Chapter 24
Kane closed his notebook, and Eleanor shifted her gaze back to him, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips.
She had to admit, after reading through everything, she felt refreshed and at ease, as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Even Kane seemed more agreeable to her now.
As they say, what goes around comes around. Justice may be slow, but it arrives nonetheless.
A few days later, Selene appeared again, this time with a lawyer by her side. She intercepted Eleanor before she could leave.
“Ellie, please wait. I’m not here to disturb you, I just have something to discuss with you,” Selene said earnestly. “Once we’re done, I’ll leave immediately and won’t show up in front of you again.”
With that, she gestured for the lawyer to place a document in front of Eleanor. Glancing down, Eleanor saw it was a deed of property transfer.
Selene had transferred most of her remaining assets into Eleanor’s name. Worried Eleanor might refuse, Selene quickly added, “I’m not doing this to seek forgiveness or to bring you back into our family. Consider it my way of making up for the past.”
“Ellie, please accept it. If you do, I promise I’ll never bother you again, okay?” Selene pleaded, her posture hunched as if ready to kneel and beg.
Eleanor looked at Selene. The once impeccably groomed woman now looked like any other middle–aged lady, worn by time and regret. Seeing the plea in her eyes, Eleanor finally spoke, her voice calm, “Then I’ll thank Mrs. Yates on behalf of the orphanage.”
Selene immediately understood Eleanor’s intentions. She planned to donate the entire inheritance to the orphanage. But as long as Eleanor accepted it, that was enough for Selene.
Eleanor signed the transfer agreement without hesitation, then turned and left.
Selene watched her go with love in her eyes, feeling a deep yearning but not daring to approach or linger, as she had promised Eleanor she would never appear before her again.
Throughout Eleanor’s life, Selene had made countless promises–small ones like staying with her through the night, reading her bedtime stories, or taking her to an amusement park, just like she did for Lillian. Yet, she had never kept them.
This time, she vowed she would not break her word.
“Ellie, Mom’s leaving now,” Selene whispered, casting one last longing glance at Eleanor before turning away. Her figure slowly disappeared into the night, never to be seen again.
Kane didn’t visit the orphanage every day anymore. When he did come, he looked more worn each time, his arms and hands covered with the telltale marks of medical treatments.
Eleanor recognized them as the same kind of marks she once bore.
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Chapter 24
A month later, Kane returned, this time in a wheelchair, pushed by an aide. He was gaunt, a shadow of his former self, as if life was slipping away from him.
“Ellie,” he called out, his voice raspy as he spoke her name. He noticed the fleeting shock in her eyes when she saw him but smiled gently.
“Do I scare you, looking like this?” he asked with a wry smile.
Eleanor, however, looked at him steadily and, for the first time in a long while, asked about his condition. “What’s happening to you now?”
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