Chapter 150: She doesn’t need your help.
The door cracked open.
Elena thought Elias had returned. She smiled. "You came back so soon."
As she turned her head toward the door, the smile on her face froze.
It was not Elias. It was Noah.
Seeing him standing in front of her, the painful past resurfaced. The scenes from her nightmare crossed her mind vividly.
She felt as though she had gone through the same pain all over again.
"Elena." Noah moved toward the bed. "How are you?"
He instinctively reached toward her, but she turned her head aside. His hand froze in midair. The indifference in her eyes landed cruelly onto him.
He curled his fingers into a fist and lowered his hand.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, her tone flat and detached.
"I..." He swallowed the lump in his throat. "I heard that someone tried to kidnap you. I was scared."
His throat tightened, making it difficult to speak. "I rushed here to see you."
Elena turned her head and looked at him. "I don’t need you," she said with no emotion in her eyes. "I don’t want you here. Leave."
Noah felt a dull ache spreading through her chest. He opened his mouth and then closed it, struggling to find proper words.
"I’m worried about you," he said. "I wanted to make sure you were alright."
Elena snorted. "How can I be alright when you are standing in front of me?"
The light in his eyes faded. He couldn’t hide the pain etched across his face.
"Don’t say that." He found his voice again after some time. "I couldn’t sit quietly when I heard the news."
"Really?" Elena sat up, fury churning inside her. "Where were you when I had that accident? I called you when I was trapped in that wrecked car. But you said you were busy. You hung up on me, not even listening to what I wanted to say."
She narrowed her eyes until her whole focus was set only on his face. "Where was your concern for me at the time? Now you pretend to care about me? I don’t need your fake concern. Go away. Don’t make me repeat it."
Guilt settled deep inside his heart. Every word she spoke became another reminder of his mistake. He wished she could turn back time.
His lips parted as if to apologize, but no words came.
"I know you hate me now." He struggled to keep his voice steady. "What I did was terrible. I don’t deserve your forgiveness. But please..."
He settled his gaze on her. "Don’t push me away. Let me correct my mistakes. I want to make it up to you. Don’t stop me."
Elena was tired of saying the same thing over and over again. She rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache coming on.
"My mind won’t change, no matter what you do," she said. Her voice was low this time. It lacked the edge of sharpness, but it was cold enough to freeze blood in veins.
He lowered his head, unable to face her. Every tear she shed felt like another accusation. The guilt settled in his chest like a stone, making even the simplest breath feel painfully heavy.
"I was wrong. I can never undo what I did. You didn’t deserve the pain you went through. I’ll carry the guilt with me for the rest of my life. But, Elena..."
When he lifted his head again, there was genuine fear in his eyes. "I’m really, truly worried about you."
He paused for a moment before he added the next sentence: "You are not safe with Elias. Leave him."
Elena blinked repeatedly, as if refusing to believe her ears. Then the realization settled gradually in her heart.
’He is now trying to manipulate me to leave my Elias.’
Her breathing turned sharp and uneven. A heartbeat later, rage darkened her features.
"When I was married to you, you didn’t want me," she hissed. "You divorced me like I was something disposable. Now that I’ve walked away from you and found my happiness again, you want me to leave Elias?"
Rage surged inside her so violently that it almost stole her breath away.
"The woman who used to follow you blindly died in that accident. I am Elena Rowan. You can never influence me anymore. Stop wasting your time and energy on me."
His chest tightened with a crushing sense of helplessness. "I am trying to save you. Why don’t you understand? You don’t know what kind of people are after the Rowan family. Those people are dangerous. If you stay with him, I am afraid you will get hurt."
He took a step forward before freezing in place. "Some goons already tried to kidnap you. Can’t you see how dangerous the situation is?"
Elias had just returned when he heard Noah’s voice coming out of the slightly ajar door. His whole body coiled like a live wire.
’He dares to show up here,’ he muttered to himself. ’I’ll kill him.’
Just as he was about to push the door open and storm in, he heard Elena’s sharp voice.
"My husband is capable of keeping me safe," she replied sternly.
Elena had seen everything—the danger, the fear of losing everything, and being killed. But she didn’t need his worry or care.
"He will not spare those who tried to harm his family."
Elias’s heart thumped suddenly. Her unwavering trust in him chased away the anger that had almost seized his chest. His hand on the doorknob froze.
He didn’t go in. Instead, he stood there, his heart longing to hear what else Elena would say about him.
"He is not like you, Noah," Elena continued, "who will abandon his wife in her lowest moment."
His gaze lingered on her for a long moment before dropping to the floor. The damage he had caused stood in front of him, impossible to ignore. If he could turn back time, he would make a different choice without hesitation.
"You know he was crying because I was injured," she went on. "He blamed himself, saying he couldn’t arrive sooner. He was apologizing to me. And you..."
Bitterness rose to her throat. "You didn’t feel anything for me when you knew I was bleeding from a miscarriage. You didn’t care. Even if I died that day, you wouldn’t have felt any sense of guilt."
"This is not true." A crushing weight pressed against his chest. It felt as though someone had wrapped a hand around his heart and was slowly squeezing it.
"You don’t feel sorry for me," she said before he could say another word. "You feel bad about losing the loyal dog who would do anything you say. You don’t miss me. You missed the woman who trailed behind you, following your orders. You want me back not because you love me. It’s because you are anxious about losing a useful, naïve woman."
A crushing ache spread through his chest, each word she uttered tearing at his heart until all that remained was hollow, unbearable emptiness.
His eyes filled with tears. "Is there no chance for us?" he asked, almost choking at the end.
"No," she replied without hesitation. There was not a trace of sadness in her eyes. All that was seen was cold indifference.
Noah clutched his chest. His soul felt unbearably heavy. He realized things between them had broken to the point where there was no turning back.
He had lost her. But he wouldn’t watch her fall into danger.
"Fine," he murmured, his voice barely audible. "I am not asking you to come back to me. You don’t have to forgive me either. But you should be careful. Remember what I said. If you need anything, you know my phone number."
"She doesn’t need your help." The door pushed open, and Elias walked in.