Chapter 3
And then, Emily saw a scene she would never forget.
Sophie was being held in the arms of her fiancé, Alexander.
Emily had never seen such a look of care on Alexander's face before. His eyes were filled with an intense, unwavering affection, and the way he held Sophie was so gentle, as if he was afraid to squeeze too hard.
"There, there, you're safe now. I'm here now," Alexander murmured softly.
Sophie sobbed quietly in Alexander's arms.
"I was so scared just now. Thank goodness you came. I couldn't have handled any of this on my own," she sniffled.
Alexander's voice was full of tenderness as he gently wiped away her tears.
"Next time something like this happens, you call me, okay?" he said softly.
Sophie put on a considerate act.
"Emmy's been in such a bad mood lately, and you've been so busy taking care of her. How could you possibly have time for me?" she said, her voice dripping with false innocence.
Alexander didn't even hesitate, his tone firm and resolute.
"Her issues pale in comparison to you," he said without a flicker of doubt.
Even though Emily already knew Alexander had been pretending all these years, she could still clearly hear the sound of her heart breaking.
That night was a mess.
She didn't remember how she got home, or how she, in a daze, crawled into bed without even changing her clothes.
*****
The next morning, still groggy and half-asleep, Emily instinctively reached out toward Alexander's side of the bed.
But when her hand met the cold, empty side, the memories of last night came crashing back all at once.
She barely managed a weak smile and decided to get up and find something to do downstairs.
To her shock, she saw Sophie sitting in her living room.
And she was occupying Emily's favorite spot.
She was clutching the pillow Emily had sewn with her own hands.
When Sophie saw Emily coming downstairs, her smile faltered, and she quickly stood up.
"Emmy, I..." Sophie said, hesitating.
Alexander immediately stepped in front of Sophie, his face unreadable.
"Why didn't you sleep a little longer?" he said smoothly.
Emily ignored Alexander and instead asked Sophie, "What are you doing in my house?"
Alexander frowned, displeased by Emily's icy tone.
"Sophie had a car accident last night. She was scared to be alone at home, so I said she could stay with us for a few days. Thought it'd be good for you to have some company," he said, trying to sound casual.
Emily managed a bitter smile.
"Alexander, how come I never noticed you were so kind-hearted before?" Emily teased.
Alexander seemed to realize he'd said something wrong. He stepped closer, slipping his arm around Emily's waist and lowering his voice to soothe her.
"I only brought her home because she's your friend. Why are you jealous about everything?" he said.
When Emily caught the scent of Sophie's perfume lingering on Alexander, she suddenly felt sick to her stomach.
Without a word, she quietly stepped out of his reach and said in a calm voice, "You have a video conference at twelve. Go get ready in the study."
Alexander finally remembered his plans for the day. He gave Emily's cheek a gentle squeeze and said, "Try to get along with her, and don't be so moody, okay?"
Emily didn't respond.
Alexander couldn't help but look back at her again and again as he headed upstairs, his eyes lingering with attachment and unwillingness to leave.
Normally, Emily would have blushed and felt her heart flutter from Alexander's attention.
But now she understood that his tenderness had never belonged to her.
After Alexander went upstairs, only Emily and Sophie were left in the living room.
Emily felt exhausted and, without any pretense, said, "Alexander should have the guest room ready for you. Suit yourself."
Without another word, Emily turned and went upstairs.
But just as she reached the middle of the stairs, Sophie suddenly called out to her.
"Emily, don't you wonder why Alexander brought me here?" Sophie called out.
Seeing Sophie coming up the stairs, one step at a time, getting closer, Emily instinctively took a few steps back.
"What exactly are you trying to say?" Emily asked.
Sophie leaned in, her voice a soft, mocking whisper in Emily's ear.
"You followed Alexander when he came to see me last night, didn't you?" she murmured.
"How does it feel, seeing the fiancé you love so much wrapped up in my arms? Hurts, doesn't it?"
Emily found her nails digging into her palms without even realizing it.
"Are you proud of being the other woman?" she shot back.
Sophie let out a mocking laugh, like she'd just heard the funniest joke.
"The other woman?" she echoed.
"The one who's not loved is the other woman here. Why don't we see who Alex really cares about—me or you?"
Emily suddenly had a bad feeling in her gut.
"What are you getting at?" she shot back, her guard up.
She barely got the words out before Sophie went crashing down the stairs. Emily reflexively reached out to stop her, but ended up as Sophie's landing pad, taking the brunt of the fall herself.
By the time they finally hit the floor, Emily felt like her insides had been rearranged, every bone and muscle screaming in pain.
The loud crash of them tumbling down the stairs drew Alexander out of the study.
When Alexander saw Emily and Sophie sprawled at the bottom of the stairs, the man who was always calm and collected, even in the face of disaster, now stumbled down the stairs in a panic.
Emily painfully pushed herself up with her elbows, struggling to get off the floor.
But all she could do was watch as Alexander hurried right past her, his eyes full of concern as he scooped Sophie into his arms, frantically checking her for injuries.
"Soph, are you hurt? Why did you fall? What happened?" he asked, his voice urgent and shaking.
Sophie, with just a couple of scrapes, immediately started playing the victim.
"Emmy, if you didn't want me here, fine. But did you really have to push me down the stairs?" she sniffled dramatically.
As soon as she said that, Alexander's gaze snapped over to Emily. She'd never seen him look so cold and menacing before.
"Did you push Soph down the stairs?" Alexander demanded, his voice icy.
Emily could barely catch her breath, every inhale burning with pain, but she still forced out the words.
"I... I didn't push her. She just fell on her own..." Emily stammered, her voice weak and shaky.
But before she could even finish, Alexander suddenly slammed his foot right into her chest.
The kick was so brutal it sent Emily flying nearly two meters, crashing to the floor and curling up, her whole body screaming in pain.
Alexander towered over Emily, his gaze so cold and merciless that it was as if she were already dead to him.
"If you ever mess with Soph again, next time, you won't get off so easily," he warned, his voice chilling to the bone.
Emily finally lost control. Blood, thick and metallic, gushed from her mouth, splattering across the floor and turning her vision into a crimson haze.
But Alexander didn't even spare her a glance. He just crouched down and scooped Sophie up in his arms, bridal style.
His voice was icy, completely devoid of warmth.
"This whole mess is on you. You'd better stay home and think about what you've done," he said coldly.
"If anything happens to Soph, you'll be the one to answer for it," he warned, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Every word Alexander threw at Emily cut deeper than a knife, leaving her heart shattered beyond repair.
She wanted to protest, to tell him it wasn't true. That she hadn't pushed Sophie, and that Sophie had framed her.
But her mouth filled with blood, choking back any words. She reached for Alexander's pant leg, desperate for him to notice her, but he didn't even glance her way as he walked past.
All Emily could do was watch as Alexander carried Sophie away, her heart wrung dry and her body shaking uncontrollably.
Everything hurt—her body, her heart, all of it.
Her vision kept fading, so much so that even the door Alexander kicked shut on his way out was just a blurry mess.
Maybe even if she died there, no one would ever know...