Chapter 469

Simon's gaze was unreadable as he stood before Eleanor, his voice steady but laced with emotion. "She... How exactly did she die? Why did she die because of you?" His eyes, dark as the ocean's depths, carried a storm of disbelief. His sister—someone who had lived in her world, untethered by the affairs of others—had lost her life for a stranger. It was impossible to fathom. Eleanor inhaled sharply, the weight of his question dragging her back to a time she wished she could forget. The air around her seemed heavier as memories—painted in blood and regret—rushed in like an unforgiving tide. Her hands curled into fists at her sides. She had buried this pain deep, but now, under Simon's penetrating gaze, she was forced to unearth it once more. "She..." Eleanor's voice wavered, her lips trembling as she forced herself to continue. And so, with each word, she reopened old wounds, narrating the painful truth of what had transpired three years ago. Each sentence felt like a dagger to her own h