Chapter 10 Her World Turned Upside Down

As Elinor gradually regained her composure, a realization dawned upon her. Her pregnancy had always been orchestrated by the Adams family, rendering her practically irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. The same went for the children she carried. "Carrying twins is more laborious than a single child. You'll need to come in for regular check-ups every month," the doctor earnestly advised Elinor. To Elinor, it felt as if the doctor was speaking in incomprehensible language. All she knew was that she was still pregnant, and now, with twins. The Adams family had never considered her one of their own. Her marriage to Jaxson had been a selfish move on their part, as was her pregnancy. She was like an object, transferred into the Adams family to serve their whims. Nobody ever asked her opinion or cared about her feelings, she could only endure the hardships forced upon her. Emerging from the hospital, Elinor looked up. The sun was unusually bright, almost mocking her helplessness and absurd life choices. Just then, her phone, tucked inside her bag, began to ring. Seeing it was her mother, she quickly composed herself and answered. "Mom..." "Elinor, come home quick. Your father is not well," Sarah's voice was tinged with urgency. Taken aback, Elinor immediately hailed a taxi. As she made her way home, long-buried memories resurfaced. Memories of her father holding her on his shoulders to see the distant scenery, cradling her in his arms and kissing her cheeks, telling her she was his little princess. Those treasured memories from her childhood had turned to ashes the day her parents had had a massive fight. Her father had come home with a woman almost her age and another lady who was teary-eyed. It led to an unprecedented argument between her parents. A young Elinor did not know what had happened until she later found out that that same woman had intruded into their family. She still remembered Penny, Lydia's daughter, triumphantly telling her that she had no place in this family and that everything her father owned would belong to them. After that, her relationship with her father deteriorated, and they had not spoken in years. The last time they had been in contact was when they had schemed to marry her off to Jaxson. Arriving at the family estate, Elinor found her father, Harry Naden, looking ghastly ill. She felt a pang of sadness as she looked at him. "Why wasn't my father taken to the hospital when he fell ill?" Elinor glared at Lydia, her voice tinged with anger. Even if the Naden family's business was struggling, it was not as if they could not afford medical expenses. So why was her father resigned to waiting for death at home? Lydia rolled her eyes. "Look at him! He's drowning in debt! Besides, he's not going to live long anyway, so why waste money on hospital bills?" "How can you just give up on treating him? I know he has cancer, but…" Elinor couldn't fathom Lydia's reasoning. Lydia's disdainful tone shocked Elinor. Lydia spared one last look at the man in bed before exiting the room, leaving only father and daughter behind. Harry felt immense guilt toward his daughter. But the mistakes he had made were irreversible. He could not make amends now even if he wanted to. The mere fact that Elinor had come to see him filled him with some semblance of happiness. "I'm sorry, Elinor. I failed you and your mother. I caused you so much suffering, I..." Harry's voice cracked, and tears flowed uncontrollably. Elinor could not deny that her father's apology moved her. However, she found herself unable to say that it was okay and simply looked at him in silence. Harry knew that his daughter would never forgive him. Apologizing to her in his final moments was merely a way to soothe his own conscience. Even in the end, he was causing her pain. Harry extended a shaky hand to hold Elinor's, his tears soaking the pillow as he took one last loving look at her. "I'm sorry..." Those were the last words he ever spoke. After uttering them, Harry's hand loosened, and he closed his eyes. Elinor's mouth opened, but no words came. Her tears, however, flowed freely. A mountain collapsed inside her. Regardless of whether or not she forgave her father, in her heart, he was still the man who had once called her his little princess. Now that the mountain had fallen, her emotional support was gone. ... The day of Harry's funeral was bright and sunny. Sarah attended the funeral. Standing before her father's tombstone, Elinor felt as if her heart was being cruelly squeezed, making it hard to breathe. "Mom, Dad apologized to us. I couldn't forgive him. What about you?" "I can't either. His words are just that. Words," she said bitterly. "Promises from a man mean nothing if they are not followed by actions." "But you're deeply hurt," Elinor said, holding her mother's hand. Even the sun could not dissipate the sorrow enveloping Sarah. "That's because he was once the most important person in my life. I believed every word he ever said to me. I believe his final apology was sincere. But the damage is done, and it can't be undone," Sarah replied. Listening to her mother, Elinor lowered her head, speechless. The damage that had been done. ... As the sun dipped beneath the horizon, Elinor returned to the Adams family manor. Inside, laughter and chatter wafted through the air, as though the walls held back her hellish reality. It felt like stepping through a portal between two worlds. One a heaven, and the other, her own private hell. When she came back to her senses, she found herself in the living room, the eyes of its occupants looking her over with disdain, as if she were an exotic animal, a curiosity from another world.