My Devoted Husband

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Just as Eleanor was about to speak, Julian pulled her up with a cold expression.

"What are you pretending for?"

His voice was as cold as ice, "Sophia fell from the fifth floor. You just tumbled down from the second."

"Get up. Go to the hospital and apologize to her."

He dragged her outside mercilessly, completely ignoring the blood still trickling from her forehead and that the wound on her knee had split open again, each step an agonizing pain.

Eleanor was forcefully shoved into the car and remained silent the entire way.

She watched the scenery fly by outside the window, thinking only, just endure a little longer,

just endure a little longer, and she would be free soon.

In the hospital room, Sophia was weakly propped up against the headboard, her face pale, her wrist wrapped in a bandage.

The moment she saw Eleanor, she flinched, and her eyes instantly turned red.

"Julian..." Her voice trembled, like a startled fawn, "I... I don't want to see her..."

Julian immediately stepped forward, gently taking her hand: "Don't be afraid. I'm here. No one will dare to bully you."

After speaking, he turned his cold gaze to Eleanor: "What are you standing there for?

Apologize."

Eleanor looked weary, yet unusually calm.

She stared straight at Sophia and asked softly, "Ms. Reed, when you fell from the windowsill, did I really push you?"

Sophia's eyelashes fluttered, and tears instantly fell: "Ms. Vance, if you don't want to apologize, then forget it. I never intended to cause you trouble."

She sobbed, her voice filled with grievance: "I know Julian has been with me these past few days, so it's normal for you to have complaints.

But your relationship was a strategic marriage to begin with, and he doesn't love you. If it weren't for our mismatched family statuses, he wouldn't belong to you..."

The more she spoke, the harder she cried, and Julian's expression grew darker.

"Eleanor!"

He cut her off sharply, "I told you to come here to apologize, not to provoke her!

Are you going to apologize or not?"

Eleanor closed her eyes.

She knew Sophia was framing her.

But... she was leaving soon.

She couldn't let the cooperation between the two families have any problems, otherwise, she wouldn't get the thirty million, nor her freedom.

"I'm sorry."

She said softly, "It was my fault."

After saying that, she turned to leave.

"Stop."

Julian called out to her coldly, "Since you pushed her, you'll stay and take care of her until she's discharged from the hospital."

Eleanor's fingertips curled slightly, but in the end, she nodded: "Alright."

In the following days, Eleanor stayed by Sophia's side in the hospital room without leaving.

Julian practically lived at the hospital too, abandoning all company matters to personally feed Sophia porridge, wipe her hands, and coax her to sleep...

These were things he had never done for Eleanor.

But Eleanor was never jealous, merely watching over Sophia quietly from the side, her expression calm, as if none of it had anything to do with her.

The nurses whispered among themselves.

"Oh my god, I've never seen such a magnanimous wife!"

"You don't get it. This is the highest form of love."

Another nurse sighed, "Because she loves Mr. Blackwood so much, she's even willing to take care of the person he likes, just hoping he'll spare her a glance. How pitiful."

These words happened to be overheard by Julian as he passed by.

He paused, his gaze unconsciously falling on the slender figure inside the hospital room.

Eleanor was looking down, carefully peeling an apple, her profile quiet and docile.

A strange feeling inexplicably surfaced in Julian's heart.

On the day Sophia was discharged, Julian said directly to Eleanor: "I'm taking Sophia on a trip for a few days. Don't contact me unless it's important."

Eleanor nodded: "Alright."

Watching his back as he led Sophia away, she actually felt a sense of relief.

Finally, she no longer had to face them.

Returning home, she began to pack her luggage, preparing for her departure soon after.

A few days later, she came across Sophia's social media feed.

Julian had taken her to the Maldives, made a blank-check bid for her at an auction, and spent a fortune on jewelry she liked...

Eleanor only glanced at it before calmly scrolling past.

She didn't care.

She never had.

A week later, the Blackwood family's monthly Family Banquet arrived as scheduled.

Julian wasn't there, so Eleanor had to attend alone.

The moment Helen Blackwood saw her, her expression darkened: "Where is Julian?"

Eleanor lowered her gaze: "He's busy and can't come back for now."

