Chapter 23 Theyre Married
So after all that, Alexander had come to hold her accountable.
Anger surged through Elsa, but she forced herself to keep it under control. She didn't want to tear apart their marriage in public.
"Yes," she said. "I told Violet to go."
Violet had only wanted to defend her.
Alexander treasured Serena so much that he had to be furious over what happened.
Whatever existed between Elsa and Alexander, she didn't want Violet dragged into it.
But apologize?
Never.
They stared at each other.
Alexander studied her expression before speaking. "Since you've admitted it, go apologize to Serena."
Elsa's eyes reddened with humiliation, but she stood straight in front of him.
"Alexander, I don't care how much you love her. You are married to me. As long as we remain married, you and your precious first love are the ones crossing the line. If that child is yours, then he was born outside our marriage.
And now you're asking your wife to apologize to the woman everyone sees as your mistress. Do you even hear yourself?"
Displeasure flashed in Alexander's eyes. "Elsa, don't make it sound so ugly. Serena isn't a mistress."
Elsa gave a bitter laugh. "Of course. The unloved woman is always the mistress, right?"
Alexander fell silent.
Her smile disappeared.
"In your eyes, Alexander, I'm the other woman."
He rubbed his temple, exhausted, and stepped closer. "Elsa, that's not what I meant."
She stepped back before he could touch her.
"Then tell me something. If you love her this much, why don't you divorce me and marry her? I'll leave with nothing. I'll even sign an IOU for whatever you think I owe you. I'm willing to step aside for the two of you."
Alexander's face darkened.
His gaze was unreadable as he looked at her.
"For now, I have no intention of replacing Mrs. Horton."
For now.
Those two words struck harder than Elsa expected.
How cold and official.
When she didn't answer, Alexander continued.
"Serena is emotionally unstable right now. Go apologize so she can feel safe. Otherwise she'll keep being afraid."
The concern in his voice for Serena burned another wound into Elsa's heart.
The more it hurt, the calmer Elsa looked.
"Fine. If you want the pathetic legal wife to apologize to the mistress, I can do that. But I'll hold a press conference and apologize publicly. Mr. Horton, do you dare agree?"
Mr. Horton.
Alexander clearly disliked the title. "Elsa, I'm your husband."
She turned her face away. "You stopped being my husband the moment Serena and her son returned and you abandoned me in the rain to pick them up from the airport."
His voice dropped. "You know I hate being threatened."
Her control finally slipped. Tears reddened her eyes.
"If you don't want a press conference, I'll apologize right here, in front of the whole hospital."
She pointed toward the door. "I'll tell everyone that I, Mrs. Horton, got jealous, smashed the mistress's house, had her beaten badly enough to be hospitalized, and then my husband forced me to come apologize to her. How does that sound?"
Elsa started toward the door.
Alexander caught her around the waist and pulled her back.
He held her firmly against him instead of releasing her immediately.
"Elsa, I'm trying to talk to you properly. Why do you explode every time I say something you don't like?"
A knock sounded outside.
Alexander lowered his voice. "We'll talk about the apology later. You still have work this afternoon. Get some rest."
He briefly tightened his arms around her, then let go. "I'll get you something to eat. Calm down."
He ended the discussion before her emotions could fully break loose.
After he left, Elsa collapsed over the table.
Alexander hadn't stopped pressuring her because he cared about her feelings.
He had stopped because he was protecting Serena, his own reputation, and the interests of the Horton family.
This was a hospital. If Elsa caused a scene and everyone learned he was involved with another woman—and that Serena was currently hospitalized here—the person with the most to lose would be Alexander.
It took Elsa a long time to regain her composure.
Alexander returned briefly with lunch and left again.
The second he was gone, Elsa threw the meal into the trash.
At five-thirty, she finished work on time.
Professor Morris didn't schedule night clinics, and Elsa worked three days followed by two days off. Since she was free tomorrow, she planned to visit her parents.
"Dr. Winters, may I have a few minutes?"
Elsa was crossing the outpatient lobby with a female colleague when Serena stopped them.
In front of Elsa's colleague, Serena didn't call her Mrs. Horton.
She called her Dr. Winters.
Elsa had no interest in speaking to Serena privately, so she stopped with her coworker beside her. "Say whatever you need to say, Miss Whitmore."
Serena apologized in front of the other woman.
"I asked around and learned that you're off tomorrow, Dr. Winters, so I hurried over because I wanted to apologize before you left."
Elsa looked Serena up and down.
It was easy to see that Serena had been a professional dancer. She was tall and carried herself well, although Elsa privately thought her features were less striking than her overall appearance suggested.
When Elsa remained silent, Serena continued.
"I know Violet came after me because of you, but this situation started because of me. I sincerely apologize. I hope we can put everything behind us."
Then Serena smiled faintly. "I haven't been back in Saintville for long, and I don't have many friends here. I would really like to be friends with you, Dr. Winters."
Elsa's expression didn't change. "Miss Whitmore, in Saintville, having Alexander as one 'friend' is worth thousands of ordinary friends. You don't need to waste your effort on me."
She turned to leave.
Serena quickly reached out and caught her arm. "No, Dr. Winters. You've misunderstood Alexander and me."
Elsa, already irritated, jerked her arm free.
A second later, Serena fell heavily to the floor.
People nearby immediately turned to look.
"Serena!"
Alexander rushed over carrying payment receipts. He crouched beside her and anxiously checked for injuries.
Tears sprang from Serena's eyes as she clutched her knee. "Alexander, I only wanted to apologize properly to Dr. Winters. I didn't expect her to be this angry."
In front of everyone, Alexander lifted Serena into his arms.
Then he looked coldly at Elsa. "You're a doctor. You know Serena is in poor health. How could you push her?"
Elsa didn't even bother explaining.
She had read melodramatic romance novels before, but she had never imagined she'd become a character in one of their most ridiculous scenes.
Her eyes moved to Serena in Alexander's arms.
Expressionless, Elsa said, "Alexander, your woman insisted on getting in my face. Pushing her was the least I could have done. I should've slapped her and reminded her exactly who the wife is."
Noticing the strange looks people were giving her, Serena hurriedly said, "Alexander, my leg hurts. Please take me back to my room."
Alexander said nothing more. He turned and carried her away.
Elsa's coworker could no longer stay silent. "Elsa, are those two a couple? Why are they treating you like that?"
Elsa gathered the broken pieces of her emotions and answered calmly.
"They're married."
Several steps away, Alexander stopped dead.