The morning light crept in through the heavy curtains, casting a soft golden glow on the large double bed. Elinor Dashwood awoke slowly, her fair form curled uncomfortably in the black silk bedding, with the man behind her possessively holding her waist.
She lay there, her mind a blank, and cautiously turned her head to see the handsome face so close to hers. Overwhelmed with emotion, she traced the more defined and mature features of his face with a trembling hand.
Her nose turned sour, and tears flooded her eyes. Edward Cullen, its really you. It wasnt a dream.
In the past, every time she woke up in his arms, his strong and fresh scent filled her breath. But upon their reunion, his body carried a faint scent of medicinal herbs. Was it because his body hadnt fully recovered?
Or was he still taking medicine daily?
She dared not think more for fear that the more she thought, the more reluctant she would be to leave. With a trembling lip, she gently placed a kiss on his tightly closed thin lips and, with a heavy heart, slipped out of bed.
Her legs were weak, and the tearing pain made her gasp for breath!
Five years ago, when she left, she had vowed never to appear before him again. Last nights loss of control was an accident. As long as she left quietly, everything could go back to the way it was.
Elinor hastily picked up her clothes, which had been thrown about haphazardly, and dressed to leave. She knew there would be guards outside the door, so she set her sights on the floor-to-ceiling window covered by the curtains and walked towards it without hesitation.
However, her gaze inadvertently fell on the desk she passed by, where a limited edition custom anklet lay. Elinor was completely stunned, unable to help but pick up the anklet and hold it in her hand, slowly stroking the pink diamonds on it, each exuding a refreshing coolness.
She didnt expect that after so long, the chain would still be in perfect condition. It was the only gift she had received from Edward Cullen. An anklet always carried a hint of ambiguity. When she returned the anklet to him at the time of their breakup, he had angrily thrown it away. But when did he pick it up again?
She couldnt help but clench it in her palm, suddenly not wanting to return it to him...
When Edward awoke, the room was empty. He irritably pinched the tight skin between his eyebrows, his usually calm gaze sweeping the room. The woman who had so boldly taken advantage of him last night was nowhere to be found!
The window was wide open, the curtains billowing in the wind. Thinking about last nights events, Edward couldnt help but feel a surge of anger. His brow furrowed deeply with a cold, dark expression.
He threw off the covers, stepped out of bed wearing only a towel around his waist, and his muscles were clearly defined, exuding a raw masculinity. The room appeared undisturbed, except for the fact that the anklet he had placed on the desk was missing.
This woman was constantly testing his limits!
His anger flared up like a wildfire. He quickly got ready, opened the door, and demanded coldly, "Where is she? Where did she go?"
His assistant, Maxim Trevelyan, was confused, "Isnt she... in your bed, sir?"
"Didnt you notice shes gone? What are you standing here for?!"
Edwards imposing presence was intimidating, his cold, thin face like a frostbitten landscape.
The guards outside the door were too frightened to breathe, their cold sweat dripping down.
"Sir... she really didnt come out of this door!"
Edwards usually calm eyes narrowed, "Find her! Turn the place upside down if you have to!"
Elinor Dashwood managed to escape Edward Cullens private villa, stumbling all the way back to the hospital. She found a restroom to quickly apply makeup, concealing her delicate and exquisite features to avoid being recognized by anyone who might be looking for her.
The scene at the Kings Dominion Nightclub had been too chaotic yesterday; she likely wouldnt be able to return there. But what about her brothers medical expenses? She would have to find another way.
Lost in thought, Elinor returned to the ward, only to find her brother missing. Not only was he not in the ward, but his bedding had been neatly packed away, and there was no trace of him left in the room.
A strong sense of unease washed over her, gripping her heart with a fierce intensity. Without hesitation, she rushed to the nurses station to inquire.
"Nurse Manager, where is my brother? Jamie Fraser from room 1802?" her voice was urgent and changed.
The nurse manager looked at her with a cold, expressionless face, "Hes dead."
Elinor bit her lip tightly, trying to remain calm, but her body was already shaking, "Thats not possible! He was fine yesterday! Nurse Manager, tell me what happened to my brother! Dont scare me like this."
Her brother, Jamie Fraser, was the only hope she had left in this world. If something happened to him, what would she do?
The nurse manager looked at her with a scornful smile, "With a sister like you, a jinx, its no surprise he died a hundred times over! Miss Dashwood, do you think changing your name makes a difference? Youre known far and wide as a curse, a plague. Why are you still alive, causing harm left and right?"
"No, its not true," Elinor whispered, her eyes hollow with shock. Her throat was dry and aching.
Her heart felt as if a large hole had been torn in it.
"Where is my brother? Where is he?!" All the emotions she had been holding back surged forth, and Elinor clenched her fists, slamming them down on the nurses station desk in a burst of fury.
Her usually cold and gentle demeanor was replaced with a fierce determination that even the unfeeling nurse manager couldnt help but be intimidated by.
"Youre causing trouble because your brother heard you were selling yourself. He had a heart attack out of anger. Its too late for you to come back after your little escapade, isnt it? Ill tell you, the body of Master Dashwood has already been taken away by your family. Leave, dont be a nuisance here. Youre just bad luck!" The nurse manager retorted without any sign of weakness.
Her family? That group of heartless Dashwoods?
They were no family of hers!
The Dashwood family was once the most prestigious family in Northmarch, with a long history. Her mother had difficulty conceiving, so they adopted her older brother, Jamie Fraser, from an orphanage, and three years later, she was born.
She was once the apple of her parents eyes, the cherished daughter of the Dashwood family. But everything changed after her mothers death. Her father brought home his new wife, Melanie Hamilton, and her half-sister, Isabelle Gray, and from that moment on, she became the jinx, the thorn in Melanie and Isabelles sides.
The accidental miscarriage of Melanies child was her fault.
The sudden death of her grandfather in a fall was her fault.
Her expulsion from the Dashwood family and being sent to the countryside to be raised by foster parents, who then died in a car accident, was also her fault.
She had once believed she was the jinx everyone claimed her to be, otherwise Edward Cullen wouldnt have become a vegetative state because of her, their child wouldnt have been born prematurely and died, and her brother wouldnt have suddenly had a heart attack and ended up in the intensive care unit.
It wasnt until half a month ago, when she was framed and forced out of the Dashwood family with nothing, that she realized none of it was fate. It was all人为！
A surge of suppressed hatred threatened to burst forth from within her.
Elinor couldnt afford to think it through. She headed straight for Southward Villa!