In his hazy consciousness, images of Annabelle Linton, in all her forms, surfaced.
Her tears, her smiles, her sorrow, her sadness, her coldness, her detached calm—every part of her replayed endlessly before his eyes. He couldn’t grasp them, nor could he drive them away.
So, she had already been etched into his heart.
Like a brand.
Passing doctors discovered Leona Grant and quickly had him wheeled into an operating room.
Images of Annabelle Linton replayed in his mind’s eye and in his heart. With his eyes shut tight, he continuously whispered her na, "Annabelle Linton, Annabelle Linton..."
But his calls went unanswered.
...
Annabelle Linton drove to the law firm, where Lawyer Ford was still waiting for her.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Annabelle Linton handed him the agreent. "Ford, I’ll have to trouble you with this. Please get it done as soon as possible."
"Of course, Miss Linton. It should all be finalized by tonight." Lawyer Ford’s brow furrowed as he flipped through the agreent. "You’re leaving with nothing?"
Annabelle Linton gave a faint smile. "None of it was ever really mine to begin with, so I don’t want it. I want to support myself."
Lawyer Ford sighed and said with sincerity, "Perhaps that’s for the best. I wish you happiness in your divorce, Miss Linton, and hope you find a better partner in the future."
"Thank you."
After bidding farewell to Lawyer Ford, Annabelle Linton called the hospital to arrange for a caregiver to look after Aaron Wyatt. Then, she drove to the house she had shared with Leona Grant.
The staff had already retired for the evening, and not wanting to disturb anyone, Annabelle Linton began to pack on her own.
Gazing at the vast, magnificent villa, her eyes filled with nostalgia.
The mories were painful, but it would be a lie to say she felt nothing for this place.
She had spent four years of what was now a past life here. It was less a ho for her and Leona Grant, and more a ho for her alone.
Leona Grant rarely ca here. She had added every single thing to this house, from the plants in the garden down to every last table and chair. She had even ticulously chosen the color of the furniture.
’Now, I have to let it all go.’
Annabelle Linton sighed, pulled out a suitcase, and began to pack.
She worked quickly, sorting things to keep and to throw away.
In truth, Annabelle Linton only took her personal clothing and important belongings, leaving most of her things behind.
She wrote a note for Madam King, telling her to handle whatever was left as she saw fit.
Annabelle Linton carried her things downstairs, loading them into her trunk. It only took a few trips to get everything.
On her last trip back inside, Annabelle Linton did one final check to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything.
As she was coming downstairs, she saw the model Phantom she had bought for Leona Grant all those years ago by selling her blood.
The model was incredibly valuable and highly collectible. It was a collector’s edition, impeccable in both quality and craftsmanship, and would easily fetch a fortune.
Just a model, yet it was worth a fortune. It was the only one of its kind in the world.
The ironic part was, Leona Grant had always thought it was a gift from Vivian Yates. He’d treasured it for years, displaying it in a cabinet and forbidding the staff from even touching it.
Annabelle Linton took it down from the display cabinet to bring with her.
’No point in leaving this symbol of my humiliation here as an eyesore.’
When she lifted the model Phantom, a photograph of her and Leona Grant was revealed behind it.
Grandpa had forced them to take it that year. The weather had been bright and sunny. In the photo, she looked shy yet filled with anticipation, while Leona Grant wore an expression of pure impatience.
She had developed the photo later, and Leona Grant had scread at her for it, smashing the picture fra.
Later, when he was away, she had secretly printed another copy and hidden it behind the model Phantom.
Whenever she missed him, she would take it out to look at, because it was the only photograph they had together.
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