Chapter 18

Every time Andrew heard another piece of good news about Emily, the liquor cabinet in his study would open that night. He didn't need anyone to accompany him. Sitting alone in the dark, he would stare out at the city lights through the floor-to-ceiling windows, pouring glass after glass of the strongest whiskey down his throat. When he saw the confident smile on Emily's face as she accepted the award, he would chuckle and smile along with her. Then, without warning, his tears would fall into his burning whiskey, the scorching feeling stinging both his throat and his heart. His emotions were a tangled mess. The pride he had for her achievements, the regret that had taken root in his bones, and the sense of irreplaceable loss would always devolve into an endless, icy sense of solitude. As if guarding an unspeakable secret, Andrew discreetly used his means to remove every obstacle in Emily's path. Once, a foolish competitor tried to sabotage Emily's fledgling studio with underhanded