Elise had long lost the courage to continue, leaving only endless regret.
Andrew seemed to relish in belittling Elise as a way to win Kimberly’s favor. Sure enough, upon hearing his scornful words, Kimberly immediately stopped sobbing. She turned around, buried her head in Andrew’s neck, and spoke with feigned grievance, “Drew, I’m sorry. If it weren’t for me, Elise wouldn’t have told such lies to trick you into coming back. But this time, Elise has truly gone too far. How could she joke about her own life like this? And Mrs. Watson actually joined her in this farce, deceiving you together.”
“Drew, they clearly don’t take you seriously at all!”
Hidden from Andrew’s view, Kimberly’s eyes gleamed with malice, her face twisted by jealousy.
Even though she knew they couldn’t see her, Elise’s heart skipped a beat when she caught Kimberly’s hate-filled gaze.
A wild thought sprang to her mind—could the car accident that killed her have been orchestrated by Kimberly?
The idea was so shocking that her knees gave way, and she fell heavily to the ground.
“Kim, no one understands me like you do,” Andrew said, holding Kimberly tightly. His voice was filled with venom as he added, “You're different from that two-faced slut Elise, who pretended to love me deeply but mocked me behind my back.
“She always carried herself with that condescending attitude, as if she was doing charity work, looking at me with pity like I was some beggar."
“Who wants her damn pity?” he seethed.
Kimberly gently touched Andrew’s cheek with her delicate hand, her eyes brimming with feigned tenderness.
As their intimacy escalated, Elise clenched her teeth in fury. Yet, she had no place to hide and could only squat in the corner, staring blankly.
Her heart seemed like a barren wasteland. She had spent eight years with Andrew—helping him build his career, traveling with him from city to city, enduring hardships together. In their poorest days, they couldn’t even afford a decent meal and survived on water and plain steamed buns.
Back then, they were comrades-in-arms, trusting and relying on each other. During those days, Andrew often apologized to her, saying, “Elise, you wouldn’t have had to suffer so much if it weren’t for me. You wouldn’t have endured so many sneers and insults.”
The concern and guilt in his eyes were real. At the time, Elise would always smile and comfort him, feigning toughness. “As long as I can help you, it’s all worth it.
“So, knowing how hard this is for me, you must love me even more in the future. Got it?” she teased.
Andrew would nod firmly without hesitation, tears brimming in his eyes. “Elise, I swear, I, Andrew Williams, will never let you down for the rest of my life. If I break this promise, may I meet a horrible end.”
Elise had hastily covered his mouth, playfully scolding him for making such a vicious oath, fearing it might come true.
But now, squatting on the floor with her hands over her ears, she wished every word of that oath would be fulfilled.
Andrew and Kimberly spent an entire day in their sordid affair.
A full day and night had passed without any news from Elise. This unusual silence momentarily broke through Andrew’s lust-clouded mind.
He grew restless, distracted even while speaking with Kimberly.
However, Kimberly was busy preparing for her upcoming art exhibition—a reward from Andrew for her devotion—and didn’t notice his unease.
Watching him hesitate, Elise saw Andrew finally open her contact number on his phone. For once, he actively called her.
The other end of the line greeted him with the same piercing busy tone.
