Chapter 8

Elsie rushed out of the elevator, but she still caught the warning behind her: "Stay away from Aiden." Without even turning back, she shot back, "The one I should really stay away from... is you!" Then she headed straight for the car where Aiden was waiting. "You two argued?" Elsie didn’t want to worry him, so she forced a smile and shook her head. “Nope.” But Aiden handed her a tissue, gently wiping away the tear on her cheek. Elsie froze for a moment. “Just the wind… got into my eyes…” Aiden didn’t call her out on the lame excuse. Instead, he said softly, “You should just leave him, Elsie.” Her eyes widened. “How do you know about me and William?” “He brought his mistress to a movie… and held your hand the whole time. Elsie, a guy like that isn’t worth your time. Someone who can’t stay loyal doesn’t deserve your feelings.” As he spoke, he stepped aside, revealing the silhouette of William and Grace walking off together, clearly close. “And you know,” Aiden added, “relationships are weird. You can kind of tell who someone cares about just by looking. Right?” Staring at the affectionate pair, Elsie’s eyes turned dim, her voice low and dull, “Yeah… you’re right.” William’s heart had always been with Grace. She’d just been too blind to see it—until now. Noticing her mood, Aiden’s gaze softened. Even if William liked being around Grace, his body language never actually leaned toward her. That usually said a lot—like he didn’t really care about what she was saying, let alone showing any real affection. But Aiden didn’t bother to bring that up. No point. Instead, he smiled warmly, dimples showing. “Come on. I’ll give you a ride home.” Elsie shook her head. “Thanks, but I live close. I’d like to walk and clear my head.” Seeing she meant it, Aiden didn’t push. It was almost Christmas, but oddly there hadn’t been any snow lately. The wind, though, was still sharp enough to sting. As Elsie paused for breath, a Bentley pulled up beside her. The window rolled down, and William’s mocking voice came from inside. “What, that guy didn’t drive you home?” Elsie shot back, tone sharp, “Didn’t you tell me to stay away from him? You happy now?” “Shouldn’t you be off with Grace? Why bother with me?” Sarcasm practically dripped from her words—anyone could hear it. Strangely, William didn’t get mad. In fact, he almost seemed pleased. “So this time... you actually listened.” “Don’t flatter yourself,” she muttered. “I’m not getting in. I’m not in the mood to be dumped on some random street again.” “I never—” William started, then abruptly shut up. He’d just remembered that accident last time. His lips tightened, and when he spoke again, it was stiff, awkward. “The car hit something that time… It was too risky to drive. I called Eric to get you. Traffic made him late—you were already gone.” Elsie didn’t even flinch. “No need to explain. Anyway, I’ll stick around for the role, But don’t worry—after this, I won’t compete with Grace for anything else.” Especially not for you, William. She didn’t want him anymore. William’s face darkened, but she didn’t spare him another glance. She just walked off. The Bentley followed. After several blocks, still trailing her at the same slow pace, Elsie finally snapped. “William, I think I’ve made myself very clear.” His voice came steady and calm from the car. “And I thought I’d been pretty clear too. Get in.” William pulled the car door open without any warning. “Go ahead, argue with me some more. Maybe by tomorrow morning, you’ll be front-page news.” They stood locked in a tense standoff for a while, and passersby started casting curious glances their way. Left with no choice, Elsie got in the car. Neither of them spoke during the ride. But luxury cars sure were something—what usually took her ages to walk, William got them home in a flash with just a tap on the gas. “Thanks for the ride,” Elsie said politely. To her surprise, William got out of the car with her, mocking her formal tone on purpose. “I’m heading home too. No need for thanks.” “…” Elsie didn’t argue—she didn’t have the right to. He hadn’t stayed over even once in the past three years, so she was just mildly taken aback. She followed behind him, switching into her slippers at the door. Lisa Smith came out to greet them, and her face was full of disbelief when she saw William. “Sir, are you... staying over tonight?” William paused midway through taking off his coat, frowning as he glanced at her. “What, I can’t stay in my own house now?” “No, no! Of course you can!” Lisa quickly took his coat and hung it up, then grabbed a pair of slippers for him. Just as Elsie stood up and caught sight of the slippers Lisa had chosen, she quickly stopped her. “Hey—wait, not that pair…” Her sudden comment made both of them turn to look at her. But the slippers were already in Lisa’s hands, and Elsie could only swallow her words. She gave a slightly awkward explanation. “Um…those just... don’t really suit you.” William glanced at the slippers. They matched the ones on Elsie’s feet—same little bear design. “Yeah… not really my style,” he remarked, but his brows relaxed and he even let out a soft chuckle. “Childish.” Elsie had guessed even three years ago that this was exactly what he'd say when he saw those slippers. She felt nothing about it anymore. They had been a wedding purchase—something she had carefully picked out. Not just the slippers, but all the other matching, cutesy things in the house—she had bought them all. Thing was, she had been the only one using them all this time. Three years in, she had long stopped daydreaming about building a cozy life together with him. With a quiet sigh settling in her chest, she said flatly, “Lisa, get him another pair.” “…Don’t bother.” Elsie blinked, surprised, only to see William already finished changing into the slippers. Looking at his furrowed brows, she figured he must be feeling pretty uncomfortable. Still, for the first time in three years, her bear slippers finally had their twin on the other set of feet. She couldn’t help but look him over from head to toe. Sleek, serious business suit paired with silly bear slippers—the contrast was kind of hilarious. Elsie almost laughed, but then her throat tightened. She wanted to laugh, but she also kind of wanted to cry. This was exactly the kind of married life she used to wish for. But what she got was three years of emotional isolation. It was her standing at the door, staring at the lonely set of slippers; brushing her teeth and freezing in place looking at the couple’s toothbrushes; crying herself to sleep hugging the spare pillow... She couldn’t laugh anymore. Blinking away the moisture quickly, she stepped around William and headed upstairs. “I’m gonna go change.” William didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. He nodded. “Alright.” Looking down at his identical slippers, something stirred in his chest—he wasn’t even sure what it was. Just like earlier, something had compelled him to follow her out of the car. “You hungry? Want me to heat something up for you?” Lisa offered, already heading to the kitchen. William waved her off. “No, I’m good.” “Make her a cup of lemon tea,” he said. “Add some honey—she can’t handle anything too strong right now.” He paused, then added, “Also, run her a hot bath or get the heating pad ready. She’s just getting over a cold and was out in the wind today. If she doesn’t warm up, she’ll probably run a fever again.” Elsie had just set foot on the stairs when his words stopped her cold.