Chapter 391 He Wants to Protect Her for a Lifetime
Elizabeth smiled faintly and looked up at Alexander. "You had your reasons, didn't you?"
Alexander froze.
He knew she was sharp—she could read between the lines with just a glance.
"What do you mean?" he asked, still feigning confusion.
"The Guise family escaped to Star Island, didn't they?" Elizabeth said quietly.
Alexander nodded. "Yes."
"Two days ago, you were supposed to fly with me to visit my hometown. We'd already reached the airport when you suddenly changed your mind—all because you had to handle the Guise family's escape, right?"
"That's right."
"And Declan helped them, didn't he?" Elizabeth knew that without Declan's assistance, the Guise family could never have reached Star Island.
Alexander felt a surge of pride at his wife's perceptiveness. "You've figured it all out."
Elizabeth's tears flowed harder as she collapsed into Alexander's arms. The wound of betrayed family ties cut deep.
Alexander cupped her face gently. "Have you thought about what Declan really means to you?"
Elizabeth's response was ice-cold. "He means nothing to me! Absolutely nothing! And he never will!"
Alexander fell silent.
Suddenly, Elizabeth wiped away her tears and forced a smile. "You mentioned you had a surprise for me earlier. What is it?"
"Yesterday afternoon, Gavin started looking for a burial site for your father. He's found a beautiful spot in a memorial park—peaceful and serene. He just called; would you like to see it?"
Elizabeth nodded. "Thank you, darling."
The endearment rolled off her tongue naturally now.
After breakfast, Alexander left for the office to handle business matters—he'd been away for two days and needed to catch up. Elizabeth drove alone to drop Alice off at kindergarten, then returned home to change into a black coat and sunglasses before taking her father's urn to the cemetery Gavin had selected.
The memorial park lay in the northern part of the city, nestled between rolling hills and a tranquil lake. At the entrance, a staff member greeted her warmly. "Ms. Spencer? Please follow me."
The employee led Elizabeth to a prepared plot where a headstone already stood, bearing her father's name.
Elizabeth's composure crumbled as she knelt before the grave. "Dad."
Her childhood had been painted in shades of gray, but her father's love had been the one bright constant. Yet this man who had cherished her so deeply hadn't lived to see her grow up. To shelter her and her mother in that small village, he had endured countless insults and pressures that no one would ever fully understand.
"Dad, this place is so peaceful, free from all the chaos and conflict. Alice, my husband, and I will visit you regularly. I promise I'll find Mom—if she's alive, I'll bring her to you; if she's gone, I'll bring her ashes here so you can be together. You'll never be alone, Dad." Elizabeth's voice broke as sobs wracked her body.
After what felt like hours, gentle hands touched her shoulders. She turned to see Alexander, dressed in black with dark sunglasses, his usual commanding presence softened by grief. Without hesitation, this powerful, untouchable man knelt beside her before the headstone.
"Dad," Alexander's voice was clear and steady, "I promise to take care of Elizabeth for the rest of my life. You can rest in peace knowing she's safe with me."
Elizabeth stared at him in wonder. For so long, she had struggled just to find a place to belong, to ensure her daughter wouldn't face the same rootless existence she had endured. Now, finally, her deepest wish had come true—she was with the man she loved, and they had a child together.
"Dad," she whispered, "we're a family of three now. You don't have to worry about anyone hurting me anymore. I'm truly happy."
Thinking of everything she now possessed, Elizabeth felt that every hardship, every moment of pain, had been worth it. As the saying went, there was no rainbow without rain. Whatever the future held—whether Alexander could take Star Island or not—she would stand by her husband through thick and thin.
Till death do us part.
After laying her father to rest, Elizabeth returned to work the next day. Unlike before, she drove herself, dropping Alice at kindergarten first, then heading to the office. Each morning, as she left their neighborhood, she found herself glancing around hopefully, searching for the homeless woman who might be her mother. She saw nothing.
At the company, Elizabeth felt a surge of warmth returning to her beloved workspace after three days away.
"Elizabeth, you're finally back!" Austin called out.
"Finally? I was only gone three days," she laughed.
"Those three days brought us a massive project," the supervisor interjected, approaching with a stack of documents. "A luxury townhouse development. Each unit needs custom details while maintaining overall cohesion—quite the challenge. Sorry to hit you with this on your first day back."
"I'm excited!" Elizabeth's eyes lit up. "Let me dive into these materials right away."
The new project energized Elizabeth completely. She worked through lunch, ordering takeout to her desk, too absorbed to check on Julia and Harper upstairs. By evening, she was running late to pick up Alice and had to rush to the kindergarten.
On the drive home, Alice chattered excitedly about her day at school. Just as they neared home, Julia called.
"Julia, I'm so sorry I was too swamped to have lunch with you and Harper today," Elizabeth apologized immediately.
Julia's heavy sigh came through the phone. "Elizabeth—"
Suddenly, Elizabeth slammed on the brakes and shouted out the window, "Wait! Don't go! Please wait!"
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