Chapter 2

The memories clawed at Emily's heart. Not wanting to worry Arthur and Teresa, she lied, "I just missed you all." But Teresa heard the tremor in her voice and understood anyway. She let out a long, weary sigh. "Then start the paperwork. Once you land, you can tell your dad and me everything. Don't worry. We'll always be here for you." Like a weary bird finally finding its nest, Emily's heart began to settle. "Okay, I'll come to you as soon as everything's taken care of." Before she could say more, the door swung open. William walked in. "Emmy, where are you going?" He wore a sleek black bespoke suit, looking as handsome and refined as ever. He was still the same man who once looked at her like she was the only one in the world. But only Emily knew where he had just been. She ended the call. "Nowhere special. Just grabbing a bite with a friend." Without hesitation, William pulled her into his arms. "Emmy, I'm sorry. Something came up at work today, and I couldn't make it to our anniversary. I'll make it up to you next time, alright?" Emily didn't answer. Instead, she pulled away from his arms. "You smell like a perfume I can't stand." William froze for a second. "I'll take a shower right now." The moment he disappeared into the bathroom, Emily grabbed his phone from the table. She unlocked it and opened WhatsApp. Her name used to be the only one pinned to the top. Now, there was another—Aria. She tapped the chat thread. The messages opened instantly, spilling everything before her. William texted, "You'll stay in that apartment from now on. If you need anything, let me know. To everyone else, especially Emmy, you're just my new assistant. Don't ever tell anyone what we really are." Aria replied, "Liam, I was so happy when you stopped my wedding today. I promise I'll be good. As long as I get to be with you, I don't care if we have to keep it a secret forever. If being your secret is what you want, then that's what I'll be." William texted back, "Don't forget, Aria. You're the one who tricked me into thinking we were a couple. From that moment on, you were mine. Who allowed you to marry someone else? Don't ever let something like today happen again." Emily's hands trembled harder with every message she read. How pathetic. He wanted it both ways—swearing forever to her while keeping Aria on the side. But the kind of love she wanted didn't make room for three. The sound of running water slowed to a trickle just as the phone buzzed in her hand. A new message from Aria lit up the screen. "Liam, there's someone pacing outside my door. I'm scared. Please come stay with me?" Emily set the phone back exactly where she'd found it. Then she closed her eyes. Moments later, William stepped out of the bathroom. With his towel in one hand as he dried his hair, he picked up his phone with the other. His voice was soft when he spoke to her. "Emmy, I washed off that perfume. Let's go to bed, yeah? It's been too long since we—" He stopped mid-sentence, eyes flicking to the new message on his screen. His tone shifted in an instant. "I… something just came up. Get some rest, Emmy. I'll make it up to you next time." Emily didn't say a word. She just stood there, watching as he changed, grabbed his keys, and rushed out the door. The room settled back into silence. She sat alone until midnight, watching the clock hands crawl past 12 before finally heading to bed. So this was how her last anniversary with William ended—miserable and pathetic. That night, Emily was haunted by nightmares and woke at the first light of dawn. She got up, freshened up, had a quick breakfast, and gathered every document she needed to begin the immigration process. Then, she submitted a request to expedite the application. The clerk told her that the fastest they could process it was 15 days. Emily checked the calendar and booked a flight to Fremoria, set to leave exactly 15 days from now.