Chapter 6
Jacob stared at Eloise for a moment, then burst out laughing. “Marry someone else? Are you kidding me? What the hell are you talking about? You’re nw girlfriend who else could you marry? I said could marry you. If you didn’t catch that, let me repeat it–I’m going
to marry you
“Congratulations, you’ve hit the jackpot!”
He found an unopened can of beer on the floor. He picked it up and popped the tab. He held the tab between his fingers and scoffed. Then, he swaggered over to Eloise
Grabbing her hand, he smirked disdainfully before slipping the tab onto her middle finger. “There. Satisfied now?”
Eloise looked at the makeshift ring on her finger and laughed silently. Just how cheap did Jacob think she was in his mind? As if a pull
tab could tie her down.
She yanked her hand away, slid the tab off her finger, and tossed it back to him. “Keep it for Sophia. I don’t deserve it.”
With that, she strode out of the room.
“Tomorrow, 9.00 am, I’ll be waiting at the registrar’s office. If you’ve got the guts, don’t show up!” Jacob yelled after her.
She didn’t stop. She walked out of the room without looking back.
“Eloise!” Jack ran after her, his face full of guilt. “Jacob’s just been through a lot. He…” He started to defend Jacob but trailed off because even he couldn’t excuse what had happened, Jacob had gone too far.
“I’ll make Sophia see that I’m not hung up on her. She won’t marry me? Plenty of women would!” Jacob’s frustrated roar echoed from
the room
Eloise shook her head with a faint smile. “See? He’s just mad at Sophia. He doesn’t actually want to marry
“They weren’t a good match to begin with,” Jack muttered.
“Not my problem. But if you guys consider me a friend, then respect me. Jacob and I are over.
Jack studied Eloise closely. For the first time, he witnessed how determined she was. This breakup seemed real
When Floise got back to the villa, her stomach growled with hunger. She hadn’t eaten dinner yet. She had passed a convenience store on her way back and only picked up a pack of instant noodles.
The kitchen was practically empty, but there was at least a small pot. After cooking the noodles, she realized there were no bowls, so
she ate straight out of the pot.
Just then, William sent her a photo of a bowl of beef stew
“The beef was stewed last night. This morning, I added a few slices of beef and sprinkled some scallions–super easy,” his message
read
While looking at the picture and text, Eloise couldn’t help but smile, William was a peculiar man. He had seamlessly stepped into his role as her fiancé and seemed to enjoy making unilateral decisions.
After a moment of thought, she snapped a picture of her instant noodles and sent it back to him.
His reply came quickly. “Want to try my stew?
She responded with a clapping emoji but immediately wondered if it was inappropriate. Before she could second–guess further, William replied, “I’ll make them for you when you’re back”
Eloise felt an inexplicable pang in her heart as she stared at the message.
The next morning at the hospital, Eloise began her rounds in the inpatient ward. Just as she entered the obstetrics and gynecology department, the head nurse, Laura Bancroft, grabbed her and headed to the VIP wards upstairs.
The director wants you to take over a patient.”
“Yes, he specifically asked for you,” Laura said.
2/1
On the VIP floor, Eloise immediately noticed Jacob leaning against the wall. His head was wrapped in bandages, and he smoked a
cigarette with an air of irritation.
Smoking was prohibited in the ward area, but no one dared stop him not the doctors or the nurses. After Laura gave her the room mumber, she left to attend to other tasks.
Eloise walked toward Jacob, stopping behind him outside the ward. The ward was shut, but through the glass window, he saw Sophia. lying inside.
Last night, Sophia had attempted suicide by slashing her wrists. According to Laura, the injuries weren’t severe enough to be life- threatening, even without treatment. But the act itself had caused a commotion when she was brought in during the early hours.
When Jacob noticed Eloise, he threw his cigarette to the ground and stomped it out furiously. “She tried to kill herself over a worthless piece of trash, Was it worth it? Tell me, was it worth it?
Eloise raised an eyebrow. “Are you asking me?”
“You’re both women. Aren’t you?”
A faint smirk tugged at Eloise’s lips. “It’s not worth it, I, for one, wouldn’t hurt myself over a scumbag ”
Jacob frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You asked me, didn’t you?”
Ignoring his frustration, Eloise opened the door and went inside. The VIP ward was the most luxurious suite in the hospital, more like a presidential hotel suite than a medical facility.
Sophia lay on a spacious double bed. As she was receiving her IV drip, she was also crying. When she saw Eloise enter, she turned her head toward the window.
Eloise approached. First, she examined the wounds on Sophia’s wrists, then listened to her heartbeat with a stethoscope
“I reviewed your test results. The wounds aren’t serious, and your pregnancy is stable, so there’s no need to worry,”
“Where is he?” Sophia asked in a tearful voice.
“Who?
“Jacob”
“Mr. Kilbourne is outside.”
“Why won’t he come in to see me?”
Eloise paused. What was wrong with these two? Why did everything have to involve her?
she said.
“I know he’s been here since last night but refuses to see me. I know I’ve hurt him this time, but I promise it’s the last time. I’m over that man, Sophia whined.
“Ms. Whitmore, hold on. I’ll call Mr. Kilbourne in so you can tell him directly.”
“No, I’m telling you” Sophia turned to face Eloise. Though her face was covered with tears, she exuded an air of arrogance.
“I planned to fake a marriage with Jacob to deceive the public, but now I truly want to marry him.”
Eloise clicked her tongue. The perks of having a backup plan were that there was always someone to fill the gap–just like she was to Jacob, and he to Sophia.
“Why are you telling me this?” Eloise asked, amused.
“I want to make it clear to you–stop clinging to Jacob.
“Clinging to him?”
“I know you love him, but he loves me. As long as I’m willing to be with him, you’re out of the picture,” Sophia said. Then, with a sigh, she added, “Of course, considering you’ve been with him for eight years, I’ll compensate you.”
The idea was new to Eloise. She stuffed her hands into the pockets of her lab coat and smiled. “Actually, Jacob proposed to me last night.”
As expected, Sophia’s expression tensed.
“If I had said yes, I’d already be Mrs. Kilbourne.”
Chapter
“He only loves me,” Sophia retaliated.
“So? For the past eight years, I was the one in his bed, while you were in someone
“You-”
“Sot
else’s.”
think carefully about how to compensate me. It might convince me to let go of this man.”
