Chapter 244
As the sound of the door closing echoed softly, Ellie slowly opened her eyes.
She didn’t move, remaining as still as before, her gaze fixed on the door. Yet, inside her, a storm was raging.
‘What did he mean by that? Could the man I saved back then… could it actually have been him? That’s impossible, she thought.
A wave of unease surged within her, unsettling her thoughts in a way she couldn’t explain. She couldn’t let it be him.
The person she had saved could have been anyone, absolutely anyone, but it couldn’t be him. If it were him, the thought alone would break her heart.
The next morning, Ellie was dragging a suitcase to the staircase landing on the second floor when she ran into Alex again.
The words he had whispered in her room the previous night came rushing back, filling her with an inexplicable sense of dread about what the truth might hold.
Alex reached out to take the suitcase from her, but Ellie turned him down without hesitation. “I can handle it myself.” Alex stood silently at the top of the stairs, watching as Ellie struggled to carry the suitcase down.
She didn’t want to talk to him. She didn’t want to look at him. She didn’t even want his help when she clearly needed it.
Alex closed his eyes, exhaustion pressing down on him like a weight. A suffocating heaviness settled in his chest.
***
A week later, Ellie returned from her business trip and found an excuse to convince Nancy to let her move into an apartment for a few days.
She was determined. The blonde girl she had spotted near Encounter Bar last week had to live in that area.
If she could find that girl, she could find the necklace.
And if she could trace the necklace, she would uncover the identity of the person she had saved all those years ago.
She had to know for certain; it couldn’t have been Alex.
As Ellie was about to leave, Alex walked in.
Their eyes met briefly and Ellie felt stunned for a moment.
For as long as she had known him, Alex had always stood out; his every outfit, accessory, and hairstyle more striking than a celebrity’s.
But now, his once signature golden ash–dyed short hair had returned to its natural color. The black diamond earring in his left ear was gone, and his flamboyant wardrobe had been replaced with a more understated business–casual look.
He appeared more mature, but Ellie knew that no matter how someone disguised themselves, the essence of who they were couldn’t be changed.
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Chapter 244
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After a week apart, Alex noted that Ellie’s indifference toward him remained unchanged. His expression darkened unconsciously.
Blocking the doorway to the living room, Alex didn’t budge. Ellie suitcase in hand, was forced to speak first. “Move, please. I’m in a hurry.”
His gaze lingered on the suitcase before he asked, “You just got back. Where are you going now?”
Ellie frowned. “I’ve been working overtime a lot lately. I’m going to stay at the apartment for a few days.”
Alex stared at her for a long moment before stepping forward to pick up her suitcase. “I’ll take you
Ellie shook her head. “No need.”
His voice was firm. “Then you’re not going.”
there.”
Their
eyes
locked in a silent standoff.
Alex’s expression was stormy, his emotions barely concealed beneath the surface.
Ellie hesitated briefly before shoving the suitcase toward him. She had more pressing matters to attend to and didn’t want to waste time arguing with him.
Later that evening, at Ellie’s small apartment, Alex placed her suitcase by the entryway, making no move to leave. Ellie frowned. “Do you need something?”
Her question struck a nerve. Alex’s composure cracked. “Do I need a reason to stay for a while?”
“Suit yourself,” Ellie muttered, not bothering to argue. She busied herself unpacking her things.
Alex stood frozen for a moment.
When Ellie emerged from the bedroom and found Alex still there, she hesitated briefly before heading into the kitchen.
She sliced a tomato, cracked an egg, and boiled a plate of spaghetti for herself.
Without a word, she sat down at the small table and started eating, paying no attention to him. Alex watched her, his chest rising and falling with barely suppressed frustration.
Finally, he couldn’t hold it in anymore and shouted, “Do you not see that I’m still here?”
Ellie glanced at him, her expression innocent. “You don’t like this anyway.”
Alex clutched his chest, taking several deep breaths to calm himself
Suppressing his emotions, he walked over to her, his face tense and voice strained. “Ellie, can you, for once, just talk to me properly?”
