The moment Tessa stepped away, Catherine grabbed Noah’s arm and pulled him to the corner.

"Mom..." Noah was surprised. "What’s wrong?"

When they came to a quieter corner of the hall, Catherine turned to him sharply. "Why did you bring Tessa here?" she hissed.

"I told you already," replied Noah. "She is sick because of the knife she took back then. I want to repay her favor and take care of her."

"I know, but you should keep a distance from her," Catherine warned. "You are married now. What will Elena think?"

The loud crashing sound echoed through the hall before Noah could reply. Their conversations halted.

Heads turned.

When Noah saw Tessa lying on the floor, surrounded by broken glasses, he panicked.

"Tessa." He hurried over to her and squatted in front of her.

Tessa looked up at him with tears in her eyes, making a wronged expression. "I... I only wanted to talk to her," she choked. "But she pushed me."

She pointed at Elena.

Whispers erupted.

"Elena did that?"

"I didn’t expect this from her?"

"She is always sensible. How could she do that?"

"I thought she was calm..."

Dozens of eyes turned to Elena, passing judgments.

"Elena," Noah snarled. "Apologize to her."

Elena was still in shock. She couldn’t believe someone would frame her like that for something she had not done. And Noah’s words only deepened the ache in her heart.

"Do you think I did that?" she asked.

"Or what?" Noah’s face darkened. "You pushed her. You should accept your mistake and apologize."

"Huh..." Elena let out a hollow chuckle. "I didn’t push her. And there is no way I’ll apologize to her."

Murmurs grew louder.

"She denied it?"

"What does she mean she didn’t push her?"

"Poor Tessa..."

Noah helped Tessa to her feet, then he stepped toward Elena and grabbed her hand tightly.

"You have caused enough of a scene," he muttered. "Tessa is a guest. And you treated her like that, humiliating her in front of everyone. Have you no shame?"

Elena glared at him. "Why should I feel ashamed when I did nothing wrong?"

She twisted her wrist and broke free from his grasp.

Noah’s patience was about to snap. "You mean she fell on her own? Stop making excuses. Apologize."

Elena’s expression turned cold. "There are cameras everywhere. Check the footage if you want the truth."

Tessa’s face paled instantly. She had not thought that the cameras were installed inside the hall. If Noah found out the truth, he would hate her. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"That’s enough," Noah roared. "I don’t need to check the footage. I trust her. She won’t lie."

Those words crushed Elena completely. All the time she had spent with him, the love she had poured into him—it suddenly felt meaningless.

She felt like nothing more than a joke.

"Don’t make things worse. Apologize."

He pushed Elena.

Her ankle twisted, and she lost her balance. She fell onto the floor, her palm slamming against a shard of glass.

"Um..." She whimpered in pain, her eyes closing. Blood spread instantly.

Noah’s expression froze. He instinctively tried to reach Elena.

"Ugh..." Tessa grabbed his arm. "My leg hurts."

Noah turned his focus to Tessa. "I’m taking you out of here."

In a swift motion, he lifted her in his arms and carried her out. He didn’t check on Elena. He didn’t even look back at her.

Elena watched him leave, her fingers curling over the shard. ’He didn’t trust me. He didn’t even verify whether Tessa was telling the truth.’

She understood clearly that nothing was left in this relationship.

The guests didn’t stop whispering.

"She pushed someone and refused to apologize. Now, she is acting like a victim."

"She is shameless."

"Let’s not pay attention to her. She deserves it."

Everyone walked away.

Elena remained on the floor with the shard still embedded in her palm. But those humiliating words hurt her more.

"Get up." Catherine reached out and pulled her up.

Elena opened her mouth to explain.

"You disappointed us, Elena," Catherine spoke first, her tone cold and detached. "There was no need to be jealous of Tessa."

The words shattered whatever little remained.

Jealous?

Elena almost laughed. ’Everyone blamed me, thought I was jealous. But no one bothered to check what really happened.’

"Go and clear yourself." With that, Catherine stepped back.

Elena stood there, tears silently falling down her cheeks. She didn’t know when the party was over and when the guests had started leaving.

She slowly pulled the shard out of her palm. Blood dripped onto the marble floor. But she didn’t feel the pain anymore. Because something inside her hurt far worse than this.

She was the last one to leave the hall.

"Madam, do you have a car?" a guard stationed outside the hall asked, breaking her trance.

Elena shook her head. "I’ll take a taxi," she replied in a daze.

The middle-aged man sighed. "You won’t get a taxi here. And the weather..."

Thunder cracked across the sky before he could finish his sentence.

Elena looked up at the dark sky. She thought for a while and then asked, "Is there a hotel nearby?"

"There is one 5 kilometers away from here," he said. "You will have to walk. But the rain has already started."

"Thanks. I can manage."

Elena stepped into the rain. Cold wind hit her. Raindrops soaked her.

She hugged herself as she walked down, her teeth chattering uncontrollably. Taking out her phone, she dialed a number.

When the call connected, she said urgently, "Mr. Rowan, could you send someone to pick me up? I am in trouble, stranded on an empty road."

"Send the location."

With her trembling fingers, she shared the location.

The thunder roared. The rain poured down heavily. Elena continued walking ahead, not sure where the road was taking her. Her vision blurred, tears mingling with the rainwater on her cheeks.

She couldn’t understand what she had done to deserve this. The man she had loved for years had abandoned her. The people she thought loved her, cared for her, and trusted her had turned their backs without hesitation.

They all thought she had lied. They believed everything Tessa had said without even verifying it.

"You are such a loser, Elena," she muttered. "You thought they were your family, that they meant everything. But to them, you are nothing at all."

Her heart ached. "They didn’t even ask how I’d go back. They simply left me."

Her steps faltered. She slipped and fell. Her already injured hand hurt even more.

She laughed bitterly.

"Look at yourself. What a mess you are."

The rain poured harder. The road blurred. Her vision dimmed.

In the meantime, the horn blared.

She looked up.

A car stopped in front of her. The glaring headlights made her lift her arm to shield her eyes.

The door opened, and a tall man in a black suit stepped out.

He approached her, another man following him with an umbrella in his hand.

Elena blinked the raindrops clinging to her long eyelashes as she looked at the man standing in front of her.

His face was stoic, unreadable. But his dark eyes held something soft. His presence was overwhelming, but not intimidating.

"Miss Elena Hart?" His voice was deep.

Elena looked at him in a trance-like state. She forgot to respond.

"I am Elias Rowan." He stretched his hand toward her. "Grandpa sent me to pick you up."