Ditching Me for His 'Soulmate'? His Loss. Next Stop: My New Life novel Chapter 39

Chapter 5

Benson’s brow furrowed deeply as his eyes locked onto Eliza, who was barely hanging on to life. Without hesitation and without even removing his coat, he plunged straight into the cold water of the pool.

He quickly scanned Eliza’s face, ensuring she wasn’t about to drown right away, before shifting his focus to Isolde. With strong, determined strokes, he pulled her toward the edge, hauling her out of danger.

“Benson, I knew you’d come for me,” Isolde sobbed, relief evident in her voice.

Meanwhile, Eliza closed her eyes, a heavy sense of resignation washing over her. She felt painfully naive—how could Benson possibly save someone like her?

When Eliza was finally carried back to her room, she was burning up with fever. The doctor’s prescribed pills did little to soothe her; she soon slipped into a deep but restless sleep, tossing and turning beneath the sheets.

Her dreams turned dark and haunting. In the shadows of her mind, Benson appeared, his body smeared with blood, his gaze cold and accusing. “You did this to me, Eliza. Because of you, I lost my sight. I will make you pay for what you’ve done.”

“It wasn’t me,” she whispered desperately, shaking as she woke with a start, drenched in cold sweat and gasping for breath.

The memory of that terrifying moment came flooding back—the day two years ago when Benson was driving through a tunnel and the brakes suddenly failed. A car hurtled recklessly through the one-way tunnel, crashing violently into theirs. Eliza had blacked out at the impact.

When she finally opened her eyes again, nearly half a month had passed. Since then, Benson had been with Isolde, and he kept bringing up that fateful accident. Eliza couldn’t help but wonder, “Could it have something to do with Isolde?”

Her heart began to pound as she scrambled for her phone. With trembling fingers, she dialed a number. “Simon, could you investigate that car accident from two years ago? I have a feeling it wasn’t just an accident.”

After hanging up, she tried to steady her breathing, but the sound of footsteps outside her door broke her concentration.

Isolde stepped inside, carrying a steaming bowl of soup. “Benson heard you were feeling unwell yesterday, so I made this nourishing soup for you. Why don’t you try some?”

Isolde lifted the spoon toward Eliza’s lips, but Eliza recoiled, refusing to drink. Without warning, Isolde pinched her mouth shut and forced the spoonful of soup inside.

A foul, fishy taste flooded Eliza’s mouth, making her stomach churn violently. She fought the nausea but swallowed the soup with great difficulty.

“Since you found the ring, tell me—where is Lucky?” Eliza asked weakly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Desperate to rid herself of the taste, she shoved her fingers down her throat, forcing herself to vomit. The soup mixed with stomach acid spilled everywhere.

She blindly scraped at her throat, refusing to let any trace of Lucky’s memory linger inside her.

Watching Eliza’s struggle, Isolde grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked her roughly to the ground.

She pressed Eliza’s face down onto the jagged shards of broken porcelain.

Leaning close to Eliza’s bloodied cheek, Isolde sneered into her ear, “Look at you now. Even a dog has it better than you, and yet you think you can protect one?”

Eliza lay on the floor, shattered and heartbroken, her fingers digging painfully into her palms. It was her fault—she hadn’t been able to save Lucky. She felt as if she deserved the pain, as if she deserved to die.

Suddenly, footsteps echoed in the hallway. Benson had arrived.

Eliza sprang up as if grasping for a lifeline and rushed to him. Dropping to her knees before him, her voice choked with emotion, she pleaded, “Isolde killed Lucky. You know Lucky was everything to me. Without him, I wouldn’t have survived these past two years.”