Chapter 3

Eloise gave Jeremy a look of disbelief. Those employees had worked for him for at least three years. How could he consider firing them just because she refused to eat Scarlett's cooking? She clenched her fists and steeled herself. She forced herself back to the dining table. Scarlett placed some food on Eloise's plate with a smile, making sure that they were all coated in the spicy gravy. Her smile deepened when she faced Eloise. Jeremy's frustration finally subsided when Eloise obeyed him. He got up and poured her a glass of water. "I can't believe I had to force you to eat. You've gotten out of hand." Although Eloise felt a burning pain in her stomach, she remained calm on the outside and stiffly shoveled food into her mouth. Satisfied, Jeremy went back to flirting with Scarlett. At night, Jeremy sent Scarlett home, leaving Eloise alone in her bed and pressing on her stomach in agony. Drenched in sweat, she scrambled to grab her phone and accidentally dialed her emergency contact. Jeremy picked up in no time, but he urgently said, "Scarlett twisted her ankle. I'm sending her to the hospital. We'll talk later." Then, he hung up on her. Tears fell down her cheeks. Holding in the pain, she called the ambulance. When she arrived at the hospital, the medical staff rushed her to the operating theater to save her life. The blinding lights flooded her vision. Through the pain, she drifted in and out of consciousness. The illusion of Jeremy, who had protected her since they were kids, showed up before her. When Eloise was a child, her parents were often busy and left her in the care of a nanny. However, at best, the nanny could only take care of her home life. In school, Eloise was severely bullied. Her schoolmates locked her in the toilet cubicle, threw filthy water over her, and continued the bullying off campus. Her nanny was of no help, and it was hard to reach her parents. In the depths of her desperation, Jeremy had defended her. With a bright smile, he rescued her from the dire situation. He firmly put an arm around her shoulder and set his phone number as her emergency contact. Grinning, he pinched her cheek. "Eloise, I'll back you up from now on. Stay by my side!" And she did. She stayed by him for 24 years. Whatever Jeremy did, she followed. When he was in need of a wife, she agreed to marry him without hesitation. When he first took over the Gibson Group, he had no trusted colleague within the company. For him, she gave up on her dreams and helped him succeed in business. One of her best friends once asked her, "Eloise, aren't you tired? Jeremy only sees you as a friend. Even after you two were intimate, he still plays dumb and calls you his 'bro'!" A tear trickled down her cheek. She had finally sobered up. On the third day of her hospitalization, she could finally walk around. The nurse, upon noticing her wedding band, grumbled, "You've been here for a while. Why hasn't your husband come around to take care of you?" Eloise's attention was drawn to her ring finger. Then, she calmly removed the wedding band, explaining, "We divorced." Feeling awkward, the nurse offered some words of comfort. A thought struck her, and she told Eloise, "Men are scum in general, but I came across a gentleman recently. This guy called the retired orthopedics specialist back into service just because his partner twisted her ankle! He caused quite a stir." Another nurse, who happened to enter the room, walked over quietly and joined the conversation. "Oh, he caused a stir, that's for sure. Do you know that he's the head of Gibson Group? That was the first time I saw our hospital director fawning over someone else." "I envy that woman! Not all wealthy men are insincere. She's so lucky." "I heard he's married. Could she be his wife? She must have a lot of good luck!" All the while, Eloise quietly sat in her bed with an expressionless face despite feeling bitter deep down. After years of marriage, Jeremy still treated her like a friend. He'd never worry about her when she got hurt, and he'd never look after her when she was hospitalized. "Why are you here?" Jeremy's familiar voice rang in the air.