Chapter 3

Before long, Leo became the neighborhood terror, a bratty kid everyone detested. Neighbors and teachers were constantly knocking on our door.

Just like today: Eleanor took him out to Julian Thorne's house, then, annoyed that Leo was interrupting their date, she bought him some firecrackers and just let him play by himself.

Leo, used to getting away with anything, ignored the warning signs and threw a lit firecracker into the septic tank access!

It immediately blew up, damaging five luxury cars parked nearby.

I scanned the damaged vehicles: a Mercedes-Benz GLE, a Volvo XC90, a Porsche, a Range Rover, and a BMW i7.

Together, they amounted to several million dollars.

Yet, Leo and Eleanor remained completely unconcerned, acting like it was nothing.

Did they really think Julian Thorne could just make this problem disappear?

Even if he sold his entire small company, he wouldn't be able to scrounge up that much money!

As I was trying to figure out how to deal with this, my phone rang. It was Eleanor.

"We're here. Where are you? It's just a small thing, a few thousand dollars, and you're making Julian come all this way? Marcus Stone, can't you ever be useful?"

When I arrived at the restaurant Eleanor had mentioned, with Leo in tow, she was adjusting Julian Thorne's tie.

They were laughing and chatting, incredibly intimate.

Seeing the ring on Eleanor's finger, a sharp pang went through my heart.

She thought I didn't know, but I was acutely aware that she hadn't forgotten her past with Julian Thorne.

I knew that in the bottom drawer of her desk, there was an old photo album, and tucked inside it was a picture of her and Julian.

In the photo, they were embracing, watching New Year's Eve fireworks.

On her finger, she wore the very same couple's ring she had on now.

I should have known then, the moment I discovered Eleanor had taken off her wedding ring and put on that couple's ring with Julian Thorne.

When Eleanor and I first met, Julian had just broken up with her and moved abroad.

Heartbroken, she was listless all day, often making small mistakes at work.

One time, when her boss was scolding her, I couldn't help but step in and defend her.

The following Monday, she brought me homemade cookies to thank me.

That's how our story began.

I gradually fell for this warm, reserved woman. After learning about her past relationship, I felt even more tenderly towards her.

Not long after, she confessed her feelings to me.

Looking into her sincere eyes, I went home and resolutely refused the arranged marriage my family had planned, getting into a huge argument with my parents.

I knew how deeply she had loved Julian Thorne in the past, so before we made things official, I specifically asked her.

"Have you moved on from Julian Thorne?"

She paused for a moment, then looked into the distance and quietly said,

"He and I are over. He won't be coming back to the country."

At the time, I only remembered the first half of her sentence, never realizing that Eleanor's focus was on the latter half.

She was with me only because Julian Thorne wasn't coming back.

So, when Julian Thorne reappeared, she returned to his side without hesitation.

As I stared blankly at that ring, Leo had already rushed over.

"Uncle Julian, I've been waiting for you!"

Julian Thorne quickly crouched down and picked him up, a big smile on his face.

"I just took my eyes off you for a second, and you're already up to mischief!"

Despite his words, there wasn't a hint of blame in his tone, only pure indulgence.

Eleanor chuckled and playfully scolded him, a helpless expression on her face.

"You just spoil him rotten!"

The three of them looked like the happiest family, a perfect picture of father, mother, and son, making me feel like an out-of-place outsider.