The next day, I found out Stephen had used his connections to get Eleanor out on bail. Meanwhile, at Arthur’s house, his daughter-in-law grew increasingly uneasy. She turned to her husband with concern.
“What if Eleanor really is a murderer? Shouldn’t we at least remind Dad? We don’t want the Mortimer name dragged through the mud.”
Even Arthur hesitated. But after recalling how elegant and gentle she had always seemed over the years, he finally told his wife to stop.
“Father will handle it.”
When Eleanor was released, they held a welcome-back dinner in her honor. At the table, Eleanor wiped away tears as she looked at Stephen.
“I never imagined Victoria could be so cruel. She’s trying to ruin my life and send me to prison. Her heart is truly wicked.”
For the first time, Stephen found her words irritating.
“Enough. Stop talking. She’s not that kind of person. There must be some misunderstanding.”
That night, Stephen couldn’t sleep. As he stepped into the garden for some air, he spotted Eleanor in a secluded corner, whispering with a young man. His brows knitted as he strode toward them.
“Who is he?”
Eleanor quickly concealed the panic in her eyes.
“Richard’s the son of a friend. He just returned from abroad and has nowhere to stay. Stephen, can he stay here for a while?”
Stephen frowned, clearly displeased at the idea of a stranger in his home. But seeing Eleanor look at him with such pitiful eyes, he eventually gave in. He didn’t expect her to take matters into her own hands. She cleared out the best guest room just to make space for Richard, tossing out my belongings without a second thought. Those were the very things Stephen had painstakingly salvaged from the trash after I discarded them.
When he saw my things scattered, face cold, he kicked the young man to the floor, rage surging through him.
“Get lost. Strangers aren’t welcome in my home.”
Eleanor, heartbroken, tried to plead, but he only grew more uneasy.
“You should move out too. If Victoria ever comes back and sees you here, she won’t be happy. Go stay at the apartment.”
Eleanor stared at him in disbelief, her eyes brimming with tears as she clutched her belly.
“Don’t you care about our child? You’re really going to make me live alone out there?”
His gaze fell on her swelling belly. He hesitated. But in the end, Stephen still ordered the driver to take her away.
“It’s because of this child that I abandoned Victoria… and nearly caused her to die at sea. This baby, go find time to get rid of it,” he said coldly, then turned and walked into the house.
Eleanor bit her lip hard, hatred burning in her eyes. When she arrived at Stephen’s apartment, the young man, Richard, appeared once more.
“Mom…”
“Shhh.”
Eleanor quickly dragged him inside. Meanwhile, our travel program finally launched. I began traveling the world, saw the sweeping grasslands and soaring eagles of South America, the gentle giant pandas in Edinburgh, and made the most beautiful wishes beneath the Arctic’s dancing Northern Lights. I witnessed breathtaking landscapes, met countless kind souls, and let the camera capture all the wonders for audiences worldwide.
Online, the show received glowing reviews. It was even licensed in several countries, and the licensing fees alone generated a substantial income. That year, we won several awards. When I returned to the US after another shoot, I caught news of turmoil within the Mortimer Corporation. I asked Edmund if it would affect him.
He said calmly, “Don’t worry. My connection to Stephen won’t interfere with our business. Money still needs to be made.”
After a pause, he added, “Honestly, Stephen’s no longer fit to run the company.” The implication was clear: he might be planning to work with shareholders to push Stephen out. But I couldn’t bring myself to care.
What Stephen didn’t know was that Eleanor was never the innocent and pure he believed her to be. He had never been her only man. So when he showed up again, hoping I’d persuade someone to drop the charges, I asked, “You really want to save Eleanor?”
He nodded.
“But just as a friend. I’ve already told her to get rid of the child.”
I looked at him and said, “No need to explain. I don’t care what your reasons are.” I pulled a USB flash drive from my bag and tossed it to him.
“See for yourself what kind of person she really is. Talk to me again once you’ve watched what’s inside.”
Stephen stared at the USB, his face puzzled.
“What is this?”
I replied with a cold smirk, “The true face of your first love. Since you adore her so much, I’m sure you won’t mind watching.”
I turned and got into the car by the side of the road. Edmund started the engine without a word, and we sped away. Not long after, Stephen was removed from his position as CEO of the corporation, and Eleanor’s case was officially put on trial. That day, a swarm of reporters crowded outside the detention center.
“I didn’t kill anyone, please believe me. Otherwise, how could I have been granted bail, right?”
Still lost in her delusions, Eleanor thought Stephen and her other men would rush to save her. She lied shamelessly to the press. She never noticed the man in the crowd wearing a cap slowly closing in. From his coat, he suddenly pulled out a gleaming fruit knife and, without warning, drove it straight into her.
Blood burst out! Stephen stabbed Eleanor again and again, shouting like a madman, “It’s all your lies! You made me lose my wife, lose everything, you bitch!”
“Murder! Murder!”
The crowd scattered in panic as countless cameras captured Stephen stabbing Eleanor to death on the spot. She was rushed to the hospital, but despite emergency treatment, she died. Stephen was arrested immediately and thrown into prison. Edmund told me the news just as I finished the newest program proposal.
“Well, Eleanor really won’t have to go to prison now.”
“And Stephen, that lunatic, can serve the sentence for her.”
I wasn’t surprised at all. That USB I handed him contained footage of Eleanor in bed with different men. She’d even had a child with a wealthy businessman years ago; Richard was her son. Twenty years ago, after the tycoon collapsed and Stephen’s business soared, she returned to his side. Eleanor had lied, claiming she’d remained pure all those years, saying she would only ever bear children for him and had waited for the day he’d marry her. But in truth, to climb higher, she had climbed into bed with countless men.
The man she thanked on the awards stage that day? It wasn’t even Stephen, or at least not just him. Seated below were her godbrother and several other lovers.
Thinking back to Stephen’s tearful, deluded face only made me want to laugh. So I gave him a “gift,” a collection of dozens of videos shot by a private investigator. After watching them, he completely broke. He couldn’t accept that the artistic, pure first love he had worshipped was nothing more than a lewd, social-climbing woman. He hated her for making him lose me.
So, on the day of the trial, consumed by rage, he gutted her. For the brutal murder of a woman, Stephen was sentenced to twenty years in prison. Later, after begging me again and again, I went to see him at the detention center one last time. Seeing me, confident and radiant, like I had shed twenty years and been reborn, only deepened his agony.
“I was such a fool. I never should’ve done those things to hurt you.”
“If, that day on the cruise, I’d pulled you onto the lifeboat first, would you have forgiven me?”
His regretful, unwilling expression didn’t stir the slightest ripple in me. I shook my head.
“Time doesn’t turn back. There’s no such thing as ‘what if’ in this world.”
“Stephen, spend the rest of your life repenting behind bars if you live that long.”
I turned to go but paused.
“Oh, and by the way. Edmund and I are getting married next month. Too bad you won’t be able to come.”
I shrugged and hung up the call, then stood up and walked away, leaving his tear-streaked face behind forever.
A month later, Edmund and I held our wedding on a private island that he had gifted me as a wedding present. We exchanged rings. As I looked at his familiar face, now touched with gray yet still filled with warmth and passion, I spoke solemnly, “I won’t miss out on your next thirty years. I love you, Edmund.”
The sunset draped the sky in golden ribbons, and the breeze carried the blessings of the sea. Edmund was the greatest gift the ocean had ever given me.