The next morning, Eliot returned to the city.
As before, he didn't force me or do anything ridiculous like tying me down in the city.
But it wasn't long before...
My father's previous case...
had been settled by a single word from Eliot but was suddenly brought up again.
My parents were so distressed by the news that they fell ill one after another.
I tried to get someone to intervene.
After all, the reason Eliot had been willing to help back then was because my father had indeed been unjustly implicated by his superior and made into a scapegoat.
But no matter how hard I tried, it was all in vain.
That evening, I was pushed out of the house, awkwardly carrying gifts.
It was a cold winter night.
I didn't cry, only when I walked to the crossroads and waited for the green light.
I suddenly dropped those expensive boxes and began to laugh.
I laughed so hard that tears streamed down my face.
The passersby looked at me as if I were a madwoman.
But I paid no attention.
Secretary Silverton called for the second time.
With the same script: "Miss, Mr. Riverton has asked me to inquire when you will return to the city."
I stood in the cold wind, pulling my coat tightly around my body.
The traffic lights changed, and pedestrians came and went.
Only I stood motionless on the zebra crossing.
The person on the other end of the line seemed very patient.
He didn't urge me to speak.
I don't remember how long I stood there.
Until my legs and feet were numb with cold.
I finally spoke slowly.
"You tell Eliot to come see me; there's something I need to make clear with him."
Two days later, everything was back to square one.
As if nothing had happened in these days.
Eliot did come to see me, staying in my hometown for three days.
But during these three days, I saw very little of him.
He seemed very busy, with an absurd number of social engagements.
I was happy to have some peace and quiet.
On the third night, when he returned, he had a faint scent of alcohol on him.
I hadn't gone to bed yet and was sitting on the patio lost in thought.
Eliot came over and stood behind me.
He held my shoulders with both hands and kissed my cheek, saying, "Don't go to sleep yet, wait for me a little while longer."
Afterwards, he went to the bathroom, took a shower, and casually put on a bathrobe.
"Secretary Silverton said you had something to tell me. What is it?"
He sat down beside me, pulled me into his arms, and asked in a deep voice.
"I won't be a mistress or a kept woman."
Eliot didn't seem surprised at all.
In fact, he even chuckled and said, "I didn't plan on keeping this a secret from you."
"I'm in a contractual marriage with her."
I just gazed out at the distant sky beyond the patio and spoke calmly:
"The contract or not, it doesn't matter to me; the fact is that you're married."
At that point, I turned to look at him:
"So, no matter what, since you're married, if I sleep with you, I'd be a shameless mistress."
Eliot's eyes darkened. "If I say you aren't, no one else would dare to call you that."
"You don't have to talk about this with me."
I gave a self-deprecating smile. "This is my bottom line. If you insist on forcing me, then it's simply a matter of dying."
"Aurelia."
Eliot gripped my chin. "You think I'd be afraid if you threatened me with death?"
"Your death would be simple, but what about your family who are still alive?"
My whole body started trembling, and my teeth chattered together.
My tear ducts felt painfully swollen, but no tears fell.
It felt as if my spine had suddenly been pulled out.
I felt limp like mud.
Eliot loosened his grip on my chin slightly.
He raised his other hand to brush away the stray strands of hair from my cheek.
"Enough."
He leaned down and kissed the corner of my quivering, cold lips.
"Don't keep talking about death."
"I won't let you suffer."
Eliot turned his head and coughed softly, seeming a bit uncomfortable.
"After all, you are a woman I like. How could I really make things difficult for you?"
His voice was gentle, and his gaze upon me was tender.
In that moment of despair, I felt as though I had grasped onto a lifeline.
"Eliot..."
I looked up at him, and my tears finally flowed like a breached dam:
"Eliot, I can promise you that I won't fall in love, go on blind dates, or get married."
"While your marriage lasts, let's not meet or have any contact, okay?"
Eliot didn't answer.
He looked down at me from above.
I had never seen such a cold and profound gaze in my life.
It was like a bottomless abyss of hell, swallowing me whole.
"Aurelia, why don't we do this."
"My wife is unable to bear children."
"If you bear me a child, I'll grant your wish."
"After that, if you want to have nothing more to do with me, then it will be so."
"Think carefully before you answer me."
Eliot brushed away the disheveled hair from my forehead.
The coldness in his eyes gradually thawed. "I'll give you three days."
