He was wrong, though. Anastasia was not trembling because of panic; she was. trembling out of shock.
She tried to: recollect her thoughts without panicking.
Elliot had said that he recognized Hayley through a watch, and that night, it was Anastasia who threw the watch onto the floor when the man gave it to her.
The room was booked under Hayleyâs name, so her phone number appeared in the registration. The staff who found the watch would naturally contact the person who booked the room, leading to the watch landing in her hands..
Elliot, who found Hayley through the list, thought that she was the woman who had a one night stand with him. As for why Jared looked so much like himâ¦.
It was becauseâ¦
The man whom she had a one night stand with was right in front of her! Anastasia was caught in a dilemma as he was, simultaneously, the person she hated and loved the most.
This torrent of emotions washed over her, making her shudder in thought. âTurn on the lights!â Elliot told the gaffer, since he detected that something must have happened to Anastasia to make her tremble all over.
The gaffer turned on the lights to the sight of Elliot embracing Anastasia protectively. Buried in his chest, Anastasia took a few deep breaths before lowering her head and seeing the diamond ring on the carpet.
Gently pushing Elliot away, she bent down to pick up the ring and proceeded to put it on his finger. âI have something to tell you.â Anastasia looked up at him, teary-eyed.
This made Elliotâs heart pang. Why is she crying all of a sudden?
The crowd below breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the bride put the ring on the groom.
âIâm sorry, but weâll be excusing ourselves momentarily,â stated Elliot to the guests before he held Anastasiaâs hand and went down the stage from the side exit.
Harriet then stood up and said, âNo worries. Please, everybody, help yourselves with the food. I apologize beforehand if thereâs anything inadequate.â
Originally, it was Elliot who was holding Anastasiaâs hands, but once they reached the hallway, the situation turned around, as she could not wait to find a spot.
âWhatâs wrong, Anastasia? Did something happen?â Elliot was truly concerned about her.
Finally, she brought him into an empty room and closed the door. Holding his hands, Anastasia stared at his watch and asked, âYou said that this watch was custom made by your grandmother for you. So, that means that there is only one in this entire world, right? There wonât be another watch with the same design?â
âYes! Itâs one-of-a-kind.â Elliot nodded.
âWhat about the wolfâs head on the watch face? Is it something exclusive to your family?â
âThis wolfâs head is an insignia my grandmother believes in, as she had the designer incorporate it on the watchâs face. I think⦠this should be owned only by me.â Even though Elliot was not too sure, he had never seen another watch like his before.
At this point, Anastasia suddenly remembered that this watch was not the only proof of the one-night stand; there was also her darling son.
âYou said that you found Hayley through this watch. Are you sure she was the woman you spent the night with back then?â Anastasia asked.
This made Elliotâs heart skip a beat. Does she still care about this? This was the only stain that he could not wipe away from his life.
âYes,â Elliot replied gently, afraid of setting off her bad mood.
âHave you ever thought that the woman might not be Hayley and that it was actually some other woman?â Anastasia looked up at him and asked, seeming a bit angry that he was actually gentle toward Hayley before.
Stunned, Elliot could not respond.
Seeing this, Anastasia followed up with another question, âAfter you found Hayley, did you⦠have any intimate contact with her?â
Elliot shook his head firmly. âI never did that. After I found her, I did not do anything except make it up to her materialistically.â
âWhy not? Was it because Hayley gave off a different feel from the woman five years ago?â Anastasia pressured him.
Shocked again, Elliot asked, âHow did you know?â