Chapter 5 The Mastermind

When Corynn next woke up, both of her parents were there, their eyes red from crying.

She felt a keen sense of emptiness in her belly, and knew instantly that her final tie to Elliot was now completely severed.

A part of Corynn expected herself to cry and mourn her loss, but she didn't. In fact, she couldn't remember ever feeling this calm.

Elliot had done everything in his power to ensure that they no longer had reason to be involved with each other, all on her expense. After so much suffering, she didn't really think there was anything more for her to feel.

"Corynn." Shirley choked on a sob as she took her daughter's hand. She hadn't understood why Corynn would go and seek Elliot out after everything, until they found the check and title deed tucked under Corynn's coat.

"I'm all right, Mom," Corryn said, mustering a small, reassuring smile. "How long was I unconscious?"

"Almost five days. You scared us to death!"

"Five days..." Corynn murmured and glanced at her phone on the bedside table. The screen displayed dozens of news alerts.

Of course. Elliot and Amanda were getting engaged today.

Corynn did her best not to let her smile slip. She should be heartbroken at the reminder, but there was barely any ripple in her emotions. If anything, she felt like her three years had gone down the drain.

Three years of devotion just ended in tragedy. She would never get those three years of her life back.

"How is the company doing?" she asked weakly.

"Everything is fine now. We managed to stay afloat, thanks to the money you brought back that dreadful night. For now, all you need to think about is your complete recovery."

All three of them deliberately avoided the topic of her pregnancy.

Corynn nodded and turned toward the TV. As expected, the media was broadcasting Elliot and Amanda's engagement.

Elliot and Amanda stood side by side in front of the press, he in a tailored business suit, she in a chic dress. They were holding hands as they fielded the reporter's questions.

"Mr. Andrews, what does your fiancee think about your ex-girlfriend, Miss Harper?"

Elliot's face was devoid of emotion. "Nothing."

Amanda let go of his hand and wound her arm around his. "I don't really care about his past. What matters is our future together."

"Humph!" Erick grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. "Elliot is a bastard, through and through!"

Shirley glared at him, a silent reprimand to not mention the man's name in front of their daughter.

Corynn paid them no mind and continued watching the news. Her heartbeat quickened when she noticed one of the bodyguards step in front of the camera to stop a particularly aggressive journalist. Her eyes zeroed in on his hand, and her throat tightened.

Under the blanket, her hands balled into fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms. She didn't even feel the sting when they began to bleed.

Her eyes were glued to the TV, on the distinct bite mark on the bodyguard's hand.

Noticing her daughter's distress, Shirley quickly grabbed the remote control and turned the TV off. Then she sat on the hospital bed and gathered Corynn in her arms.

"Enough of that, okay? Dad and Mom are here."

Corynn's vision blurred as her eyes filled with tears.

Bite mark aside, she was familiar with that bodyguard. He worked for Elliot, and she had seen him report to the latter several times before.

She knew she wasn't mistaken.

Up until then, Corryn harbored a small hope that someone might have framed Elliot, that he really wasn't the one to cause her miscarriage.

But she couldn't keep deluding herself anymore.

Elliot was indeed the mastermind, and he had deployed the most cruel method to see that her pregnancy was terminated.

Corynn bit her lower lip and took a deep breath. She made a vow to herself, there and then-she would never shed another tear for Elliot.

But her parents' presence did something to make the dam break. Corynn buried her face in her hands as she burst into tears.

Shirley continued to embrace her, weeping along in silence.

Corynn was overwhelmed with remorse. She regretted ever loving Elliot, regretting prioritizing him over her own parents, and most of all, she regretted how she had basically debased herself for his sake.

He never thought of her the same way at all. He was marrying another woman, and he had sacrificed Corynn's baby to protect the new life that he was about to start.

Her love had never meant anything to Elliot. Otherwise, he wouldn't have regarded her with such contempt.

"You'll be okay," Shirley whispered as she rocked Corynn back and forth. "That's it, cry it all out. You'll feel better once you let it all out."

The pain might go away, sure, but Corynn feared she would have to live with the shame forever. She berated herself for obsessing over a man who didn't love her.

After a while, she finally sat up and wiped her tears. "I'm fine." She leaned her head on the crook of her mother's shoulder and closed her eyes.

From now on, she would stay as far away from Elliot as possible. She never wanted to see him again for the rest of her life.