Chapter 6 Break the Chain
Without looking at Eileen, Welburn looked out through the window, saying, “Look. The phoenix has been reborn.”
His voice attracted Eileen’s attention. She looked over and saw thousands of drones rising into the sky, forming the outline of a phoenix.
The phoenix soon spread its wings, soared through the flames, and flew into the depths of the clouds.
It was so amazing that words failed her.
She felt like she was back in her teenage days. Fremont had once led her through the slum alleys, holding her hand as they ran, while they watched the fireworks set off by the rich in the city center.
Back then, Fremont was just a thin teenager. With a bright smile and sweat on his head, he gave her the simplest yet the sincerest promise.
He pointed at the skyscraper in the distance, saying, “Eily, I’ll take you to leave one day, buy a place for us there, and set off fireworks exclusive to you.”
They were like two wild weeds, seeking each other’s warmth against coldness and poverty, stubbornly trying to climb upward.
She had waited for years, but it seemed he had long forgotten his promise about the fireworks.
Leaning against the window, she was lost in thought, her eyes turning red slightly. For a time, she forgot Welburn next to her.
Just then, his light, cold voice rang out. “Eileen, you should have been the phoenix in the sky, flying freely while enjoying everyone’s attention, yet you’ve become someone’s caged pet. Is that really what you want?”
Eileen’s gaze fell upon the phoenix soaring through the clouds, the scene where she gave a speech while holding the Best Actress award trophy emerging in her mind.
She had been willing to quit, and now, she was unwilling to waste another second of her life on a mere man.
Looking up, she met Welburn’s utterly indifferent eyes, which were devoid of any desire.
Clutching his shirt, she pleaded, “Welburn, can you help me?”
She could even see her stubborn face in his eyes. Suddenly, he curved his thin lips. “As you wish.”
Eileen was so excited after getting his affirmative answer that she found it hard to sleep at night.
Gazing at the countless household lights outside the window, she made up her mind—it was time to sever all ties with Fremont.
He wanted to confine her by using their love and marriage as his excuse.
So what if he showered her with the most beautiful dresses and jewelry? She no longer had any occasion to wear them.
She had loved him so much that she was oblivious to his obsession and possessiveness.
Maybe he had been planning this for years.
He wanted her to be his alone. To do that, he had no hesitation in severing her wings and cutting all her way out.
She didn’t need things like thoughts or dreams. All she needed to do was stay with him and let him have her.
A chill ran down Eileen’s spine at this.
His love was so obsessive.
She had a dream that night. In the dream, she went back to her student days. Fremont, the handsome straight-A student, pressed her against a tree, sunshine shining on his white shirt through the dense leaves.
Pinching her chin with his slender fingers, he looked down at her, his long lashes concealing the madness in his eyes. “Eily, love me. Will you?”
Suddenly, he was that tall, beefy man again. Holding her in his arms forcibly, he said, “Eily, have a child with me.
“Eily, I’m the one who loves you the most in this world.
“Eily…
Eileen opened her eyes abruptly, her body drenched in sweat. She ran a hand through her hair, realizing she had dreamed of him again.
As she turned on her phone, she saw that he had sent her countless messages, all telling her how much he had missed her.
Fremont was still as obsessive as ever. He’d never agree to a divorce.
Her time in Palsbury was over, and she should come back.
A lot of preparations had to be made before the official shooting.
She checked on and was about to text Welburn to thank him.
Just as she left the hotel, she saw Cedrick standing by the black car.
Welburn had actually arranged for her ride to the airport.
Holding a bag with her clothes, she typed with her other hand.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Cedrick had pulled open the door for her, so she got into the car and sat down, her gaze glued to the phone this whole time.
In the next second, she realized she was sitting on a man’s firm lap.
Dumbfounded, she instinctively turned around, only to meet a cold pair of eyes.
Why was Welburn in the car? Why was he sitting so close to the edge?
This was literally the most embarrassing moment in her life.
“I’m sorry… I was just about to text you.”
She immediately straightened up and moved to the side while bending slightly. Maybe it was her illusion—she seemed to see his gaze linger on her for a few seconds.
By the time she saw properly and looked at him again, his gaze was already cold and indifferent again.
His hand resting on the armrest was fair and slender, the bulging veins on its back exuding pure sexual tension.
The obsidian bracelet on his wrist, however, added a touch of icy restraint to his presence.
Somehow, she felt that the bracelet was a curse on him, a chain. Once without it, he’d be consumed by madness, losing self-control while doing whatever he pleased.
Just then, his deep voice rang out. “I was about to get out of the car to help you with your things.”
“I didn’t notice.” She tugged at the hem of her dress, still a bit awkward.
“What did you want to text me?” he asked.
“I wanna thank you for these days. When you come to Warington one day, I’ll surely return the favor.”
He curved his lips. “If I remember correctly, you used to step away from gatherings.”
She answered calmly, “People change.”
They arrived at the airport.
She stepped out and thanked him politely.
The car window was rolled down, and his voice rang out. “Eileen.”
She stopped in her tracks and then turned around to look at him, her eyes brighter and her figure more curvaceous under the sunshine.
He continued, “We’ll soon meet again.”
“OK.” She nodded.
Then she turned to leave just as she had many times before.
The flowers on her dress gradually shrank into a dot in his sight.
The driver asked tentatively, “Mr. Cottrell, can we head back to the office now? The board members are there already.”
Through the rearview mirror, he saw Welburn’s eyes, in which the usual indifference was replaced by dominance and danger, as if he were finally ready to pounce on prey he’d coveted for years.
Such gaze mixed with desire and resolution made the driver shudder.
Soon, the plane landed in Warington. Back in her hometown, she now had different feelings.
Her life was still long. Until now, she had spent most of it, consumed by that exhausting relationship.
All of a sudden, she realized the fundamental problem that had caused their marriage to crumble.
It was never just about Chelsea’s baby. She wanted to break the chain and live her life independently and freely.
As she walked to the exit, she spotted the man in a suit with Jumilia Roses in his hand at once.
She wore a mask and a pair of sunglasses, and as she stepped out, she had even put on a trench coat and drew up the hood.
No one could tell who she was—not even a patch of her skin could be seen.
But Fremont clearly wasn’t trying to stay low-profile. He already stood out enough, yet he strode toward her anyway.
Under everyone’s eyes, he held her in his arms and sighed with relief, his warm breath brushing against her ear, “Eily, finally, you’re back.”
Lowering her voice, she said in his ear, “Let go, Fremont, or I don’t mind slapping you right here.”
Those three past days were like three years to Fremont.
His heart was finally in its place as he held Eileen in his arms.
He lowered his head, buried his face in the crook of her neck, and inhaled her scent greedily.
“Eily, I missed you so much…”
Yet, in the next second, a faint trace of wood scent drifted into his nostrils.
It wasn’t the scent of a woman.
Who did she meet in Palsbury?
Fremont’s gaze grew icy—he had actually smelt another man’s scent on his wife.
Chapter 7 Don’t Escape
Eileen and Fremont had never officially announced their marriage. Since she wanted a divorce, of course, she wouldn’t let anyone find out about it now.
She quickly pulled him to leave.
Unlike days before, she had stopped crying or looking down. Instead, her eyes sparkled again, which was something that made Fremont both beam and dread.
