Chapter 5

I glanced at James, who was crouching by the door, and, feeling a bit confused, wandered over to his side. "Where's William?" I asked.

He took his hand off the puppy's head and stood up. "Will left after getting a call from Sophie," he said.

I was taken aback. "Is Sophie the one he likes?" I asked.

James turned to me, his eyes lingering on my face. After a moment, he finally said, "They were childhood sweethearts."

Seeing the sadness in my eyes, he softened his voice. "Don't worry, they're not going to be together," he reassured me.

He picked up my suitcase and put it in the trunk of his Bentley. We drove into town and pulled up outside a small restaurant.

"It's still a three-hour drive back to the city, so let's grab some lunch first," he said.

The meal was eaten in silence. Even though I saw James walk into the hotel every day, I'd never actually spoken to him before. He was my boss, and with just a single word, he had the power to fire me.

I knew the only reason we were sitting at the same table was because of William.

Afraid I'd say something wrong and make him unhappy, I simply kept my head down and ate quietly, focusing on my food.

When we got in the car after the meal, I saw a box of chocolates on the passenger seat. I picked it up, about to ask if he wanted me to move it somewhere.

"It's for you. I'm not big on sweets," James said.

Seeing me hesitate, he added, "Someone else gave it to me."

That put me at ease, so I accepted it. Halfway through the drive, I tried one of the chocolates—my mouth was instantly filled with sweetness.

The anxiety that had been swirling in my chest after being hounded by debt collectors slowly melted away.

By the time we reached the city, dusk had already fallen. As soon as the car stopped, William came straight over, opened the door, and pulled me into his arms.

"Emmy, don't leave me," William said, his voice full of desperation.

The rain was gently falling, tiny droplets landing on my face. Everything felt blurry, and I had no idea what was going on. 'William seemed totally fine when he left at lunchtime, didn't he?' I wondered.

Seeing his eyes tinged with red, I reached up to shield him from the rain. "Come on, let's get inside before we get soaked. Take your time, don't do anything rash," I said quietly, then dropped my gaze.

Ever since William started getting close to me, I'd heard plenty of coworkers talking behind my back.

They said William was born into privilege, always surrounded by rich girls.

They said he was just hooked on a regular girl like me for a bit, curious about something new.

They said if he really dated me, he'd drop me in less than three days.

I was anxious and uneasy inside when William grabbed my arms, holding on tight. "I want to be with you. I mean it," he said, his voice steady.

I saw the fierce determination in his eyes. After a long, heavy silence, I finally found the courage to nod in agreement.

For once, I wanted to live for myself—so I let myself say yes to him.

But I was so wrapped up in my Cinderella-meets-Prince-Charming daydream that I totally missed the catch in what he said—'being together' didn't actually mean I was his girlfriend. This wasn't even an official confession.

When Sophie showed up, looking like some kind of goddess, William scrambled to hide me away.

"Emily's just my housekeeper—she comes over to make my meals and then leaves," he rushed to explain, trying to cover things up. He spoke so quickly, clearly worried Sophie might misunderstand.

Suddenly, it all clicked. I finally understood why William had never introduced me to his friends or family, why he never posted about me on social media.

It was because he'd never seen me as his girlfriend and I was nothing more than Sophie's replacement.

*****

Coming back to my senses, I turned to grab my phone and dialed William's number. "Send me a box of ultra-thin condoms. I just texted you the address," I said.