Chapter 3

Eleanor POV:

I turned my back on them, the scene playing out like a bad movie, but the pain was searingly real. I couldn't bear to watch another second of Blake comforting her, his eyes full of concern for Hayleigh while mine were still reeling from the metallic taste of blood in my mouth. My head throbbed.

"Eleanor, wait!" Blake called, his voice strained. I heard a thud, a gasp from Hayleigh. He must have stumbled, his earlier injuries catching up to him. He was probably hurt from saving me. A tiny part of me, the old Eleanor, felt a flicker of concern. I crushed it. He chose her. He chose this.

Hayleigh' s panicked shriek cut through the night. "Blake! He's bleeding! Someone help!"

I paused, my hand already on my car door. I pulled out my phone, my fingers steady despite the tremor in my soul. I dialed 911, rattled off the location and the situation in a calm, precise voice, then hung up. "The ambulance is on its way," I said, without turning around. "He'll be fine."

I got in my car and drove, the city lights blurring through the unshed tears in my eyes. I didn't know where I was going, only that it had to be far away from them. I ended up at the hospital, paying the emergency room bills for Blake, then watched from behind the glass doors as Hayleigh fussed over him, her tears flowing freely. Blake, groggy and pale, reached for her hand first. He didn't even glance my way until his eyes, hazy with painkillers, caught mine through the glass.

I walked into his room, a thin manila envelope in my hand. He tried to sit up, a question in his eyes. Hayleigh squeaked, pulling back slightly as I approached. I placed the envelope, containing the payment receipt for his care, silently on his bedside table. "You're all paid up," I said, my voice devoid of emotion. "I'm leaving."

"Eleanor, please," he pleaded, his voice rough. "Let me explain. It's not what you think."

The doctor, a kind-faced woman, stepped in. "Mr. Griffin, you need to rest. No more excitement." She gave me a sympathetic look.

I nodded and walked out, the sterile smell of the hospital clinging to my clothes. The cool night air hit me, a relief against the heat of my shame and anger. Without conscious thought, my feet carried me to the old noodle shop in the alley where Blake and I first met. The aroma of simmering broth, usually comforting, now felt like a cruel joke.

Mrs. Lee, the owner, greeted me with a warm smile. "Eleanor, my dear! Haven't seen you in ages. Where' s Blake? Isn't it your special day today?"

My breath hitched. Our anniversary. Fifteen years to the day since we' d stumbled into her shop, two penniless kids sharing a single bowl of noodles, dreaming of an empire. I swallowed past the lump in my throat. "Just me tonight, Mrs. Lee."

She nodded, sensing my mood. "A bowl of your usual then, dear?"

I nodded, my throat too tight to speak. While I waited, I pulled out my phone. A calendar reminder. Our first meeting. 15 years. I stared at it, the words mocking me.

Just as Mrs. Lee placed a steaming bowl in front of me, a high-pitched voice cut through the quiet. "Oh, is this where you get your take-out, darling? It smells... rustic."

Hayleigh stood in the doorway, a plastic bag overflowing with fancy take-out containers from some upscale restaurant. She spotted me, a smirk playing on her lips. "Eleanor. Fancy meeting you here. Blake sent me for a proper meal. You know, something with more... finesse. He says these old places are bad for his digestion now."

My blood ran cold. Blake had loved Mrs. Lee's noodles. It was our place.

"He also said," Hayleigh continued, oblivious to the gathering storm in my eyes, "that he prefers lighter, fresher things now. Less... heavy. He finds heavy things quite repulsive, actually." Her gaze swept over my bowl of noodles, then back to my face, a thinly veiled insult.

I slowly put down my chopsticks. "Is that so?" I said, my voice dangerously calm. "Funny, I remember Blake telling me he needed to watch his cholesterol. Too many rich foods, he said, made his heart race in all the wrong ways. And the heavy things? He used to say he relied on them, on the things with substance and weight, to ground him when everything else felt too... fleeting." I met her gaze, a cold fire in my eyes. "Fads come and go, Hayleigh. But true nourishment, a solid foundation? That lasts."

She blinked, her carefully constructed innocence faltering. Her cheeks flushed. "Well, I-"

"And besides," I cut her off, my voice a silken whip, "some people prefer stability over novelty. Longevity over a fleeting moment of infatuation."

Hayleigh's eyes welled up, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. She turned, stomped out of the shop, her expensive take-out swinging wildly.

Mrs. Lee watched her go, then placed a comforting hand on my arm. "Don't you worry, dear. Some people just don't understand."

I looked down at the noodles, now cold. The hunger was gone. All that remained was a dull ache. I ate a few spoonfuls, the flavor now bland, then pushed the bowl away. I left Mrs. Lee with a generous tip, a silent apology for the scene, and walked out into the deepening night. The familiar alley, once a symbol of our humble beginnings, now felt like a graveyard for lost dreams.

The air was heavy, thick with the scent of impending rain. I walked aimlessly, the ghosts of past conversations, shared laughter, and stolen kisses swirling around me. Every street corner held a memory. Every brick, a story. A story that was now just mine.

Suddenly, a strangled cry pierced the silence. "Help! Please, someone!" It came from a dark, narrow alleyway, a place even I avoided at night. My instincts, honed over years of navigating Miami' s underbelly, kicked in. The world might have crashed down around me, but some habits die hard.