But no, she had to take the money and destroy lan's marriage. She was despicable and shameless.

So, even though Eleanor knew lan hadn't physically cheated, her love for him had withered away. Yet, the memory of the Eleanor who had been so deeply in love with lan was still vivid in Serena's mind.

An image from six years ago flashed before Serena's eyes—

It was a sunny afternoon. She had come back to the country to see friends, and lan had asked her to his house for dinner. Back then, she was full of prejudice against Eleanor, feeling no affection for this sister-in-law who had forced her way into the family through a debt of gratitude.

That evening, she had sat in the back of lan's car, not even wanting to get out. But through the window, she saw Eleanor coming from the villa's main gate, her face beaming. When lan was just a few steps away, Eleanor threw her arms around his shoulders, tilted her head up, and gave him a sweet kiss. "You're back!"

At the time, she couldn't see lan's expression, but she saw the undisguised love in Eleanor's eyes and her shy blush.

Serena had felt only scorn, thinking lan didn't love her, so why was she putting on such a show? She was just after his good looks, a lovestruck fool going to any length to please him.

But looking back now, Serena dimly understood that Eleanor's feelings for lan back then were truly and utterly real.

It was just like when she had been madly in love with Xavier, that feeling of missing him desperately even after a day apart. Eleanor's reaction to seeing lan come home from work was the most genuine expression of her love.

But back then, blinded by her own biases, Serena hadn't seen Eleanor's affection. Instead, she had mocked her for putting on an act.

More memories flooded back.

She remembered the first family gathering before Evelyn was born. Eleanor sat quietly in a corner of the sofa, her eyes following lan, filled with open admiration and worship. lan had just woken from his coma and was still recovering, and Eleanor would sit by his side, handing him water and medicine.

Serena had sat nearby, sneering inwardly, thinking Eleanor was just pretending to

be a gentle and virtuous wife. She had even hoped lan would leave her.

But she was certain that by the fourth year of their marriage, Eleanor's love for lan wasn't an act. She genuinely loved him, loved him enough to endure anything, to wait for him alone, to bury all her grievances in her heart.

In the two years that followed, Eleanor must have discovered Vanessa's existence. By then,

Vanessa was no longer satisfiedmet

with material things. Her ascent to the status of a world class piano goddess gave her the capital challenge the legitimate wife.

She began to frequently stage 'coincidental encounters with lan, which just so happened to make headlines. She would appear at the same events as lan, take pictures

show off her gifts and li

goods;

and post them all over the world with ambiguous captions?

Given the nature of her arrangement with lan, if she was determined to put on a show, the world became her stage-a stage she could even bring right to Eleanor's doorstep.

It was a situation no woman could tolerate, let alone Eleanor at the time.

Although Serena didn't know what lan's attitude was back then, she knew he had to consider Vanessa's status as the sole global donor.

The self-harm scars on Vanessa's wrists were evidence of how she had leveraged her own suffering against lan, cut by calculated cut.

Eleanor's love had been worn away by one injury after another. Now, with another man who adored her by her side, lan, the ex-husband, stood no chance at all.

If lan's hair had turned white because of Eleanor...

Then just how deeply had he hidden his love for her all these years?