Chapter 8

Nora couldn't figure out why Elliot was dragging her to the hospital, but seeing the seriousness on his face, she didn't ask questions and just hurried out of the restaurant with him. He drove fast, weaving through traffic and laying on the horn every chance he got. Whatever this was, it had him tense and rattled. He barely said a word the whole drive. When they arrived, Elliot didn't even slow down as he headed straight for the rooftop. As soon as they got up there, she saw a burly man holding a knife, pinning a terrified Claire against the railing. Her face was streaked with tears. The moment Claire saw Elliot, her eyes lit up with desperate hope. "Elliot, please! Help me!" Before Nora could even process what was happening, Elliot suddenly shoved her forward. His voice rang out behind her, steady but cold, "Take a good look. This is my girlfriend. "The woman you're holding right now is innocent and means nothing to me. Even if you hurt her, it won't get you what you want. "If you want leverage, you should be threatening my girlfriend. That's the only way you'll get what you want from me." It finally dawned on Nora what was going on. He'd rushed her over here just to use her as bait and trade her for Claire's safety. The ugly realization hit her all at once, especially when she overheard some of the onlookers muttering about the scene. Apparently, the whole mess was a case of hospital violence. Someone had been stalking Elliot for days, always seeing him with Claire. So, the man had assumed Claire was his girlfriend and decided to take her hostage. Nora felt like she'd just had a bucket of ice water dumped over her. Elliot had spent all his time with Claire. But when things went wrong, he didn't hesitate to throw Nora into danger to protect Claire. The man glanced at Claire, then turned to Nora with a confused look. Maybe he recognized her from when he had been tailing them, because his grip on the knife loosened slightly without him realizing it. He looked around warily, ready to have Nora step forward to exchange as a hostage. But before he could react, a team of police officers suddenly stormed the roof. In a flash, someone kicked the knife out of his hand while others pulled Claire to safety. The moment Claire was out of danger, Elliot rushed to her side. "Claire, are you okay?" Claire threw herself into his arms, sobbing. "I was so scared, Elliot..." Only after making sure Claire was fine did Elliot finally glance at Nora. "Are you alright?" he asked, as if she were an afterthought. Nora's eyes were cold and empty. There was nothing left there for him. Elliot was never the type to explain himself, usually brushing things off like they didn't matter. But now, seeing how hollow she looked, he actually faltered for a second. "Nory, there were officers stationed all around. The plan was for you to distract the man, and the police would move in. It was just part of the strategy." He sounded so reasonable and so sure of himself. Nora didn't even bother arguing. Just part of the strategy—yeah, right. She happened to be okay this time, but what if she hadn't been? Was Elliot really willing to risk his girlfriend's life just to save another woman? Right then, she looked at him and realized she was staring at a stranger. "Nora, just look at yourself. This is the man you gave up everything for, the one you moved to a new city for. Do you regret it now?" she asked herself. She indeed regretted it. But at least she still had the chance to walk away and start over. Later, Elliot said Claire was too shaken up by the incident and needed his support, so he spent all his time with her after that day. He completely forgot that he had been the one who shoved Nora toward the man. Nora had already made up her mind to end the relationship. She wasn't going to let him hurt her anymore. Once again left alone at home, she began clearing out everything in the apartment that reminded her of Elliot. She even went to pick up their engagement photos. Then, she pulled them out and tossed them into the fire. She watched the flames devour the memories, then turned to the rest of their shared belongings. Back then, trying to feel closer to Elliot, she bought all kinds of couple items. There were matching toothbrushes and cups lined up on the sink, towels with cute designs in different colors, couple outfits hanging in the closet, and even bracelets tucked away in the jewelry box. She packed every single item into a box and carried it out to the trash. From that moment on, she would never need any of it again.