The car came to a stop outside a residential neighborhood in the western part of the city. Though the area showed its age, it had clearly been taken care of over the years.
After thanking Kevin, Eleanor stepped out of the car. She lifted the heavy skirt of her wedding dress and headed toward the building she knew so well.
As soon as she opened the door and entered the house, a woman's voice rang out.
"So you finally decided to come home? Nice going, Eleanor! You called off your wedding in front of everyone and humiliated our whole family! Did you forget the promise you made to your grandpa before he died?"
The woman shouting at her was Brenda Shaw, her stepmother.
A fitted dress clung to Brenda's figure, and thick makeup covered her face. Anger showed plainly in her expression.
Without responding, Eleanor lowered herself and removed the high heels that had been tormenting her feet.
"Eleanor, did you bring me something to eat?" A plump little boy sprang from the couch and hurried toward her. The moment he reached her, his hands searched through the pockets of her wedding dress.
The boy was Leo Shaw, her twelve-year-old half-brother.
"Leo! Don't touch her. She's filthy!" Brenda pulled her son back and hid him behind her.
Leo struggled against her grip. "She didn't bring me anything! She never buys me anything! Dad, are you just going to stand there?"
Eleanor stared at the little boy. Though he was her brother by blood, disgust rose inside her.
He was born out of wedlock, yet he had spent years being treated like royalty. The irony wasn't lost on her.
"That's enough, Leo," said Robert Shaw, Eleanor's father, as he came out from one of the rooms.
Leo's eyes shifted before he suddenly pointed at Eleanor. "I'm not doing anything, Dad! She didn't bring me any food!"
"Maybe you should stop eating so much. Look at yourself—you're getting fat," Eleanor said, her face darkening.
"Eleanor!" Robert's expression immediately hardened. "Leo is just a kid. How can you talk to him like that? And why are you just getting home now?"
Eleanor found his words unbelievable.
A twelve-year-old child was still allowed to act like this?
When she had been twelve, she spent her days bringing food to the hospital for her sick grandfather.
"You already know what happened at the wedding today, don't you? I needed time to settle down before I came back. Is there something wrong with that?" Eleanor said as she tried to hold back her anger.
"What's with that attitude?" Robert snapped.
Brenda chipped in with a mocking laugh, "Forget it, Robert. She's practically part of the Moore family now. She didn't even want Leo and me at her wedding. Once she marries into that family, she'll think even less of us."
"You're horrible, Eleanor!" Leo dropped onto the floor and kicked his legs as he cried out. His cries filled the apartment from one end to the other.
Eleanor drew in a slow breath as pain pulsed through her temples.
This was the family she was supposed to call her own.
Everything had changed after her mother died and her grandfather became bedridden. Not long after, Robert brought Brenda into the family. The woman had already given birth to his illegitimate son.
To Robert, Leo could do no wrong. The little boy always received the best of everything. His weekly allowance alone exceeded what Eleanor spent in an entire month. Yet he had grown up without restraint. He picked on classmates at school and spoke disrespectfully to older people, but Robert had never truly punished him.
"Enough!" Robert barked. Irritated by Leo's crying, he shot Eleanor a harsh look. "Why are you still standing there? Do you want him to cry until he gets sick? Go upstairs and stay in your room!"
The fabric of Eleanor's dress tightened in her grasp. Her nails pressed so deeply into her palms that they almost broke the skin.
Still, she forced herself to swallow her anger.
Without another word, she turned toward the staircase and headed for her room.
"Hold on!" Robert suddenly called after her. "Tell me what happened at the wedding."
Only then did he remember what should have concerned him first.
Eleanor came to a stop, though she made no move to face him. "What?"
"What made you cancel the wedding? And what is going on with you and Adrian?" Robert said, stepping in front of her to block her way.
Slowly, Eleanor raised her eyes to the man she called her father.
Their gazes locked. Nothing could be found in her eyes.
"You witnessed everything yourself, didn't you?" Eleanor said, each word sharp. "Cary was screwing my maid of honor right in front of everyone at our wedding. After seeing that, did you really think I should've married him?"
A crease formed between Robert's brows. "Then explain Adrian."
As her father, he had been present at the wedding and had seen the entire incident unfold.
Thoughts rushed through Eleanor's mind.
Under no circumstances could they learn that she and Adrian had already registered their marriage.
If her family discovered the truth, they would never leave Adrian alone. Knowing the kind of people they were, they would use the marriage as an excuse to ask for money and demand favors.
She still intended to reclaim her mother's company and recover everything that rightfully belonged to her. Until then, she couldn't afford to completely fall out with them.
"Adrian only stepped in because he couldn't ignore what happened," Eleanor said. She lowered her eyes as she spoke. "He's Cary's uncle. What kind of relationship do you think we could possibly have?"
Robert studied her with suspicion. "That's the whole story?"
"If you're doubtful, ask the Moore family yourself," Eleanor said. Her expression remained indifferent.
After considering it for a moment, Robert found her explanation reasonable.
Someone like Adrian held too much status. Even with his disability, it seemed unlikely that he would notice Eleanor, much less marry her.
Robert's tone hardened. "That doesn't change the fact that you acted recklessly! Calling off the wedding was bad enough, but then you had to drag Adrian into this mess too! Do you know who the Moores are? If your grandfather hadn't pulled strings, you would've never had a chance to marry into that family. And you threw it all away—how stupid can you be?"
"Dad is right!" Leo said after getting up from the floor. He walked over and pointed directly at Eleanor. "You're so stupid, Eleanor! If I were in your place, I would've married into the family first and then secretly taken all their money!"
The confidence in his voice made it sound as though stealing from others was something worth admiring.
With a smile, Brenda said, "That's my smart little boy, Leo."
Eleanor looked from one face to another and suddenly found the entire scene ridiculous.
At twelve years old, Leo wasn't thinking about school or learning how to be a decent person. Instead, he was thinking about taking someone else's money.
"She's glaring at me!" Leo cried as he slipped behind Robert. "Dad, look at her! She's staring at me!"
At once, Robert pulled Leo behind him and glared at Eleanor. "Why are you looking at Leo like that? He's only a child. What does he know? You're a grown woman, picking a fight with a kid. Aren't you ashamed of yourself?
Eleanor had to resist the urge to roll her eyes.
As she looked at Robert, who was once again taking Leo's side without hesitation, her grandfather's words surfaced in her mind. "Robert lacks conviction. Other people's opinions influence him too easily. I don't think our family can depend on him in the future."
Her grandfather had seen him clearly.
For a long time now, she had stopped thinking of this place as home.
"It doesn't matter anymore. The Moore family won't want anything to do with me after this," Eleanor said. She stepped farther away from them before continuing, "If having me here bothers everyone so much, I'll leave."
The words caught Robert off guard.
"Leave? Where would you even go?"
"I'll rent a place near the company. Besides, you already have a son. He'll be the one taking care of you later on. You don't need me," Eleanor said, her voice remaining steady.
"You—" For a moment, Robert couldn't find a response.
Brenda's gaze shifted between the two of them. In truth, she had been hoping Eleanor would leave. As long as Eleanor remained in the house, she had to keep pretending to be cordial. Once Eleanor moved out, everything here would belong to her and Leo.
"Robert, if she wants to move out, then let her. Children don't stay children forever. Eventually they make their own choices," Brenda said.
Leo spoke up before anyone else could. "Then I get her room! I'll finally have space for all my toys!"
Without saying a word, Eleanor looked at him briefly before heading toward the stairs.
Robert's voice rang out behind her. "Look at the way you're acting! Leo is your brother! Is that how a sister should treat her own brother?"
