Alexander got home, only to find Elise sitting on the couch as she surfed her laptop in her pajamas. Seeing that, he took off his jacket and lay down on her lap, effectively pushing the laptop away. Elise began to massage his temple. “You reek of alcohol. Did you drink a lot today?”
Alexander responded in an exhausted tone, “I had a couple of drinks with Narissa’s father since he seems pleasant to me.” Napoleon’s demeanor when he was mocking Stenson was exactly the same as Narissa’s.
“It’s great that you can still get along with him despite the age difference. You have one more person to pour your heart out to in the future!” Elise seemed delighted for Alexander. She then looked at the wall-mounted clock and instantly let go of his hand as she urged, “Get up. I’ll fill the bathtub for you. Take a quick bath and rest early.”
“Wait!” Alexander stopped her as he grabbed her hand and put it against his cheek. “Honey, take off your mask,’ he said as he gazed at Elise with hazy eyes.
“I’ll take it off when I go to bed,” Elise coaxed him patiently.
“Can’t you take it off now? I miss the real you. Just for a moment, hmm?” Alexander’s voice was hoarse and with his slightly sobbing tone, he sounded just like a baby pleading, which Elise found impossible to resist.
Hence, she took some effort and finally dropped her guise as Anastasia for the first time in seven years. The moment the mask was removed, she instinctively raised her hand to cover the scar on her face.
Seeing that, Alexander moved her hand away and slowly brushed his fingers across her cheeks gently, feeling every inch of her skin.
When his fingertips touched the scar on her face, he became even more delicate, as if caressing a bubble that might suddenly explode. At that, Elise lowered her head and asked softly, “It Jooks ugly, right?”
She was aware that the scar had greatly lightened from how it was before, but it was still noticeable as it covered a huge part of her face.
Alexander shook his head in response. “It isn’t. My heart aches for you and I blame myself for not protecting you well,” he said with tears welling up in his eyes. “Thankfully, you look the same to me. Nothing has changed.”
“You’re just trying to cheer me up. How is it possible that nothing has changed when I now have such a huge scar on my face? Stop lying.” Elise couldn’t deceive herself about this.
Alexander felt his heart ache when he heard her words and he drew her into his arms. Hugging her tightly, he comforted her, ‘Give it some. time. After a while, everything will be okay.”
Elise sensed his emotions and turned to comfort him. “Don’t be silly. I have never once blamed you for this.” He did not say anything in response and simply tightened his embrace of her..
She never placed the blame on him, but he did. Alexander knew that this scar on her face was the true deterrent for her to reveal her identity. She was known to be perfect, so how could she appear in front of everyone with such a noticeable blemish on her face?
At this moment, Alexander made up his mind to do whatever it would take to assist her in regaining her perfect self. The next day, in Wegas Hospital, Jamie was listening attentively to the doctor’s diagnosis.
“Due to the severe trauma Miss Heidelberg suffered, her mental and psychological states are unstable with varying degrees of severity. She will not be recovering anytime soon. We advise that she be admitted for treatment.”
Jamie detested such an ambiguous remark. “That’s not the point. I only want to know if she will recover.”
“That depends on her condition. As you are aware, in such circumstances, doctors can only attempt to treat the symptoms. The patient has to take care of the rest.”
Why would I need a doctor if everything is up to the patient? Simply said, these foreign doctors just want to avoid responsibilities! If I didn’t have to be on guard against Gale, I would have taken her abroad for treatment!
Despite his unwillingness, Jamie had no choice but to follow the doctor’s advice and complete all admission procedures for Alicia. When he exited the hospital, he looked dejected and was hanging his head dispiritedly.
Just as he was about to cross the street, a swanky motorcycle rushed up to him and stopped directly in front of him. The glass panel of the driver’s helmet was then lifted, revealing Narissa’s bright, clear eyes. Jamie was surprised. “How did you know where I am?”
Narissa, however, did not answer and merely threw him a spare helmet that she had prepared. He looked at the helmet and recognized it to be the one he took from Paul. “Where are we going?”
“Stop talking. Get on the motorcycle!” Though Jamie was perplexed, he obediently put on the helmet and sat behind Narissa as instructed. Fifteen minutes later, the motorcycle came to a stop in front of the main entrance of a government building.
Jamie got off the motorcycle, took off his helmet, and just stood there staring at the building. “What place is this?”
“The place for marriage registration,” Narissa answered as she walked to him after hanging her helmet by the side mirror. “In Cittadel, this place is known as the city hall.”
That stunned Jamie. “Why did you bring me here?”
Narissa responded by turning her head and giving him a serious look. “Do you want to marry me?”
“What?” Jamie was taken aback and unsure of how to respond. “You… Are you proposing to me?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I was the one who first fell in love with you and also the one who confessed to you. I’ve always been the one to make the first move so now, I am proposing to you. Will you marry me?” Narissa straightforwardly expressed her intention.
She had given this some serious thought and believed that since they both loved one another, they ought to be together. Jamie, however, furrowed his brows at whatever was happening now as he had no idea how to react.
Seeing through his hesitation, Narissa asked, “Are you worried about Alicia?”
Jamie knew it wasn’t appropriate for him to admit to what Narissa said, but he did not want to deceive her either. Hence, he nodded after heaving a sigh.
“Have you fallen in love with her?”
“No!” Jamie immediately denied it. “I am just feeling guilty.”
“If that’s the case, forget about her at this moment,” Narissa decisively suggested.
“Forget about her?”
“Yes. Not just Alicia, but also Gale, Elise, our parents, and everyone else. Forget about them and just focus on you and me right now.”
There were many misunderstandings between them as a result of too many people and circumstances getting in their way, which complicated their relationship.
Hence, Narissa wanted to seize the opportunity today for them to ignore all external factors and focus just on each other’s actual feelings.
Looking at the lobby of the building, she decided to give her all this time. “This is the last time I’ll act so bravely, Jamie Keller. I need your answer. If you love me and want to be my husband, take my hand and lead me inside. now,” she said with her eyes closed.
She had cleared all obstacles between them. and now, it was all up to Jamie. While waiting, Narissa nervously swallowed her saliva, instinctively trying to feel the movements of the person next to her.
However, in the next few seconds, her palm remained empty. Her palm didn’t feel like it was being grasped. More than twenty seconds had passed. The wind blew, but cold sweat was running down her palm.
Nearly one minute has passed. Her fingertips. were chilly, and so was her heart. She took a deep breath. Plucking up her courage, she asked, ‘Jamie, are you still here?”
