Now You Want Me? Too Late

Noah’s heart felt bruised. Every breath carried a trace of pain. But then his gaze hardened with resolve.

"He may have ulterior motives. Maybe he is playing with you. Once he is tired of you, he will throw you away."

"Enough." Elena’s expression turned icy. "Don’t speak about him like that."

She wouldn’t tolerate anyone slandering her husband.

"He saved me. He was with me when you were not there. Of course, I trust him."

Noah lost her patience completely. "You are making a terrible mistake. You married him just to make me angry. Then you publicly announced your relationship with him."

His words turned sharper. "You didn’t care about the Sinclair family’s reputation. We did so much for you. And you didn’t hesitate to drag the family name through the mud just because you were angry with me."

Elena’s heart seemed caught in a vise. Her composure shattered.

"I am dragging your family name through the mud," she repeated with disbelief. If I truly wanted to destroy the Sinclair family, I would have done far more than just expose your affairs with Tessa.

She took a step closer to him. Her posture exuded confidence.

"I would have told the world how you hid our marriage, how you lied to me, and how you secretly married Tessa."

Noah stepped back. A relentless ache spread through him.

He couldn’t keep hearing her words. But Elena had not finished yet.

Tears streamed down her face. "I would’ve exposed how you killed my child."

Everything went still. His pupils contracted.

"Y-You..." Shock exploded through him. "You know?"

The entire world seemed to collapse around him.

"Yes, I know everything," Elena declared. "I heard every word you said to Evan that day at the hospital."

A sharp ache pierced his chest. He realized Elena had regained consciousness while he had been speaking with Evan.

’So she knew all along,’ his mind whispered anxiously. ’She knew I was lying.’

The realization crushed him.

Shame and guilt churned within him. He couldn’t even bring himself to meet her eyes.

"I called you when I was trapped inside the wrecked car, bleeding," Elena recounted, fresh tears gathering in her eyes. "But you said you were busy. You hung up before listening to me."

Noah’s own eyes turned red from unshed tears.

"When I woke up and learned I had lost the baby, the first thing I thought about was you. I thought you must have been devastated. I could barely stand, but I still went looking for you because I wanted to comfort you."

Noah squeezed his eyes, heartbreak gripping his chest.

"But then I found out the shocking truth," Elena went on, even though her heart was ripped apart as she recounted the incident.

"You were the one who staged the accident." The words tore out of her mouth. "You killed our baby..."

The accusation shattered what little strength he had left.

Noah finally lifted his head. He dared to look into her eyes. All his frustration and arrogance vanished at that moment. What remained was intense guilt.

"Elena..."

"Don’t..." She silenced him. "Don’t call my name."

"Please..." He reached toward her desperately.

She stepped back. "I never imagined the man I loved so much actually could do something so cruel. Just because you wanted to avoid the wedding?"

Her whole body trembled in emotion. "You didn’t have to go that far. You already divorced me. You could simply tell me to leave. Why hurt the unborn child just because you loved someone else?"

Noah couldn’t utter a word. His throat tightened so much that it hurt.

"I could have forgiven you for cheating on me," Elena said, her voice shaking. "I could have forgiven the lies. I could have forgiven all the pain you caused me. But you killed the innocent baby..."

The heartbreak in her voice was unbearable. "And for that..." A tear slid down her face. "I’ll never... ever forgive you."

She turned around.

Noah clasped her wrist. "I just want a chance."

Elena glanced at his hand before looking at him coldly. "I was with you, Noah," she said. Her voice was calm, but it carried more weight than anger.

"You pushed me away. And I’m not giving you another chance."

She jerked her hand free from his grasp. "Your five minutes are over."

Without even glancing at him, she strode in and wiped the last trace of tears from her eyes.

Noah wanted to chase her after, stop her, and beg her to take him back. But his feet wouldn’t move.

The crushing weight of guilt pinned him in place. His knees buckled, and he collapsed onto the ground.

His shoulders shook. He cried so hard that no sound came out.

Inside the apartment...

Elias could barely stay calm. He was losing what little patience he had.

He paced up and down in the hall restlessly. Every instinct screamed at him to go outside, pull Elena into his arms, and drag her away from Noah.

He almost walked up to the door. But he held himself back at the last moment.

’Elena told me to wait,’ he muttered to himself. ’Five minutes. Just five minutes...’

Forcing himself to sit down, he pulled out a cigarette and placed it between his lips. But when he tried to light it, his hand wouldn’t stop shaking.

The lighter slipped twice.

"Damn it." Frustrated, he slammed it onto the coffee table.

A thought emerged in his mind that only increased his anxiety.

’She loved Noah for so many years. What if she changes her mind and decides to reconcile with him?’

His heart sank. He crushed the cigarette into his palm.

In the meantime, the front door opened.

He snapped his head up.

The moment he saw Elena step inside, he shot to his feet and strode toward her. In an instant, he pinned her against the wall firmly.

The sudden movement startled her.

She inhaled sharply. Her composure cracked for a brief moment, revealing genuine shock.

Then she seemed to realize who it was. The tension in her body eased.

"Elias? What is it?" she asked, sounding a bit annoyed.

"I am jealous," he said honestly. "You were with him all alone. I could barely sit quietly. Why did you take so long?"

His impatience and honesty softened something inside her. A smile threatened to appear, but she suppressed it.

"Don’t be dramatic," she muttered, feigning irritation. "It was only five minutes."

"Only five minutes?" he grumbled. "Those five minutes felt like an eternity. Every second was torture."

He leaned over, his breathing hot on her skin. "Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to keep myself inside the house?"

His eyes never left her. His emotion churned into a toxic mix of jealousy and fear of losing her.

"It was driving me insane. I wanted nothing but to go out, grab you, and drag you inside."

Elena wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I am already your wife," she said gently. "We announced our relationship today. So stop worrying. I am now yours."

Something fierce flashed across Elias’s face. His gaze darkened with longing and possessiveness. Tilting her chin upward, he stared at her for several seconds.

"You said that yourself," he said, his voice hoarse, his gaze dropping to her lips.

"You are not allowed to waste another thought on that man."

The next moment, his lips were on hers.