Chapter 8

Ezra's hand trembled slightly before he clenched it into a fist. His voice came out hoarse, and his gaze was unreadable. "Fine. If you don't love me, hate me then." Before Emily could even respond, he gestured for the bodyguards behind him to take her away. Emily was locked up in a villa halfway up the mountain. Three days later, Ezra finally showed up, but she refused to even speak to him. He had never suffered such grievances. After having a bit too much to drink at a business dinner, Ezra stumbled into Emily's room. The stench of alcohol clung to him, and so did his possessiveness. "You're mine! Em… I'm marrying Clara because I want to repay a debt of gratitude. We'll get a divorce in a year. "When the time comes, I'll marry you. For the next 12 months, be good and stay by my side. You're not allowed to go anywhere!" His cold demeanor seemed to pierce through her. The love she'd once cherished was gone. She knew she could never love him again. From that day onward, Emily completely closed herself off. She spent a long time curled up in the corner, looking dazed. No matter what Ezra said to her, she acted as if she heard nothing. Many times, her behavior pissed him off, and she would end up getting dragged off to bed for punishment. She still didn't make a sound, even if it meant biting her lips till they bled. Ezra's heart sank as he stared at Emily, broken and silent in his bed. Since Clara hadn't recovered, she suggested letting Emily try on the wedding gowns on her behalf. Ezra agreed, thinking Emily would look gorgeous in a wedding dress. Even after putting on a wedding dress, Emily still stared ahead blankly. She looked like a broken doll. "Emily, it's your birthday today. I have a present for you. What do you think?" Clara pulled a set of documents from her bag, including Emily's passport, visa, and ID card. Finally, there was a spark in Emily's lifeless gaze. She gripped the documents tightly as if they were the most important thing in the world. Clara smirked as a malicious glint flickered in her gaze. "How will you repay me, Emily?" Before Emily could even respond, Clara pushed her hands aside and went toppling down the stairs. "Clara!" Ezra dashed toward her before fixing a glare on Emily. This time, everything seemed to have been planned. A passerby happened to record the incident and uploaded the video to the internet. "Not only did Ms. Emily try to steal Ms. Clara's fiance, but she even pushed Ms. Clara down the stairs!" "I heard Ms. Emily was already involved with Mr. Newman while she was engaged to another man. She really can't stay away from her old flame!" "Exactly! I once even saw Ms. Emily and Mr. Newman stay overnight at a hotel. I feel bad for Tristan. She cheated on him while he was living across the Tidus Ocean!" Some hazy photos of Emily and Ezra started spreading like wildfire. Overnight, her reputation in Arton had gone up in flames. At that moment, Emily was locked up in a stuffy attic and had no idea what had happened. She could only look up at the blue sky through a tiny skylight. Finally, on the day Ezra got married, the security at the villa became less vigilant, giving her a chance to escape. Eventually, a team of guards, all dressed in black, chased after her all the way to the airport. The lead bodyguard looked around before finally noticing her. Without hesitation, he sprinted in her direction. Emily fled in a panic with no particular direction in mind and ended up bumping into a man. "Emily, it's me." "Tristan, quickly take me away. I'm begging you…"