Chapter 145

Jonathan’s eyes were as cold as ice. The weight of his presence was almost suffocating. He stared at me in silence. After a long moment, he stepped forward, then again, until he stood directly in front of me.

My hands felt weightless; my mind was blank. I didn’t even know what possessed me. I’d saved Frederick purely on instinct, without even considering Jonathan’s presence. Was he angry? But he seemed fine now, didn’t he?

I tried to calm myself. Even if something had happened to Jonathan, it wasn't as if I’d knocked over the champagne tower; it was an accident. Jonathan stopped before me, staring down.

Frederick had recovered. His expression was complicated, and he instinctively stepped between us, blocking Jonathan’s view. "What do you want?" he asked. He looked ready to protect me, expecting trouble. But Jonathan remained silent, merely pushing Frederick aside and scrutinizing me from head to toe.

His intense stare made breathing difficult. Under that gaze, it was hard not to feel guilty or scared, but I quickly dismissed those feelings. What did I have to feel guilty about? Back when Jonathan had chosen Alicia without a second thought, he hadn’t bothered to explain. So why should I?

What I did was a natural, instinctive reaction. I thought he’d be furious, that he’d lash out, but he didn’t. He just stared. I took a deep breath, about to speak—"I—"

But before I could utter a word, he turned and walked away. I froze, the words catching in my throat.

Alicia looked smug. "Elise, do you think Jonathan will tolerate this behavior? Your days as his wife are numbered!" she declared. She looked proud, as if finally recovering from her earlier humiliation. "Keep it up," she sneered. "Sooner or later, he'll be sick of you."

"I can't wait," I replied calmly, meeting her gaze. "If you can get him to divorce me, even better."

She scoffed, clearly thinking I was bluffing. "Let's see if you're still so arrogant when he dumps you."

I didn't bother responding; I simply turned and walked away. Even as I moved through the crowd, I could hear whispers.

"What just happened? Did Elise choose to save Frederick?"

"Didn't he just announce she was like his sister?"

"She pulled him out of the way right in front of everyone. That's some serious sibling bond…"

"Come on, it was just some champagne glasses. No need to overreact."

"Says who? If Mr. Ford hadn’t moved fast enough, he could have been seriously hurt!"

"You're exaggerating."

"Am I? If it was nothing, then why did Elise's first instinct tell her to pull Frederick away? Clearly, she knew it was dangerous."

"Well, if you put it that way… I guess that does make sense."

People speculated about my relationship with Frederick, wondering why I’d chosen him over my husband, but I didn't care. Like they said, if Jonathan could choose Alicia without a second thought, why couldn't I choose Frederick?

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