Helen sneered and was about to speak when the butler suddenly hurried over, handing her an entertainment newspaper.

The headline was a blatant photo of Julian and Sophia kissing on a yacht!

"Smack!"

Helen slammed her chopsticks on the table, furious: "Alina!

Follow me to the study!"

As soon as they entered the study, Helen commanded sharply: "Kneel!"

Eleanor knelt in silence.

"Useless!

You can't even keep your own husband in line!"

Helen trembled with rage, "I'll give you two choices now. Either call him back immediately, or... face the family disciplinary punishment!"

Eleanor's eyelashes trembled.

She knew that even if she called, Julian wouldn't come back.

And she couldn't disturb his time alone with the one he loved. If he got angry, the business partnership between their two families would likely be in jeopardy.

"I choose the family disciplinary punishment."

she said softly.

Helen flew into a rage: "Say that again?!"

"I choose the family disciplinary punishment."

Eleanor looked up, her eyes calm, "Go ahead."

Livid, Helen grabbed a whip from the wall and lashed it viciously across her back!

"Are you going to call him?!"

"Crack!"

"Are you going to call him?!"

"Crack!"

Eleanor bit her lip hard, a searing pain spreading across her back, but she kept shaking her head.

In the end, the pain was so intense that her vision went black and she passed out.

When she woke up again, she was lying face down on a hospital bed, her back covered in bandages.

And Julian was sitting by her bed, his brow tightly furrowed.

"Mother gave you a hard time. Why didn't you call me back?"

he asked coldly.

Eleanor gave a weak smile: "I didn't want to disturb your date with Ms. Reed."

Julian froze.

He stared at her pale face, suddenly remembering what the nurse had said.

"Because she loves Mr. Blackwood so much, she's even willing to take care of the person he likes..."

She... loved him that much?

Loved him enough to rather be punished herself than to disturb him?

That strange feeling in Julian's chest grew stronger.

For the next few days, he uncharacteristically stayed at the hospital to take care of her.

Eleanor said he didn't have to, but he didn't leave.

On the day of her discharge, Julian received a sudden call about an urgent matter at the company and had to go to a meeting.

"Go back on your own."

He tossed out the words and turned to leave.

Eleanor nodded and slowly walked out of the hospital.

Just as she stepped off the stairs, she accidentally bumped into someone.

"Are you blind?!"

the person cursed, "Do you have any idea how expensive this outfit is? Dressed so shabbily, can you even afford to pay for it?!"

Just as Eleanor was about to apologize, a cold, sharp voice came from behind her.

"Get lost."

Julian had gotten out of his car at some point and threw a wad of cash in the person's face: "Is this enough?"

The person was about to erupt, but upon seeing Julian's attire and aura, they scurried away in disgrace.

Julian shot Eleanor a cold glance: "Alina, did the Vance family and the Blackwood family not give you any money? Why are you dressed like this?"

Eleanor remained silent.

The Vance family had never given her money. Although the Blackwood family had a black card, she wasn't the true Mrs. Blackwood, so she never touched it.

Seeing her silence, an inexplicable anger flared up inside Julian, and he grabbed her, pulling her into the car.

"We're going to buy clothes."

In the department store, Julian picked out several couture outfits for her, each one worth a fortune.

Eleanor quietly complied the entire time, like an emotionless marionette.

But just as they were walking out of the store.

"Julian?"

A trembling voice called out.

Eleanor looked up and saw Sophia standing not far away, still in her part-time waitress uniform.

Her eyes were red-rimmed as she stared at them in disbelief: "Didn't you say you were in a meeting at the office?"

"Sophia..." Julian's expression shifted slightly.

"You don't have to love me..." Sophia's tears started to fall, "but how could you lie to me?

I shouldn't have come back. I'm interrupting you..."

With that, she turned and ran.

"Sophia!"

Julian immediately chased after her.

Eleanor stood rooted to the spot, watching his retreating back, her heart a sea of calm.

But in the next second—

"Bang!"

A loud crash!

Glass from high up on the building suddenly shattered, falling directly onto Sophia's head!

She didn't even make a sound before collapsing into a pool of blood...