"What? It's real?" The words struck Xander like a bolt of lightning.

How... how could this happen?

Xander fought to keep his composure, forcing a smile. "Sweetheart, can you tell me what happened between you three?"

Elsa recounted the entire story, holding nothing back this time. "From the moment they met you, Caitlin and Gertrude had a bad impression. They thought you were just playing me, that you weren't sincere at all..."

The more Elsa spoke, the angrier she became. She had treated them like her best friends, and this was how they had treated her.

Xander's heart pounded in his chest with every word. She was insane! Elsa was completely insane! A person of her station, lucky enough to be friends with someone like Caitlin—it was the blessing of several lifetimes, and she had thrown it all away.

If it wasn't for Caitlin, did she really think he would have married someone like her? Now they were married, and she was telling him she had cut ties with Caitlin. What did that make him? A clown?

Xander forced himself to breathe. No. He couldn't get angry. Not yet. What if this was a setup? A test orchestrated by Caitlin and Elsa to see hiotrue colors? Yes. That had to beat. It was a trap After all they had been friends for nearly eight years. It was ridiculous to think Elsa would throw that away for a man she'd only known for a few months.

With that thought, Xander calmed down considerably. He looked at Elsa, his eyes filled with

manufactured emotion. "Honey, can't believe... I can't believe you

went through all that for mei

you

should have told me sooner! I'm so sorry, honey. I wasn't there for you when you needed me. I'm a terrible person, just terrible..."

To drive the point home, Xander raised his hand and began to slap his own face. Each slap was loud and forceful.

Elsa had harbored a tiny fear that Caitlin was right-that Xander had only proposed to her as a shortcut to get to Caitlin. But now, she saw the truth. If Xander had married her for Caitlin's connections he would be furious right now instead he wasn't angry at all. He was blaming himself, hitting himself out of guilt. This was proof of how much he truly loved her!

Elsa quickly grabbed his hand, her eyes red with tears. "No, no, honey, it's not your fault! None of this is your fault! It's Caitlin and the others who were being small- minded and judgmental. Actually, this whole thing was for the best. It showed me Caitlin and Gertrude's true characters!"

She had traded something small for something much better. She may have lost two fake friends, but she had gained true love. If she had let Xander go, would she ever find a man as good as him again? Impossible.

Xander, his eyes still red, said, "Honey, if you knew from the beginning that Miss Kensington and Miss Gertrude thought I wasn't good enough for you, why didn't you tell me? If you had told me, I would have stepped aside! Now, because of me, your eight-year friendship is ruined."

He finished with an expression of profound self-reproach. It was all an act, but it was a masterful one.