Seeing Elijah like that so suddenly, Isabelle's lips trembled, but she couldn't make a sound.
She couldn't deny that in that instant, her first instinct was to run.
She wanted to escape Elijah and return to a life without him.
But whether in the past or now, it seemed she had never truly been free.
Before, she had been bound by her family.
Later, she had been bound by money and work.
And now, it was Elijah.
Elijah's voice was hoarse, even carrying a slight tremor.
"Isabelle, answer me."
Isabelle did not speak. She only shook her head silently.
Tears kept flowing from her eyes, eventually mixing into the bright red blood.
But she also had to admit that she was actually clinging to the small bit of warmth Elijah gave her.
In more than twenty years of her life, Elijah was the only
