Chapter 17

William didn’t even care about the mess on himself. He quickly looked down to see who he was holding—his body froze the moment he saw Grace. Not Elsie. “What… you?” “Mr. Harding, we need to go!” His voice was drowned in the shouts from the bodyguards cutting a path through the crowd. Without a second thought, they surrounded the two and rushed them out of the elevator. Elsie stared as William, shielding someone else, disappeared down the hall. Her face went completely pale. She called out instinctively, her voice shaking, “William!” So many people... just don’t leave me here alone... But William didn’t even glance back. As the bodyguards vanished, all eyes shifted to Elsie. In a heartbeat, the mob swarmed her. Panicked, she crouched down and hugged her head tight. Through the chaos, she caught a glimpse of William walking away, never once stopping, never once looking back. In that moment, something inside her cracked, like she was falling into a pitch-black abyss. Then suddenly, a hand