The Billionaire Who Saved Me

When she received a message on her Instagram account, Elice realized that she had not done everything. She might have changed her phone number, but she forgot to do the same with her social media accounts.

After reading the same message from the same person again, she immediately deleted her account. Not just Instagram, but also Facebook and Twitter.

Please, Ariel. There’s nothing left between us. So, please don’t ever contact me.

Of course, Elice did not say that directly to Ariel. It was just a whispered hope in her heart.

“Are you done?” Wilda’s voice made Elice turn around. Her mother opened the door to her room, allowing her to look inside. She saw that her daughter was still busy packing, with several clothes spread out on the bed.

Elice shook her head. “Maybe in a little while,” she replied. “Turns out I have more stuff than I thought.”

Initially, Elice thought packing her things would be an easy task. But it turned out to be the opposite. And that made her shake her head. It seemed like she needed more time.

“Every woman is always like that. We often complain about not having enough dresses, but in reality, dresses are the majority of clothes filling the closet.”

Wilda’s words made Elice laugh unintentionally. She pushed a pile of clothes to the side of the bed, making space for her and her mother to sit there. Maybe she needed to take a breath for a moment. Her waist was feeling a bit sore.

“And how about you, Mom? Are you done packing?”

“Packing?” Wilda asked, and Elice responded with a nod. “Of course, I am. At my age, there aren’t many things I have.”

Again, Elice laughed. And that made Wilda stunned for a moment. It seemed like she realized that something was different about her daughter.

“Your hair looks nice.”

But Wilda knew it was not just the different hair color that made Elice look different in her eyes. Somehow, she could not explain it, but she clearly noticed the change. She saw Elice looking lighter than usual.

Although Wilda could not say that Elice had fully returned to how she was five months ago, she could feel the difference. She did not know what caused it, but she was thankful. For whatever or maybe whoever helped Elice find her smile again, she was grateful.

When Wilda saw Elice take the initiative to ask her to move, she was sure. Elice had decided on her future. That was to move forward, trying to leave behind that dark past.

Elice touched her hair, smiling and nodding in agreement.

“I regret it. I should have dyed it a long time ago.”

Wilda also touched Elice’s hair, feeling its softness, and examining it closer. As if trying to satisfy her curiosity about her daughter’s new hair color.

“That’s how regret works. We realize it only after everything has happened. After it’s all over.”

Elice confirmed that. There were many things that made her realize that regret always comes after everything has passed.Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

“But I hope my decision this time won’t lead me to another regret.”

There was hope embedded in Elice’s words. She prayed in her heart that the bold step she was taking would not make their lives and Wilda’s life even more miserable. If that were to happen, she thought she would not be able to endure it anymore. She was sure she would have given up.

Wilda reached out for Elice’s hand, caressing, and holding it gently. She pulled Elice to look at her.

“It’s okay. To regret once or twice, it’s okay,” Wilda reassured her. “As long as we still have tomorrow, everything would be fine.”

At that moment, that was all Elice had – hope for tomorrow and Wilda, who still accepted her even after all the insults she had given. And that’s where Elice felt the real burden. She did not want to make the same mistakes again. She had to make sure of that.

“Because we’re leaving suddenly…”

Wilda took a deep breath, then her eyes wandered around Elice’s room. She wasn’t just observing the room, but the house they had lived in for over thirty years. All the sweet and bitter memories were stored within, including the last memories with her husband.

“… it seems our house hasn’t found a new owner yet.”

Elice knew the actual weight that enveloped Wilda, but her mother held it back. However, no matter how much she tried to hide it, Elice was aware.

This time, Elice took the initiative to hold Wilda’s hand. She smiled as her mother looked at her.

“We don’t need to sell this house, Mom.”

“We don’t?”

Elice nodded. “Maybe someday we’ll come back. Who knew, right?” she asked without waiting for her mother’s answer. “When we returned, I was sure there wouldn’t be a better place for us to go than this house.”

“But-”

Selling the house was Wilda’s choice. Clearly, their move required a considerable amount of money. The money from the sale could sustain them for a while.

“Don’t worry, Mom. Trust me.”

Elice quickly interrupted Wilda’s words. She looked into her mother’s eyes and tried to reassure her.

“This is the last treasure Dad left for us. And we would take care of it the best we could.”

When Wilda finally left Elice’s room, the door closed. It gave Elice the opportunity to open a drawer in her dressing table. There was a jewelry box inside, containing a luxurious jewelry set consisting of a necklace, earrings, and a ring. They glistened under the lamplight.

It was a birthday gift Ariel gave her, about eight months ago. A time that seemed to be the catalyst for all the chaos.

Taking a deep breath, Elice was certain that she had to erase all traces of Ariel from her life, even if it meant dealing with the super expensive gift she once received. With its classy design and valuable diamonds, it was worth a considerable amount of money.

It might have seemed embarrassing to sell a gift from a man she now despised to start her new life. But Elice put that aside. It made more sense to her than letting Wilda let go of the only inheritance from Peter.

And surely, Elice did not make a mistake when she saw that the money from selling the jewelry was enough to sustain them. After all, thirty-five thousand dollars appeared in her bank account a few days later.

The next day, Elice and Wilda gazed at their house for the last time. The place where almost all their lives had unfolded. The place they would soon leave behind.

Elice had entrusted the house to a reliable person. Renting it out was the final decision for both. It would be extended annually through the agreement of both parties. For Elice, it was the right choice.

Taking a deep breath, Elice hugged Wilda. She knew her mother was feeling heavy-hearted at that moment. But she also felt the same.

“Mom.”

Wilda turned to look at Elice with slightly teary eyes, but she remained strong. She did not say anything except to smile, and then they left. A taxi took them directly to the airport, just ten minutes before another car stopped in front of the house.

The car was a luxury sedan in alpine white, clearly a vehicle for the upper class. It was more than enough to infer that the owner was not an ordinary person. And indeed, he was not.

A tall man with dark blond hair stepped out of the car. He was wearing an expensive suit that fitted perfectly on his well-proportioned body. He took off his glasses as he approached the house, looking at the sign displayed there.

The house is rented. Please contact 0 1xx xxx.

The man closed his eyes, his jaw tensing as a thunderous pressure made his chest feel tight.

“Elice, please. Don’t do this.”

Unable to contain his frustration, he took out his phone, but he found that there was nothing he could do. Elice’s number had changed. Her social media accounts had disappeared. And his only hope to find her had vanished. Just as he discovered that Elice and her mother had left without anyone knowing where they had gone.

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