The sound of the engine got more and more distant. Heather stood on the spot for a full thirty seconds
before she gradually came back to her senses. As she looked at the rubble and destruction on the
ground, the first thing she thought of was that Matthew was certainly going to blame her for not being
able to guard Elise well.
If Matthew thinks that I’m useless. I might not be able to stay by his side anymore. “No, I definitely can’t
leave Matt…” Heather mumbled as she began to pace around the space. Soon, her attention was
drawn to the small fruit knife by the kitchen’s entrance.
After just a second of hesitation, she walked over and picked up the knife. Then, she ruthlessly stabbed
it straight into her left arm.
When Matthew drove back, he could see that the walls on the first floor had already partially caved in.
Furious, he smacked his steering wheel. Did you escape again, Elise? Although it wasn’t very likely, he
still had a little hope as he revved the car. Once the car came to a stop, he immediately ran inside the
house without even taking the time to pull out his keys.
The moment Matthew stepped into the living room, he promptly noticed that the door to Elise’s room
was wide open. His last hope was completely extinguished then. When he snapped out of it, he finally
noticed Heather lying injured on the couch. Hunching over, he gently shook her. “Heather?”
Heather wasn’t actually unconscious; it was just an act for Matthew. Seeing him panicking, she slowly
opened her eyes. “Elise worked together with Alexander. She escaped after she stabbed me. I’m
sorry…” she weakly explained.
Now that his chance to turn the tables was gone, Matthew was incensed. However, he couldn’t let his
anger show with the pale-faced Heather there. All he could do now was set this matter aside and help
her up. “You aren’t to blame. You were alone-how could you have possibly taken on both of them at
once? Let’s get you to the hospital first.”
Meanwhile, at the emergency room, the nurse applied some ointment for Elise. After telling her about
some things she had to look out for, the nurse left the room. Not long after the nurse left, Alexander
came in.
It had been a long time since they saw each other. After experiencing the whirlwind
that was earlier and calming down, Elise and Alexander somehow ended up a little more polite and
reserved with each other.
Elise pressed her lips together. In order to make Alexander relax, she said jokingly, “The nurse was
really patient.”
Alexander stood in front of her expressionlessly. He didn’t speak, simply opting to look at her without
moving. His dark eyes glimmered under the lights, an indiscernible glint shining in them.
It got awkward.
Elise wasn’t a master at easing the atmosphere. So, she pretended to shrug casually and averted her
gaze.
“You’re always like this.” Alexander’s voice suddenly rang out, low and deep. Chastisement and
exasperation could be heard in his words.
Elise looked up at him, her pretty little face scrunching up a little. She couldn’t figure out how she had
gotten on his nerves again.
Alexander could see through her confusion. Angry, he lifted a hand to pinch his forehead, but in the
end, he deflated helplessly. He just wanted Elise to know that her safety was always the priority.
Clearly, though, she didn’t pay attention to that. Otherwise, she would have just patiently waited for him
to save her instead of hurting her hand like that. Nonetheless, he knew that she didn’t like him nagging
her, so he had no choice but to swallow those words. When he neared her, he reached out and pulled
her in for a hug.
Ever since the day Elise was kidnapped, Alexander had been on tenterhooks. It was only now that he
finally relaxed. From then on, he made a promise to himself that he would never let anyone take Elise
away from his sight again.
After an unknown amount of time, Elise couldn’t quite breathe from being hugged for so long. Just as
she was about to remind Alexander to ease up, he released her.
“Let’s go back first. This place is too close to where Matthew is. It’s not safe.” Alexander took off his
jacket and draped it around Elise’s shoulders. They then quickly drove away from the hospital.
Over an hour later, the SUV drove past the Griffith Residence’s gates.
This wasn’t Elise’s first time here, but an awkward look still came over her face when she saw
Alexander offer her a hand after the vehicle had stopped. Just because she
had just escaped from a dire situation didn’t mean that some things could be easily overlooked.
Madeline was the one uncrossable gulf between them. Having only just escaped from Matthew’s
clutches, Elise truly didn’t want to go in and be treated like some pariah while bearing verbal attacks
that never should have been directed at her.
Knowing what she was worried about, Alexander stretched his hand out further, his gaze sharp and
determined. “Trust me, many things have changed since then. You won’t be disappointed.”
Elise looked at him. Under the sunlight, his face looked even more bewitching and lively. He looked like
he had walked straight out of a painting.
US
Just as Alexander said, that distant, excluded feeling that had kept creeping in her heart before didn’t
arise. Everything in front of her was real. He was right. There was no other person in the world who
could have followed the trail and located her with just a wedding dress. With how well Alexander
understood her, did she have anything else to worry about?
At that thought, the darkness in Elise’s expression dissipated, leaving behind a faint smile. She placed
her dainty hand in Alexander’s. They then walked hand-in-hand into the Griffith Residence together, the
place that she had repeatedly left in fear and panic.
The rest of the Griffiths were currently busy at this hour. Madeline was the only one at home, nursing
her injuries, and coincidentally, they ran into each other.
The moment their eyes met, Elise looked at Madeline. She attempted to trust Alexander and awkwardly
twitched her lips up in an effort of goodwill.
Seeing her safe return, Madeline studied Elise; her clothes were disheveled and messy, unlike the
image of the perfect daughter-in-law that she had in mind. Her first
instinct was to reject Elise, but then, she caught sight of the apathetic look in Alexander’s gaze through
the corners of her eyes. In the end, she sighed. With no other choice, she reined in her thoughts and
nodded, accepting Elise’s offered smile. “You’re back at last. You’ve been through a hard time. Go
upstairs and get some rest.” She then called a servant over. “Mrs. Hilda, tidy up the guest room. Bring
Miss Sinclair some clean clothes.”
“Yes,” Hilda acknowledged in a respectful tone.
Having said all she wanted, Madeline turned and headed for the couch in the living room, coffee cup in
hand. She didn’t even wait for Elise to thank her.
Everything took time. The fact that Madeline didn’t reject Elise and allowed her to
stay was already the greatest concession she could make. As for when she would be able to sincerely
accept Elise, there was still a long road ahead.
Madeline had just turned around when she heard Alexander speak to Hilda. “No need for that. Elise,
you can stay in my room. Bring the things there.”
Madeline paused before lowering her head to stir her coffee indifferently. After years of interacting with
other upper-crust ladies, she had already trained herself to discern the truth behind a person’s words
and actions. She knew very well that Alexander had said that on purpose for her-he wanted her to
know that Elise was not a guest in this house.
Elise initially thought that Madeline would make a stand and make some unreasonable demand, but to
her surprise, Madeline didn’t show any reaction after hearing Alexander. It startled Elise. By the time
she snapped out of her shock, Alexander was already leading her upstairs by the hand.
Elise nervously followed behind him. It wasn’t until they had gone to the second floor and disappeared
into the elevator that she was certain-Madeline had truly changed.
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