Chapter 46: Did I push her away?
Noah sat beside the hospital bed, his gaze fixed on Tessa’s sleeping face. But his mind was not there. It kept wandering back to Elena.
Something had happened today that he could no longer ignore.
’Elena has changed,’ a voice whispered in his head. ’Maybe she stopped loving me. Maybe she has found another man.’
That thought terrified him.
Part of him still refused to believe that she would ever leave him, yet the fear lingered.
’What if she truly has lost interest in me? What if she really doesn’t care about me anymore?’
He clenched his fists against the ache in his chest. Then another thought surfaced, unsettling him even more.
’Did she discover something she wasn’t supposed to?’
He suddenly recalled the gift she had prepared for him. But he had been so busy with Tessa that he had not gone back to the villa since that day.
Now, he couldn’t wait any longer. He needed to know what she had actually left for him.
Without waiting for another second, he stood up and walked out of the room, leaving the sleeping Tessa alone.
He drove away, his jaw flexing. His grip on the steering wheel was so tight that tendons stood out beneath his skin.
In just a few minutes, he arrived at the villa. As soon as he turned off the engine, he pushed open the door and strode in with brisk steps.
The house was quieter than usual.
There was no Elena waiting for him. For a moment, Noah froze at the doorstep, staring blankly at the empty house.
The villa that once felt warm and welcoming now felt cold and lifeless.
He used to feel relaxed every time he returned home, as though all his stress and burden had been lifted magically.
Images of Elena rushing over and hugging him with a bright smile, taking his suit jacket, offering him a glass of water, and often massaging his stiff shoulders. But now, she was not there.
A strange feeling crept into his chest. Back then, he had taken those moments for granted. Now the silence was deafening.
For the first time, he realized how much of the house’s warmth had come from her.
A hollow ache spread through his heart.
"Sir, you are finally home." Linda’s voice snapped him out of his reverie.
Noah looked at her but said nothing. He headed straight to the bedroom. He expected to see the box on the side table, but it wasn’t there.
His eyebrows creased together in confusion. "Where is it?"
He walked over and opened the drawer, hoping to find it. But he didn’t find it. He searched the cupboard.
Nothing.
The box was nowhere to be found.
He stepped back, his fingers shoving into his hair. A cold sweat broke out across his back.
"Where could it be?"
His mind went blank. The last thing he remembered was seeing it on the side table. Where had it gone?
"Linda," he called out, his loud voice reverberating inside the room.
In just a minute, Linda appeared. "Sir..." She bowed slightly. "Do you need something?"
"There was a box here." He pointed at the side table. "Have you seen it?"
Linda thought for a while. She then nodded slowly. "I thought it was something important. So I kept it in the study."
Noah strode out and into the study. There on the desk, he found the box. A sigh escaped that he didn’t know he was holding.
He crossed the room and reached for it.
Just then, his phone rang. His fingers paused in mid-air. After a moment of hesitation, he took out his phone.
His father’s number blinked on the screen.
"Hello," he answered.
"Wherever you are, come home right away," his father growled on the phone.
Noah immediately knew what it was about. He rubbed his forehead tiredly. "I am coming."
He ended the call. His gaze lingered on the box for a moment before storming out of the study.
As he passed through the hall, Linda approached him carrying a cup of coffee.
A puzzled look crossed her face as she saw him rushing out urgently.
"Sir, you are leaving already?"
Noah paused briefly, meeting her eyes. "I’m going to the mansion."
His legs carried him out of the house.
Several minutes later...
Noah arrived at the mansion. His mother and father were in the hall.
Both of them looked grim.
"You still remember this family," Richard roared. "I was beginning to think you had forgotten everything except that woman."
Catherine tugged at his hand. "Calm down, Richard. Don’t shout. We can talk peacefully."
Richard glared at her. "You are asking me to stay calm? Tell me how."
He pointed an accusatory finger at Noah. "He spent millions on that woman in public. And you expect me to calm down?"
Noah let out a deep sigh, rubbing his forehead. As expected, his father had already heard about the auction.
Catherine turned to Noah. The exhaustion on his face made her heart ache.
"Come sit down first," she said.
Noah strode over and sat down.
Richard’s glare remained fixed on him, his body burning in rage. "I know what you did," he snarled. "So don’t dare to lie. Now explain—what is going on between you and Tessa?"
Noah wouldn’t accept the truth. Back then, Tessa had been forced to leave the country. He was afraid his father would do the same again.
"I’ve told you before... I’m only grateful to her. I am repaying her for saving me."
"Repaying her favor?" Richard repeated furiously. "How foolish you are! You spent over one hundred million on that woman right in front of your wife. You didn’t pause to think how Elena might have felt. Where was your conscience?"
Noah remained silent. He had no excuse.
"Elena is your wife," Richard added. "If you wanted to spend money on someone, it should have been her."
His disappointment was evident. "But your whole focus was on Tessa. Do you think Elena would be happy watching that?"
Noah’s face crumpled. He finally realized how he had messed up things. He had ignored Elena time and time again and chosen Tessa over her.
And now, she had left. She had even stopped contacting him.
Today, she had walked away from him with another man.
’Did I push her away?’ he wondered with growing uneasiness.
"Listen to me carefully," Richard said in a warning tone. "Send Tessa away. If you really want to repay her, give her enough money to live comfortably for the rest of her life. But you have to cut ties with her. Focus on Elena."
Noah was still silent. He would send Tessa away, but not now.
Tessa was already weak and vulnerable. On top of that, she was pregnant. She needed someone to look after her.
More importantly, Noah wanted her close. He wouldn’t let his wife and child suffer.
At the same time, he had no intention of losing Elena.
"I’ll pay more attention to Elena," he finally said. "But I won’t send Tessa away."
"You brat," Richard yelled, grabbing the glass of water from the coffee table and hurling it at Noah.