Chapter 377 After Parting with Sarah, He Was No Longer Happy
In the villa's hall, it was cozy. Servants buzzed around with trays, carrying a fancy three-tiered cake.
Today was Ellie's 34th birthday.
She checked out of the hospital early just to spend her special day with Oliver.
Outside, light snow was falling.
This snow had been coming down for two weeks, blanketing the city and making it feel like time had slowed down.
Ellie wheeled herself over to Oliver. She gently hugged him and whispered, "Oliver, I wish this snow would never stop, so you'd stay by my side forever! Aam I dreaming? Are you really going to break up with her and be with me? I'm so scared this is just a beautiful dream, but if it is, I'd rather never wake up and keep all this beauty in this moment."
Ellie hugged him tightly, overjoyed, "If you want to be with me, I'll forgive anything, as long as you love me!"
Love? Oliver was caught off guard.
He didn't love Ellie. Even at their most passionate, it was just physical attraction. If it weren't for her accident, they would have ended long ago.
But he didn't deny it. He wasn't the type to spoil the fun when it came to women. In moments of passion, he had told countless women he loved them, but none had ever taken it seriously.
Oliver still stood by the window, looking at the snow outside.
He had been here for two weeks. Sarah hadn't contacted him, not even once.
Last night, he had brought Ellie back. Although they hadn't had sex, it was implied that they would live together. He hadn't told her his plans. He thought he probably wouldn't take her back to Vesper City or Evergreen City!
Sarah was there, and Sarah would be upset.
He decided to leave Ellie in Windcrest. He would visit her a few times a year, and after divorcing Sarah, he would find a suitable day to marry Ellie, and then...
Oliver tried hard to think, but he couldn't see beyond that.
He no longer had romantic feelings for Ellie, not even basic desire. He thought it was just a promise of marriage.
Maybe this way, he could give up on Sarah.
Behind him, Ellie whispered, "Oliver, let's get married!"
Oliver turned around, looked down at her, and said gently, "Weren't you excited about your birthday? Let's cut the cake!"
Ellie forced a smile. The hall was lively, and the servants were all congratulating her.
Oliver gave her an expensive set of diamond jewelry. She seemed to have everything, but she always felt that something was not quite real, especially the obvious sadness in his eyes.
He was still thinking about Sarah!
Ellie held back her temper. She told herself not to mind because it was meaningless.
The candlelight flickered. It was supposed to be a joyous occasion, she was supposed to have everything she wanted, but why were her eyes filled with tears?
Midway, Ellie wanted to get some sea salt to make seafood, so she wheeled herself to the kitchen.
Two servants were slacking off, gossiping excitedly.
"Do you think Ms. Johnson and Mr. Windsor really are a couple now?"
"Of course! Didn't you see how much effort Mr. Windsor put into this birthday? Who else throws a birthday party like this for a mistress?"
"It's really something! Her leg was broken by Mrs. Windsor, and she still managed to hold on to Mr. Windsor."
"I heard it was Mrs. Windsor who dumped Mr. Windsor!"
Ellie stood at the kitchen door, trembling with anger.
Back in the day, she would've stormed in, slapped them both, and kicked them out. But now, she didn't dare. She was scared Oliver would think she was mistreating the staff and get mad at her.
Her fingernails dug into her palms, drawing blood.
After a moment, she wheeled herself away, panicking.
The servants noticed her and got a bit flustered. One of them said, "What are you scared of? Her leg's busted; she can't do anything to us. If she treats us badly, we'll just ignore her when she needs help and let her wet herself."
The other one covered her mouth and laughed.
Ellie returned to the hall, feeling so wronged she wanted to cry, but she held it in. She didn't want Oliver to think she couldn't control her temper. She didn't want him to see her lose it. She wanted to show a perfect image, to let him know she was fit to be his wife.
Even though she was disabled, she could still wear a prosthetic. She could still accompany him to social events and business meetings.
They would be a loving couple.
Ellie was feeling down, forcing a smile, but Oliver didn't notice.
He barely touched her birthday cake, just sat by the floor-to-ceiling window, smoking quietly and daydreaming as he looked at the snowy night outside.
Ellie was going crazy. This was not what she had imagined. They had finally gotten together; shouldn't he be treating her well? Why wouldn't he even sleep in the same bed with her at night?
Ellie was anxious and uneasy. She was afraid Oliver would despise her for being disabled. She spent a lot of time on her appearance, making her skin very smooth. She hoped that one day, when he looked back at her, he would be amazed.
Late at night, Oliver couldn't sleep.
After taking a shower, he wore a bathrobe and leaned against the headboard, with only a bedside reading lamp on.
His face looked soft under the light, not as sharp as usual. He was scrolling through the news on his phone, but then he unintentionally opened his photo album. He didn't like taking pictures, and the only photos in there were of Sarah and Jacob. The last one was from their first date.
In the rooftop restaurant, Sarah leaned against the glass, gazing outside.
Outside were the dazzling neon lights, and her eyes sparkled like stars.
Back then, Sarah was as innocent as a little bunny. She didn't know how to hide her affection for him. Her gaze was always watery when she looked at him, making it hard for him to resist.
Even though Oliver had seen many women, he was still captivated by Sarah's gaze.
He remembered that he couldn't help but go over and kiss her.
In the dead of night, people felt the loneliest.
For the first time, Oliver felt uncontrollably emotional. He knew he shouldn't call her, at least not now, but he couldn't help dialing Sarah's number.
He knew she was still in Windcrest because the snow hadn't stopped.
The phone rang a few times before Sarah answered.
Her tone was indifferent, "What's up?"
Such simple words made Oliver feel a sense of fear. He didn't speak for a long time. Just as she was about to hang up, he hurriedly said, "Sarah, don't hang up!"