Chapter 60 Returning What’s Yours
As it turns out, Leonard had been pressing his lawyer to bail Lily out all along, and now that we agreed to the settlement, she was free to go.
I couldn’t help but feel a moment of sympathy for the lawyer, who looked utterly defeated. After all, he’s been cleaning up Leonard’s messes for years
Emma, having received her share of the benefits, didn’t hesitate to sign the letter of forgiveness. The police gave a few more warnings and had Lily sign a guarantee before finally releasing her
But the moment we stepped out of the police station, Lily stopped crying and glared at us.
She let out a string of insults toward me. “Eva, I knew all along that you only care about money. Do you think that Leo’s company is worth less than that?”
“You’ve never loved Leal You’ve been after his money from the start! You’re just a gold digger. How dare you stand beside Leo? You’re only making him a laughingstock!”
Leonard stood behind her, saying nothing. His expression was unreadable as he watched me. I looked back at him and gave a bitter smile
Didn’t I love him? It was because I loved him too much that I nearly lost my life. But now, I could feel that love slowly fading, almost gone.
“If that’s how you feel, then tell him to sign the divorce papers,” I said, taking Emma’s hand and walking away without sparing Lily another glance.
I knew she was probably furious, but I couldn’t be bothered. She still didn’t understand–it wasn’t me who was unwilling to let go, but Leonard. The moment he divorces me, everything will be over
Lily, apparently enraged, shouted after me, “Eva, you don’t even wear your wedding ring anymore! Are you trying to show other men you’re single?”
“I know you were popular back in school, but so what? Trading up like that, you’re despicable!”
I stopped and looked up at the two of them standing on the steps.
Despite looking a bit worn out, Lily’s round face, big eyes, and the dimples she carefully emphasized made her look a lot like me.
She must’ve realized that Leonard only loved her because she resembled me, so she changed her makeup to match mine. She didn’t even look like herself anymore.
I laughed mockingly. “Then go find someone else yourself–just make sure he divorces me first
“Eva!”
Both Leonard and Lily called my name at the same time, and I couldn’t help but feel like my name had become tainted
Leonard took a step forward and grabbed my left hand seeing no mark where a ring had been, his eyes filled with disappointment.
“Eva, why aren’t you wearing the ring? You know I made it with my own hands! Doesn’t anything matter to you besides money? is love worth nothing in your eyes?”
Lily chimed in, “Would you even have him if he had no money? Why don’t you tell me, is this the first day you noticed she’s not wearing the ring?”
Emma forcefully pulled his hand away, positioning herself between us.
“You’re willing to spend so much money on Lily, even defending her when she broke the law. But your legal wife doesn’t even have enough money for medical treatment. She’s- I quickly covered Emma’s mouth with my hand. “It’s just low blood sugar, no big deal. Don’t make a scene. It’s embarrassing”
There was no way I’d let Leonard know about my condition. As long as Lily tries a bit harder, we’ll be divorced soon. Why make him feel guilty now, only for him to cling to me out of responsibility?
I knew him too well—no matter how much he resented me, he wouldn’t ignore me if he knew I was sick. But what I want now is
ht now is for him to let go, not hold on tighter.
Emma seemed to realize she had misspoken, and with a fierce glare at Leonard, she hurriedly led me away. Once we got home, she finally asked, “Why didn’t you tell him? You should make him feel guilty!”
I understood she was angry on my behalf, but I didn’t want to dwell on it anymore.
*Emma, you know Lily isn’t the first, and she won’t be the last. There’s no point in making him feel guilty. Better to leave him sooner than to drag this out, right?”
I leaned my head on her shoulder and whispered, “Ist want to live out the rest of my life. After all, who knows when the illness might come back?”
I had secretly looked it up–if my condition recurs a third time, might not have much time lett. Although there are cases where people have survived for over 20 more years, those are rare Given my luck, it seems unlikely I’ll be one of them.
That night, Emma held me whale 1 slept, crying quietly several times. I pretended not to notice and forced myself to fall asleep.
The next day at work, Leonard showed up at the design department.
“Come to my office”
I nodded, gathering the documents he needed to sign before following him upstairs. Lily wasn’t at her desk. She was probably on leave after everything that had happened. Sering the luxury shopping bags on the floor, curled my lips in a half–smile. Leonard had even prepared gifts for her.
A “calm down” gift? How generous
“This is yours.”
Leonard’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I turned to see him pushing a jewelry box toward me. When I didn’t move, he opened the box himself, and my breath caught Insafe way the wedding ring that i had Emma pown of
