Chapter 3

Serena subconsciously clenched her hands into fists. She could tell that Vincent was trying to set up Vanessa and Elliot. After all, he was eager for his son to date, marry, and settle down as soon as possible. She could also tell that Elliot fancied Vanessa not just in the past but now even. If he didn't like her, he would have denied it outright with such a probing joke. A clear refusal would have been the best way to dismiss the suggestion of an unwanted match. Yet, he neither admitted nor denied it. That could only mean one thing—he still had feelings for Vanessa. However, to maintain his pretense of deep affection in front of Serena, he deflected the topic under the guise of having dinner. At the dinner table, Elliot was seated beside Vanessa. "I told the housekeeper ahead of time that you don't like the taste of garlic. None of the dishes today have it. Try this. It's your favorite, poached shrimp. I picked them out myself this morning." "You often mention that your housekeeper's cooking was to die for, Eli. For years, I've been looking forward to trying it. This is a dream come true! Oh, you even peeled the shrimps for me, just like when we were kids..." Serena sat in silence, watching it all unfold. When Vanessa stood up to bid her goodbyes, he got up to walk her out. After watching them drive away, Serena wheeled herself into his study. In the past, he used to pull her into secret kisses and indulgent touches in every corner when no one was around. This room, however, was the one place in the whole house she had never set foot in. She didn't even know what his study looked like. She had never been allowed in. She pushed open the door to find entire walls covered with photos and sketches of Vanessa. Cabinets meticulously displayed gifts, each labeled with a year, occasion, and Vanessa's name. His desk drawers held thousands of letters—half were from Vanessa while the other half were unsent love letters he had written to her. Each sentence brimmed with affection. The diary on the desk revealed another side—a darker one—filled with a venomous, secret hatred. "Today, I ate the food that her mom made. It was so disgusting that I threw up until 3:00 am. She even went out in the rain to buy me medicine in the middle of the night. She then ran a 104-degree fever. Seeing her suffer put me in such a good mood. "I teased her during the day about being too uptight. That night, she climbed into my bed in lingerie. She's such a cheap slut, just like her mother. "I got hurt in a fight and told her that it was for her. She was so touched that she overexerted herself for me and fainted. What an idiot." All these years, Serena had done everything to try to reach Elliot's heart. She gave her all, loving him without expecting anything in return. But it had all been for nothing. In his eyes, it was no more than disgusting desperation. It didn't take many pages of reading his diary before Serena started to find breathing difficult. The words on the paper morphed into invisible hands that ripped her heart into shreds, leaving her bleeding and broken. It hurt. So much. Was it even possible for a person to feel this much pain? Her palms were gouged and bleeding from her nails digging into them. Her lip was bitten through, and the metallic taste of blood flooded her mouth. However, she didn't feel any of it. She didn't even remember how she returned to her room. When she regained her senses, she discovered that Elliot had quietly sneaked in and was trying to wrap his arms around her. "Why have you been crying? Are you feeling jealous? Rena, Vanessa and I are just childhood friends. My dad was just making jokes from our childhood. Don't take it to heart, alright?" he explained, bending down to kiss her. As soon as their lips met, Serena snapped out of her daze. She began to struggle against him as tears streamed down her face. "Let go of me. I'm already crippled. Just let me go already." She was practically begging him at this point. It was the first time he'd ever seen her look so heartbroken. His gaze sharpened, and a trace of panic flickered in his chest. Elliot tightened his hold on her, coaxing gently, "Alright, alright. I'll stop. I forgot that you were still recovering, and we shouldn't be doing this... Anyway, I've been researching countries where stepsiblings can legally marry. Why don't you take a look and pick one you like? I'll take you there to get married, okay?" As Serena stared at the list of countries on the screen, the chill in her heart only intensified. No words could pass her lips, but her body trembled all over. Meanwhile, she could only bury her face in her hands and sob in agony. Eventually, she fell asleep without realizing it. Elliot didn't think much of her reaction. He simply assumed that she hadn't gotten over the trauma of losing her legs. He just kept holding her gently, consoling her throughout the night. When Serena woke up from her slumber the next morning, no one was by her side. Her eyes were red and swollen. After freshening up, she headed downstairs only to find Elliot fixing breakfast. He brought it to her, his voice overflowing with tenderness. "Rena, I cooked you your favorite fish chowder. Here is some freshly pressed juice for you, too. Why don't you taste it and see if you like it?" But as Serena looked at the steaming bowl of soup, all that crossed her mind were the words from his diary. Her voice quivered as she replied, "No need. I want to go to the dance theater."