No Stars Left to Wish On

There were two reasons why Elena chose to save Henry, and love wasn't one of them.

First of all, the park belonged to her. If someone were to die here, it would be a hassle for her to settle things. And secondly, she figured she had to repay her debt.

When Elena first returned to the Shaws five years ago, she and Irene had both been abducted. It was Henry who came storming into the abductors' hideout and saved her. He got shot twice in the process and was in surgery for an entire night. She would never forget the fact that he had saved her life.

Thus, in the middle of a storm, Elena spent five hours searching for Henry before finally locating him inside a cave. Despite running a high fever and being basically delirious, he was firmly clutching the body of a dead snow leopard while murmuring, "Give this to Irene… It's hers…"

Elena snorted. He was willing to risk his life just because of something Irene said, huh?

Shaking her head, she began dragging him off. Just as she was about to leave with him, she looked up and saw a black bear in front of them.

Elena cursed under her breath before grabbing her gun and immediately firing at the bear while shielding the unconscious Henry behind her. After two whole hours, the bear finally fell unmoving to the ground.

Elena was now sporting five bloody gashes on her body, and her blood kept flowing. Gritting her teeth, she hauled Henry onto the ATV before climbing on herself. She forced herself to keep it together as she rode back down the mountain.

Everyone was shocked when they saw her returning to the park's main building.

Covered in blood, Elena stumbled off the ATV and passed the unconscious Henry to Irene.

"Tell him I repaid him for saving my life five years ago," she said before passing out.

…

When Elena woke up, she found herself in the hospital. Her wounds had been dressed, and the anesthetic had worn off as well. After inquiring with a nurse, she dragged her still-weak body to Henry's hospital room.

As soon as she got near the door, she heard the conversation that was happening on the inside.

"Henry, when you went missing, it was Irene who rushed into the forest to save you! We were all shocked! She loves you so very much!" Derek Silva, one of Henry's friends, said.

Elena's hand stilled over the doorknob. She was the one who saved Henry. Why was Derek now claiming that Irene did?

Inside the hospital room, Irene said gently, "Henry was only in harm's way because he wanted to catch the snow leopard for me, but…"

Purposely making her voice sound choked, she continued, "To be honest with you… I've always known that you care about Elena the most. All those years ago, you risked your life to save her because—"

"That's not true!" Derek interrupted excitedly. "It was Henry who set the whole thing up back then!"

"What did you say?" Irene exclaimed in shock.

Derek happily explained, "Henry had purposely arranged for people to abduct you two while pretending to be your family's enemies. He did it so that your parents would realize who they truly cared about the most.

"Him rushing in to save Elena was just part of the act. He did it so that she would marry him and help him claim full control over the Leone family. His marriage with her is just a strategic move for the benefit of his family. He also did it to seek revenge on your behalf. He's been planning on divorcing her for ages now. Right, Henry?"

After a few seconds, Henry's low voice rang out.

"That's right."

Outside the hospital room, Elena had to use the wall to hold herself steady. She'd nearly crumpled to the floor.

It turned out that what she thought was Henry risking his life to save her was nothing more than part of an elaborate scheme. Staggering away, she walked to the end of the hallway before she took a call.

"Sweetheart, the private jet will be there tonight. You can leave anytime tomorrow," Gianna said to Elena, who acknowledged the information softly.

After ending the call, she gripped her phone tightly and smiled bitterly. It was even better that she never owed him anything. From now on, they would no longer have any ties with each other.

…

Elena began settling her matters. Once she'd signed the divorce agreement her lawyer, Lawrence Wagner, had prepared for her, she had a meeting with Calvin Hudson, the man who had been handling her private assets in the country for her.

They met up for dinner and drinks. A little tipsy from the booze, Calvin said half-jokingly, "They rely on the companies under your name to keep their businesses going. Are you sure you want your companies to terminate all dealings with the Leones and the Shaws?"