Giselle moved further away and put distance between herself and Alex.
Alex's voice was gentle as he said, "Giselle, Tracy twisted her ankle last night. I had no choice but to bring her back. Her parents are abroad, so I'm the only one she has in Rosewood."
He pulled her into his arms and made her stay in his arms. "Don't be upset. We’re getting married soon. Besides, Tracy even said she wanted to be your bridesmaid, she’s really happy for us."
Giselle’s lips curled into a cold smile. "So, I should cook for Tracy, right?"
The corner of Alex's lips hooked into a smile, “Giselle, I've already asked Lea to do it, it'll be ready later.”
Giselle observed Alex's face as he wondered.
When did the man before her become so calculating? In front of Tracy, he played the role of a caring brother, and yet he shared a bed with her, he played the role of a devoted fiancé. He made it seem like everything he did was for her, while also he was balancing his so-called responsibility to Tracy.
For a long time, she had foolishly believed that Alex was just being overly considerate. However, the photos and videos Tracy occasionally sent her … had torn her heart apart.
These two gigabytes of high-definition photos and video were ironclad proofs of Alex's betrayal over the past ten years.
Alex's voice remained soft. "Please take care of Tracy, will you Giselle? As you know … You know… Gerald Lombard died because of me. The least I can do is look after Tracy for the rest of my life. It's the only way I can make it up to him."
He then reached into his pocket and took out a bracelet. Giselle immediately recognized. It was the same bracelet in those photos that Tracy sent last night, that had been wrapped around her ankle, and today Alex gave it as a gift for her.
With practiced ease, he fastened it around her wrist and kissed her forehead gently as he murmured, "Giselle, I can finally marry you."
Ten years ago, her parents had betrayed and schemed against each other, and those experiences had shattered any faith she had in love. However, at that time, Alex stayed by her side and comforted her, and after her parents divorced and remarried, she became the victim of their marriage. She became the unwanted child, that no one wanted to support with love or care, let alone with money.
Through that, it was only Alex took her in. He hugged her and said, "Even if they don't want you, I do. Giselle, you're mine and my most precious treasure."
He had kept his promise. When the Shaw family disapproved of their relationship, he chose to attend a different university with her. Over the past ten years, he had worked tirelessly, becoming outstanding, brilliant, and wealthy.
For the past ten years, she was practically supported by Alex. In their relationship, Alex had given his all, and it had warmed her heart.
She had fallen in love with him in their third year together. It was the night he got into a car accident while rushing to pick her up. She had witnessed it with her own eyes.
At that moment the gut-wrenching pain that she felt had been unbearable. That was when she knew that she loved him.
Yet, the moment she arrived at the hospital; Alex did not care about his own bleeding injuries on his arm. All he cared about was the tears on her face.
His trembling hand had reached for her face, and his voice filled with tenderness. "Giselle, don’t cry. I’m okay. Really, I’m okay."
***
Back to the present, Giselle carried a bowl of cream soup into the room, while Alex was in the study room.
Seeing it was her, Tracy who was lying in bed, ceased all her pretense. She deliberately pulled down the neckline of her shirt, and Giselle immediately saw the hickey that covered her collarbone.
"Giselle, thank you so much. Since Alex dotes on me the most, I became a hassle for you," she said. Her voice dripped with false sweetness.
Giselle said indifferently, "You are right. You could have done all this yourself, couldn’t you?"
Tracy smirked, "Alex insisted that I be your bridesmaid. Do you agree about that, Giselle?"
She got up from the bed. Her ankle was perfectly fine. Giselle had expected that Tracy had been faking the whole thing so she was not surprised.
Suddenly, Tracy collapsed onto the floor and burst into tears as she wailed, "Giselle, I know you don’t like me, but it was Alex who took me here. How could you treat me like this?"
