Chapter 2 Chapter 2 In the days that followed , Elliot never came home , and Nora didn't ask where he was . Instead , she quietly reached out to her close friends and managed to retract every wedding invitation she had sent . Elliot had always said he didn't like a fuss , so they'd never planned a big wedding . There were only a handful of close friends on the guest list . When Nora called to cancel the wedding , everyone was surprised . " Why are you suddenly calling off the wedding ? Haven't you two always been in a stable relationship ? " Hearing their questions , all Nora could feel was bitterness . Stable ? If that meant spending years chasing Elliot while he stayed cold and distant , then sure , that was stable . In this relationship , the only one who was ever stable was she , and never he . Elliot had always acted like he was above it all , letting her love him while keeping her at a distance . Now , she realized she was done . She didn't want to keep loving someone who treated her that way . In the end , Nora didn't bother to make up stories She just replied honestly , " I'm changing the groom . " Her friends were less shocked than she'd expected . Mostly , they laughed and joked around , clearly not taking her words seriously . But when she thought about it , it made sense . After all , she had spent years being devoted to Elliot , and had never minded how distant he was from her . If someone who had been as deeply devoted as she was suddenly said they were calling off their wedding , Nora probably wouldn't have believed it , either . But that was fine . She'd let her actions prove it - she really was done . After Nora took back all the invitations and came home , it wasn't long before Elliot finally returned . Elliot , who was always so particular about being neat and composed , now looked worn out . His white shirt was wrinkled , his tired eyes bloodshot , and his whole posture slumped . She could tell at a glance that he was in bad shape . The first thing he said matched what she had just done . " You should take back the wedding invitations we sent out . Professor Reeves passed away , and I'm expected to observe at least six months of mourning . I can't get married . " When Elliot said that , he expected Nora to get angry and argue with him , since she had always been the one eager to move things forward . He knew her grandfather had been hoping to see her get married , which was why she'd pushed Chapter for a date . He'd already rehearsed what he'd say if she got upset . However , Nora just looked at him calmly . " I understand . I'm sorry for your loss . " Elliot paused , caught off guard . Ever since that night , it was like she was a completely different person . Even though her reaction threw him off , he didn't have the energy to dwell on it . He pressed his fingers to his tired brow and spoke again " Professor Reeves ' memorial is today . Before he passed , he mentioned you . Come with me to pay your respects . " Nora had never liked Claire , but she had always respected Jonathan Reeves for his kindness and warmth . Besides , she doubted he even knew that Claire would go as far as asking Elliot to have a child with her just to fulfill his last wish . Out of respect for the departed , she nodded . " Alright , I'll go . " Later , Elliot showered , changed into a clean suit , and took Nora to the memorial . As soon as they arrived, they heard a woman's voice , choked with tears . " Elliot … " Nora looked over to see Claire , dressed in a pale dress , collapsing to the ground in sobs . " Claire ! " Elliot rushed over to her immediately . He gently pulled her into his arms and , without even glancing at Nora , said , " Go ahead and pay your respects . I'll stay here with her for a while . " The way he cared for Claire would have made anyone think she was his girlfriend . If it had been before , seeing them like that might have sent Nora spiraling , maybe even made her cause a scene . But now , she simply glanced at them and walked straight into the main hall without saying a word .