Chapter 18 Leave Him Alone
Sienna sat in the car, watching the trees and traffic recede, tears welling up in her eyes.
“Gabe…”
She had been left behind.
For some reason, ever since Ethan appeared, she felt like things were heading in a strange direction.
Eleanor’s grandma had passed away, which indeed pushed Eleanor to voluntarily step back, but Gabriel had changed, beginning to feel pity for Eleanor.
No, she couldn’t let this continue.
She made a call.
“Renee, didn’t I tell you to do something to embarrass her? How did she come out looking so triumphant?”
There was a brief pause on the other end, followed by an angry response: “How dare you question me? Why didn’t you tell me she had a good relationship with Ethan? Do you know that the one who almost ended up embarrassed today was me?”
“What happened?”
Renee told her exactly what had transpired that day.
Ethan, again!
Sienna was furious.
Originally, when Eleanor had gone, she had bribed Renee, hoping to make Eleanor embarrass herself so that, even if Eleanor ended up with Gabriel, it would still be a blow to Gabriel’s reputation.
But unexpectedly, this had only worked out in Eleanor’s favor!
“Renee, are you alright? I didn’t expect Eleanor to be so underhanded, even making Ethan fall for her. I truly didn’t know about her relationship with Ethan. The new collection from Charmes just arrived, I’ll send it over to you tomorrow. I admit, this time I was wrong.” Sienna quickly played the weak card, begging for forgiveness.
Renee didn’t suspect anything: “We’ve been friends for so many years, I trust you. But don’t worry, Oscar still stands by me. He said he’ll handle it
Oscar?
Sienna curled her lips.
“Didn’t expect Oscar to protect you so much.”
“I’m his cousin. Who’s Eleanor? She’s just an outsider with no background. Oscar knows who’s important and who’s not.”
Hearing this, Sienna finally relaxed.
She had been worried that if Eleanor and Gabriel divorced, Eleanor might really marry Ethan. But with Oscar’s attitude, it seemed unlikely that Eleanor would ever enter the Xander family.
“Don’t worry, Sienna. If this plot fails, there will be another chance. I’m sure she won’t be able to outsmart me,” Renee said, her teeth clenched in anger.
When it came to scheming, Sienna didn’t consider herself even a fraction as capable as Renée.
But it seemed this time wasn’t a total loss.
At least she gained an ally.
“Go to the hospital,” Sienna thought of Laura.
1/3
Some things couldn’t be handled personally.
Eleanor had Gabriel dropped off outside the manor and was about to leave him behind when Gabriel, as if knowing her plan, quickly grabbed the car handle.
“Are you planning to leave me behind?” Gabriel’s face darkened, like burnt charcoal.
Caught, Eleanor immediately flushed with embarrassment.
Ever since Gabriel said he didn’t want a divorce, she had driven out of the estate as fast as possible, originally planning to go with him to the hospital. But now, she only wanted to part ways with him as soon as they were outside the manor.
Today, Gabriel was being strange.
Seeing his grim expression, she immediately thought of a possibility.
“Gabriel, you don’t actually intend to… offer yourself to me, do you?”
She had only saved him out of human kindness, but he wouldn’t degrade himself so much…
Seeing her terrified expression only confirmed Gabriel’s suspicion.
At first, he had only been testing, but she nearly lost the car, and now, with the unwillingness all over her face, the matter was clear.
She was dead set on leaving him.
If he forced her to stay, it would be like biting the hand that had fed him.
His deep eyes fixed on her, and the furrow between his brows slowly relaxed. He parted his lips, his voice low and hoarse, betraying no emotion: “Don’t worry, the divorce will happen.”
“That’s good.” Eleanor patted her chest, as if relieved by a heavy weight lifting.
Gabriel pressed his lips together, and a sudden sense of pressure weighed down on his chest.
He wanted to protect her. If he could, she could live under his protection for the rest of her life.
The McKenzie family could provide for her.
But if she wanted to be with the one she loved, he had to let go.
She was right. On their wedding night, he had already given up on her.
His throat felt unbearably dry, and the clothes on his back seemed to be soaked with something, the wound growing more painful.
He gritted his teeth and forced out a few words. “See you at City Hall tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
Eleanor’s smile was lighter than he had ever seen before.
Perhaps saving him once made her more resolute in letting go.
“Then, I’ll leave now?” Eleanor gestured to the electric scooter.
The man in front of her instinctively took a few steps back.
As she was about to start the vehicle, a loud bang sounded from behind.
Gabriel had collapsed!
Eleanor quickly stopped the vehicle and helped him up. As she reached to give first aid, her hand touched his back, which felt
2/3
wet and sticky. The strong smell of iron filled the air.
It was blood!
She immediately realized the wound on his back had come from blocking the crystal chandelier for her.
Gabriel was sent to the same hospital as before, but this time, the doctor issued a strict order that he couldn’t leave the hospital.
“Who is looking after him? His burn wounds haven’t healed, and now the injury has worsened. The wound infection could be life–threatening!”
Eleanor bit her lip and allowed the doctor to scold her.
She didn’t understand why Gabriel insisted on leaving the hospital with his injuries.
Could it be because of me? Does he fear I’ll be bullied in the Xander family? How could he be so kind? We’re getting a divorce, after all.
“Doctor, please save him.” Seeing the doctor frowning deeply, Eleanor couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.
The doctor waved his hand helplessly. “I’ve seen disobedient patients before, but this is the first time I’ve encountered someone who doesn’t care for their own life. In situations like this, it’s tricky. I can only do my best, but after that, it’s out of my hands.”
The doctor’s words left Eleanor frozen in place.
She had thought Gabriel was acting like everything was fine, but now she realized how serious his condition was.
“Doctor, please, no matter what…”
A loud slap echoed as a hand struck her face, interrupting her words.
“Eleanor, you vicious woman! If it weren’t for you, Gabe would have been in the hospital much earlier!” Sienna’s tears fell in large drops. “Please, just leave him alone! Others might only want money in a divorce, but you’re trying to take his life!”
The sting on her face brought Eleanor back to reality.
She stared at Sienna, her head buzzing with pain.
As Sienna raised her other hand to strike her again, Eleanor caught her wrist.
“I’ll take responsibility for what I’ve done, but it’s not for you to teach me a lesson.”
Ignoring the warning, Sienna reached out with her other hand to slap her, but Eleanor retaliated with a slap of her own.
Sienna froze.
The hallway went silent, with everyone watching quietly.
Not far away, Ethan and Oscar, carrying a fruit basket, were walking toward them.
Seeing this, they both instinctively stopped in their tracks.
