Fleeting Love

I let out a bitter laugh, mocking my own naivety.

Even knowing Ellis’s revenge plan, I still foolishly worried for her safety.

When I returned home, Russell was disinfecting Ellis’s wounds with alcohol.

Two faint scrapes at the corners of her mouth looked far too deliberate—hardly the marks of a genuine kidnapping, more like a staged show for me.

Seeing my bruised face, Ellis immediately instructed the help to tend to my injuries.

I refused, so Ellis told her to prepare a stew.

“Those kidnappers were too cunning. I didn’t expect them to use me to lure you…”

Which was more cunning, the kidnappers or you, Ellis? Didn’t you understand that?

I ignored Ellis’s theatrics and locked myself in my room, checking the flight schedule for the next morning.

That afternoon, I went to the court and made a change in my permanent address.

As I got into a taxi, my eyes fell on Ellis across the street, riding in a sports car.

Russell sat in the passenger seat, cradling a huge bouquet of roses.

Wherever the car went, it drew gasps from onlookers.

“Look, the two people in that car are so perfect together. I’m going to upload this on Instagram!”

“Exactly! Their love is so obvious. They must really adore each other.”

Walking against the crowd, those words echoed in my mind, as a sting spread through my chest.

Near the villa, Sandra called me in panic.

“Ellis got into an accident and urgently needs a blood transfusion. The hospital’s supply is low, and your blood type matches hers—hurry!”

I didn’t need to think. It had to be another of Ellis’s revenge schemes.

Pretending to be busy, I hung up.

But the moment I stepped out of the taxi, several bodyguards forcibly escorted me, their voices icy.

“Miss Stewart instructed us to bring you. Only you can save her.”

Surrounded by two guards, I arrived at the hospital without seeing Ellis even once.

I was immediately escorted to give blood.

200cc. 400cc. 1000cc.

By the end, I was dizzy, nearly collapsing to the floor.

Clutching my head, I went to the restroom to wash my face and clear my thoughts.

After a few steps, I overheard voices from the stairwell.

“Jonathan has given 1000cc of blood, and I’ve had him released, but what if he realizes…” said one voice.

“What’s there to fear? He loves me so much, he won’t leave. Kidnapping or blood donation, I never meant to risk his life,” came Ellis’s reply.

“This is repayment for Gregory. He must remain by my side forever.

“Right. Remind the nurse to make him something to eat. He looked pale in the video.”

I hid in the dark supply closet, tracing the needle hole on the back of my hand.

The sting made me cry out involuntarily.

Ellis always acted this way—forcing me to suffer, only to feign concern and drag me back into her spell.

She insisted I was redeeming a debt, yet Gregory’s accident had been caused by his own drinking, not mine.

I had no part in it, yet she had actively suggested bringing me to the corporate summit.

Why has everything become my fault?

When I walked out of the hospital, my phone chimed twice.

Ellis had sent two messages.

In the past, I would have responded immediately.

Now, I didn’t even care to reply.

Back at the villa, Russell stood outside my room.

He wore the custom suit Ellis had given me, and proudly fidgeted with the jeweled brooch she had also gifted.

“How was it? A 1000cc contribution. I suggested it, and Miss Stewart rewarded me with this.

“Everything here belongs to me now. I can’t refuse such generosity.”

He had almost emptied the room, leaving only a few items he didn’t care for.

He strutted out with a victorious grin.

I sat on the bed until dawn, wiping away my tears.

I packed my documents, left, and tossed my SIM card into the villa garden.

Ellis, it ended here.

I would no longer let you harm me.

Meanwhile, Ellis woke up in her office and checked her phone.

She had received no reply from me, and her calls wouldn’t go through.

She sent people to the villa, only to discover the surveillance cameras had been damaged during a rainy night days before.

Frustration gripped her.

She swept everything off her desk and instructed the bodyguards to search for me.

Anxiety gnawed at her.

By late morning, the head of the bodyguards knocked on her door, holding a phone, his hands trembling.

“Miss Stewart, we still have not located Mr. Maxwell, but we discovered this wedding livestream.

“It’s Mr. Maxwell.”