Chapter 23
Aaron shook his head stubbornly. Every time Eleanor saw that expression on his face, she was reminded of the last time they had broken up before. He had also been relentless and
threatened to kill himself.
Back then, she had been worried he might actually go through with it, so she had relented. But now, seeing him pulling the same trick again, she felt nothing but exhaustion.
Not minding if it might get her dirty, she sat down on the spot and let herself relax. Even her tone lightened considerably.
“This isn’t the first time you’ve threatened me with suicide. Do you think that your life is worthless? Or do you think that I’d die for you, as Alina would?”
Her questions threw Aaron into confusion. A look of panic flashed on his face as a flood of memories rushed through his mind.
He remembered how she had looked when he had tried to win her back by threatening to take his own life–helpless and resigned.
He remembered how she had looked after his proposal, when she had confronted him about the truth on the night he had gotten drunk–grief–stricken.
He remembered how she had looked on the night they picked out her wedding dress and she lay in his arms, saying that what went around came around–numb and emotionless.
He also remembered how she had looked when she raised the hem of her wedding gown and ran from the altar–relieved.
Each and every one of her expressions was deeply etched in the depths of Aaron’s mind. He would never forget them. However, none of them hit as hard as the indifferent, detached look. on her face right that instant.
There had been many times in the past when they had almost broken off their relationship, but in the end, they had managed to pull through each time.
But this time, despite his deep love for her, the irreconcilable past stood between them. He felt completely powerless in the face of truly losing her.
To put things more accurately, he felt the despair and helplessness of facing an impending disaster.
Was his life that worthless? That couldn’t be. He was Aaron Ford, a formidable figure in Drakemont’s elite circle. How could his life be worthless?
But would Eleanor die for him? No, she wouldn’t. She loved him, or more accurately put, she used to love him.
But the one she loved most–the only one she ever truly loved–was never him. She loved dancing more than she ever loved him. And above all, she was someone who loved herself.
Aaron knew that—he had always known that. But still, he had fallen for her like a moth attracted to a flame.
And his love for her not only surpassed the love she had for herself but even his love for himself.
That was why he was standing on the ledge so recklessly after losing her. It was just a way for him to prove that she still loved him. Even if she still had the tiniest bit of love for him, he would gladly do anything for her.
Aaron saw no way back–he had gone all out. But based on Eleanor’s expression now, he could see that he had placed his bet wrong. For a moment, he lost his composure and stumbled over his words.
“You promised me! You promised that you’d give me another chance! You even signed on that promise note! But when I went looking for it today, the butler told me that you’d burned it! You burned all of them! Nora, why’d you go back on your words? Don’t you remember what you promised me before?”
What Aaron was referring to was a wish that he’d made on his 15th birthday. He had requested her to promise that no matter how fiercely they fought in the future, she’d always give him another chance.
Eleanor had agreed to it, written it down on a note, and signed it.
After all these years, he had never made use of the note. She had almost forgotten about it and had burned it.
Eleanor never expected him to still remember about it. But she had no intention of honoring it
anymore.
She looked up at him and answered in a calm voice, “It’s true I’d promised you that before. But we’d set some ground rules before making the promise. One of them was that the promise. would be nullified if you ever fell for anyone else.
“Can you
you honestly say you never had any feelings for Alina? Can you say you still remembered our promise when you kissed her?”
