had said.
Does Sienna really have nothing to do with Grandma’s sudden passing?
As Sienna turned, Eleanor hoarsely called out to her. “Ms. Sullivan, the nurse said you visited my grandma the day she passed.”
Sienna froze, her movements awkward.
Eleanor’s voice remained steady. “Ms. Sullivan, you and my grandma had no connection. Why did you visit her?”
Sienna turned, looking completely innocent. “What are you trying to say?”
“I want to know what you said to my grandma,” Eleanor demanded.
“I had my foreign friends video-call your grandma to ask about her condition. I didn’t say anything else,” Sienna pouted in grievance. “I was trying to help your grandma.”
“Help her?” Eleanor let out a soft laugh. “You were strangers. The day you visited, my grandma collapsed. I don’t think you were trying to help her. I think you were trying to harm her.”
“It was my decision,” Gabriel’s voice came from behind, low and deep, his eyes dark and unreadable. “Sienna’s friend is an expert in tumor surgery, well-known abroad.”
“It’s alright, Gabe. She’s just lost her loved one, and I understand her emotions,” Sienna moved closer to him, her eyes shimmering with tears. “If it helps her feel better, I’m willing to apologize.”
“It’s just a coincidence,” Gabriel said softly, looking at Eleanor. “I was the one who arranged for her to visit. If you want to blame someone, blame me.”
Eleanor’s face turned pale as she struggled to hold herself upright. She pinched her cold fingers and bit her lip.
The man she had loved for years was now firmly shielding someone else.
“Blame you? How could I blame you…” She shook her head bitterly, her eyes, already drained of tears, reddened once more.
Seeing her like this, Gabriel frowned. “You’re exhausted. Let me have someone take you to rest.”
“No need.” She forced herself to stand, her lips ashen.
Sienna’s eyes were as pure and clear as two black jewels. Her cherry lips moved, and her crisp voice clearly reached Eleanor’s ears. “If you suspect that I caused your grandma’s death, you can report me to the police and have them investigate.”
Investigate?
She had already reported it to the police. They said the surveillance was broken and there was not enough evidence to proceed. Even after hearing Sienna’s name, they urged her to give up.
That only made her more certain that Sienna was the culprit.
What a coincidence, the surveillance had worked fine the day before, and then, on that very day, it broke.
She knew that the Sullivan family had great influence, and finding evidence on her own was nearly impossible.
But she wouldn’t give up. She would find the truth, sooner or later.
“Sienna, people may deceive, but the universe knows all. One day, you will pay for this.”
“Eleanor!” Gabriel’s gaze turned sharp, his voice icy, “Watch your words.”
