Chapter 3
The midnight wind cut right through me, chilling me to the bone.
Suddenly, it hit me; Adam's car dashcam was synced to my phone.
Standing on the street, my hands trembling from the cold, I opened the app and pulled up the footage from this morning.
Sure enough, after a few seconds, Flora's familiar voice came through the speakers. "Why are you so late? Don't you ever miss me?"
Then Adam's voice came through, sounding a bit impatient. "Didn't I tell you not to call me when I'm at home? Emily can unlock my phone. Do you even know what could happen if she picks up?"
"Emily, Emily! You can't stop talking about her. If you love her so much, why bother coming to me?" Flora said.
A heavy silence followed.
Flora suddenly changed her tone, saying, "Okay, I didn't ask you out to argue...
"Adam, it's been ages since I last saw you. Do you have any idea how much I've missed you?
"I dream about you every night. I wish I could run to your place right now, but I always stop myself.
"Because I care about you. I don't want to make you upset.
"I don't care about status or what people think. I just want you."
Then came those intimate, suggestive sounds.
The same voice that once whispered sweet nothings to me was now saying things I never imagined he'd say to another woman.
Adam murmured, "Flora, my Flora.
"Only with you do I feel real pleasure.
"Emily is like a piece of jade—so delicate, like she could break at any moment.
"But you're different. You can fulfill every desire I have."
Every word they exchanged felt like knives twisting in my chest.
Clutching my chest, I couldn't take it anymore. I threw up right there, dropping to my knees, a complete mess.
Why?
Why was this happening to me?
Why would they do this to me?
I felt torn apart, wishing I could disappear.
But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't cry. I kept gasping for air, as if I couldn't breathe at all.
Just when I thought I might die right here at midnight, a car screeched to a stop right next to me.
Someone rushed out of the car and pulled me into his arms.
The man's voice was so familiar, urgent, and worried. "Emily, breathe. Don't be scared. Just breathe."
I looked up, and suddenly Michael's face was right in front of me.
Clutching his shirt collar, I finally couldn't hold back anymore and burst into tears.
Of all people, I happened to run into Michael when I was at my absolute worst.
Michael was Adam's senior back in college. When Adam was building everything from scratch, Michael really had his back.
And on top of that, he was my boss.
I first met Michael at my wedding to Adam. He kept his eyes on me for quite a while, and finally, he just said, "Adam, you lucky bastard. You got yourself such a beautiful wife."
His comment made me blush hard.
Later on, when I was looking for a job in town, someone from Quinn Enterprises' HR actually reached out to me. They said I'd be a perfect fit and asked me to come in for an interview.
Quinn Enterprises was the biggest name in town—the kind of place everyone dreamed of working at. Honestly, I just went for the experience, never expecting I'd actually get hired.
From the moment I arrived in this city, I ended up at Quinn Enterprises, and five years had flown by.
Michael was a great boss. He always went out of his way for me, and he was always there for Adam, too.
I was not clueless. I could feel the burning intensity in Michael's gaze.
So I already had an honest conversation with Adam about it, even suggested leaving my job, but Adam shot me down right away.
"Come on, quit your job? Do you know how much Michael has done for our company? He never actually did anything to you, so why overreact?" Adam said.
After he said that, I really couldn't argue anymore.
Besides, Michael always looked out for me, but he kept things professional and never crossed the line.
And honestly, I never thought he'd catch me like this.
Michael helped me over to the car, grabbed a bottle of water from inside, and let me rinse out my mouth. He firmly patted my back, helping me breathe easier.
He said, "That's it, breathe.
"Don't be afraid. I'm right here.
"Have another sip of water."
He soothed me for nearly half an hour before my nerves finally eased up.
My phone, lying off to the side, suddenly started ringing; it was Adam.
Tears rolled down my cheeks again. Michael glanced down at me, his voice low and husky. "Did you and Adam get into a fight? Did he treat you badly?"
I nodded through my tears, and in that moment, everything I had been holding back broke loose.
The one person I thought I could lean on had become the one who stabbed me in the back. Alone in this city, with no one to turn to, who was left for me now?
"Adam, he and Flora, they..." I was crying so hard I could barely speak, but Michael still understood.
He sighed and reached over to brush my tears away.
Michael asked, "What's done is done. Crying won't change anything now. So, what are you going to do about it?
"If you want a divorce, I can hook you up with a lawyer and make sure he loses everything—the company, the house, the car, all yours. If you don't want a divorce, well, I can make sure he pays for it."
His words made me look up, meeting his gaze, unable to look away.
Michael looked down at me, his eyes burning with the same unwavering dedication and focus.
Out of nowhere, a wave of stubbornness and reckless impulse washed over me. I took a deep breath, grabbed the collar of his black shirt, and crashed my lips against his in a desperate kiss.