Chapter 102

Jonathan furrowed his brows and said nothing. A moment later, Alicia’s voice came again. “I know this isn't a good time, but I don’t want to be the reason you and Elise keep fighting, Jon.

“I already feel bad enough when I’m with Mr. Ford Senior. I don’t know what I did wrong, but if it helps you two get back on good terms, I’ll suck it up and say sorry to Elise.”

Alicia rambled for ages, then mentioned Edward again. That was when Jonathan finally let go of me and got up to open the door.

Her eyes lit up the moment she saw him. “You’re really willing to see me, Jon. I thought you were mad at me.”

She sounded like she was hurt, but his tone was nonchalant. “What do you want?”

Alicia looked stunned, like she was thrown off by how distant Jonathan sounded. She pursed her lips and lowered her head. “I already told you. I came to apologize to Elise. Are you sick of me too, Jon?”

He didn’t respond to her question but turned to me. “She wants to say sorry to you.”

I closed my eyes because I didn’t even want to look at either of them. “Then what? Am I expected to just take her apology and move on?”

Alicia clenched her fists. “I’m only saying this because I can’t stand watching you and Jon fight anymore, Elise. I did nothing wrong. I just don’t want him caught in…”

I didn’t respond and turned my back on her without a word. “Is that so? Why apologize if you don’t even think you were wrong? I’m not accepting some half-baked apology like that.”

She balled her fists in frustration, looking at Jonathan helplessly. “I’m sorry. I just wanted you two to stop fighting. I didn’t expect her to react like that.”

Jonathan pinched the bridge of his nose, his voice cold and raspy. “You don’t need to say sorry to her; just go home.”

Alicia asked, “Are you kicking me out, Jon?”

Jonathan replied, “Why don’t you stay at the Zimmer residence for now? Grandpa is doing fine now, and it’s pretty inconvenient for you to be here.”

Alicia’s eyes turned red as she sobbed. “What’s the hassle? Am I getting in your way? If I’m being a nuisance, you can tell me straight. Don’t use Mr. Ford Senior as…”

She choked through her tears, “All I ever wanted was to be here for Mr. Ford Senior, Jon. I truly thought of you as my own brother. He always told us to care for each other like siblings. I honestly don’t know why Elise keeps picking on me.”

Jonathan’s face darkened. After a while, he gently mumbled, “Elise isn’t doing well right now, so I’ve got to be there for her during this time.”

What he really meant was that he didn’t have time to deal with Alicia.

Unexpectedly, Alicia wiped her tears and added, “It’s fine. I don’t need you to look after me. I can take care of myself. I just want to stay close to Mr. Ford Senior. Please don’t send me away.”

The room went dead silent. Jonathan didn’t say a word.

After what felt like forever, he finally responded in his usual calm demeanor, “I never asked you to leave.”

Alicia went from sobbing to grinning in a heartbeat. “Do you really mean it? Thank you, Jon. I’ll take good care of Mr. Ford Senior.”

I snickered. The door shut with a click, and footsteps drew near until they stopped at my back.

The air felt heavy. Just as Jonathan was about to pull me into his arms, I suddenly interrupted, “I’ve seen enough of you two being all lovey-dovey; leave me alone for a bit?”

Chapter 103

I firmed my mouth and had to look him in the eyes. “How about you don’t like Alicia and will keep her away from you as much as humanly possible?” I scoffed. “Aren’t you the big shot promoter? Why don’t you arrange a schedule? You sleep with him Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and she gets the rest. We won’t…”

Jonathan called out in exasperation, “Elise!”

He could barely hold back his anger. “This is the last thing I am willing…”

I couldn't figure out what Jonathan was really thinking, but when he asked Alicia to leave, he was aware that he should keep some boundaries.

If he knew that, then why did he make me feel so immense when I was 25 years old? I didn’t know the answer. At this point, I didn’t care enough to find out anymore.

I remarked, “I don’t care what Alicia means to you, Jonathan. I’m tired right now. Can I just get some rest?”

My head was pounding so badly that I couldn’t even think straight. Was it because of the trauma from the suicide attempt, the memory loss messing with me, or…

Jonathan didn’t say anything else. He lay down and wrapped his arm around me from behind. I just felt annoyed and tried to wriggle away, but he held me tighter.

I was drained and had no energy left, so I just lay there in his arms and shut my eyes. Thankfully, he hadn’t lost his mind as he just held me and didn’t try anything.

That alone was almost too much for me to handle. My head felt foggy, and the overwhelming pain washed over me again.

I closed my eyes and eventually dozed off from sheer exhaustion, but it wasn’t a peaceful sleep.

I could even feel myself dreaming. I was walking through a wide, boundless field of grass.

Everything around me was covered in thick fog, and I couldn’t see anything. I kept coming, but I had no idea where I was going.

After some time, I found myself in front of a dusty forest. I stepped inside, and it was nothing but plant trees all around.

I kept walking forward. The surrounding leaves sent my arm, and the scent of blood came. A wolf howled in the distance, and I kept falling.

I heard the wind howling around me, mixed in with all sorts of insults and nasty words. “You’re not good enough for Jonathan, Elise. He is such an amazing man. Why would he marry a nobody like you from the country?”

Another voice called out to me, “Jonathan is the one I’m most proud of. You’ll never be part of this family.”

I also heard, “Jon and I grew up together. We’re childhood sweethearts, and I’m the one he loves. How can you just show up and take that away from me?”

A newer voice cut through the air. “Boris is in love with me, Elise. That accident was the only reason you married him. You took him from me; give him back, Elise.”

I denied, “No! That’s not true; it can’t be. He loves me; why else would he marry me if he didn’t?”

I covered my ears and screamed, trying to shout it out. But the voice just wouldn’t go away, echoing in my mind like a spell I couldn’t shake off.

The voice rang out, “He has no feelings for you. He doesn’t love you. Why are you clinging to him? A woman like you will never be good enough for him. Just walk…”

I suddenly dropped to the ground and hugged my legs, shaking from head to toe. “What did I do to deserve this? All I did was fall for someone. Why? I didn’t do anything wrong. Why are you beating me?”

Just then, a deep, soothing voice came from the distance, “What’s wrong, Elise?”

I immediately looked up, with tears streaming down my cheeks. I kept moving toward the voice, refusing to stop. “Who’s there? Is it you, Frederick?”