Benjamin burst into the room, his hair disheveled and breath coming in short gasps, clearly having rushed over. "Are you alright? What did the doctor say?"

He hurriedly scanned me with a look of concern, his furrowed brow relaxing only when he saw that I was okay.

As he leaned in to embrace me, I caught a sickly sweet fragrance--not ours.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a misaligned button and a faint red stain peeking from under his shirt.

Benjamin was always meticulous, never making such careless mistakes.

I just felt my stomach churning and I felt nauseous.

I couldn't help but vomit.

“Doctor, doctor!”

Benjamin cried out in alarm as I vomited, his voice panicked.

After a thorough examination, the doctor confirmed that there was no serious issue with my health.

In fact, there was unexpected good news that I was pregnant--three months along.

Given my frail health from childhood, the doctor advised careful nurturing to ensure a safe pregnancy.

Benjamin was momentarily stunned but quickly regained his composure. He extinguished his cigarette, his voice rough as he spoke.

"I'll arrange for someone to take care of you. Call me if you need anything."

I remained silent, just watching him--this familiar yet strange man before me.

If it were the old Benjamin, he would definitely stand there, dumbstruck, looking at me in disbelief, and muttered, "Eleanor, I... I’m going to be a father?"

"I’ll be even better to you than before, Eleanor!

I love you so much."

But now, I saw his eyes frequently darting towards the door, betraying his distraction.

Moments earlier, I had noticed someone lingering outside--just a sliver of a white dress, enough to divert all his attention.

It was none other than Mia.

When the last glimpse of white vanished, so did Benjamin's presence of mind.

I didn't say anything, and Benjamin just sat there quietly with me. Finally, he lost his patience, picked up his coat, and explained, "Work’s been crazy lately, you know...

"I should go."

Click--

The door closed behind him.

Benjamin walked in a hurry, without even waiting for my consent, eager to chase after the one outside.

He was just like when he was eighteen, always following me closely, unwilling to lag even a step behind.

Beside me, young Eleanor stood fuming.

"How could he just leave? Is work more important than you?

"He wasn't like this before!"

Indeed, he wasn’t.

Once, when I was burning with a high fever of 102°F, he’d taken the earliest flight from another state just to be by my side, nursing me back to health with unwavering devotion.

Day after day, year after year.

Benjamin used to say, "Work is never more important than you, Eleanor. You’re the most precious thing in my life.

"I love you, Eleanor."

But now, those words feel like illusions, fading into nothingness.

When I returned to the villa, Mia stood in front of me with red eyes. She looked extremely guilty and uneasy. She seemed on the verge of speaking several times, only to swallow her words. She looked pitiful, as though I had wronged her.

From the stairs, Benjamin descended, his voice cold as he addressed her, "Mia, come here.

"Go clean the study. This is none of your business."

"Sir... I... I..." Mia shrank back in fear but finally gave in under Benjamin's piercing gaze.

Yet, as she turned, she shot me a glance full of silent accusation, as if to say, "I’m only doing this because I have no choice."

The study?

"Benjamin never allows anyone into his study. Why does this maid get to go in?" Young Eleanor fumed beside me, glaring at Mia’s retreating figure.

"She’s the other woman! She’s seducing him!

"But Benjamin won’t fall for it. She’s setting herself up for heartbreak."

Young Eleanor’s voice was full of confidence, dismissing Mia entirely.

After all, what did Mia have to attract him?

In terms of looks, she couldn’t hold a candle to me.

In terms of figure, she didn’t have my curves.

In terms of education, she was just a poor student from an ordinary university.

Yet, this plain and unremarkable Mia, who would blend into any crowd, had effortlessly stolen all of Benjamin's love and captured his complete attention.

"She's different."

Standing at the doorway with my suitcase in hand, I murmured softly, "She’s different."

My words were so faint, carried away by the breeze, leaving no trace.

Yet, in the vast silence of our villa, each syllable resonated clearly.

Young Eleanor, at the age of eighteen, had all of Benjamin’s love. Secure in being loved, she was confident that Benjamin would never love anyone else.

But at the age of thirty-eight, I was slowly being discarded by him, left with nothing, and eventually even committed to a mental institution.

The intense love we once shared had faded over the past decade, becoming as fragile as thin paper, crumbling at the slightest touch.

Once, Benjamin couldn’t bear to let me carry anything heavy. Now, I could lug my suitcase with both hands.

"I believe Benjamin won't change.

"He won't."

The eighteen-year-old Eleanor’s face was set with determination, her voice brimming with unwavering trust in Benjamin.

I glanced at her youthful, innocent face beside me, suppressing the bitterness rising in my chest. I didn’t want to shatter her beautiful illusions. But the harshness of reality wouldn’t change. It would continue to cut into us like a knife, leaving deep, painful wounds.

It hurt a lot.

Eighteen-year-old Eleanor was full of vitality. Her eyes were full of love and trust, as well as expectation and longing for the future.

But now, those memories were like stinging slaps, leaving me humiliated and unable to lift my head.

I had turned her future into a mess.

I ruined her expectations.

Realizing this, it felt like a massive weight pressed down on my chest, making it hard to breathe. My body trembled, trying to endure the searing pain that pierced my heart.

Choking back tears, I forced a smile, my voice hoarse and laden with guilt. "He... doesn’t love me anymore.

"I’m sorry... I’ve let you down."

After that, young Eleanor didn't show up for a long time, and I focused on my pregnancy in the villa.

My health had always been fragile, plagued with illnesses since childhood. Finally conceiving a child made me exceptionally cautious.

Every day, Mia, who cleaned our house, would look at me with reddened eyes, full of guilt and hesitation.

I simply ignored her and focused on my own thing.

Mia seemed eager to make amends, bringing me pastries and cakes, which I consistently refused, and Benjamin saw it all.

Benjamin noticed my repeated rejections and frowned, instructing her, "Eleanor doesn’t like these. Don’t prepare them anymore."

Mia’s eyes filled with tears as she looked at Benjamin, stubbornly tilting her head to keep them from falling. A hint of desire flickered in his eyes as he smirked and said in a low voice, "Make them for me tonight."

Clink--

The sound of a fork hitting a porcelain plate echoed in the room.

Both of them were startled by my actions. Benjamin asked me, "What's wrong?"

I said calmly, "It's a bit disgusting."

Benjamin's expression changed. "Would you like to try something sour?"