Chapter 13
At the same time, in a suburban community center of Kingston Metropolis.
Eleanor had been there for a month.
No, to be precise, it was her current body that had been residing there for nearly twenty–three years.
A month ago, when she awoke in this body, amazed to find herself alive, she once again heard the voice of the deity.
He asked her, “Do you remember that orange cat you once saved?”
Eleanor suddenly realized that the helpless orange cat crying in the sewer had actually been the deity in disguise.
At that time, he was injured while on a mission and had no choice but to transform into a cat.
Gratefully, the deity said, “You saved me, and in return, I have allowed you to live on in another’s body. This is your blessing.”
And so, Eleanor became Eleanor, a little girl in the community center who shared her name.
An orphan from birth, the center had always been her home.
After college, driven by her affection for the center and gratitude, she returned as a teacher.
Her accidental drowning had allowed her soul to fully integrate into this body.
Eleanor chose not to leave the community center; instead, she fell in love with it.
She once had family but never felt the warmth of a home, and even lost her life because of them.
Yet here, despite the lack of blood ties, everyone was as close as family. Eleanor quickly adapted to life here, building deep connections with the children.
That day, the sky was a bright blue and the sun shone brilliantly.
After airing out the bedding with the children, Eleanor decided to take them to the nearby park to sketch.
In addition to teaching academic subjects, she often taught them to paint, hoping they would discover the beauty of art.
On the opposite side of the park, Kane sat quietly by the lake, his gaze fixed on Eleanor and the children sketching.
His heart gave a sudden, painful lurch, and his thoughts drifted back to the past.
Eleanor had loved painting since she was a child, participating in numerous competitions and winning many awards.
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Chapter 13
She had the potential for greater achievements in this field, but everything came to a halt when the Yates family forced her to give up her spot as a protégé to Lillian.
From that moment on, Eleanor never picked up a paintbrush again.
Back then, he, like the rest of the Yates family, thought Eleanor was being spiteful, accusing her of being narrow–minded and lacking empathy for Lillian.
In hindsight, that Eleanor was likely utterly despondent. Everything she had was taken away by Lillian, including her dreams.
How could she dare to hope for anything?
After all, everything would eventually be snatched by Lillian, just like the wedding she had longed for, just like the only warmth she had ever known–Kane.
Thinking of this, Kane felt a dull ache in his chest.
The metallic taste of blood rose in his mouth, but the physical pain couldn’t even begin to compare to the wound in his heart.
He clutched his chest, trying to leave, but his eyes remained glued to the girl on the lakeside
grass.
As he got closer, the sense of familiarity grew stronger.
When he finally saw Eleanor’s face clearly, he was thunderstruck.
“Ellie.”
He managed to choke out, though his throat constricted, making it impossible to truly speak.
The pain overwhelmed him, and he collapsed to his knees.
In the end, all he could do was watch as Eleanor led the children out of the park, boarded a bus, and vanished from his sight entirely.
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