Elsa's words were the perfect example of trying too hard to cover something up, which ended up making her act even more obvious.
I watched her with calm amusement, shrugging my shoulders nonchalantly.
"Health is important. You should hurry and grab it for her."
With my approval, Jeremiah immediately stood up and left, clearly eager not to waste a single second. Anyone who didn't know might think Elsa was suffering from a heart attack instead of depression.
As Jeremiah walked away, Elsa turned to me and cautiously asked, "Jane, have you and Jeremiah really made up?"
I neither nodded nor shook my head but propped my chin up and asked in return, "Isn't this exactly what you've always wanted? Didn't you always claim to want to see Jeremiah and me reconcile? Then why do you look so unhappy to see us having a meal together?"
Elsa quickly forced a laugh. "Of course not. Seeing you two make up, I'm even happier than if I were in a relationship myself."
I smiled. "Really? That's too bad… If I don't divorce Jeremiah, some people won't have the chance to marry him and enter the Cornell family. To stay with him without any official status… Well, that's not something just anyone can pull off."
At my words, Elsa's face turned pale, but she still managed to force a smile.
"Don't worry. Jeremiah's got me. Nothing's going to happen."
Just as she was speaking, the desserts arrived. Many elegant little plates were placed in front of Elsa.
She pretended to hesitate as she looked at the desserts, then pushed the melting ice cream in the corner toward me. "Jane, try it. The ice cream here is delicious."
I calmly stared at the ice cream but made no move to touch it.
Seeing my lack of response, she suddenly seemed to realize something and pulled the ice cream back while apologizing. "I'm really sorry. I forgot you're allergic to peanuts."
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Revenge is best served cold