Tessa smiled. But Noah was far from relief.

Elena’s cold words and her indifferent gaze kept replaying in his mind. Unease spread through his chest.

His father’s warning rang in his head: ’If she gets tired of you and leaves...’

’No, she won’t leave me,’ Noah muttered inwardly. ’I’ll never let her go.’

He went after her.

"Uh..."

Before he could take a few steps, he heard Tessa’s cry.

He spun around and saw her crouching on the floor, clutching her chest. Panicked, he ran over to her.

"What is it?" he asked anxiously.

"It hurts," she whimpered weakly. "My chest hurts."

"I’ll take you to the hospital."

He scooped her up instantly in his arms.

At the hospital...

When the doctor said Tessa was stable, Noah let out a sigh of relief.

"Just make sure she doesn’t stress out." With those final words, the doctor left.

Noah looked back at Tessa, who was lying weakly on the bed. "You should rest. I need to go back to the office."

But Tessa held his hand. "Don’t leave yet. Stay with me."

"Tessa..." He pulled his hand back. A hint of irritation crept up his face. "You know it’s not Elena’s fault. But she is taking the blame to save you. How could you be so insensitive?"

Tessa speechlessly stared at him.

"I need to get back before the board meeting starts. I can’t let her face the directors’ wrath alone."

"You want to leave me here alone for her?" Her chest tightened with resentment. "You care about her?"

"Of course, I care about her," he said without hesitation. "I told you everything. Elena is my responsibility. And I’ll never abandon her."

His tone was firm and decisive. "Even though I registered our marriage, you can only stay in the shadows. Elena will always be my wife in public. This is what my family owes her father."

Tessa’s eyes reddened instantly. "For one promise, you are willing to sacrifice your own happiness. You clearly don’t love her. Why keep holding onto her? Why don’t you let her go? That’s the only way we can truly be happy."

Those words jolted Noah. Yes, the woman he loved was Tessa. But why couldn’t he bear the thought of Elena leaving him?

"Noah, I am your wife. I want you here with me. Can’t you stay?"

Noah couldn’t ignore her plea. "Alright. I’ll stay with you."

He sat down beside her.

Tessa smiled. "Thank you."

She moved in closer and held his hand, pressing her face against his palm. But beneath that sweet expression, a malicious glint flashed through her eyes.

Noah, on the other end, sat there in distress. Though his body remained with Tessa, his thoughts were fully occupied with Elena. He kept wondering how she was dealing with the furious directors alone.

For the first time, he started regretting forcing her to take the blame. If only he could reach there and stand by her side.

Despite wanting to leave, he stayed until Tessa eventually fell asleep. He slowly rose from the bed, pulled the blanket over her, and walked out quietly.

The door clicked shut behind him.

Tessa opened her eyes, her fingers curling around the blanket.

Fury surged.

"He will never fully accept me as long as Elena is alive," she muttered. "I have to get rid of her."

She sat up. Taking her phone, she called someone.

"Do me a favor..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Noah came back to the office, the board meeting had already ended. His assistant gave him the updates.

"The directors were furious," the assistant said. "When Miss Elena took the blame, they all criticized her harshly and demanded that she resign immediately."

Noah clenched his fists. It was he who had forced her to take the fall, yet when he heard how everyone cursed her, his heart ached.

"Miss Elena agreed to resign."

Noah’s gaze landed on the envelope still lying on his desk.

The assistant took a moment to say the next words carefully. "What happened to her was unfair. She did nothing wrong, yet she became the scapegoat and was punished."

Noah said nothing. Tension spread through his body. An unknown fear tugged at his heart.

’Did I push her too far?’ he wondered.

"This should not have happened," the assistant said with a defeated sigh. "She was blamed for something she didn’t do."

Noah’s restlessness grew. He couldn’t sit still anymore. He rose from his seat and walked out without a word.

~~~~~~~~~

Noah arrived at the villa. He quickened his steps as he headed to the bedroom. The moment he stepped in, his gaze landed on Elena.

She was standing beside the cupboard, placing something inside a box.

He crossed the distance quickly and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

’I am sorry.’ He almost said that, but in the end, the words stuck on the tip of his tongue. His attention went to the box in her hand.

"What are you doing?" he asked softly.

Elena looked down at the box. She had been gathering things she wanted to give him before leaving – proof of her innocence, proof of his betrayal, and everything she wanted him to know after she left.

"I’m preparing a gift for you," she said slowly.

The tension that had gripped his heart eased a bit.

"A gift for me?" He smiled. "Let me see."

He reached for the box, but Elena stepped back and avoided him.

"It’s not ready yet. Don’t be impatient. I’ll give it to you in five days."

Noah was a bit surprised. His smile froze at the corners of his lips. He wondered what gift she was preparing for him. But then, he chuckled.

"I am now curious," he said. "But I’ll wait."

Elena tucked the box inside the cupboard.

"I also have something for you." He held out a small velvet box toward her.

Elena simply stared at it. There was no excitement in her eyes. No anticipation. No joy.

"I brought a new ring for you," he said and opened the box.

Inside was a diamond ring. This time, the diamond was bigger than the previous one. It looked expensive.

"Do you like it?"

Elena no longer wanted anything from him. It didn’t matter how expensive the gift was.

"It’s beautiful," she said quietly.

Hearing that, Noah smiled in satisfaction. "I knew you’d like it."

Taking her hand, he slid the ring onto her ring finger. "Beautiful. It’s perfect for you."

"You didn’t have to spend so much on me." She was about to remove the ring, but he stopped her.

"Everything I have is yours, Elena. This is nothing. I can give you more."

But Elena had stopped desiring anything from him. Her expression gradually turned cold.

"You already gave me so much." She raised her head and stared straight into his eyes. "Anyway, I did what you asked. Now it’s your turn. Approve my resignation."