Chapter 352

Frank was speechless. In a daze, he seemed to recall all the times he had

deliberately avoided Elissa to keep Marcia from worrying, which was why he had missed every single one of her birthdays.

Rowan laughed, though the menacing look on his face didn't fade. "That's enough, Frank. I've had my fill. Get out."

Only a single wall lamp illuminated the living room, casting long shadows over the two men, both now bruised and battered.

Frank leaned against the back of the sofa, catching his breath for a long moment before looking at Rowan with a smirk. "You think just because you forced yourself on her, she belongs to you?"

"Rowan," he said, his voice laced with venom, "she will always be mine."

With that, he grabbed a couple of tissues to wipe the blood from his face and slowly walked out.

Rowan tugged at the collar of his shirt. "She belongs to herself. She's not a possession."

"Whoever she belongs to," Frank chuckled from the doorway, "it doesn't matter. You and her... you're finished."

With the lives of her parents between them, what kind of future could they possibly have?

Tanya pushed Elissa into the bathroom and started running a hot bath for her. Seeing Elissa was still anxiously listening for sounds from across the hall, Tanya gently pressed her shoulders. "You go take a nice hot bath. I'll keep an eye on the door for you, okay?"

Elissa nodded. "Okay."

Rowan wasn't exactly the most rational person. When he acted on impulse, there was no telling what he might do.

The moment the warm water hit her skin, the soreness in Elissa's body began to ease. She didn't linger, though. After a quick shower, she slipped into her pajamas and went back out.

Tanya was sitting on the sofa. Hearing her emerge, she reported before Elissa could even ask, "Don't worry, everything's fine. Frank walked out of Rowan's apartment in one piece."

The tension finally drained from Elissa's body. In a rare move, she went to the fridge and pulled out two cans of beer, handing one to Tanya before popping the other open for herself.

Alcohol was a wonderful thing. With her low tolerance, just a little was enough to grant her a moment of release.

Tanya opened her can and took a sip. "So, what really happened tonight?"

"We broke up." Even with the alcohol, Elissa remembered she had lied to Tanya earlier, so she didn't mention the contract.

Tanya frowned, her eyes catching the scattered bruises on Elissa's neck. "Is this how men in their thirties handle breakups now? By leaving a trail of hickeys?"

Elissa leaned back, trying to sound as casual as possible so Tanya wouldn't worry. "You could call it... breakup sex?"

"

Tanya was at a loss for words. They had known each other for years, practically grown up together. She could easily see through Elissa's forced nonchalance.

She moved closer and patted Elissa on the head. "Are you sure about this?" Before Frank showed up at her door that day, Tanya had truly believed that Elissa and Rowan might finally make it work this time. Rowan was a free spirit, and his family couldn't control him; he could marry whomever he wanted. With Elissa's skills as both a doctor and a researcher, no one would dare say she wasn't a good match.

Tanya had witnessed firsthand how much Elissa had suffered after being abandoned all those years ago, forced to accept a life alone while being tormented by Matriarch Paige Murphy. She couldn't believe it was happening all over again.

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