Chapter 3 What Is Your Relationship With Her?
“Mr. Ethan, aren’t you leaving?” Someone lightly patted his shoulder.
Ethan remained motionless. Where no one could see, his hands trembled.
Eleanor noticed someone staring at her.
The man had rebellious, sharp eyebrows and narrow, deeply expressive eyes. His features were strikingly perfect, yet the corners of his lips carried a wicked smile, arrogant and flamboyant.
The curiosity and excitement in his gaze made her uneasy.
Most people had already left the room, yet he remained seated, showing no intention of leaving.
Eleanor no longer hesitated. She held out the divorce papers to Gabriel.
“I don’t want anything. Just sign the original agreement.”
In their three years of marriage, he might not have loved her, but at least he had never cheated.
Yet after seeing him openly appear with Sienna these past few days, she knew it was time to finalize the divorce.
Gabriel gave the papers a brief glance before sneering. “Is that man really so important?”
Is he really that important that she has to force my hand in front of everyone?
Eleanor bit her lip slightly, knowing he had misunderstood.
But it no longer mattered. Their marriage was bound to end anyway.
Seeing her lower her eyes in silence, Gabriel felt a wave of irritation.
He wanted to ask who the man was but knew this wasn’t the time.
The atmosphere grew heavier, pressing down on his chest.
Frustrated, he yanked at his tie and rasped, “Pen.”
When she didn’t move, he slowly lifted his gaze. “Didn’t you want me to sign?”
“Oh,” Eleanor murmured. She quickly fumbled in her bag, hesitated for a second, then handed him a pen.
Without lifting his head, Gabriel signed his name in bold strokes and handed the papers back.
Eleanor took the heavy documents, forcing herself to suppress the ache in her chest. She had achieved her goal, yet an emptiness lingered inside her.
“Since the papers are signed, shouldn’t you head to City Hall next for the divorce certificate?” Sienna suddenly chimed in.
Eleanor turned to Sienna, watching her widen her eyes with an innocent expression. But all Eleanor could think about was the missing nurse.
The day she confronted Sienna, the nurse had resigned and vanished without a trace. Margaret’s death remained a mystery.
Seeing Eleanor’s sharp glare, Sienna tensed and instinctively stepped back.
Gabriel noticed the burning hatred in Eleanor’s eyes and immediately understood that she was thinking of Margaret again.
“Eleanor, how many times do I have to say this? Sienna didn’t harm your grandma.”
Didn’t hurt Grandma? He’s determined to defend Sienna.
Eleanor looked at him, her voice hoarse. “Gabriel, you know Grandma was my only family.”
She had been abandoned as a child, left to fend for herself. If not for Margaret, she would have frozen to death on the streets.
Margaret had given her all the love she had ever known, and had been the sole reason she kept going.
Yet not only had she failed to repay that kindness, but she had also let Margaret die without answers.
She tilted her head back, forcing her eyes wide open to keep the tears from falling.
“I know.” Gabriel’s lips pressed into a thin line. “I was the one who arranged for her to be in the hospital. Sienna had no reason to harm her.”
Eleanor let out a soft laugh, but there was no warmth in her eyes.
“I don’t know if she had a reason, but the nurse said they argued that day.”
If Sienna had truly cared for Margaret, they never would have argued.
Margaret had always been kind, living peacefully with her neighbors for years. Even in illness, she somehow ended up arguing with Sienna, which only convinced Eleanor that Sienna must have said something.
The thought that Margaret had been angered to death made Eleanor’s hatred endless.
Sienna had been the only visitor that day. Margaret’s sudden brain hemorrhage wasn’t just a coincidence.
“If you trust her so much,” Eleanor said coldly, “then I’ll see you in court. I will find the evidence.”
She cast a fleeting glance at Sienna before quickly turning to leave.
Maybe it was the exhaustion of the past few days, but as she reached the door, a sudden wave of dizziness hit her. Just as she was about to collapse, a hand caught her.
Eleanor steadied herself and looked up gratefully, only to meet the gaze of the man who had been watching her all along.
“Thank you.”
Seeing her up close only deepened Ethan’s suspicion.
From the moment he first laid eyes on her, he had been shaken to his core.
She looked too much like his aunt.
Everyone said the lost Xander daughter resembled their aunt.
Genetics could skip generations, and it wasn’t uncommon for a niece to take after her aunt.
There was a real chance this woman was his sister.
As his grip on her arm unconsciously tightened, Eleanor frowned and subtly pulled away before turning to leave.
“Wait!”
Ethan instinctively stepped forward, only for Sienna to block his path.
“Mr. Ethan, have you taken a liking to her?” Sienna batted her lashes, teasing. “She comes from poverty, probably not even worthy of stepping through the Xander Residence’s doors.”
Everyone knew Hudson Xander had strict requirements for his future daughters-in-law. Background and education were non-negotiable.
No one questioned the Xander family’s high standards. They had the power to be selective.
“Poverty?” Ethan raised an eyebrow, deep in thought.
If she really is my sister, she must have had a hard life all these years.
Gabriel had kept his marriage a secret, even from him. That alone made it clear that the McKenzie family had never truly acknowledged Eleanor.
“Yeah,” Sienna smirked. “Margaret picked her up off the streets. No one even knows who her parents are.”
Ethan’s expression darkened.
Sienna continued, fanning the flames. “Your family would never accept a woman like that, would they?”
Every word dripped with mockery.
Ethan glanced toward Gabriel, then recalled how Eleanor had stormed out earlier.
If my sister had gone missing and been raised by strangers, would people mock her like this too?
Leaning lazily against the doorframe, Ethan shot Sienna a sidelong glance.
“If she was good enough for the McKenzie family, why wouldn’t she be good enough for mine?”
Sienna stiffened, awkwardly glancing at Gabriel.
Gabriel approached just in time.
“You’ve been watching the show for so long, why rush off now? Why not sit down and have a cup of coffee first?”
Ethan regretted getting caught up with Gabriel.
All he wanted now was to dig into Eleanor’s past.
She looked so much like his aunt, and she just happened to be adopted. When coincidences piled up like this, they stopped being coincidences.
“Gabriel, I have urgent matters to handle. Whatever you want to say, save it for another time.”
Without waiting for a response, Ethan turned to leave, but Gabriel blocked his path.
His gaze was deep and unreadable.
From the moment Eleanor had walked in, Ethan hadn’t taken his eyes off her.
Ethan might be reckless, but he wasn’t the type to stick around just to watch the drama unfold.
Eleanor had told him she wanted a divorce because she had found someone else.
Is that person Ethan?
Gabriel’s expression grew colder.
“Mr. Ethan, what exactly is your relationship with my wife?”
