Separate Weddings, Separate Lives novel Chapter 20

The pain cut through Louisa like a blade, sharp enough to steal her breath. She wrenched her hand free from Elijah's grasp and walked straight up to Thaddeus, slapping him hard across the face.

She stared at him, trembling, her gaze unsteady. "Thaddeus, you're shameless."

Thaddeus looked at the hand that had struck him, his blood smeared on her palm. He knew exactly how despicable he was being, but he had no other choice. It was the only way to stop her from marrying Elijah.

As long as Thaddeus stopped the wedding, he could still find a way to get back together with her.

Elijah had been calm until that moment, but now his dark eyes gleamed with cold, lethal intensity. It was as if a silent storm swept through the hall. Everyone present held their breath.

He was the heir of the Holten family, a man so untouchable that even trouble avoided him. Yet today, he had been humiliated in front of everyone. It was something none of them had ever seen before.

Just as everyone assumed Thaddeus would not leave this place in one piece, Elijah instead reached out for Louisa's hand. He pulled the expensive silk handkerchief from his pocket and carefully wiped the blood from her fingers.

Elijah did not spare Thaddeus a single glance, as though the man was not even worth looking at.

"Mr. Cromwell, you said all those things only to provoke me, hoping I would abandon Louisa, but you're wrong. Since I chose to marry her, I accept everything about her, including her past.

"You keep saying you love her, yet you humiliate her in front of everyone. Now I finally understand why she left you," Elijah said.

Every word landed with weight, especially that sentence about accepting all of Louisa. No one had expected it, even Louisa herself.

"Please see Mr. Cromwell out," Elijah said, lifting his hand as he finished speaking. The handkerchief stained with Thaddeus' blood was tossed aside.

Thaddeus, who had been shouting and struggling moments earlier, fell silent. Only then did the comparison make him realize how ridiculous he looked, nothing more than a cheap clown.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify