Sham Marriage Quit Real Heiress Strikes Back novel Chapter 253

Chapter 253 What She Was Never Told

Ryan finished speaking, but Elena had already made up her mind.

There was nothing left for her to stay for.

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Alexander had no intention of being honest with her, and what made it worse was knowing that Fiona was aware of things she wasn’t. As his wife, she was somehow the only one left in the dark.

She had already tried once, lowering her guard and taking the first step toward him, only to be met with distance and indifference.

She wasn’t going to do that again.

Without another word, Elena turned and walked out of the office.

By the time she got back to Velmora Media, the first thing she noticed was the neatly packaged strawberry shortcake sitting on her desk. The delicate box, tied with a ribbon, looked carefully chosen, almost thoughtful.

Right now, it only irritated her.

She picked it up without hesitation and walked straight into Hannah’s office, placing it down in front of her.

Hannah looked up, surprised. “Wait… is this for me?”

Elena replied evenly, “We’ve got a field assignment. Get ready.”

Hannah stared at the cake for a second, then sighed quietly.

Of course.

Nothing that looked like a free treat ever really was.

She packed up quickly and followed Elena downstairs. Once they got into the car, she couldn’t help glancing over a few times.

Elena’s expression looked worse than usual, pale and distant in a way that made it hard to ignore.

“Hey, Elena,” Hannah said carefully, “you don’t look great. Do you want to push the interview with Nicole to tomorrow?”

Elena kept her eyes on the road. “No.”

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Chapter 263 What She Was Never Told

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Finished

The answer came without hesitation. She needed something to focus on.

If I stop moving. I’ll start thinking.

And she couldn’t afford that right now. Hannah didn’t press further. She simply adjusted her seatbelt and stayed quiet.

When they arrived at the hospital, Elena got out first and headed straight toward Nicole’s room, her pace quick and purposeful.

Hannah hurried after her, still catching her breath. “Wait, wasn’t she-”

She stopped abruptly when she saw the empty hospital bed. Nicole was gone.

“Excuse me,” Elena said, stopping a passing nurse. “The patient who was staying here yesterday, where is she?”

The nurse let out a small sigh. “She checked out early. Honestly, she shouldn’t have. She just gave birth, and her family took her home before she was cleared. Her baby is still in the NICU.”

Elena’s brows drew together immediately.

That didn’t sit right.

No one in that condition would willingly leave like that.

She turned and walked toward the nurses‘ station. Because she had been the one who saved Nicole before, the staff didn’t hesitate to give her a contact number.

Hannah followed behind, slightly out of breath. “Wait, are we really going to her place now?”

“Yes,” Elena said. “She shouldn’t be recovering at home like that. The risk of infection is too high.”

Maybe it was because she was pregnant herself. Maybe it was because she understood what that vulnerability felt like.

Or maybe it was something much simpler. Nicole had once handed her an orange.

And for some reason, that stayed with her. Elena didn’t want to see her life fall apart like this.

They stepped out of the elevator one after the other. Then, without warning, Elena slowed.

Her gaze fixed on something ahead.

Hannah noticed immediately and followed her line of sight.

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Chopter 253 What She Was Never Told

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Fashed

Not far away, Fiona was helping Alexander out of a room, one hand lightly supporting his arm as they walked.

Neither of them noticed Elena.

Hannah hesitated. “Elena… do you want to go say hi?”

Elena’s expression tightened slightly, but just as quickly, she looked away, as if nothing had happened.

“No,” she said calmly. “Let’s go.”

They walked past without stopping.

Behind them, Alexander suddenly turned his head, as if something had caught his attention.

The hallway behind him was empty. There was no one he recognized.

He pressed his fingers against his temple as a dull ache pulsed through his head.

“Are you feeling any better?” Fiona asked softly. “Do you want to take more medication?”

“No.”

Alexander’s voice was clipped as he pulled his arm away from her.

“Did anyone call me?”

Fiona lowered her gaze slightly and handed him his phone. “No. I already told the subsidiaries to postpone their reports.”

Alexander forced himself to focus as he checked his call log. No missed calls.

Elena hadn’t reached out. She was still angry about yesterday.

Fiona’s lashes lowered slightly as she spoke again, her tone gentle but deliberate. “The Hawke family and the Sterling family are closely tied. If we get involved in Landon’s situation, it could seriously impact Pinnacle Group. The Sterling side was already reluctant to supply us with chips this time. If they find out Elena is going against Landon, they’ll definitely use it against

us.”

Alexander’s lips pressed into a thin line.

He knew she was right.

That was exactly why he had allowed Fiona to return, to handle the stalled cooperation with the

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Chapter 24 What She Was Never Told

Sterling family. He had just managed to stabilize things during his trip to Astryn, and now Landon’s situation had complicated everything again.

He didn’t respond.

Fiona watched him carefully before adding, “Elena should be thinking about you too.”

Alexander frowned slightly, a trace of irritation entering his voice. “She doesn’t know the full situation.”

He understood exactly what Elena was standing for.

Her work mattered to her. The sense of justice she held onto was something she wouldn’t compromise.

And he understood that.

He just… couldn’t stop worrying about her.

Fiona lowered her gaze, her fingers tightening subtly at her side.

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