Chapter 7
Lara knew from the moment she woke that the soft grass outside had broken her fall. She only had a few scratches, but Elijah stayed by her side every moment. He made soup for her, cut apples into little rabbit shapes, and even helped her clean up when she needed it.
“I really envy Ms. Womack,” one nurse said. “She has such a handsome and caring husband.”
“Yeah, unlike Ms. McPherson a while back,” another replied. “She got badly hurt, and after the first few days, nobody came to see her.”
“She can only blame herself for marrying a terrible man,” the first nurse added.
open and Elijah’s face turned pale with anger as he overheard them. He pushed the door snapped, “Try gossiping about someone behind their back again and see what happens.”
The nurses jumped and immediately scattered.
Thinking of Avery’s stubborn expression that day, Elijah felt a storm of frustration inside him. He rubbed his forehead irritably and asked, “Lara, what really happened that day? How did you fall out the window?”
Tears instantly filled Lara’s eyes. She looked down and said, “I’ve told you so many times, Eli. Avery was mad after seeing us. She pushed me out the window. Don’t you believe me?”
Seeing the tears of the woman he loved, Elijah’s anger melted away. He gently wiped her face and said, “Of course I believe you, darling.”
Lara said softly, “I just want to teach her a little lesson. You’ll help me, won’t you?”
Elijah stayed quiet for a moment, then slowly nodded.
At the villa, Avery got a text confirming her name change and transfer had gone through. She jumped up excitedly and started packing her things.
She had always known she would leave, so she hadn’t brought many personal things and didn’t feel any real connection to the house. She packed only the bare essentials, and not even a small suitcase was full,
She let out a bitter laugh, feeling both pitiful and sad. After three years in this home, this was all the luggage she had.
Before she could hide her things, Elijah appeared and grabbed her wrist. His face was tense with anger. “Lara is still in the hospital, and you’re planning to go out? Don’t you have any
sense at all?”
Avery felt a wave of relief that he misunderstood her. She calmly pulled her hand free. “I
didn’t push her,” she said.
Since she was leaving, she didn’t hold back anymore. She lifted her chin and met Elijah’s gaze. “I never hurt her. She made the whole thing up herself.”
Elijah let out a disbelieving laugh. “Is that so? It seems I misjudged you all along.”
However, his expression quickly darkened, like a storm about to break.“Get Mrs. Tarver into the car. We’re going to see Lara.”
The car didn’t head to the hospital. Instead, it drove straight downtown, taking her to the city’s revolving restaurant, the tallest building in the country.
Lara was pushed out in her wheelchair. Her face wasn’t pale like a patient’s at all. Thanks to Elijah’s care, she glowed with health.
When Avery was roughly shoved to the ground by the bodyguards, Elijah didn’t even glance at her. He draped a blanket over Lara and said softly, “You just got out of the hospital. Why aren’t you wearing more? It’s windy up here.”
He pushed Lara forward in her wheelchair until she was right in front of Avery. “She’s here. How do you want to punish her?” he asked Lara.
Lara let out a soft, playful laugh. “Avery is your wife after all. I won’t go too far. Just hang her outside the window for an hour.”
Avery’s head shot up in shock. This was the Central Tower, over two thousand feet high. Even a normal person would faint hanging out there, and she was terrified of heights.
She gritted her teeth and said, “Elijah, we’re divorced. You have no right to do this.”
She had planned to wait until she left for his mother to tell him about the divorce, but if she didn’t speak up now, she might have a heart attack.
Elijah only gave a cold, mocking smile. There was no trace of her in his eyes. “Do you really think you can get divorced without my signature? You have never spoken a single word of
truth.”
Avery suddenly remembered what Edwin Tarver had said that day. Of course, Elijah had no idea what he had actually signed.
She closed her eyes in despair, trembling uncontrollably with fear. “Elijah, do you know this
could kill me?”
“Did you ever think Lara could die when you pushed her out the window?” Elijah retorted, looking down at her coldly. “Don’t worry. I trust you can handle it. After all, you chose to come here yourself.”
Without hesitation, he ordered his bodyguards to hang her outside the window.
Chapter 7
Peering down from two thousand feet, Avery felt as if her heart had been crushed.
It was all his revenge. She had said that Lara’s injury was entirely fabricated, and now he was dangling her from the top of the building as if she had come willingly.
She had thought that even without love, three years of marriage would have left some trace of connection. Only now did she realize how utterly wrong she had been.
He didn’t remember her birthday or any of their special occasions. He didn’t even know what she was allergic to. The only thing he remembered was her fear of heights, and he used it to
hurt her.
Avery’s face had gone as pale as a corpse. She stared at the deep blue sky in the distance, trembling as she clenched her fists. Tomorrow, she would be free.
She told herself to hold on for just one more hour. Once it was over and Elijah’s anger had cooled, everything would be over.
Her heart felt like it might burst. At one point, she thought it had stopped for a few seconds, only to pound wildly again in fear.
From the building across, a giant clock struck once, and the hour finally passed.
She gasped, trying to calm her racing heart. “Elijah! Let me down now!”
However, there was no one at the window. Lara had already found an excuse to have Elijah take her away.
Avery had been suspended two thousand feet above the ground all day. Only when the restaurant closed was she finally released.
Her clothes were soaked with sweat, and vomit had ruined her outfit. She was pale and completely exhausted.
Her legs gave out the moment her feet touched the ground, and she collapsed onto the floor.
Her phone vibrated, and she saw a message from Elijah. “I’m taking Lara on vacation tomorrow. You’d better behave.”
She didn’t reply. Her hands shook as she pulled her ID from her pocket.
She no longer wanted anything. She was leaving this place behind and never looking back.
She placed the call, and moments later, the roar of helicopter blades cut through the sky.
A private plane landed in front of her. “Ms. McPherson? Please come with us.”
Avery tossed her phone and SIM card into the trash. When she looked up, her eyes shone with a fierce resolve.
Chapter 7
“No. From now on, I’m Ms. Quinn.”
4/4
Chapter 8
Chapter 8
