Elena rose to her feet, her eyes frantically darting toward the door.

"Elias. I’m here."

Elias snapped his head up, his gaze landing on the locked room upstairs.

"Elena," he whispered.

His face darkened the next moment. ’That bastard dared to lock her up. I’ll ruin him completely.’

He rushed up the stairs.

Linda wrung her hands, confused and panicked. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, dialing Noah.

But the call went unanswered.

"Why is he not answering the phone?"

She called him again. "Pick up the phone. Or you will lose your wife."

"Elena," Elias called her again when he reached the first floor.

Elena slammed her hands on the door. "I am here."

Elias moved forward and tried to open the door. But it was locked.

"Elena, move back. I am going to break the door."

Elena stepped back.

Elias lifted his long leg and kicked the door hard.

Bang

The lock broke instantly, and the door burst open.

The moment he saw her fine and in one piece, he let out a sigh. He strode in.

Every part of him wanted nothing but to pull her into his arms. But instead, he stood before her, not crossing the distance.

"Are you okay?" His gaze scanned her thoroughly.

Elena nodded. "I am fine."

"Let’s get out of here." He stretched his hand toward her.

Elena didn’t take his hand. Instead, she stepped back.

"Wait. I still have something to do."

Elias lowered his hand and silently watched her walk toward the nightstand.

Elena pulled out a notepad from the drawer and slowly wrote, ’Noah, this is the gift I’ve painstakingly prepared for you. I hope you will like it. I finally realized I stood between you and Tessa. So, I’m stepping aside. I wish you happiness. Goodbye...’

As she stared at those final words, her vision blurred. Her hand trembled slightly.

For years, Noah had been the center of her world. She had loved him wholeheartedly. She had dreamed of building a family with him and growing old beside him.

But now, the last bit of hope inside her had shattered completely.

He had chosen Tessa. He had stopped loving her, trusting her, and caring about her. And the worst of all—he had killed their child.

Elena clenched the pen tightly, her chest aching so badly she could barely breathe.

Leaving him felt like ripping her heart out alive. But she couldn’t be with him after everything he had done to her. She couldn’t forgive him.

A tear slid down and fell on the paper. She quickly wiped her eyes, tore the paper from the notepad, and folded it neatly. Then she placed it carefully on top of the gift box she had prepared for Noah earlier.

She turned to Elias. "Let’s go."

Clasping the broken pieces of the pendant, she strode out. Elias followed her closely.

"Madam..." Linda rushed over anxiously. "Are you leaving?"

"Yes, Linda. I am leaving."

"But..."

"Things between Noah and me are already broken beyond repair," Elena interrupted softly. "I won’t come back again." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

With that, she went out of the villa.

Once they settled into the car, Elias instructed the driver to drive.

The car started moving.

Elena opened her palm and looked at the broken pendant.

Elias noticed the sadness in her eyes.

"What is that?" he asked, curious.

Elena’s eyes brimmed with tears again. "It’s my father’s last gift to me," she said shakily. "And now, it’s broken."

Elias frowned. After thinking something, he extended his hand toward her. "Let me check it."

Elena placed the broken pieces of the pendant into his palm.

The gemstone had cracked at the edges and detached from the chain.

After checking it for a while, he finally spoke. "It can probably be repaired."

Elena blinked her tears away. "Are you sure?" she asked hopefully.

Elias didn’t reply instantly. "I can’t say it for sure. But I think it is fixable."

He took out a handkerchief and carefully wrapped the broken pieces inside before slipping it safely into his pocket.

"I know a jewelry designer. I’ll give it to her. Let’s see if she can fix it."

Elena smiled a little, relieved. "Thank you. Thank you for everything. I don’t know how to repay you anymore."

Elias looked at her. "Repay me?"

She nodded. "You saved me on that stormy night. Then you rescued me from that abandoned house. If you had not appeared there, I might have died that night. I owe you my life."

"Elena..."

"Please," she interrupted. "Let me finish first. You have done so much for me. I want to do something for you."

Elias stared deeply into her eyes. He could see the hint of stubbornness in them. And he realized she would do what she had determined.

For the first time since meeting her again, he finally saw traces of the confident girl he had once known in school.

"Alright. There is something you can do for me."

He looked ahead, leaning back on the seat. "AscendCore Finance needs a vice president. I need someone hardworking, intelligent, and dedicated. You are perfect for this position."

"AscendCore Finance?" Elena murmured thoughtfully.

"I know it’s a small company," Elias said again. "After working at a big company like Sinclair Group, you probably won’t be interested in joining a newer firm like mine. But I’d be happy if you did. Of course, the choice is yours."

Elena had heard of AscendCore before.

Over the past few years, the company had invested in several promising business ventures and had grown rapidly within the financial industry.

When she had been in Sinclair Group, she had even suggested Noah consider AscendCore as the investor for their new projects. But Noah had rejected that proposal, dismissing AscendCore as an insignificant company with no credibility.

But Elena had personally reviewed the company’s annual reports before. Its growth rate had been astonishing.

This company would become one of the prominent investment firms soon.

She wouldn’t miss the chance to join it.

"I’d be honored to work there. I’ll join."

A wave of excitement rose inside Elias’s chest. But he hid it well and asked calmly, "Are you sure?"

"I am sure."

He finally let his lips curl into a small smile. "I’ll ask Owen to prepare the documents."

At the hospital...

Noah’s phone buzzed again. He answered it this time.

"What is it, Linda?" He sounded irritated.

"Sir, Madam left," Linda said with a panicked tone.

"What do you mean she left?" Noah snapped, his eyebrows creasing. "I locked her in the room."

"A man barged in. He broke the door and took her away," Linda explained hurriedly.

Noah felt his ears ringing.

’A man came and took her away?’

Disbelief flooded his face.

Elena barely interacted with anyone outside work. Since when did she become close to another man?

An inexplicable fury rose violently inside him. He wouldn’t let her get away.

"I am coming."

He disconnected the call.

"Noah...where are you going?" Tessa instantly grabbed his hand just as he took a first step. "Stay with me."

But Noah wouldn’t listen to her this time. He needed to find Elena. He jerked his hand free and dashed out the door, his expression serious.

Tessa slammed her fist on the mattress. "Why? Why can’t you stay away from Noah?"