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Chapter_73
The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife. Alyssa’s slap still reverberated in the air, and the shocked faces of the people around her only fueled the fire within her. Her heart raced, the adrenaline still pumping through her veins as she stared at Liana’s pained expression.
Jasper’s eyes burned with a mix of anger and confusion. He was torn—torn between the love he once had for Alyssa and the present situation where she was acting so ruthlessly. He couldn’t fathom why she would lash out like this, and yet, a part of him remembered the helplessness he felt watching her endure the cruel words and actions of his family for years.
“Alice, you’ve crossed the line!” Jasper’s voice was a growl, filled with anger, but there was also a hint of hurt in his eyes. He couldn’t bring himself to look at her completely, not when she was so… different from the woman he once knew.
Alyssa’s gaze remained icy, unwavering, and she slowly lowered her hand, which still tingled from the force of the slap. She could see the fury in Jasper’s eyes, but it wasn’t the same fury that used to make her tremble in fear. It was the fury of a man who was angry at being crossed—nothing more, nothing less.
She let out a bitter laugh. “Crossed the line? You and your family have crossed every line imaginable with me. You want to talk about lines, Jasper? Let’s talk about the countless lines you crossed when you sided with them over me, when you let them tear me down, when you let them break me apart without lifting a finger to defend me. But now, now you want to talk about lines?”
Her words were like daggers, each one aimed right at his heart. Jasper flinched, but he couldn’t refute it. Deep down, he knew she was right.
Liana, still nursing her cheek from the slap, shot an accusing glare at Alyssa. “You’re just jealous, aren’t you? You couldn’t keep him, so now you’re trying to ruin my life! You’ll never win, Alice. Jasper will never look at you the way he looks at me.”
Alyssa’s eyes narrowed, and she took a slow, deliberate step toward Liana, her lips curling into a wicked smile. “You think this is about winning Jasper? No. This is about respect. You want to act like you’ve won, like you’ve somehow earned his affection, but you haven’t. You’ve only manipulated him, played him like a fool. And guess what? I’m done watching you do it.”
Jasper clenched his fists, his heart torn between the woman he had once loved and the woman standing before him now, cold and filled with rage. “Enough, Alice. I can’t do this anymore. I can’t keep going back and forth between you and Liana. You both need to stop, or I’m walking away from this whole mess.”
Alyssa felt her chest tighten. His words hit harder than anything else. But she didn’t flinch. She didn’t look away. She had been the one to walk away first, and she wouldn’t let anyone dictate her path anymore.
“Then walk away,” she said softly, her voice almost serene now, but there was a finality to it that hung in the air. “But don’t act like I’m the one who caused this. You’re the one who let it all fall apart.”
Her words hung heavily in the space between them, and for a moment, there was nothing but silence. Liana’s eyes flashed with victory, but deep down, even she could sense the shift in the atmosphere. Jasper wasn’t the same man anymore, not the one she had once had wrapped around her finger.
Finally, Jasper spoke, his voice strained and cold. “I don’t know what to believe anymore. But one thing is certain—you’ve both done enough damage to each other. It’s over, Alice. It’s over.”
Alyssa didn’t respond immediately. She simply turned away, her heart aching, but her resolve stronger than ever. She had fought, she had stood her ground, and she had made her choice. And now, the only thing left to do was walk away.
As she walked out of the room, her steps echoing in the silence, she could almost feel the weight of the decision she had just made. But she knew it was the right one.