Chapter 9
At the port, Helen stepped off the bus with her suitcase and spotted at man in a gray coat waving eagerly.
“Helen!”
Elliott’s usually calm expression lit up the moment he saw the woman he had liked for a long time.
Ignoring the bags around him, he rushed over and reached out for her suitcase.
“Here, let me carry that.”
Helen wasn’t the dramatic type. Since she and Elliott would be spending their lives together, she figured she might as well start. getting used to it.
So, she handed him the suitcase and gave him a small smile. “Thanks.”
When he heard her clear voice, his ears turned red right away.
He scratched his head and chuckled nervously. “No need to thank me. We’re going to be family, remember?”
Family?
Helen paused for a second and looked up at Elliott.
It was the first time in many years that she studied the man beside her.
From Diana’s enthusiastic introduction and the whispers among her
11
former classmates, one thing was obvious–Elliott had always liked her.
He liked her so much that he had turned down countless blind dates his parents arranged.
He liked her so much that even when bold women chased after him. he refused them all.
Even when she was considered a ‘widow‘, he never cared about the gossip and kept waiting for her.
Even while Helen was watching him. Elliott kept sneaking glances at her. But the moment their eyes met, he quickly looked away as if nothing had happened, though the redness in his face gave him away.
The moment was so amusing that Helen couldn’t help but laugh. But soon, her expression turned serious as if something important came to mind. She called out his name first.
“Elliott, there’s something I need to tell you.”
Now that she had decided to move on from Carter, leave the past. behind, and start fresh with Elliott, she knew she had to be honest and clear to avoid misunderstandings later.
Elliott noticed her serious tone and stopped smiling, giving her his full
attention.
“Alright. I’m listening.”
Helen took a deep breath. “I think you already know some things about my past.”
Elliott definitely knew. He had cared about Helen ever since he first met her. After her husband was declared dead, he immediately asked
0020
11
someone to arrange a marriage proposal, making it clear to everyone that she was the one he wanted.
He nodded without hesitation.
Helen smiled. “But what I want you to know is… my husband is still
alive.”
Elliott stood frozen, his thoughts spinning. He didn’t even realize that he had dropped what he was holding. His heart felt like it was in chaos.
What was she saying?
Did it mean the future he’d dreamed of was slipping away again?
He hadn’t even gotten the chance to truly tell her how much he loved. her over the years. Was he about to lose her again?
While Elliott stood there in a daze, a warm and soft hand suddenly held his. Then, her calm voice reached his cars.
“But don’t worry. I’m not going back to him. Our marriage ended the day he ‘died. Besides, he’s Freya’s husband now.”
“W–what?”
The back–to–back bombshells left Elliott too stunned to respond. He couldn’t process it all at once.
Helen then explained everything about how Carter took Caleb’s identity, had a relationship with Freya, and only returned after the baby was born.
“Even if he comes looking for me someday and asks me to leave with
him, you don’t need to be afraid. He has no proof that he’s Carter.”
Chapter 10
