Daniel looked away from the pile of documents piled up on his desk, staring at the figure of Emily, who stood with unwavering courage before him. “Joke? What do you mean?” his voice was low yet sharp, cutting through the silence that had tightened like a knife.
Emily, with a choked breath, stared back at Daniel’s piercing gaze, her eyes unblinking, searching for the truth. “Why do I feel you are trying to avoid me?” her voice trembled.
Daniel responded in a tone colder than ice, “Go away, Emily. Don’t add to my burden.”
However, Emily did not budge, as if her roots had sunk deeply into the floor. “What made you change your attitude towards me? Have I done something wrong to make you angry and annoyed? Tell me,” her words flowed, trying to penetrate the wall Daniel had built.
“Get out of here, Em,” Daniel said once more, trying to contain the raging torrent of emotions in his chest.
“I’m not leaving until you explain to me what I did wrong to make you stay away from me,” Emily replied with firmness.
Daniel, who was getting more and more emotional, stood up abruptly, approaching Emily until she was forced to take a step back. “Fine, if you don’t want to leave, as long as you don’t regret it,” he said, his low voice echoing in the room, full of menace.
Daniel moved quickly, his hand locked on Emily’s chin, forcing their gazes to meet. “Do you want me to treat you like a wife should, so that you mind if I suddenly walk away from you?” he asked, each word spoken with heavy pressure.
Emily, with tears beginning to flow from the corners of her eyes, replied in a trembling, almost inaudible voice, “What made you change so drastically like this? Are we going to keep pretending that there’s nothing between us?”
Daniel looked at her, his eyes narrowed, trying to read what was implied behind Emily’s words. “What do you mean?”
“Don’t we already have feelings for each other?” asked Emily in a hopeful voice.
Daniel’s grip tightened on Emily’s chin. “Have feelings for each other? You’re so confident, Em?”
Emily felt a little pain with the tight grip on her chin, making her grimace in pain, but she tried to answer Daniel’s question. “Yes, we already have feelings for each other. There’s no way you don’t feel it. You asked me to call you by your name only. You were always there when I needed help, and it was you who often stole glances at me when you thought I didn’t notice. And that night at the movie theater, didn’t you almost kiss me too?” her question sounded soft, yet filled with deep despair.
“Was I wrong? Isn’t it obvious that you have feelings for me? “Emily’s tears fell heavily, soaking her cheeks, each drop a reflection of a wounded heart.
“If you really didn’t love me, would you have done all that? Why did you drive me crazy for a week by staying away from me and making me realize I love you in this way?” Emily said in a trembling voice.
Hearing Emily’s confession, Daniel felt his heart slice like a knife. “Love?” he muttered in a voice filled with indecision.
“You think too many things that are not. By giving you the status of my wife in the agreement, now you also expect love from me?” Daniel asked.
“I don’t expect it, but you have shown me your feelings so clearly,” Emily argued in a soft yet firm voice.
“It seems you misunderstood. I have never loved you. However, if you want the proper treatment as a wife, I will grant it to you,” Daniel replied with an increasingly sharp and cold look in his eyes.
Daniel positioned Emily’s body in the room’s corner, held her hands up, and tried to kiss her forcefully. Emily tried to resist, but her strength was no match for Daniel. Her tears broke out, feeling a deep sense of hopelessness.
The forced kiss brought tears to Emily’s eyes. Mercilessly, Daniel picked Emily up and placed her on the sofa in his workroom. Emily’s body trembled, feeling a deep fear within her.
“What are you going to do?” Emily exclaimed in a trembling voice.
“Don’t be crazy! Let go of me!” cried Emily desperately.
“Isn’t this what you want?” asked Daniel.
Daniel tried to kiss her again, but this time his hands didn’t stay still. He unbuttoned the top button of Emily’s shirt with force.
