Chapter 52: He is my husband.
Noah instantly loosened his grip. His face lost color. "What lie? I am not lying."
Elena chuckled coldly. "Remember the day I entered the Sinclair family."
Something unsettling stirred within him. His legs moved back subconsciously.
How could he forget?
He remembered everything that had happened fifteen years ago in detail.
"I was sad," she added. "I had just lost the person I loved most. I didn’t know who to trust or where to turn. Then you came to me."
She looked directly into his clear blue eyes.
He had been eighteen at the time: young, vibrant, and dependable.
To a frightened ten-year-old girl, he had seemed like the safest person in the world. He had talked to her gently, carefully, and patiently.
’You are safe here. This family is your family now. And I’ll always protect you.’ Those words had become her lifeline.
Little by little, she had lowered her guard and began trusting him. With no parents, Noah became her sole support, her entire world, and her greatest source of comfort.
In the end, the person she had trusted and relied on the most had betrayed her.
"You said you would never leave me, never lie to me, and always protect me."
Noah felt his heart quiver with uneasiness.
At the time, he had only been trying to comfort a crying little girl. He had never imagined she would have taken them so seriously that she still remembered every single word for fifteen years.
"But you lied," she went on. Her voice was calm, far too calm. "Every single time."
"No..." He shook his head. "Elena..."
"I trusted you," she said, cutting him off. "I truly believed I still had a family even after losing my dad. I dreamed of building a future with you."
"We are still a family," he said desperately, holding her shoulders. "We can build our future together. Please come with me."
"No..." The answer was immediate, cold, and decisive. She shoved his hands away. "There is no future for us."
"Don’t say that." Panic crossed his face. "We are still husband and wife."
Elena sneered. Even now, he kept pretending, refusing to tell her the truth.
She opened her mouth to speak when Elias’s voice came out from the other side of the door.
"Elena, are you there?"
Elena’s blood ran cold. "Elias!"
Noah closed his hands into fists. His features were etched with dangerous fury.
"Are you afraid he’ll find you with me?" he hissed, pressing her against the wall.
"Let go of me." She shoved at him, but he leaned further toward her.
"Let you go? So you could run back to that guy?" A storm of rage unfurled in his eyes. "You have gone too far this time. You hooked up with another man just to make me jealous? This is outrageous."
"Elena," Elias called again, louder this time. "Are you inside? Look, I am coming in."
Fear flashed through Elena. She didn’t want Elias to misunderstand.
Noah sneered. "Let him come in. He should know who you belong to."
Before Elena could react, he leaned over and smacked his lips against hers.
"Mmph..." Elena fought hard.
She turned her face aside, but he gripped her jaw tightly and forced another kiss upon her.
Disgust flooded her.
She pounded her fists against his chest, clawed at his arms, and tried to push his face away. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t shove him away.
Outside, Elias couldn’t stay calm. He had a feeling that something wasn’t right with her. He pushed the door open and entered. But he came to a standstill the moment he saw the scene.
"You bastard." His furious roar echoed through the restroom. "Let go of her."
He stormed forward and pulled Noah away by his collar.
Elena gasped for breath. Revulsion churned inside her stomach. She wiped her lips ruthlessly.
"You, how dare you touch her?" Elias slammed Noah against the counter and drove a punch straight into his face.
Pain shot through Noah’s jaw. Blood immediately appeared on the corner of his mouth.
But Noah barely felt it. He retaliated. He swung his fist at Elias and hit him in the stomach.
Elias doubled over. The air rushed out of his lungs.
"Stay away from my woman." Noah grabbed his collar, hitting him again. This time, his fist connected with Elias’s face.
Blood streamed from Elias’s nose.
"Stop..." Elena cried out in a frenzy.
But the two men were furious enough to listen to her. They charged at each other again.
Their fists collided. Their eyes burned with hatred. Muscles strained as they struggled for dominance.
Neither was willing to back down.
Helpless and desperate, Elena rushed over and shoved Noah away with all her strength.
Noah stumbled backward, his back hitting the counter. He groaned in pain. But Elena didn’t come to help him.
She didn’t ask him if he was okay. She didn’t even spare a glance at him. Instead, she went to that stranger.
Noah’s heart dropped. His shoulders stiffened. Watching her hold another man felt like a knife being driven into his chest.
He wanted to jump over and pull her toward him. But he didn’t move. He couldn’t.
It felt as though all the strength had drained from his body.
"Oh, my God, you are bleeding again." Elena’s hands trembled as she cupped Elias’s face.
Elias’s eyes softened. Warmth replaced the fury in his heart. "It’s nothing. I am fine."
Elena didn’t believe it. "Don’t act like you don’t feel any pain. You are not made of steel."
At that, he grinned. "When you care for me so much, how can I feel any pain?"
Elena blinked away the tears that threatened to fall. She took out a handkerchief from her bag and wiped the blood off his face, her movements gentle and careful.
Noah’s heart ached even more. "I got hurt, too," he murmured hoarsely. "But you are taking care of him, a stranger. What about me?"
Elena didn’t look at him instantly. Only after she finished cleaning the blood from Elias’s face did she look at Noah.
"You are injured or not, it has nothing to do with me."
The distance in her tone hurt him more than anything.
"If you need help, go find Tessa."
"Elena..." Noah exploded, losing his patience. "You are my wife. And you are asking me to find another woman. This is too much. Come here right now, or I’ll destroy that man you care about."
Elena stood in front of Elias as if shielding him. "Touch him, and I’ll make you regret it."
Her words struck him speechless. Noah looked at her as though he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
Even Elias was stunned. Then a wave of satisfaction spread through his chest. She had chosen him over Noah. And she had even defended him openly.
It seemed that the relationship between them had been improving. A dangerous hope rolled up to his chest.
’Is she falling for me?’
Before he could dwell on that thought, Noah’s voice rang out loud inside the small room.
"Are you defending him? A stranger?"
"He is not a stranger," she snapped. "He is my husband."