Chapter 382: Stay... away from him?

Lana turned back to Ella, a small smile playing on her lips as she regained her composure, "But I have no reason to lie to you. After that, be it the interaction at the Main Mansion or the one at the restaurant, it was all initiated by him. I told him, with you around, he should keep his distance from me... Ella?"Ella snapped out of her reverie, a composed smile appearing on her face as she said, "You are great with poetry... Well, it’s time for me to leave then."

Ella didn’t linger another moment as she turned around and left the place but her mind reverberated with a simple word again and again.

’Magnolias’

’Magnolias’

It was like a simple flower had turned into a poison, a curse that suffocated Ella.

Ella walked out of the Yu Mansion into the chilly night air.

The weather had long become unpredictable and the storm was probably approaching, she could smell the rain.

She didn’t call a cab. She just started walking down the street, her heels clicking against the pavement. The streetlights stretched her shadow out long against the dark road.

Ella wanted to laugh off Lana’s words.

She wanted to tell herself that Esther’s nasty comments didn’t mean anything. But she couldn’t.

The doubt was already there, planted deep inside her mind.

The word magnolia felt like a deadweight pressing down on her chest, making it hard to breathe.

Ella walked aimlessly for a long time before she finally came to her senses. After a brief pause, she booked a cab.

When she looked up again, she was standing right outside the massive iron gates of the King Family’s Main Mansion.

The huge estate looked cold and unwelcoming under the moonlight.

Ella walked up to the driveway. Before she could even knock, the heavy front door opened. The old butler stepped out.

Although it was difficult to figure his expression but the pity in his eyes was so obvious that she couldn’t have mistaken it for anything else.

"Miss Yu," the butler said quietly, "The Old Master and Old Madam are inside."

Ella fell completely silent.

In her previous life, Adrian’s grandparents had hated her because she was always causing scandals and trouble for their grandson, dragging him into murky waters with every chance she got.

In this life, she had tried so hard to fix her mistakes. She thought the fate was changed. She really thought she had earned a place with them.

But looking at the situation now, she realized the truth.

She didn’t actually have a place here too.

The only reason anyone in this family accepted her was because she was standing next to Adrian. Without his hand holding hers, she was just an outsider again. A problem they didn’t know what to do with.

The family she grew up with had never loved her. And the family she thought she found with Adrian wasn’t actually hers.

"Thank you," Ella smiled, "Please tell them I will come inside to see them in a little while. I just want to walk in the garden for a minute first."

The butler sighed softly and bowed, "Of course, Miss Yu."

Ella turned away from the bright lights of the house and walked into the dark garden.

She walked down the path until she reached the middle of the courtyard, where a massive tree stood under the moon.

A magnolia tree.

Its dark green leaves rustled in the wind, and the sweet, heavy scent of the white flowers filled the air.

Ella stopped under the branches and reached out to touch the rough bark. Her hand was shaking.

She remembered standing right here with Adrian a few months ago. When she questioned why he kept looking at the tree, he told her it was the only thing he ever planted in his life.

Back then, those words had made her amused, thinking he probably had a soft spot for magnolias. Or, she thought she probably found a gentle side of him.

But now... the tree’s barks seemed to strangle her like a tightrope.

And some time ago, when Lana and Adrian were talking, was it under this same tree?

At that time, she hadn’t even had a single question of what was going between them, despite Lilith trying to provoke her against it.

Were they talking under this magnolia tree? Or was she probably in so much pain that she couldn’t even remember it clearly?

Ella choked back a sob and quickly pressed her hand over her mouth.

The sweet smell of the flowers made her sick.

Every single thing about her life with him; even the Eve Mansion, which was always filled with this exact scent, was related to someone else. It was a memory of a boy who had promised to love someone else forever.

"It’s a beautiful tree, isn’t it?"

The voice made Ella freeze.

She dropped her hand, cleared her throat, and turned around.

Old Madam King was standing a few feet away. She had a thick cashmere shawl wrapped around her shoulders.

Old Madam King stepped forward and came to stand beside Ella.

The two women stood in silence for a moment while the wind blew through the leaves above them.

"Grandma ," Ella said softly, bowing her head.

The old lady walked a little closer, looking up at the white blossoms, "How have you been, child?"

"I’m fine," Ella’s throat felt a bit tight as she spoke.

Old Madam King looked at her, and for a second, she looked genuinely sad for Ella.

She started to reach out to touch Ella’s arm, but then she let her hand drop back to her side.

"Ella... I know what I am about to say is incredibly unfair to you," the old lady began, her voice shaking slightly, "But as Adrian’s grandmother, I have to ask you for something."

Ella felt a cold dread settle in her stomach, "What is it?"

"I need you to stay away from my grandson," the old lady said softly.

The words hit Ella like a blow.

Hot tears immediately stung her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She gripped her hands into fists and kept her eyes locked on the older woman.