When Her "Death" Couldn't Break Him

The sight of a couple clearly smitten with each other caught Eloise's attention. It made her think, unwillingly, of her own marriage.

At first, she and her husband had been just like that, deeply in love. But over time, things had changed. The spark had faded, and now that the Escobar family was in turmoil, her husband had grown more distant than ever.

Would my life have turned out differently if I had married someone like Nathaniel?

Cecilia arrived before Eloise. "Ms. Escobar, what brings you here?"

Not wanting to make a scene in front of the crowd nearby, Eloise suggested, "Let's step outside and talk."

Cecilia followed her out.noveldrama

Outside, snow was falling steadily, and the cold bit through the air. Eloise hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke. "Ceci, don't you own a mall? Could I ask a favor?"

"What kind of favor?" Cecilia asked, pretending not to know.

"It's about the clothes I bought earlier today," Eloise said, trying to sound brave. "After getting home, I realized they really don't suit me. Would it be possible for me to return them all?"

Cecilia made a show of looking concerned. "That's going to be tricky. You know how it is with luxury items. Normally, once they're sold, there are no returns or exchanges. Wealthy clients don't like wearing something someone else returned." Eloise hadn't expected her to say no. She was about to lose her temper, but thoughts of her husband and mother-in-law made her hold it in.

Swallowing her frustration, she pressed on, "But I really felt they weren't right for me..."

"Was it the fit, or is there another reason?" Cecilia asked, her tone still gentle. "You saw the clothes earlier. You even told us how well they all suited you. So what changed? If there's no specific issue, there's nothing I can do. I may own the

mall, but not the brand itself. I can't just hurt their business, can I?"

Cecilia wasn't being harsh or rude. In

fact, her tone was surprisingly warm. Seeing her handle it so calmly, Eloise couldn't bring herself to las out. She hesitated for along time, then lowered her voice "Honestly... spending over five million was just too much for me."

"So that's the real reason. Then maybe you should've bought less," Cecilia said evenly, still showing no intention of helping.

She still remembered how Eloise, flanked by a group of girls, used to gang up on her. Five million was a small price for that.

Even though the wind cut through like knives and snow swirled all around, Eloise felt heat rising through her body. A thin sheen of sweat formed across her forehead.

"I made a mistake in the moment. I regret it now. Please help me return the items. After all, we are family," Eloise said, her tone growing emotional.

Cecilia didn't want to keep standing in the freezing wind. "I'll talk to the store

owner. If they agree, you can return the items. If they don't, there's nothing I can do."

"All right. Thank you," Eloise said quickly.

When Cecilia was about to leave, Eloise asked again for Cecilia's contact information.

After Cecilia left, Eloise's expression changed completely. She clenched her fists tightly. "Isn't it just luck? If I were the daughter of the Jamieson family, I could've fixed everything with a single word."

Even while she complained, she was secretly hoping Cecilia would manage to sort it out.

Back at the hospital, when Cecilia returned to the room, Nathaniel immediately asked what had happened. Cecilia told him everything, leaving nothing out. "You really plan on helping her?" Nathaniel asked.

Cecilia shook her head. "Of course

not. I still remember how she used to bully me. I'm not some saint. Why should help her? It's not like I

forced her to shop. I just wantal ne

give her a sliver of hope... so could take it away later."