Chapter 5

In the days that followed, Tyler had completely forgotten that Emma even existed. He didn't call, nor did he give her any tasks. There wasn't even so much as a half-hearted "hello". Emma went through her recovery alone and checked herself out of the hospital. She went to the villa where it all began and stayed behind closed doors, waiting in silence for her last task to come. … That night, a storm raged outside. Emma turned off the lights and had just laid down when she heard frantic footsteps from downstairs. Her guard went up as she got to her feet. The moment she opened the door, a tall figure stumbled into her, reeking of alcohol. Out of reflex, she caught him as he staggered into her. "Tyler?" He was drunk, leaning into her with his forehead pressed to her shoulder. His hot breath brushed against her neck, and he slipped his arms around her waist, just like he used to. He mumbled, "Stay still. Let me hold you." It was an embrace she knew all too well. Memories of the nights he pulled her close and the way he clung to her when he was drunk came rushing back to her mind, threatening to drown her. Emma pushed Tyler away with much difficulty. "You've been drinking too much again. I'll take you back to your room." He suddenly cupped her face and kissed her. His breath was heavy with alcohol, but the kiss was so gentle that it made her forget everything else. His lips brushed against hers, his tongue tracing the shape of her mouth. It felt just the way he always did it when things became heated—slow, intense, and affectionate. Emma spaced out for a moment. Her mind drifted back to their first kiss on the villa's terrace. The night breeze had been cool as Tyler held her chin and said, "Close your eyes." She recalled how he stayed up all night when she had a fever, eventually leaning in to kiss her burning forehead. She thought about how he would kiss her just like this every time he came back from a trip and mutter, "I missed you." A moment later, she snapped back to reality and turned away from his kiss, her voice quivering. "Let go." Tyler already had Janice, so why was he still doing this to her? His eyes were glazed over from the alcohol as his fingers lightly brushed over Emma's trembling lips. "You always liked it when I kissed you like this. Why are you turning away?" She felt a pang in her chest. "Janice is back. You shouldn't be doing this to me." He chuckled, swaying as he leaned in for another kiss. "Janice? Aren't you Janice? I missed you so badly while you were abroad. I even found someone who reminded me of you. Did you know that?" The words hit Emma like an ice-cold dagger straight to the heart. It turned out that he had mistaken her for Janice again. Emma felt a chill run through her spine. She was about to break free from his embrace when the door suddenly opened. Standing in the doorway, Janice was drenched from head to toe, her face drained of color. "Tyler!" She looked at Tyler and Emma wrapped up in each other's arms, and her eyes welled up with tears instantly. "What are you two doing?" Tyler jolted upright like someone had thrown cold water on him. He practically threw Emma off him, tripping over his own feet in his rush to Janice. "It's not what you think, Janice." Emma slammed into the wall, a sharp pain exploding at the back of her head. Warm blood ran down her temple, but she felt nothing. All she could do was watch Tyler frantically reach for Janice's hand. The man who was always so composed and proud was now stumbling over his words. "I got the wrong person. I thought she was you. I'm seriously wasted. I didn't mean to." Janice was shaking with sobs. "You mistook her for me? I've been back for so long. How could you possibly still mistake her for me? You're in love with her, aren't you?" Tyler suddenly raised his voice, the veins bulging along his neck. "That's impossible. During all those years without you, I only managed to hold on by pretending that she was you." He pulled Janice into his arms. "She was only a substitute. How could she ever replace you?" Each word cut deeper than the last, leaving Emma's heart bleeding raw. She watched Janice throw herself into Tyler's arms and listened as he spoke to her in a soft, pleading tone. "I never had feelings for her. She was just a shadow of you, and now she's only my bodyguard. Don't you know how much I care about you?" As the storm pounded against the windows, Emma turned without a word and walked back to her room. She closed the door, slid down to the floor, and hugged her knees to her chest. What hurt the most wasn't that he saw her as a substitute, but rather that he had admitted it. All along, he had been seeing someone else every time he looked at her.