âHowever, I have to confirm whether you are Big Eyes.â
At that moment, Elyse felt something snap in her. She was so horrified that she felt that the world was spinning! She tried to think hard about when she had exposed herself, but no thoughts came to mind.
Then, she sneaked a glance at Leo.
Alas, Leo was just standing there calmly with an expressionless face. It was as if he was asking her about the weather!
What does he know? The calmer Leo was, the more horrified Elyse became!
âLeonyâ¦â She tried hard to suppress the terror within her and acted baffled while looking at him with wide eyes. âWhy are you bringing this up again? Didnât we meet Ms. Albert last time?â
Leo merely stayed silent and stared at her.
Initially, he had trusted Ms. Albertâs explanation. However, as he recalled her words after the fact, he felt that there were many loopholes.
At this moment, Elyse was so overwhelmed with guilt that she felt her head throbbing. It felt like she was being pushed to the edge and was going to fall to her death! As she thought about it, chills ran down her spine! She wanted to maintain the peace as it was now.
Suddenly, Elyse went mad and said, âThis is just an excuse, isnât it? If you donât want to take responsibility for me and your words, you could have just said so! You are the worst, Leony!â she exclaimed miserably while tears rolled down her cheeks, making her look pitiful.
Leo would have gone soft-hearted at this point if it was the past. But this time, he only kept quiet with a calm expression and didnât move an inch. It was clear that he was persistent in finding out her identity.
Elyse felt terrified in the face of his stubbornness. On the other hand, Leo didnât pressure her and just opened the door as he stood there, waiting for her in silence. It was as if he would keep waiting until she was willing to go with him.
Nonetheless, Elyse couldnât follow him. She dug her nails into her skin as her eyes were filled with sadness and anger. âIâm not going! Itâs up to you who you think Big Eyes is! As long as Iâm not guilty, I wonât care what you do! Leave! Get out of my house!â Then, she wiped her tears and ran inside.
When Leo heard her words, he turned around and left.
Although Elyse was walking into the house, she was secretly eyeing Leo. When she saw that he was leaving without a backward glance, she became terrified and even dropped the act. At that moment, she rushed toward him and hugged him from behind. âI admit that Iâm not Big Eyes, Leo!â
off him! Leo furrowed his eyebrows deeply as he tried to suppress the violent reaction he had after hearing her words.
Although Leo had guessed the truth, his heart still felt like it had been torn to pieces when he heard her admitting that she was not Big Eyes!
He could feel her tears dampening his shirt, but he didnât feel guilty. Instead, he thought that it was disgusting! After a long time, he lowered his head and silently pulled her hands away.
This time, Elyse was genuinely sobbing. After all, she had felt the strength of Leoâs hands and his icy attitude toward her. She knew deep down that it would be over for them as soon as she released him.
Thus, she shook her head vigorously while the tears kept flowing.
âI know you are angry, Leony. I also know that it is shameful of me to pretend to he Big Eyes! But this is all your fault!TM Her words had made Leo pause in his actions. Then, he turned around and looked at her suspiciously.
Although his gaze was normal, Elyse could tell he was not looking at her!
At that moment, her tears rolled down, and she said, âYou never mentioned Big Eyes to me. When we first met, you treated me nicely, and I have always thought my personality attracted you. Everything changed when we went to Quinn Town. It was at that moment I realized that I was just a replacement!â
As she spoke, she was indeed hurt by what had happened. âDo you know how terrible the truth was to me? It was as if my dignity had been smeared into the mud! At that moment, I couldnât face the truth and even wanted to expose everything! However, you said that we could start over. I know I hurt you four years ago and have been trying to make it up to you by loving you. That is why I accepted this identity.â
She pressed her head against Leoâs back tighter. âYou should have known that I was always an unreasonable and free-spirited woman who had never cared about othersâ feelings. Regardless, I threw my dignity away for you! Do you know how stressful it is for me? If you were to tell me sooner that you had mistaken me for someone else, I would have left right there and then. None of these would have happened, and I will never have had high hopes for you! But you didnât say anything and exposed the truth when I fell in love with you! So, tell me, what should I do?â Elyseâs words were mixed with truth and lies. While she was blaming herself, she was also blaming Leo.
At this moment, Leo had softened the grip on her hands.
He had never talked about it because he wanted to keep his promise and let both of them forget the pain. Alas, he never thought that he would find the wrong person. It is the same voice, though Although Elyse had blamed him, it was the truth. Her words were like needles piercing into his heart.
After some time, he said softly. âI donât blame you. Iâm sorry that I have made you go through this.â
Yet, Leo still pulled her hands away from him. âIf one hundred million isnât enough, I can give you more.
From now onwards, letâs stop seeing each other.â His voice was cold, and he had no emotions on his face. As soon as he was done talking, he left.
As Elyse watched him leave, her knees weakened, and she fell to the ground.
At this moment, a figure suddenly rushed inside and helped her up. âWhy are you sitting on the ground, Elyse?â
When Elyse looked at the person, she saw it was Ashton wearing a black suit.
Ashton had bought an apartment just above her. At this moment, he was just walking past and visiting her. Never would he expect to see her sitting on the ground.
âI just saw Leo leave. What did he do to you? Iâll find him for you!â As Ashton spoke, he intended to leave.
âDonât go! Itâs useless.â Elyseâs voice was cold as she spoke. âItâs over between us. He wonât want to see me.â
âOver?â Ashton was in disbelief. âWhy? How can he dump you?â
At that moment, Elyse gave him a brief talk about the truth, When Ashton heard that Elyse had pretended to be Big Eyes, he felt like he had listened to a joke. If Elyse werenât the one who told him about this, he would think that the person was making this up and would get into a fight with them.
âElyse, how could youâ¦â Ashtonâs voice was filled with disbelief.
In his heart, Elyse was always the definition of perfection. At that moment, Ashton could hear the trust he had for her collapsing.
On the other hand, Elyse looked at him while tears streamed down her face, making her look pitiful.
âNow you know how a person I am. Youâre definitely disgusted by me. Just go away. I have enough of those looks.â
When Ashton heard her words and saw her tears, he couldnât force himself to walk away. Although he was dumbfounded by her lies, he was even more heartbroken by the miserable state she was in.
Moreover, he felt that Elyse had trusted him enough to tell him such a truth.
So, Ashton thought that she had placed a lot of trust in him and proclaimed, âDonât you worry, Elyse. I am not like Leo. I will never abandon you!â
Elyse was still crying after hearing his words, but she was inwardly happy. After all, this was what she wanted. She could go along with her plan now that she had Ashtonâs support.