Chapter 137
The people around us were still talking when I saw Jonathan striding toward me, like a storm rolling in. Alicia called out from behind, “Jonathan! Where are you going?” But he didn’t even glance back. He marched straight up to me, looking at me with chilling intensity.
I hadn’t realized I’d done something so wrong, so I looked up to meet his gaze. He grabbed my wrist tightly. A jolt of pain shot through me, and I instinctively frowned. That was when he noticed he was gripping the same wrist I’d once tried to take my own life with. His grip loosened slightly, his face softening just a little, but his expression remained terrifyingly cold. “Elise.”
He called my name in a voice laced with barely restrained fury, as if biting the words out through clenched teeth. If there hadn’t been so many people around, I wouldn’t have put it past him to actually harm me. “Let go of me,” I said, my voice low as I struggled against his hold.
He stepped forward, pulling me into him and gripping my waist tightly. To outsiders, we probably looked intimate, like a couple in love. But only I knew how much strength he was using, and how much it hurt. He leaned close to my ear and said in a low voice, through gritted teeth, “That was our wedding ring.”
So it was really our wedding ring. I froze, realizing it was a complete accident. I’d just heard the housekeeper talking about that pink diamond, saw it sitting there, and casually put it on because it matched my dress. I didn’t have any other jewelry. Then, realizing I didn’t have a gift to bring, and assuming Jonathan hadn’t prepared one either, I’d given it away on impulse. I had no idea it was that ring.
I took a deep breath and blinked my dry eyes. “Our marriage doesn’t even mean anything anymore. If she wants it so badly, let her have it.” His arms tightened around me instantly. My waist felt like it was about to snap from the pressure.
“You can throw a tantrum, but you went too far this time.” He stared into my eyes. “You gave ‘First Love’ to Frederick last time, and I let it slide. But now? Did you seriously just hand ‘True Love’ over to Alicia? Elise, this is over the line.”
Over the line? Did he not get it?
Chapter 137
I really wanted a divorce. I stopped responding and tried to pull away, but he held me tighter, completely locking me in place. To everyone else, it must have looked like we were wrapped in a loving embrace, a couple caught up in the moment. But only I knew how suffocating it felt.
My gaze wandered across the room and landed on Alicia, not far away. Her jaw was clenched tight. She was glaring at us with so much resentment, as if she wanted to come over. But her parents held her back, shaking their heads before she gave up the idea.
I noticed the change. Everyone who had been watching me, as if I were some kind of joke, now looked different. Their expressions and attitudes had shifted; they looked genuinely surprised. The fire in my chest suddenly burned out. I spoke in the coldest voice I could manage, “Let go of me.”
Jonathan ignored me and grabbed my shoulder, ready to drag me away. But as soon as his eyes landed on the marks on my wrist, he froze. “What is it?” I asked. I followed his gaze and realized he was staring at the scar on my left wrist, the one from when I tried to end it all.
The way he kept looking at it made me feel uneasy. During the struggle, my scarf had slipped a little. I quickly pulled it back into place, covering the mark. Once upon a time, I would have wanted him to see it. I would have wanted his pity, his sympathy, hoping he’d stay with me out of guilt. But not now; it was nothing but a scar I was ashamed of, and I didn’t want anyone to see it.
Chapter 139