Chapter 42 Elsa, I Warned You
Elsa already knew how much Alexander cared about Serena.
But hearing Serena say it directly still hurt enough to make her chest tighten.
Seeing Elsa's face pale, Serena adopted a sympathetic tone.
"Alexander told me he can't give you love, and he can't give you children. The only thing he can give you is the title of Mrs. Horton. He begged me not to leave him. He said he refuses to divorce only because he pities you and doesn't want things to become ugly for everyone."
Elsa stood rigidly, forcing herself to remain composed.
Serena's voice stayed innocent, but her eyes were openly provocative.
"We're both women. I don't want to make this harder than necessary. But for Ethan's sake, I hope you'll leave Alexander willingly. A child needs his father. He deserves a complete family."
Elsa held onto the last of her dignity.
"If Alexander loves you that much, I'm sure he'll give you and Ethan a proper place soon. There's no need to be impatient, Miss Whitmore."
She turned toward the building.
Serena suddenly grabbed her arm.
Lowering her voice, she said, "Miss Winters, what good does clinging to the title of Mrs. Horton do you? Alexander loves me. You're the woman standing between us. You're the third person in our relationship."
Elsa tried to wrench free.
Serena tightened her grip.
"I slept with Alexander the very night I came back. You have no idea how passionate he was. He told me that every time he slept with you all these years, he was thinking about me."
Slap!
Elsa tore her arm loose and struck Serena across the face.
She already believed Alexander had betrayed her.
But hearing Serena say those things directly shattered the last of her control.
Serena screamed and fell to the ground.
A second later, Alexander rushed toward them.
"Serena!"
He crouched, checked the scrape on Serena's leg, and carefully helped her stand.
Serena threw herself into his arms, crying.
"Alexander, I'm sorry. I didn't move out of the way quickly enough."
Alexander steadied her and looked at Elsa with restrained anger.
"Elsa, I warned you not to cause trouble for Serena."
Elsa exploded.
"If you're blind, go see a doctor! Whether I came here to trouble her, she knows, I know, and heaven knows!"
Their eyes met.
The hurt in Elsa's expression stopped Alexander from answering.
Serena secretly studied him.
She saw it.
Pain for Elsa in his eyes.
"Alexander, my leg really hurts. Can you take me upstairs first?"
She sagged against him while crying.
Alexander bent and lifted her into his arms.
He looked back at Elsa once, then carried Serena into the elevator.
Elsa remained where she was and watched her husband carry the woman he loved away right in front of her.
Ignoring the stabbing pain in her chest, she pulled up her sleeve.
Serena's nails had left bloody marks all along her arm.
Elsa wiped away her tears, repaired her makeup, and went upstairs to meet Mr. Burton.
She would sell the jewelry.
She would divorce Alexander.
She didn't want to wait one more hour.
At the same time, Alexander brought Serena upstairs while the housekeeper immediately treated the scrape on her knee.
Serena sat on the sofa and cried bitterly.
"Alexander, I never expected your wife to find this place. She said the apartment is marital property and told me to move out and return it to her."
She sniffed. "No matter how much I explained, she refused to believe me. She called me a mistress. She said she fought so hard to marry you that she would never divorce you, and that she'd make Ethan live as an illegitimate child forever."
Her voice shook harder.
"I only tried to explain that you and I were already in the past and that I came back for Ethan, not to interfere with your marriage. She wouldn't listen. She hit me and threatened to make Ethan and me disappear completely."
Serena noticed Alexander had become distracted.
She stood and grabbed his arm, tears streaming beautifully down her face.
"Alexander, I'm scared. What are Ethan and I supposed to do?"
Alexander returned to himself and quietly withdrew his arm.
"Don't worry. As long as I'm here, there will always be a place for you and Ethan in Saintville."
After calming Serena for a while, he left in a hurry.
Of course Elsa couldn't bear to divorce him.
Alexander felt almost relieved by the conclusion.
Her softness one day, anger the next, even trying to sell her mother's jewelry—all of it was simply testing him.
That evening, a little after eight, Elsa sat alone in her room staring blankly ahead.
Her phone kept vibrating on the bed.
When she saw Alexander's name, she rejected the call.
A message appeared immediately.
Alexander: You have five minutes. If you don't come downstairs, I'm coming up.
The television was playing in the living room outside.
Elsa hesitated, then stood and changed clothes.
Since she moved home, her parents had cared for her with endless patience and never complained once.
But she knew they were hurting too.
She didn't want Alexander coming upstairs and bringing more stress into their home.
Elsa told her parents she was going down to buy drinks and crossed the road outside the complex.
Alexander lowered the car window. "Get in."
She hesitated, then went around the front and sat in the passenger seat.
"What do you want? Say it quickly."
Alexander studied her cold expression.
His first words were an accusation.
"You say you want a divorce. So why are you still going after Serena?"
Elsa no longer had the energy to explain.
"Divorce me, and I promise I'll never bother her again."
"And if I don't?"
"Then whatever I choose to do about a woman interfering in my marriage is my right."
Alexander's attitude hardened.
"Serena and Ethan are weaker than you and they aren't your match. But they have me behind them. Whatever happens, I'll take responsibility for them to the end."
He paused, then added, "But Elsa, your parents are ordinary people too. Who stands behind them? You?"
The words felt like a knife driven straight into Elsa's heart.
Cold.
Painful.
They had grown up together for more than twenty years.
And now he was threatening her parents for Serena.
Alexander spoke again.
"I'm warning you one last time. Stay away from Serena. Otherwise, you'll bear the consequences."
Elsa lifted her chin, refusing to let her tears fall.
"Alexander, divorce me and I swear I'll never trouble either of them again."
He caught her wrist.
His tone left no room for argument.
"Stop using divorce to test my limits. I know you don't truly want it. I've tolerated your behavior because I know you're upset, but you will have to accept Serena and Ethan's existence and coexist with them."
His eyes held hers.
"I'm leaving for Malan tomorrow for a one-week business trip. When I come back, I expect you to have moved back into our home on your own and remembered where you belong."