For the first time in months, I felt like I could breathe again.
Lucas was awake, I spent every waking moment at the hospital, holding his hand, feeding him soup, updating him with everything he’d missed. I watched as the color slowly returned to his cheeks, and as the fear in my chest started to melt into something softer- hope.
One evening, as I tucked in his blanket, Lucas reached for my hand.
“Ellie,” he said quietly, “how are we going to pay for all this?”
I smiled and squeezed his fingers. “I’ve got it covered.”
His brows furrowed. “No, seriously. We’ve been here for weeks. It must be-
“I sold the jewelry Colton gave me,” I said quickly. “It wasn’t hard. Most of it was never worn anyway.”
His eyes widened. “Ellie…”
“I also had some savings,” I added before he could object. “Look, it doesn’t matter. You’re here. That’s what matters.”
I didn’t want him to worry. He had enough to recover from. He didn’t need to know that I cried the night I handed over the necklace given to me by my parents to a pawnshop. Or that watching someone else wear a bracelet I once called mine still burned.
He looked at me, guilt in his eyes. “I should’ve never let you marry him.”
“You were a kid back then,” I chuckled softly. “You didn’t exactly have a say and it was for the best of our family that I had to marry him.”
“Still, I should have said a word. I saw the way he looked at you. It wasn’t love.”
I bit my lip, keeping my thoughts buried. What was the point in reopening wounds? So, I just ignored what he said, and just took care of my younger brother. The only family I had. left.
Later that week, I mentioned that I might start looking for work again–either part–time or full–time. Lucas frowned, saying I should rest. But I smiled and told him, “We both need a fresh start.”
The day Lucas was finally discharged, I rolled his wheelchair to the nurse’s station, already dreading the financial conversation. But when the clerk smiled and said, “Everything’s been settled,” my heart stopped.
“Settled?” I asked, stunned. “By who?”
“Mr. Sebastian Rhys,” she replied.
My chest tightened.
Sebastian.
Why? And how?
I wanted to see him. I needed to say thank you. But when I asked the staff, they said he’d
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Why? And how?
I wanted to see him. I needed to say thank you. But when I asked the staff, they said he’d
already left the building. Well, maybe this was his payment for my lie. It’s not like I was going to see him again, so I didn’t mind.
We returned to our new apartment–a modest but cozy space near a park–and I helped Lucas settle in. He was doing better now. Still weak, but stronger every day.
One lazy afternoon, I walked into the living room and found him on his tablet.
“Whatcha watching?” I asked.
He looked up like a deer caught in headlights, and tried to hide the screen. But I’d already
seen it.
Shania. In a new video, smiling brightly as she opened another designer gift from Colton. Perfumes, handbags, a bracelet–then a kiss on the cheek.
They looked… happy.
My stomach twisted.
“Ellie,” Lucas said carefully, “I didn’t mean to-”
“It’s okay,” I said quickly, forcing a smile. “Let her have him. I’m glad she got what she wanted.”
He looked at me like he didn’t believe a word of it. And maybe I didn’t either. But I meant it when I said it was time to move on.
“I need to get back to work,” I said, standing. “You just stay here and rest.”
Over the next few days, I updated my resume, polished my portfolio, and started applying to architecture firms. My German was rusty, but decent. It helped that I’d studied it back in university–before I dropped everything for Colton.
Mistake. All of it. But now, I was rebuilding.
To my surprise, one of the biggest architectural firms in Berlin emailed me back.
I’d passed the first interview.
Then the second.
And now… they wanted me to meet the company’s chairman.
The nerves hit me hard.
I chose my best outfit–simple but confident–and tied my hair back neatly. I stood in front of the mirror, straightened my blazer, and whispered, You’ve got this, Ellie.
When I arrived at the office, the receptionist guided me through a long hallway and stopped in front of a sleek mahogany door.
“You may go in now,” she said.
I took a breath, nodded, and opened the door.
“Good morning,” I said as I stepped inside, smiling. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Ellie-”
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WUK U
Cucu, aile opereu und üour,
“Good morning,” I said as I stepped inside, smiling. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Ellie-”
I froze.
The man behind the desk looked up.
His silver cufflinks glinted under the soft lighting. His suit was perfect. His posture regal.
Sebastian.
Our eyes locked.
“You…” I whispered.
A slow, amused smile curved his lips. “Miss Ellie,” he said smoothly, standing up. “I was wondering how long it would take before you walked through that door.”
My knees nearly gave out.
