Chapter 113

She quietly sealed up to the doctor’s office like she had done it countless times before, peeking in through the door from outside.

At that moment, someone was inside. "Are you talking about Dr. White? He’s the one you like?" she blurted out. "How could you fall for him?"

Frederick shot her a look that clearly said, "I told you so."

"She’s been into him since she was little, but he hardly even notices her," he said flatly. "She’s been faking all sorts of illnesses just to see him. She’s had a thing for him for years but never had the guts to tell him."

She looked quietly heartbroken as she kept her eyes on him.

"It’s not that I don’t want to tell him," she said under her breath. "I just…"

Her voice trailed off, pressing her lips into a thin line.

Inside the office, Dr. White was sitting at his desk when the curtain at the back of the room lifted. Alicia walked out.

"Dr. White, will my face really be okay?" she asked softly.

Her eyes were still red. The gash on her forehead had been stitched, and the disinfectant made the fine sutures stand out under the harsh light.

Her cheeks were covered in small scratches. Some were bleeding, while others were just swollen. Most of them were clearly caused by Aria’s fingernails. Unless she was prone to scarring, they likely would not leave any lasting marks.

However, the small cut on her forehead was a different story. After all, it had been stitched up.

Dr. White stood up and walked over to Alicia. With his back to us, he gently lifted his hand to touch her cheek, carefully avoiding the wounded area.

"Don’t worry, I’ll do everything I can to make sure there’s no scar," he said.

There was a heaviness in his voice, as if he truly felt for her.

"The other doctor said there’s no way it won’t scar," Alicia murmured. "My face used to be flawless. I just don’t want some ugly mark ruining it."

Her voice trembled, and her eyes were already brimming with tears.

Just as I was wondering why Alicia was even here alone, a familiar voice chimed in, "Can’t you just cover it up?"

I turned toward the voice and saw Jonathan sitting on a couch to the side.

The first thing that caught my eye was his long legs wrapped in tailored suit pants, draped smoothly to the ankle. His polished, logo-free leather shoes gleamed against the floor.

Jonathan sat there with his usual air of effortless indifference. His dark eyes were cool and unreadable. Even without doing anything, he gave off that cold, detached air of someone who was used to being in control.

Hearing Jonathan’s words, Alicia’s eyes grew even redder.

She walked over to him, looking pitiful. "I’m afraid. This scar is right on my face. How am I supposed to hide it?"

Jonathan glanced at her, then raised a hand to his forehead like he couldn’t understand why this was such a big deal.

"You can cover it with your hair," he said flatly.

After a pause, he added, "And even if you can’t, it’s not the end of the world."

Alicia broke down right there.

"How can you say that?" she sobbed. "It’s a huge gash. People are already saying I was almost disfigured. Jonathan, do you have any idea what something like that…"

I stayed outside the door, listening to her whine and guilt-trip him.

"She’s doing it again," she muttered. "Everything was already settled between the families. Jonathan even offered compensation, but now she’s stirring things up. She’s obviously trying to get him to take her side."

Frederick glanced at her but didn’t say anything. His silence pretty much confirmed he felt the same.

"She always does this. Whenever Jonathan doesn’t give her what she wants, she runs to Dr. White like he’s her backup plan."

Chapter 113

I glanced at her. "Are you telling me Jonathan likes Alicia too?"

Aria nodded reluctantly. "Most likely…"

Truthfully, I had already sensed something. Every time Dr. White showed even the slightest bit of special treatment toward Alicia, Jonathan happened to be nearby. That was why I held off on making any attempts of my own. I figured maybe they were just childhood friends with a close bond.

But now, looking at the situation, things were clearly much more complicated.

Jonathan insisted he only saw Alicia as a sister, but it seemed like the two of them had been toeing the line of something more for a long time.

I couldn’t understand what was going through 18-year-old Elise’s mind. Why was I getting myself caught up in this mess?

Maybe I didn’t realize it at first and just fell head over heels, but once I started sensing something was wrong, I should have pulled myself out right away.

I shared my thoughts, but Aria looked at me with disapproval. "You can’t say that. Feelings do not just disappear because you tell them to. People are not machines with an off switch. When you’re in it, you’re lost. You cannot expect yourself to walk away that easily."

I nodded quietly and fell into thought, saying nothing. She was right. Back then, I had completely lost myself to love. Everything I had—my attention, my time, my nature—was given to Jonathan. I had pushed aside my friends, ignored my career, and poured my entire world into one man.

How could every last thing he said or did not shake me?

Even a single look from him could tear through my emotions like a storm. Every moment he spent with Alicia felt like a direct blow to my heart.

I was so deeply blind in my admiration for Jonathan that walking away wasn’t even an option.

If it weren’t for losing those five years of memory after a suicide attempt, I might still be trapped in that pit, begging Jonathan for just a glance.

That thought sent chills down my spine.

If I hadn’t lost my memory, I would probably still be stuck in that mess, begging Jonathan to notice me.

I took a deep breath and said, "Maybe you should look for someone else. Dr. White doesn’t seem like the type to fall for just anyone, and Alicia isn’t exactly innocent either. Even if she doesn’t like him, she probably wouldn’t let her backup plan just walk away."

Before I could finish, Aria interrupted sharply, "Who are you to say that? You’ve been there yourself. Why are you lecturing me?"

I was surprised. "Were you not the one mocking me for losing myself over Jonathan? You said I should not be that obsessed with a man."

"I said that as Fred’s sister!" Aria shot back. "From his point of view, I couldn’t stand watching you chase after Jonathan like that. But as a woman, I…"

Before she could say more, Frederick smacked the top of her head with his hand. "Get that nonsense out of your head!"

I tried to reason with her. "You haven’t fallen that deep for him yet, so why not take a step back and meet a few other people? There are plenty of people out there, and many are even better than Dr. White. Once you get to know more of them, you’ll see he’s really not that special."

"I don’t care!" Aria shouted, taking a step back. "Why should I give up on him? You never gave up on Jonathan, so why can’t you give Fred a chance?"