Chapter 6

A deep, masculine voice resounded from behind Mabel. Startled, she turned her head to see Elliot standing right behind her. His brow was furrowed, and his eyes were trained on the different-sized bags in her hands. "I already have all of that. You don't need to buy them for me." His tone was cold as usual, but a flurry of complicated emotions flickered in his eyes. He hadn't expected that the first thing Mabel did after getting discharged from the hospital was buy things for him—not when he'd hit her with the jeep and abandoned her to fend for herself in the hospital. Did she really love him that much? Mabel was about to explain that her purchases weren't for him when the sales assistant walked over and placed the items that Elliot had ordered beforehand on the counter. The items included a woman's scarf, a bottle of perfume, and a tube of lipstick, and all of them were Zoe's favorites. Mabel glanced at them briefly before averting her gaze, wearing an indifferent expression. Elliot wasn't sure why, but when he saw Mabel looking at the items, he said, "You need to order these beforehand. If you like them… I can buy them for you next time." Mabel smiled. "No need." After all, there would be no next time. She was going to leave very soon. Elliot frowned, seemingly surprised by her reaction, but he didn't say anything else. When they were about to head home, he uncharacteristically offered to give her a ride. They'd just arrived at the entrance when the mailman delivered a letter to Mabel. Tearing the envelope open, Mabel realized that it was a train ticket for Southgate. Elliot's expression twisted slightly when he glanced at the ticket. "Why did you buy a train ticket?" he asked. "I'm going to see a very important person," Mabel answered calmly. Elliot was stunned by her answer, but he assumed that she was just going to visit her family. His voice softened as he asked, "When are you leaving?" "Next week." "I'll have my men prepare some gifts for you to take back. I can't go with you. I have many military duties to attend to, so I can't spare any time for the trip." They'd been married for three years, but Elliot had never once accompanied Mabel to see her family. She'd never cared whether he went with her or not. In fact, it was better if he didn't. That way, their ruse wouldn't be discovered. Now that she was on the verge of leaving him for good, she cared even less. She made a noise of acknowledgement and didn't say anything else. As she turned around to step through the door, she accidentally twisted her ankle and fell forward. Fortunately, Elliot had quick reflexes. His hand shot out to grab her wrist, and he yanked her back. Caught completely off guard, Mabel collided against Elliot's chest, her lips brushing across his chin. Both of them froze at their new position. "What are the two of you doing?" someone shrieked. Zoe stood a short distance away. Her eyes had turned red as she glared at them. Elliot immediately released Mabel, but he sounded a little flustered as he spoke. "We weren't doing anything. She nearly fell. I just helped her stay on her feet." He then grabbed the items he'd bought for Zoe. His retreating back looked a little pathetic as he jogged into her room. Mabel rubbed the spot where Elliot had grabbed her. Her wrist was already beginning to sting. She was about to head back to her room when Zoe blocked her path. Through clenched teeth, Zoe gritted out, "Didn't you say that you don't need his love? Why are you trying to seduce him now? You can't pretend anymore, can you?" She scoffed. "You love him so much, and you finally want to fight me for him. Am I right?" Mabel sighed tiredly. "You're overthinking this. What happened earlier was just an accident." "An accident?" It was obvious that Zoe didn't believe her in the slightest. Her eyes were dark and cold as she exclaimed, "Just you wait, Mabel!" She then rammed into Mabel's shoulder before angrily taking her leave. When night fell, Mabel prepared dinner as usual. She was carrying a bowl of hot soup out of the kitchen when Zoe suddenly approached her. The latter grabbed the bowl, saying, "Let me help you." Mabel shifted to the side to avoid her. "No need." However, Zoe was relentless and tried to snatch the bowl from her. They struggled for a short while before Zoe suddenly screamed and fell backward. The hot soup splashed all over her while the bowl fell to the floor, shattering into a million pieces. Elliot rushed out after hearing the commotion. "What's going on?" Mabel was about to explain the situation to him when Zoe beat her to it. She held her arm, tears streaming down her face as she said, "Mabel, I know that you don't like me living here, but that doesn't give you the right to push me…" Her words left Mabel in disbelief. "I pushed you? You're the one who fell down by yourself—" "That's enough!" Elliot interrupted Mabel before she could say more. His gaze was glacial as he continued, "Not only do you want to hurt Zoe, but you want to frame her as well? I've known her for so many years. I know exactly what kind of person she is." He called one of the subordinates over and asked, "What's the punishment for intentional battery?" The subordinate glanced at Mabel before hesitantly answering, "According to the rules… 20 lashes. The guilty party will also be thrown into the labor camp to write a reflection letter." "Proceed with the punishment," Elliot ordered icily, not even sparing a look at Mabel. Mabel couldn't help but smile when two of Elliot's subordinates stepped forward to apprehend her. She remained calm, not even bothering to struggle, and simply stared at Elliot.