Chapter 5 Leaving Him for Abroad

Elaine first met Skylar when she was 12 years old. Now, it had been exactly ten years since they'd known each other. How many decades did a person have in a lifetime? Three years ago, he was paralyzed in a car accident. She tended to his every need for a whole year, and then she was married to him for another two years. In the end, she lost everything as a mere stand-in—her job, her friends, and now, even him. She looked around the empty bedroom and realized that she truly had nothing left. Birchwood Estate was under Skylar's name. There was not a single thing here that belonged to her. Even Madeline, who once doted on her, had passed away from illness a month ago. Before she died, Madeline was worried that Elaine might be mistreated, so she left Elaine with 20% of Frey Holdings' shares. Skylar said she wouldn't know how to manage those shares. Without a second thought, Elaine handed them all over to him. She opened her hand, staring at her empty palm. She started to laugh softly. What did she have left? She really had nothing left at all. How had she let herself lose everything like this? Elaine used to run her own design studio while she was in college. She had her circle of friends and even found time to help Madeline manage Frey Holdings. She juggled everything with ease. But later, she willingly gave up everything for Skylar, handing over all that Madeline had left her. She then devoted herself to taking care of him. As he was obsessive about cleanliness, she eventually became the only one who washed his clothes. He loved her cooking, so she took over the kitchen completely. Over time, she had spoiled him so much that he became increasingly picky about every aspect of his life. Eventually, Elaine managed everything for him, becoming practically the only maid in the entire household. She waited on him like he was a king. She did all the housework during the day and warmed his bed at night. Now, he said she had gone to great lengths to make Thea suffer for the last three years. Did he even consider if she ever had the time? Just then, her phone suddenly rang, interrupting her thoughts. She answered the call, and Eric's weak voice came through on the other end. "Elaine, aren't you coming over yet?" Elaine suddenly recalled that she had promised to visit him at the hospital yesterday. However, she hadn't expected everything that had happened since then. Eric was only 12 years old. When Elaine was adopted by the Frey family at 12 years old, the two-year-old Eric was adopted by another family. But two years ago, that family had a child of their own and grew cold toward Eric. They barely cared for him anymore. Thinking of everything Skylar had done to her lately, Elaine suddenly felt a surge of fear. She was worried he might hurt Eric too. Sometimes, it only took a single instant to break a person's heart completely. She suddenly felt exhausted. "Eric, how about I take you overseas for treatment?" Eric's weak voice came through the phone. "I'll listen to you, Elaine. But will Skylar agree to let you go abroad? Will he come with us?" Elaine mumbled a vague, "It's fine," and hung up. She quickly packed a few things and took a cab to the hospital to pick up Eric. Once she completed Eric's discharge paperwork, they started walking out of the hospital. That was when they ran into Marcus Middleton entering from outside the inpatient building. Elaine tried to avoid him, but Marcus had already spotted them. He approached in a few steps, looking at Eric and the suitcase beside Elaine. Elaine could only force a polite smile and greet him. Marcus looked surprised. "Eric's condition hasn't improved yet. Is he being discharged already?" Elaine nodded. "Dr. Middleton, I'm planning to take Eric abroad for treatment. We won't be staying here for treatment any longer. Marcus frowned as he said, "Why? Don't listen to nonsense saying that foreign doctors are always better. The medical standards here are already top-notch. Besides, I'm trying to find a matching heart for you. How can you two travel in your state of health?" Feeling embarrassed, Elaine blurted out a lie, "I've already made arrangements with a hospital and several doctors abroad." Marcus blocked her path. "Which hospital? Which doctors? Tell me." Elaine fell silent, unable to answer. He reached out and pulled Eric over to his side, earnestly saying, "Don't mess around with your sister. Stay in the hospital and get treated. You're still so young. Besides undergoing treatment, you need to study as well. How will you manage that if you go abroad?" Many people nearby cast curious glances. Elaine was a bit embarrassed and tried to pull Eric back. "Dr. Middleton, thank you for your concern, but I've made up my mind." She reached out to pull Eric, but Marcus frowned and wouldn't let go. They were stuck in a silent standoff. Finally, Elaine gave in and let go, pushing the suitcase forward. "Eric, stay here at the hospital for a while. Once I've finished packing, I'll come back to get you." She directly walked away, leaving Marcus to sigh helplessly. Under the curious stares around them, he finally released Eric and let him go. She had her head lowered and was checking the flight details on her phone when someone suddenly blocked her way. She nearly bumped right into him. Eric looked up as well. When he saw the person in front of them, he timidly called out, "Skylar." Skylar ignored him completely. His expression was dark as his icy gaze fell upon Elaine. Elaine instinctively tightened her grip on her suitcase handle. "Mr. Frey, what do you want?" "Mr. Frey?" Skylar scoffed at her words, his eyes growing even colder. Elaine fought the urge to retreat. She feared the oppressive air around him drawing near. She forced herself to stay calm. "You said you want a divorce. I've already signed the agreement and left it in the bedroom at Birchwood Estate." He acted as if he hadn't heard her at all and demanded coldly, "When did you start hooking up with him?" Elaine was confused for a moment. "What do you mean?" His tone dripped with mockery as he said, "You can't even take your brother for a check-up without messing around with some doctor? Are you really that desperate, that much of a slut?" Eric stepped protectively in front of Elaine, his eyes full of hostility. "I won't let you talk about Elaine like that! I know that you're the one who fell for some other bitch. That's why you're abandoning her!" Skylar's eyes were filled with disgust as he lunged forward to grab Eric. How could he dare call Thea a bitch? Elaine nervously shielded Eric behind her. "He's just a child. If you've got a problem, take it out on me. Don't bully a child." Skylar's face twisted with utter disgust. "You two really are siblings. Both are equally unbearable. I bet you've been having an affair with that doctor and were eager to cut ties with me. That's why you deliberately brought Thea back into the country. Do you really think I'm going to let you and your lover get away with this?" Her fingers tightened abruptly as she raised her hand, ready to slap him.