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Iletoutasharp laugh. “Oh, really?Then why am I the one married to Jonathan, and notyou?”

I stepped closer,looked at Alicia with indifference, and said in a sincere tone,“Youcould’vehad him marry you. I never stopped that from happening. So, why didn’tyoumake him do it?”

The look on her face was awful, and her whole expression seemed contorted with frustration. She looked like she wanted to lunge at me, but then noticed the people watching and swallowed her anger, biting down hard on her lip.

I let out a cold snort and turned to leave.

The venue was massive, and finding Frederick wasn’t exactly easy. I had no choice but to weave through the crowd.

The whole party was extravagant. It was clearly a sign of how much Jonathan valued Alicia. The champagne tower alone looked like it had over a hundred layers. It was grand, towering, and people instinctively kept their distance as they passed by.

Far ahead, I spotted a familiar figure that looked like Frederick’s. My eyes lit up, and I lifted the hem of my dress to head in his direction. But just then, steady footsteps sounded behind me, and I heard Jonathan’s deep voice.

“Elise,” he called my name, but I pretended not to hear him. I didn’t even want to look back and just picked up my pace toward Frederick.

I walked faster, trying to lose Jonathan behind me, but when I turned my head again, Frederick

was no longer in sight. I spun around, scanning the crowd. After a while, I finally spotted him not too far away.

“Frederick!” I called out and began to run toward him.

I had only taken a few steps when I noticed a server on the other side pushing a dessert cart toward the champagne tower. He didn’t see it, and the cart clipped the edge of the table before the champagne tower started to sway, trembling on its base.

I looked up and saw Frederick and Jonathan both standing close by, neither of them aware of what was coming down right above them.

My heart jumped into my throat. Blood rushed through me in reverse. In a split second, I lunged forward and shoved Frederick out of the way. “Watch out!”

I shouted at the top of my lungs, and everyone looked over.

The champagne tower suddenly tipped and came crashing down from above, shattering against the floor with a loud, splintering crash. The sound was piercing, like it cut straight through to

one’s bones.

I pulled Frederick aside, my chest heaving wildly. I hadn’t even had time to check if he was okay before I instinctively turned to look at the spot where Jonathan had been standing. If he hadn’t moved in time, he might’ve been hit by all that falling glass.

Chapter 144

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But the spot was empty. Only broken shards of glass and puddles of spilled champagne remained.Noone was on the ground, and there was no blood.

That meant he’d gotten out of the way in time.

Relieved, Ilookedup and locked eyes with Jonathan, standing on the other side.

He was just staring at me. Even from several feet away, with people between us, I could see the pure shock and grief in his eyes that took my breath away.

I had never seen him look like that. There was anger, sorrow, and a kind of confusion he couldn’t seem to suppress. Like he didn’t understand what had just happened. He just stood there, staring at me, and at Frederick beside me.3

He didn’t say a word.

Someone nearby screamed, and people started rushing toward him.

“Mr. Ford! Are you okay?”

“Jonathan! Are you hurt?”

Alicia and her parents circled around him, frantic, like they were terrified something had happened, but he didn’t say anything and just kept looking at me. His eyes still held that suffocating sadness, but it quickly vanished behind the usual mask of calm he always wore.

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