Chapter 7 Officially Married
1031 Words
On the other end of the line, Bigail's voice was ice-cold, as if he held Elena personally responsible for Angelina's attempted suicide.
Elena tightened her grip on the phone, finally understanding why Felix hadn't wanted her to take the call.
Whatever was going on with the Hall family had nothing to do with her anymore.
Taking a deep breath, she spoke calmly, "Is she still alive?"
"What?" Bigail's voice shot up. He clearly hadn't expected such indifference from her.
Elena repeated, "I'm asking if she's still alive."
"Of course, she is! If we hadn't gotten to her in time, she'd already be dead—"
"Then just take care of her in the hospital," Elena cut him off. "Why bother calling me? I'm not a doctor."
With that, she ended the call.
It was the first time she'd ever spoken so coldly to her family. Her heart raced, but a strange satisfaction lingered.
In the Hall family, no one had ever respected her, understood her, or shown her true care.
Outwardly, she was the privileged Hall heiress, yet behind closed doors, she was treated worse than a servant.
As she composed herself, she caught a slight smirk on Felix's face.
"Not bad."
His deep, resonant voice drew her attention.
Elena turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "Mr. Smith, was that... a compliment?"
"Yes," Felix replied simply, his tone calm.
"When I told you not to look back, you actually followed through. That's good."
Elena felt warmth spread through her chest, a genuine sense of gratitude toward him.
"Thank you, Mr. Smith," she said softly.
Felix kept his gaze forward, his voice a low rumble. "We're married. There's no need to thank me. Leaving the Hall family is your escape from a nightmare. Don't reconnect with them easily."
Elena nodded, though she couldn't help feeling strange hearing Felix refer to them as a married couple.
His voice was so devoid of emotion—it sounded more like he was talking about a business arrangement.
And in a way, he was right. Felix needed a suitable wife, and she needed someone to help her stand her ground.
In essence, they were partners more than lovers.
Elena stole a glance at Felix's striking profile.
He had a composed, almost unapproachable air about him.
She found herself wondering what kind of person could ever capture his heart. What would he be like if he ever truly loved someone?
She caught herself sneaking glances at him several times and muted her phone to avoid further calls from her family.
After the sixth glance, Felix swallowed slightly, and he reached over, clasping her hand in his.
Caught off guard, Elena looked down at their interlaced fingers.
"Mr. Smith..."
"Stop staring at me," he said, still looking forward, his voice calm. However, there was something more intense brewing in his eyes.
"I'm trying to drive."
Elena's face flushed as she realized how her staring must've come off.
She quickly averted her gaze to the window, feeling awkward.
Felix seemed to notice her discomfort and finally spoke again, his tone soft, "It's not that I mind you looking. It's just that... when you do, I can't help but look back. That makes driving dangerous, understand?"
Elena's cheeks burned, and she nodded, surprised at how direct he was.
Within minutes, they arrived at the marriage registry.
The process was surprisingly quick.
They filled out a few forms, and less than ten minutes later, they walked out, officially married.
Elena clutched the marriage certificate, still feeling as if she were in a dream.
She stared at Felix, almost dazed. "Mr. Smith... you're really my husband now."
Felix nodded, reaching up to smooth a stray strand of her hair. "And you're now my lawful wife."
Standing there with the wind brushing against them, Elena felt an unusual sense of stability.
It was strange.
She'd felt so many conflicting emotions when she'd gotten engaged to Edgar—nervousness, excitement, fear of the future.
But marrying Felix felt... grounded. It was like her feet were finally on solid ground again.
She had finally found someone. No matter what, she was no longer attached to her horrible past.
Felix glanced at his watch.
"I have to head to the office for a meeting. Let me take you home first."
Elena smiled, shaking her head. "No need; I can call a ride. Your meeting is more important. Thank you."
She gave him a polite nod, feeling as if she were addressing an old friend rather than her new husband.
She still needed some time to fully adapt to her new role as Felix's wife.
Felix's eyes narrowed slightly, his lips pressing together, though he eventually nodded back.
As she watched him drive off, Elena blinked, feeling like she'd seen a hint of... disappointment?
No, that couldn't be right. Why would he be disappointed? She was doing her best to make this easy for him. She turned, reaching for her phone to call a car, only to see multiple texts waiting for her.
Bigail's messages were scathing, full of accusations, ending with a harsh warning: If you don't come to the hospital and take responsibility for this, you'll never set foot near your grandfather's grave again!
Elena's vision blurred with anger as she read.
The Hall family had their own private cemetery where generations were laid to rest—including her grandfather.
Bigail knew exactly how much her grandfather meant to her. This was just another tactic to manipulate her.
Furious, Elena clenched her phone.
Finally, she decided to go.
Angelina might have attempted suicide, but she wanted to see how they'd twist this to blame her.
She called for a taxi and headed to the hospital.
Outside Angelina's room, she saw her mother leaning over the bed, stroking Angelina's pale face with tears streaming down her cheeks.
Angelina lay there, drained of color, looking pitiful.
Bigail and Dylan stood beside the bed, their expressions clouded with concern.
Dylan spotted Elena first, his eyes filled with contempt as he stormed over and grabbed her arm, dragging her into the room.
"Look what you've done to Angelina!" he hissed, his voice laced with hatred. "You've gone too far!"
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