Chapter 66
I’ve made up my mind.”
I looked at Frederick and said, “Ever since that day by the pool–when I accidentally fell in and he chose to save Alicia instead of me–I knew exactly what I needed to do…”
I hadn’t even finished my sentence when he cut me off. “So, now you’ve figured it out. You should be looking for a man who wouldn’t hesitate to save you?”
“No,” I shook my head. “I realized I needed to learn how to swim.
“If someone saves me, great. But if no one does, I have to know how to save myself.”
Frederick clearly hadn’t expected that answer. He paused, then fell silent for a long time before finally saying, “Alright. Go home for now. I’ll think it over and reach out when I’ve made a decision.”
I nodded and stood to leave.
As I was about to leave, he called out again, teasing, “Just don’t get yourself locked up at home again when I call. That’d be a real waste of my precious time.”
I turned back and met his eyes. “Don’t worry. This time, even if I have to jump off the balcony, I’ll crawl my way out of that place.”
He must’ve seen how serious I was, because he didn’t say another word. He just looked down and muttered, “Fine. Go.”
“Go where? I haven’t even said hi yet!”
A bright, girlish voice suddenly rang out, catching both of us off guard.
A woman stood at the door, wearing a frilly, doll–like dress that looked straight out of a vintage boutique. She looked to be around 20, with a face that still carried a hint of innocence.
She locked eyes with me and marched in like she owned the place.
“Elise, seriously? How could you let that witch Alicia walk all over you like that?”
I blinked, completely thrown off. My brain raced, trying to figure out where I’d seen her before. But nothing came to mind.
Not surprising, considering I’d lost five years of memories. Still, her voice felt strangely familiar.
I blinked awkwardly. “What are you talking about? Who walked all over me?”
“Oh, don’t play tough with me. Everyone in our circle’s talking about it–you don’t have to pretend around me.”
I rubbed my temples, starting to feel a headache coming on. Frederick shot her a sharp look. “Who let you in here? Get out.”
“Nope. I’m not leaving.”
Ada, he warned.
Fred!
So, she was Frederick’s sister. No wonder.
Aria stomped over to me, puffing her cheeks in protest. “I heard everything! Your man left you drowning and saved Alicia instead! Do you even know how smug that girl’s been? All her friends are saying she’s about to become the new Mrs Ford!”
I sighed. “Then let her. I don’t care.”
Aria’s expression changed. She circled around me suspiciously.
“You didn’t hit your head when you drowned or something, did you?”
She poked my shoulder. “Elise, where’s that fighting spirit of yours? That crazy possessiveness over Jonathan? With your personality, you should’ve gone toe–to–toe with Alicia in a full–blown war by now!”
So, that was how people saw me.
I cleared my throat. “Sorry to disappoint. I’m just not interested in that drama anymore.”
Alicia looked at me like I’d grown a second head, then reached out and pinched my cheek hard.
“Elise! Snap out of it! You’re really gonna let Alicia win?”
“You losing to her is bad enough, but my mom gave Alicia the Verdant Bloom–the one that was supposed to be mine! You know how smug she’s been? Bragging everywhere about how important she is to Jonathan! Why can’t you just slap her like you used to?”
I froze.
“…Wait. I slapped Alicia before?”
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