Chapter 33: No One to Rely On

It wasn’t just physical exhaustion—Ellis was mentally drained, too. She had no energy to argue with her adoptive mother, so she simply turned and walked away, eager to leave the house that had humiliated her.

Emma frowned as she watched her go. “It’s so late. Where are you going?”

Ellis didn’t answer. Her figure disappeared into the night.

Emma angrily tossed her phone onto the table. Ungrateful child. She didn’t understand Emma’s painstaking efforts and had the audacity to throw a tantrum? She was still too young, hadn’t suffered enough in life. That’s why she was so fixated on whether Easton loved her or not. If Emma hadn’t planned for her future, she would have had nothing left once Victoria and the old man joined forces against her. One day, she would understand and be grateful.

With that thought, Emma managed to suppress her frustration and focused on how to deal with Victoria’s blatant attempt to take her place, as well as the old man’s orders from earlier that night. She thought and thought, but a perfect solution didn’t come to mind.

At that moment, the elevator doors opened again. Emma glanced sideways. Easton stepped out, his expression cold and laced with irritation. Their eyes met, and out of habit, Emma was about to greet him—but Easton ignored her completely and walked away.

Both her adoptive daughter and Easton had chosen to leave the estate tonight. That made Emma uneasy. Has the drug worn off already?

Outside the house, the chauffeur who had been waiting quickly stepped forward and opened the car door. “Mr. Easton.”

Usually, when Easton and Ellis visited the estate, she never wanted to stay the night. She would visit the old man, then insist on leaving. After all, since their marriage, they had always come and gone together.

Easton glanced at the empty seat beside him, his irritation growing. Ellis, what kind of game are you playing now? How long are you going to keep this up?

Noticing his boss’s bad mood, the chauffeur drove cautiously, terrified of making a wrong move. As they drove down the dark road, a familiar figure appeared in his line of sight. The chauffeur had sharp instincts—it was a necessity for his job. He immediately slowed down and reminded, “Mr. Easton, Madam is on the roadside.”

Mr. Scott had wanted a scenic, peaceful place to live, so he built his estate on the outskirts of the city, where people and cars were scarce. That made it difficult to hail a cab.

Ellis had no intention of staying at the estate, but she didn’t want to accept a ride from their driver, either. The ride-hailing app kept showing no available cars, so she had walked to the roadside, hoping to flag down a taxi.

She had barely started looking when a familiar car passed right in front of her. Even without seeing inside, she knew Easton was there. But without expectations, there was no room for disappointment. She didn’t care whether he ignored her.

Expecting Easton to stop, ask why she was standing by the road, and kindly offer her a ride? That would be delusional.

She stood there alone, not bothering to watch as his car disappeared into traffic. She kept her eyes on the road, waiting for a taxi. Luckily, her patience wasn’t tested for long—she only had to wait about half an hour before a taxi finally arrived.

The moment she stepped into her apartment, her phone rang. It was the delivery driver.

After collecting the package, Ellis took out the item inside. The words on the instruction label were clear: Not recommended for use more than three times a year. She let out a bitter, self-mocking laugh, then swallowed the pill with warm water. Emergency contraception. This was the second time in her life taking it.

Easton hadn’t used protection tonight. Her adoptive mother was desperate for her to give birth to the Shen family heir. No one had considered what she wanted. Her life was already miserable enough—she had to take care of herself and had to make sure she didn’t get pregnant. If she did, even if she wanted to keep the baby, Easton wouldn’t allow it. He didn’t love her. He didn’t need a child with her. He had always been careful, making sure she never had a chance to get pregnant.

As she thought about it, a memory surfaced—the last time she took this pill was also after that night, when he had been drugged. The morning after their first time, she had been half-asleep when someone roughly shoved her awake. She opened her eyes, only to see Easton’s face twisted with disgust and impatience as he threw a small box at her.

“Take it.”

Pain flared where the box hit her, but she was still groggy, staring at him in confusion.

“Don’t even think about skipping it and trying to get pregnant,” he snapped. “If you do, I’ll personally take you to the hospital for an abortion. Just take it now and save us both the trouble.”

His voice was so cold, so cruel. She had never seen someone switch faces so quickly. Just hours ago, this same man had been tangled up with her, taking everything she had to give, looking at her with an intensity that made it seem like she was his whole world. But now, in the cold morning light, he was nothing like the man from last night.

“What is this?” she asked, propping herself up on the bed.

Easton didn’t answer. Instead, he poured her a glass of water.