Emily’s heart pounded in her chest as she sensed the awkward tension suffusing the room. It felt as though time had ensnared her in an uncomfortable moment. With a nervous twitch, she turned away, evading Daniel’s gaze.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “I’ll wait outside.”
Emily reached for the doorknob, her fingers trembling. However, before her hand touched the cold metal, a burly hand gripped her wrist. Emily gasped, her heart beating faster and faster.
When she turned around, her gaze immediately met a pair of cold, piercing blue eyes. For a moment, Emily was transfixed, mesmerized by the intensity of that gaze. Daniel’s burly body came closer, his arms pulling her closer, until her body was pressed against the wall, trapped in his arms. She gasped for breath, trapped in a gaze so intense it was as if time had stopped ticking.
“Didn’t I make it clear that I don’t want to see you?” Daniel said slowly, his voice heavy, emphasizing his words.
“Let go of me!” shouted Emily, trying to pull her hand, which was firmly gripped by Daniel. However, Daniel’s grip grew stronger.
“It hurts, Daniel. Let go of me, you bastard!” shouted Emily.
Daniel finally released his grip. He massaged his furrowed mid-brow, his jaw hardening. “Get out of here!” his voice was cold, giving off a frightening aura.
“I’ll wait for you outside,” Emily said.
“I didn’t tell you to wait for me, but to leave my house,” Daniel replied, his voice cold, rejecting Emily’s offer. “We have nothing more to talk about.”
“If you insist on kicking me out, I’ll just wait for you here,” Emily said. She walked to the end of the bed and sat down. “Please put your clothes on first. I won’t see you,” she continued, turning her body so as not to face Daniel.
“Do you want to play with me?” asked Daniel, his tone cold.
“I don’t want to play with you. I want to talk to you,” Emily replied.
Suddenly, Daniel stepped closer, closing the distance between them. Emily gasped, her heart pounding. Daniel’s burly arms locked around her, pinning her to the bed. Their gazes met, the distance so close it took her breath away.
“What do you want?” asked Emily, her voice barely audible, caught in Daniel’s intense gaze.
“Playing with you,” Daniel said, his voice heavy, smirking. Without warning, he immediately kissed Emily’s lips. Emily gasped, trying to break away, but Daniel’s grip tightened. The kiss deepened, stealing her breath, refusing to release her.
Tears streamed down Emily’s flushed cheeks. She struggled, trying to break free from Daniel’s grip. Daniel felt a deep longing for Emily. All those years of only hearing Emily and her daughter’s news from a distance had made his chest tight, so he couldn’t help himself. However, a few seconds later, realization dawned on him as he recalled the message from Emily’s biological father. Daniel tried to control himself and let go of Emily.
“Get out of here,” Daniel whispered, his voice hoarse, accompanied by deep regret for not being able to hold himself back.
“Bastard!” muttered Emily, her voice trailing off. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.
“You’re such a bastard!” Emily’s eyes turned bright red, staring deeply at Daniel in front of her. The words came out without her control.
Emily had promised not to cry again, especially in front of Daniel. However, she couldn’t control her heart and body. She cried again and immediately regretted her actions. Emily wiped away the tears that returned to her cheeks, trying to calm herself down.
“This is the money you send me every month. I’ve put it in this savings account. You can take it. I’ve also written what the passcode is. Regarding the car problem and the compensation you paid earlier at school, I will pay you soon,” Emily said quickly, taking out a small passbook from her pocket. She placed it on the nightstand before trying to push away the tears that threatened to flow again.
With weak footsteps, Emily stood up, trying to push away the pain that pierced her heart. She stepped past Daniel, trying to leave the room. However, Daniel grabbed Emily’s hand, stopping her in her tracks.
Their gazes met, and Daniel felt pain pierce his heart at the sight of the deep hurt in Emily’s eyes. There, he saw deep sadness and disappointment. Without a word, Daniel was reminded of their destiny, an inevitable fate. Reluctantly, he released his grip, letting Emily go.
Emily finally stepped out of Daniel’s room, passing the maid employed by Daniel’s grandfather. The maid’s gaze followed Emily’s departure, filled with deep sadness. She remembered Daniel’s grandfather’s message to keep his grandson happy.
In seven years since Emily’s departure, the maid has witnessed Daniel’s brokenness. The smile that had always graced Daniel’s face when Emily was by his side was now gone, replaced by a heart-wrenching emptiness. Daniel always shut himself in his study. Bottles of alcohol always greeted the maid when cleaning the balcony of the room, along with the remains of cigarette butts, as a silent witness to the suffering felt by Daniel.
The housemaid could only sigh heavily and shake her head, saddened by the fate of Daniel and Emily’s romance. Meanwhile, Emily quickly stepped into the car, her body shaking. Tears flooded her red eyes again.
“I promised I wouldn’t cry anymore,” Emily muttered, her voice panting between the sobs that shook her body. “But why? Why does this heart hurt so much?” her hands clenched into fists, beating her chest as if torn apart by pain.
“I was so stupid,” Emily hissed. “Even after all the pain I’ve felt over the years, why was this heart still beating so fast when he kissed me earlier?”
After being content to drown her sorrows, Emily finally started the engine of her car. With a heavy heart, she drove her car through the darkness of the night. The sound of the car engine became her faithful companion on the silent journey home. Every streetlight she passed seemed to be a silent witness to her complicated emotional journey.
Moments later, Emily finally arrived at her house. However, a car parked in front of her house made her frown. A car that was familiar to her.
“Sean,” Emily murmured, her voice a low whisper. Remembering the last time Sean had confessed his love to her, Emily let out a long sigh. She hadn’t even thought about what the right answer would be to reject Sean’s declaration of love for her.
With heavy steps, Emily got out of her car. At the same time, there was the sound of the door opening from inside of her house. Sean and Fred came out of the house along with Grace. Grace and Fred seemed to escort Sean, who seemed to go home.
“Mom,” Grace shouted as she ran to Emily and hugged her tightly, her face beaming.
“You’re not asleep yet?” asked Emily as she crouched down to talk to her little daughter.
“I’m waiting for Mom to come home,” Grace replied so innocently.
“Alright, let’s go inside,” Emily invited Grace to enter the house.
As Emily and Grace stepped into the house, Emily’s eyes met Sean’s for a moment. Sean’s eyes looked sharp. He could see the traces of tears still on Emily’s face. Sean chose not to ask further questions.
“You just got home?” asked Sean, his voice sounding a little nervous. Emily just nodded in response.
“Can we talk for a minute?” asked Sean again, his voice sounding pleading.
“Grace, come with Grandpa. Grandpa will read you a book of fairy tales before bedtime,” said Fred, his eyes fixed on Grace with a gentle smile. Fred intended to give Sean and Emily time to talk freely.
Grace frowned, her lips pursed. “I don’t want to! I want Mom to read it to me,” Grace whined.
“Sorry, Sean. Can you wait for me for a minute?” asked Emily.
“Okay, I’ll wait for you in the car,” Sean replied.
“Don’t want to go back inside?” asked Fred to Sean, his eyes fixed on Sean with some concern.
“No need, Uncle. I’ll just wait in the car,” Sean replied.
“Sorry, Sean. I’ll be right back,” said Emily.