James couldn't believe what he had just witnessed.
The same Eleanor who once clung to him like an obedient pup, following his every command, now looked him in the eye as if he were a complete stranger. Cold. Indifferent. Unmoved.
Her expression didn't flicker for even a second. There wasn't a hint of recognition, no flash of memory. Just void-like detachment. That hollow gaze cut deeper than a blade.
It was a bitter pill to swallow.
James stepped back silently from the spotlight, retreating to a quiet corner, his heart burning with confusion and anger. The second phase of his plan would soon begin, and then he'd know the truth. Was Eleanor truly pretending? Or had she genuinely forgotten about him?
He refused to believe she could forget him. But despite his bravado, a gnawing uncertainty lingered in the back of his mind. What if she had? What if she really was no longer the Eleanor who once loved him so dearly?
