The second Elyse settled into the car, Anthony's eyes dropped to her hand, and worry crept into his voice. "What happened to your hand?"
Brushing it off, Elyse barely looked at it. "It's nothing serious. Just a small burn."
Concern deepened in Anthony's expression as he studied it more closely. "It's already swollen. We're going to the hospital so you can get ointment. You've got a shoot tomorrow that focuses on your hands, and this can't be ignored."
Exhaustion weighed on Elyse as she shut her eyes. Anthony always took charge of her schedule, and she didn't need to worry about a thing. What stung was that Anthony had noticed her injury right away, while Trevor had remained unaware and even gripped that exact spot, adding to her discomfort.
Once they reached the hospital, Anthony handled everything from registration to picking up the medicine, leaving Elyse seated alone while she scrolled through her phone without interest.
Out of nowhere, a soft and pleasant voice drifted down to her. "Excuse me, miss, could you help me pick up this report?"
Only then did Elyse notice a medical report resting near her feet. Her gaze shifted to the woman who had spoken. She looked fragile and graceful, the kind of beauty that naturally drew protection from others. The gentle curve of her stomach hinted she was about five months pregnant.
Elyse leaned down and picked the report up. Thanking Elyse with a warm smile, the woman did not take the report back. Instead, she asked gently, "Would it be alright if I sat beside you?"
Giving a small nod, Elyse answered, "Of course."
Once seated, the woman caressed her belly. Seeing that Elyse seemed approachable, she began making small talk.
Elyse asked, "Did you come here on your own?"
"Yes. I'm five months pregnant now. My husband is a criminal investigator and is always busy with work. I don't want to trouble him over every little thing."
Hearing that made Elyse's thoughts jump straight to Trevor, who was also a criminal investigator.
The woman seemed to love her husband deeply, as her face brightened whenever she mentioned him. "Still, he treats me so well. He knew I wasn't feeling great during the pregnancy and that my mood was off, so he handed over his whole paycheck to me. And he bought me this bracelet. Isn't it lovely?"
A sudden stillness took hold of Elyse. Just last month, Trevor had given her a bracelet for their wedding anniversary, and it looked exactly like this one—almost identical. Could that really be just a coincidence? Same job. Same bracelet. Something in her chest faltered.
Elyse lowered her gaze to the report still resting in her hand. The name "Joanna Kirk" stood out sharply, almost searing itself into her sight.
Concern touched Joanna's expression as she asked, "What's wrong? You don't find it looks nicely?"
Elyse let out a self-mocking laugh. "So, Ms. Kirk, you go after another woman's husband?"
Color rushed across Joanna's cheeks, though it was unclear if it came from humiliation or fury. Words seemed ready to spill out, but before she could speak, Elyse set the report on her lap and said in an even tone, "Goodbye, Ms. Kirk."
At that moment, Anthony came back with the ointment in hand. One glance at Elyse's expression made him tense. "What happened? Is the pain getting worse?"
"No," Elyse answered, giving a small shake of her head.
"That's a relief. I noticed you speaking with someone earlier. That wasn't a fan who recognized you, right?"
A scoff slipped from Elyse as she replied, "No. That was Trevor's mistress. She just came over to stake her claim."
The words set Anthony off at once. He turned sharply, already heading back. "Damn it. I'll go deal with her myself," he muttered under his breath.
Before he could take another step, Elyse reached out to stop him. "What are you planning to do? Start something with a pregnant woman? Just let it go. We're divorcing anyway. Before long, none of this will concern me."
Right after that, her phone started ringing. Trevor's name flashed on the screen. Since everything between them had not been legally settled, she chose to answer.
"Elyse, where are you? I'll come get you. Let's not end things, alright? I'll explain whatever you want to know. Please don't shut me down," Trevor pleaded through the line.
He had returned home, only to see that over half of Elyse's things were gone, along with her suitcases. That meant she had already moved out the very next day after bringing up the divorce, leaving him with no chance to explain.
Elyse's tone was flat. "Trevor, I ran into Joanna."
Trevor's breathing faltered. When he spoke again, his tone turned gentle, as if he were trying to calm her down, urging her not to act impulsively or make any harsh decisions.
A cold smile formed on Elyse's lips. So he was nervous she might do something to Joanna.
Hanging up, Elyse blocked his number without hesitation. She would mail him the divorce papers soon.
As it happened, she was about to enter a month-long closed shoot. That break would give her space to settle her emotions and keep things from turning into an ugly confrontation before the divorce was finalized.
