Free Web NovelChapter 63: Chapter 63
Elise’s footsteps came to an abrupt halt.
Raindrops struck the surface of her umbrella in a steady rhythm, the soft pattering echoing through the quiet cemetery with unusual clarity.
Slowly, she turned around.
Dylan stood several paces away, dressed entirely in black.
Oliver held an umbrella over him.
Separated by only a short distance yet worlds apart, they looked at one another in silence.
His eyes were bloodshot. The vivid crimson staining them stood in stark contrast to the unnatural pallor of his face.
Even from where she stood, it was obvious that something was terribly wrong with him.
He looked exhausted. Broken, even. As though he had been drained of everything that once held him upright.
Yet Elise merely looked back at him calmly.
There was no anger. No tenderness. No visible emotion at all.
Only stillness.
Time seemed to stretch between them.
Finally, Dylan’s Adam’s apple bobbed with visible difficulty.
His lips, drained of all color, parted slowly.
"I’m sorry."
Those simple words were nearly swallowed by the sound of falling rain.
They were far too light, far too insignificant.
How could three words possibly erase everything that had happened?
How could an apology compensate for years of loss, heartbreak, betrayal, and graves that should never have existed?
Elise had no desire to discuss the past. No desire to revisit wounds that had never truly healed.
Her voice remained calm when she spoke.
"There is one week left before the waiting period ends."
The rain continued to fall around them.
"When the time comes, be at the Civil Affairs Bureau to finalize the divorce."
She met his gaze directly.
"Dylan, I no longer expect anything from you."
A brief pause followed. Then she delivered the final request she would ever make of him.
"For the last time, I hope you’ll keep your word."
When she finished speaking, she withdrew her gaze.
Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked away––step by step, further into the curtain of rain.
Her figure gradually blurred beneath the downpour until she became little more than a fading silhouette.
The sight felt hauntingly familiar.
Just like that day years ago.
The day Dylan had turned his back on her and disappeared into the rain without looking back.
A violent cough suddenly shattered the silence.
The sound was harsh, painful, almost alarming. Immediately afterward came Oliver’s startled voice.
"Sir!"
Elise’s steps never faltered. She continued walking, as though she had heard nothing at all.
By the time she emerged from the cemetery, Zoey was already waiting. The moment she spotted Elise, she hurried out of the car with an umbrella.
"The ground is slippery," she warned. "Be careful."
"Thank you."
They climbed into the car together.
Zoey handed her a dry towel.
"Here. Dry yourself off. This rain really picked its timing. It waited until the funeral was over before pouring down."
Elise used the towel to blot the damp hem of her dress.
"North City’s summers are short," she said quietly. "After this rain, autumn will arrive."
"Then you’d better be careful." Zoey started the engine. "Seasonal transitions are the worst time for viruses. Until you leave the country, stay home as much as possible."
Elise nodded.
"There’s only one week left before the divorce is finalized. We can start preparing the house overseas."
For the first time all day, a trace of anticipation entered her voice.
"I’ll spend the next few days sorting everything. Whatever can be shipped ahead of time should be sent first."
"Good idea."
Zoey glanced sideways at her.
"I spoke with Melissa. She’s single and said she’d be willing to move overseas with you if you want her to."
A genuine smile finally touched Elise’s lips.
"That would be wonderful."
The thought of leaving North City behind lightened something inside her.
Not completely, but enough to allow her a single breath of relief.
Outside, the white Panamera descended the mountain road through sheets of rain.
The windshield wipers worked frantically, sweeping away endless streams of water. fгeewebnovёl.com
Then Zoey remembered something. frёewebηovel.cѳm
"Oh, right." Her expression shifted. "There’s finally news about Quinn."
Elise turned toward her immediately.
Zoey kept her eyes on the road.
"She really was kidnapped by one of Dylan’s enemies."
A frown appeared on Elise’s face.
"According to what I’ve heard, by the time Dylan found her, she was barely recognizable."
The car fell silent for a moment.
"She’s currently in a private hospital. I had someone look into it. Her face was disfigured, and one of her legs was permanently crippled."
Elise’s brows drew together.
"Who would go that far?"
"That’s the strange part." Zoey shook her head. "The only thing anyone has been able to trace is that the kidnappers were connected to overseas groups. Beyond that, there’s nothing."
Her expression grew increasingly puzzled.
"What’s even stranger is that they didn’t seem interested in money. They weren’t trying to negotiate. They didn’t make demands. From what I’ve heard, they abducted Quinn solely to torture her."
Elise listened quietly, but her heart was growing restless.
"They supposedly filmed everything and sent the videos directly to Dylan."
Zoey exhaled sharply.
"If Dylan’s people hadn’t eventually tracked down the location, that woman probably wouldn’t have survived."
Elise fell into a deep thought.
"They never made any requests?"
"No."
"That doesn’t make sense."
She stared out the rain-covered window.
"If someone goes to the trouble of kidnapping a person, torturing them, and risking that level of exposure, there should be an objective. Revenge alone seems insufficient."
"Who knows?" Zoey snorted. "Honestly, she deserves every bit of misery she got."
Her voice filled with undisguised disdain.
"She repaid kindness with betrayal. She knowingly became the other woman. Then she paraded around with someone else’s husband like she had won a prize."
Zoey shook her head.
"Now karma has finally caught up with her."
Elise remained silent. Something about the entire situation felt wrong.
Over the years, Dylan had certainly made enemies.
Power always came with opposition.
Yet there were very few people willing to commit a crime this extreme.
In fact, only one group came to mind... The same group responsible for the kidnapping five years ago.
The same people whose actions had cost her children their lives.
But that theory made no sense. Those people had already been arrested years ago.
So if they weren’t responsible... Then who was?
