Chapter 358

When Nolan woke the next morning, the first thing he saw was a photo Jonny had sent.

The picture showed Eleanor sitting with a young man.

Her face was angled slightly, a soft smile resting at the corners of her lips, as though she were fully absorbed in what he was saying.

Nolan recognized that face instantly. It was the same man Eleanor had been out with the night before their engagement.

His grip on the phone grew so hard that his knuckles turned white.

He had spent the whole night waiting in his car like a fool.

And where was Eleanor? Out enjoying herself with another man.

Anger boiled over. Just then, Eleanor stepped onto the street, and he saw that she was still wearing yesterday's outfit. So...she hadn't gone home at all? She had spent the night with him? The thought snapped Nolan's restraint. He shoved the car door open and marched toward her.

Eleanor was just about to step through the villa gates when a sudden, forceful grip yanked her back.

Before she could catch her breath,she was dragged into his car, the door slamming shut behind her.

Nolan loomed over her, with frustration burning in his eyes.

Eleanor barely managed a startled, "What-" before Nolan silenced her the only way he knew how.

His lips crashed onto hers, his hands restless as if he was desperate to prove something she couldn't quite name.

For a heartbeat, shock pinned her in place. Then fire surged through her chest. Her hand lifted on instinct and came down hard across his face.

The crack of the slap tore through the car's silence.She had never hit him before.

He froze, stunned by both the sting and her reaction.Regret sank in almost immediately.

What had he just done? What right did he have to be mad at her? Yes, she had been out with that guy, but Lillian had been with them the whole time. Nothing had happened.

But him and Elora? Even though nothing had happened between them, the way it looked couldn't be brushed aside.

Nolan swallowed hard, his voice rough as he tried to explain. "Eleanor,I swear nothing happened with Elora.She told me her ex raped her, so she came to me.When you walked in... I was just steadying her, but she stumbled, and I ended up falling over her. That's all it was."

He hurried to pull up the security footage on his phone, shoving it toward her. "Look, here's the surveillance video."

Eleanor's eyes skimmed the video.

Every detail matched his story.

But truth on a screen didn't undo the memory in her mind. She could still see Nolan and Elora in each other's arms.

Maybe the fracture between them had started the moment Elora entered their lives, and this was only where it finally cracked apart. Eleanor felt bone-tired.

She was done with the rollercoaster, done with the endless bruises that came from loving him.

What she longed for now wasn't passion or fire. It was peace.

Meeting Nolan's eyes with calm determination,she finally spoke the words that cut like thunder.

"Nolan,let's end this."

It hit him like a physical blow. He staggered,his chest hollowing as if the ground had slipped beneath him."What? What are you saying? Why?"

Eleanor's tone was flat, almost gentle, as though she was pointing out something that needed no argument."When love only brings pain, there's no point in forcing it to last."

But Nolan refused to take it in.

He couldn't accept it. He wouldn't.

She was lying. She had to be. Just days ago, she had been in his arms, as if nothing in the world could pull them apart.And now...this?

His jaw clenched. He snatched up his phone and shoved it in front of her. "Is this the reason? Is it him?" Eleanor gave the picture a quick look, then lifted her gaze back to Nolan, her eyes hard and unyielding. "I'm not as cheap as you think."

With that said, she pushed the car door open and stepped out, leaving him with nothing but her retreating figure.

"Eleanor!" Nolan's voice cracked as he bolted after her.

But before he could reach her, two security guards moved in front of him, blocking his path.

"Mr. Stewart, we're sorry. Mrs. Benton gave clear orders. You're not allowed inside," one of the guards said.

Nolan froze on the spot, helpless, watching as Eleanor's figure grew smaller and smaller until she disappeared from sight.

And in that moment, one thought crushed him. Was she gone from his life for good?