She Left She Thrived She’s Worth Billions novel Chapter 1039

That local dance...

It meant all of that?

Melanie was momentarily speechless.

No wonder he had lost it.

When he had returned, she had been just inches away from completing the entire circle with Sebastian.

"But... I didn't know..."

She murmured defensively.

You couldn't blame someone for what they didn't know.

She was entirely unfamiliar with Luna Isle.

And he hadn't bothered to explain the profound significance behind the tradition before leaving her there.

Looking back, it all made sense—why he had manufactured an excuse just to drag her out to this festival.

The festival itself was a front. What he truly wanted was to dance the complete circle with her around the statue, seeking a blessing for their relationship.

Her lips pressed into a thin line.

She understood his anger now.

But his reaction had still been way out of line.

"If you had just told me beforehand, I wouldn't have danced with him."

Hearing her grumble, he fired back softly.

"If I had told you beforehand, would you have even come?"

"..."

She opened her mouth, but the words died in her throat.

Met with her silence, he frowned, letting out a heavy, hollow sigh.

She couldn't tell if that sigh meant he was disappointed in her or just deeply wounded. A strange weight settled on her chest.

"At the end of the day, you took forever just to buy some drinks!"

She complained, shifting the blame.

"If you had hurried back, I wouldn't have run into him in the first place! So... what exactly took you so long?!"

She only asked the question casually.

Deep down, she felt guilty for upsetting him and was subconsciously trying to throw some of the responsibility back on his shoulders to alleviate her own pressure.

"She was being beaten by her fiancé."

She blinked, her gaze hardening.

So her earlier hunch had been right.

Elara's heavy, inappropriate smoky makeup for a beach festival was exactly what she had thought: a cover-up for Alistair's abuse.

"You swooped in to save the day. I bet she was incredibly grateful, wasn't she?"

The sour jealousy leaked out before she could stop it.

"No."

He shook his head.

"She cursed me out."

Melanie let out a dismissive scoff, rolling her shoulders.

He played the knight in shining armor, and Elara cursed him out?

Yeah, right.

Her imagination vividly painted the scene of him defending his ex, and an uncomfortable tightness gripped her chest.