Chapter 29 Forget Everything You Heard Outside the Study
Alexander forcibly lifted Elsa from the floor.
Unable to look at her shattered expression, he turned his face away and forced out, "We'll talk when we get home."
Elsa broke completely.
She screamed and fought off his hands. "I'm not going with you! I want a divorce!"
Alexander ignored her struggle, picked her up, and carried her out of the study.
"What happened?"
Eleanor and Violet had been waiting anxiously in the living room. Both were startled when Alexander appeared with a grim face and Elsa sobbing in his arms.
"Mom, we're going home."
Alexander didn't give Elsa a chance to speak. He carried her straight out.
Eleanor knew something was wrong and hurried to the study.
The moment she entered, Old Mr. Horton said, "Find time to meet that Whitmore woman. Whether the boy is Alexander's or not, Alexander absolutely cannot divorce Elsa."
Eleanor nodded but said nothing.
Old Mr. Horton valued the stability and reputation of the Horton family above everything.
Even if the child truly belonged to Alexander, the old man would never openly recognize him.
Charles was confused. "Dad, the Winters family has been gone for years. Elsa has been married to Alexander for three years. No child, no career, no benefit to the family. How is she any different from that Whitmore woman? We can find Alexander a new marriage alliance."
Old Mr. Horton returned to his chair.
"The Whitmore woman comes from an ordinary family and has no place in this household. Even if the child really is Alexander's, she will never enter the Horton family."
Eleanor frowned. "Dad, you don't want Alexander to divorce Elsa because you want Elsa to act as a shield and stop him from bringing Serena and the child into the family. But that's unfair to Elsa."
Charles scoffed. "A bankrupt heiress managed to marry Alexander. That's more luck than she deserves. What fairness does she still want?"
Old Mr. Horton shook his head.
"The Winters family may have fallen, but Elsa received the best education available from childhood. She was taught formal social etiquette and grew up among the highest circles in society. In education, judgment, and upbringing, she is far above the Whitmore woman.
Marriage to Alexander has simply made her too comfortable."
He looked at Eleanor.
"Until the problem of that woman and her child is resolved, Elsa must remain beside Alexander. You're her mother-in-law. Teach her properly. Don't let her embarrass the Horton name or forget our traditions."
Eleanor left the study with a heavy heart.
She couldn't discuss her son's marriage from the cold perspective of business and family interests the way her husband and father-in-law did.
And she had never imagined that the woman Alexander had loved six years ago would return with a child.
Until she knew whether the boy truly was her grandson, Eleanor decided not to meet Serena yet.
She turned to Violet. "Your brother and Elsa are having serious problems. Spend more time with Elsa. Talk to her. Don't let her be alone."
Violet had been near the door and had overheard much of the conversation. "I know, Mom."
Back in her room, Violet couldn't settle down.
She was terrified Alexander would lose his mind, actually divorce Elsa, and bring Serena and her son home.
Unable to stop worrying, she called Elsa.
Elsa's phone rang repeatedly inside her handbag, but she had no strength to answer.
From the moment they got into the car, Alexander had held her tightly against him. No matter how much she cried, struggled, or tried to pull away, he refused to release her.
By the time they had argued for half the drive, they both looked exhausted and disheveled.
Then Elsa spotted a pharmacy through the car window.
She suddenly remembered something important.
"I need the restroom."
Alexander told the driver to pull over and straightened Elsa's clothing. "I'll go with you."
They got out, and he kept hold of her hand the entire way.
At the entrance to a chain pharmacy, Elsa stopped.
"Don't worry. For my parents and my brother, I won't do anything stupid."
Alexander stared at her for several seconds before finally letting go.
Elsa entered the pharmacy and directly asked the clerk for emergency contraception.
Seeing Elsa's tangled hair, swollen eyes, and shaken expression, the clerk gently asked whether she needed help calling the police.
Elsa thanked her, bought the medication, and returned outside.
Alexander's gaze fell on the box in her hand.
His already dark expression became colder.
He said nothing and asked nothing. He only took her hand and led her back to the car.
The doors locked as the vehicle pulled away.
Alexander reached for the medicine. "Give it to me."
Elsa shoved his hand away, opened the box, pushed the tablet from its packaging, and tossed the empty carton at him.
She put the pill in her mouth and raised the bottle of water Alexander had opened for her.
The next second, Alexander caught her chin.
He forced her mouth open and made her spit the medicine back out before she could swallow it properly.
His face was frighteningly dark.
Yet without saying a word, he patted her back, gave her water, and passed her tissues.
Elsa coughed and retched for a long time before finally catching her breath.
Then she lunged at him and hit his chest.
"Alexander, give me my medicine back!"
He caught both her wrists and forced her to meet his eyes.
"Do you hate the idea of having a child with me that much?"
They had used no protection the night before. There was a real possibility she could become pregnant.
Alexander knew Elsa's emotions were dangerously unstable. Part of him believed a child might give her something else to focus on.
Elsa wrenched her wrists free despite the pain.
"Alexander, I'm begging you. Stop pretending you care. The woman you love has already given you a son. You treat the two of them like your life. So stop acting like a devoted husband in front of me. I can't take it anymore."
Alexander looked at her collapse and didn't know what to do.
"Elsa, things aren't what you think."
Tears rolled down her face, but suddenly she laughed.
"Then what are they?"
Her voice rose.
"You said Serena was the woman you wanted to marry, not me. Did I hear that wrong?"
"You said your grandfather separated you and that being with me wasn't the happiness you wanted. Did I hear that wrong too?"
"You admitted with your own mouth that the boy is your biological son. Was I imagining that?"
"You threatened your grandfather with the entire Horton family and the Horton Group because you wanted to protect Serena and her son and take responsibility for them. Did I imagine all of that too?"
By the end, Elsa looked as though she were about to lose control completely.
"Alexander, I don't want a marriage like this. I don't want a husband like this. I don't want any of it!"
Alexander pulled her into his arms and repeatedly stroked her back.
"Elsa, forget everything you heard outside the study today."