Chapter 395

It wasn't until the next day that Eleanor stumbled across the news. She wrapped up her video call, reached for her phone just to check the hour, and the first thing that caught her eye was a headline splashed across her lock screen.

A single tap opened up a wave of online fury.

Scrolling through the comments, she realized the crowd had turned. Where Nolan once took the heat,now they aimed their words straight at her.

"Eleanor's got everyone fooled. She played the helpless act a little too well."

"So that's her plan-wait for Elora to get pregnant,then swoop in and steal Mr. Stewart. She'll do anything for revenge!"

"Mr. Stewart's about to tie the knot, and she still won't leave him alone. Shameful."

A quiet laugh slipped from Eleanor as she flicked through the venom. She switched off her phone and tossed it onto the table.Meanwhile, Lillian was practically vibrating with rage right next to her. "What the hell is wrong with these people? Do they just spout garbage for fun? Revenge?They don't know the first thing about you!"

Eleanor reached over, catching Lillian's arm and giving her a gentle squeeze. "Let it go. It's not worth getting worked up about. People will say what they want,but I'm not losing sleep over it. I've heard worse."

She had seen it too many times-public opinion swung with the wind.

One day, fans cheered someone on. The next,they were ready to see them fall. No one ever seemed to remember what they said before.

For Eleanor, it was pointless to get angry about it.

Still, Lillian refused to drop it. She scowled at the screen. "I just don't get it! Why is it that you end up taking the fall for Nolan's mess? And Elora? That girl could win an Oscar with all the fake tears she puts on!"

With every word, Lillian's frustration only grew. She grabbed her water, took a long drink, then finally let it all spill out.

"You have no idea what I found out, Eleanor," Lillian burst out. "Nolan asked Ryland and me to check into Elora's so-called ex-boyfriend. Turns out, the guy's been living overseas for years-hasn't set foot here not once! Not even a hint in his travel history

She added, "We even double-checked with that Podium Apartments guy, and he admitted he was paid off to act the part. He never touched Elora,not ever!"

Everything pointed to a setup.

Elora had staged the entire ordeal from start to finish.

Lillian smacked her palm against the table, voice tight with anger. "I knew Elora was bad news from the second she showed up. All that fake sobbing,and everyone just fell for it. But Nolan-he just kept buying every word, kept shielding her, and he never even thought twice about hurting you."

Suddenly, she stopped and cast a worried look at Eleanor, her voice growing smaller. "Sorry, Eleanor.I didn't mean to dredge up everything you went through."

Lillian's temper often got ahead of her, and now she wished she could take it back.

Eleanor had finally started to move on, and here she was, dragging her back to old pain.

But Eleanor just shook her head, steady and composed. "Don't worry about it. That part of my life doesn't matter to me anymore."

Lillian watched Eleanor for any hint of pain, but found none, and finally let herself relax.

For once, it seemed Eleanor had really left all of that behind.

Before she could settle in, though, her eyes flicked back to the phone screen.

Another notification popped up, and the hateful comments about Eleanor kept piling on.

Irritation flared right back up in Lillian."Absolutely not!I'm not just going to sit here and take this. These people have no idea what they're talking about.Someone needs to set them straight, and it might as well be me!"

She dove into the comment section, firing off reply after reply, determined to defend Eleanor no matter how long it took.

Eventually, sheer exhaustion caught up with her, and she drifted off to sleep, phone still clutched tightly in her hand.