Emily cried, trying hard to break free from Daniel’s tight grip. Until finally, she felt that every resistance felt futile, every energy and emotion that had been drained, but her tears still continued to fall down her cheeks. Finally, Emily’s clothes were successfully opened by Daniel, but seeing no more resistance from Emily made him look up. Emily’s gaze was so empty that it made Daniel growl and his hands clenched so tightly.
Suddenly, Daniel stood up, releasing Emily just like that. “Get out of my sight right now before I do something crazy to you!”
Emily was transfixed. Her body seemed to be bound by invisible chains on the sofa. Her sobs broke the silence. Every breath she took made Daniel’s heart feel like it was being stabbed. Inside Daniel, there was a deep longing to wipe away Emily’s tears, to hold her close, and beg her for forgiveness. However, the image of his dead parents, whose lives were taken at the hands of Emily’s father, became a very strong wall in his heart. The conflict between guilt and the desire to love shackled Daniel.
Meanwhile, Emily, with teary eyes, slowly got up from her lying position on the sofa. With trembling fingers, she tried to button her shirt, trying to calm down after the nightmare she had just experienced.
After buttoning her shirt neatly, Emily stood up slowly. Her head felt very heavy, as if the world was spinning around her. She held onto the wall to keep her balance, feeling a wave of dizziness that almost made her fall. Daniel, who had been watching her carefully, seemed about to step forward to help. However, he paused, and finally decided against it. Emily, with unsteady but determined steps, made her way out of Daniel’s room.
Once he was sure that the door was completely closed from the outside, Daniel immediately let go of any pent-up emotions. His trembling hands reached for anything he could reach on his desk, tossing it around aimlessly, letting his frustration and anger take over.
Emily closed the bedroom door slowly, her back leaning against it. Her body slid to the floor, her cries breaking the silence. Tears flowed freely, creating small puddles among the ruins of her heart. After a while, she took a deep breath, wiped away her tears, and stood up to face the mirror in the bathroom.
Water flowed down her face, as if washing away the feelings that had polluted her mind. She chose the dress she would wear carefully, one that would hide her wounds, and applied her makeup perfectly. Every stroke of makeup was a layer of protection, a mask to hide the fragility beneath.
The tightness in her chest grew stronger, pushing her to seek escape. Emily knew she had to get out, to experience the freedom, even if it was only for a night, of drowning in alcohol. With steady steps, she headed to her car.
Meanwhile, the housemaid, employed by Daniel’s grandfather, stared at the departing Emily with a look that was hard to interpret. After confirming that Emily had really left, she picked up the phone and dialed the number she had memorized. “Hello, Great Master,” she said. “The Young Master’s household is not doing well. Even after getting married, the Young Master spends more time in his work than with his wife.”
From the other end of the line, a deep, authoritative voice was heard giving instructions. The assistant listened carefully, then replied with a short, “Yes, sir.”
Emily, who had now reached the biggest nightclub in town, felt the vibrations of the music echoing down to her bones. She walked through the crowd, feeling as if she was a ghost among the laughing and dancing people. She didn’t know why she chose this place, a place she usually avoided. Perhaps, somewhere inside her, she wanted to drown in the crowd, to forget.
“What do you want to drink?” asked the bartender in front of her in a voice almost drowned out by the music.
Emily stared at the row of bottles behind her, then said in a barely audible voice, “I want something strong.” She wanted something that could burn, something that could erase the memories, even if only for a moment.
In the middle of the crowded dance floor, Mia engages in a fiery kiss with a man who seems mesmerized by her. However, movement at the edge of her vision caught her attention-an all-too-familiar silhouette. “Just a moment,” she told the man, her voice almost drowned out by the music.
Mia strode confidently towards the bar, her eyes not leaving the figure she recognized as Emily. She looked at Emily, who seemed lost in solitude, pouring whiskey into her glass. A sly smile formed on Mia’s lips, a smile that held a grudge.
“I can finally get my revenge on you today,” Mia murmured.