Chapter 3

When we got home, my parents weren't surprised at all to see Emily.

My mom had already heard what happened to the James family. She took Emily's hand and fussed over her with a heartbroken look. "You poor thing, you've been through so much.

"From now on, this is your home too. Stay as long as you want."

My dad nodded too. "That's right. If you need anything, tell me. No need to be polite with us."

Emily looked at my parents, her eyes reddening again. Choking up, she said, "Thank you, Mr. Quinn. Thank you, Mrs. Quinn."

"What are you thanking us for?" my mom said with a smile. "I've always wanted a daughter. Liv's such a little menace and not sweet at all. From now on, you're my goddaughter."

I rolled my eyes. "Mom, what kind of mother talks about her own daughter like that?"

She ignored me completely and took Emily upstairs. She arranged the room next to mine for her and even had the housekeeper bring out the best bedding in the house.

Watching the two of them get all close, I rubbed my nose, feeling weirdly sour inside. But when I saw the smile finally return to Emily's face, I figured maybe it wasn't such a bad thing after all.

That night, I lay in bed tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Emily getting slapped and humiliated by Ethan all over again.

I pulled out my phone and sent Maddie a WhatsApp message. [Help me look into what Ethan and Chloe have been up to lately.]

Maddie replied instantly: [Got it. I'll handle it.]

After putting down my phone, I looked toward the room next door.

Emily, don't worry. I won't let a single one of the people who hurt you get away with it.

Then, the doorbell suddenly rang. I frowned. Who the hell would come this late?

The housekeeper went to answer it, then came upstairs and knocked on my door. "Miss Quinn, Mr. Shaw is here. He says he wants to see Miss James."

Ethan? He actually had the nerve to come here.

I let out a cold laugh and got out of bed. Looks like tonight was about to get interesting.

When I came downstairs, Ethan was standing in the living room holding a bouquet of roses, looking like he was auditioning for the role of heartbroken lover.

The moment he saw me, he frowned. "Olivia, where's Emily? I need to see her."

"You're not seeing her," I folded my arms and leaned against the banister. "Ethan, you're not welcome in my house, so get the hell out."

"Olivia, don't push it too far," Ethan's face darkened. "What happens between Emily and me is none of your business."

"None of my business?" I laughed. "Funny, because back when you told her to kneel and beg in front of the James Estate, you didn't say that. Now you're acting all devoted? Too late."

"I was angry," Ethan raised his voice. "Emily and I grew up together. How could I really ignore her? I came here today to take her back."

I let out a scornful laugh. "Take her back? Back where? To the James family so Chloe can treat her like a maid?

"Ethan, stop flattering yourself. You think Emily still has some use left in her. As long as I'm here, you don't get to touch her."

Then, Emily came downstairs. She had changed into one of my white dresses, her hair hanging loose, and she looked a lot fresher.

The second she saw Ethan, the smile on her face vanished and her eyes turned cold.

"Ethan, you should leave," her voice was calm. "There's nothing left for us to talk about."

"Emily," Ethan immediately stepped forward and held the roses out to her. "Emily, I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have said those things and hurt you. Please forgive me, okay? Come back with me. I'll treat you well."

Emily didn't take the roses. She only looked at him and said, word by word, "Let's break off the engagement."

Ethan's expression changed instantly. "Emily, stop messing around. We grew up together. You can't say the engagement's off and expect that to be it."

"I'm not messing around," Emily's tone was steady. "I was stupid before. I judged the wrong person. Now I see clearly. We're not from the same world. Don't come looking for me again."

After saying that, she turned and headed back upstairs.

"Emily," Ethan panicked and reached out to grab her.

I stepped forward and slapped his hand away. "Ethan, don't push your luck. If you don't leave right now, I'll have security throw you out."

Ethan looked at me, then at Emily's resolute back. His face went dark with rage. He slammed the roses onto the floor and gritted out, "Fine. Emily, Olivia, you wait."

Then he turned and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

Watching him leave, I curled my lip in disgust. What a piece of trash.

I turned to look at Emily. She was standing on the stairs with her back to me, her shoulders trembling slightly.

I walked over and gently patted her shoulder. "It's okay now. He's gone."

Emily turned around and forced a smile at me. "Thank you, Olivia."

"What are you thanking me for?" I waved it off. "Come on, back to your room. We still have school tomorrow."

The next morning, I woke up to my alarm blaring. With my hair a complete mess, I yawned my way out of my room and saw Emily coming out of the kitchen with two glasses of milk in her hands.

"You're up?" she said with a smile. "The housekeeper wasn't awake yet, so I heated some milk. Drink this first. Breakfast will be ready soon."

I froze.

Honestly, in all my years, I'd never made my own breakfast, let alone had someone warm up milk for me.

I took the milk and said awkwardly, "Thanks. You really didn't have to go through the trouble. The housekeeper would've handled it."

"It's fine. I was awake anyway," Emily smiled and turned back into the kitchen.

I drank the warm milk, and my chest felt unexpectedly cozy. So this was what it felt like to have a roommate. Honestly, not bad at all.

After breakfast, Emily and I headed to school together.