Chapter 3

It had been ages since Edward last came back. These past few days, I'd been trying not to think about it, pretending everything was fine.

I felt like a thief, sneaking peeks at Sophie's social media updates.

On my birthday, Edward didn't just give me a pink diamond necklace.

He gave one to Sophie, too.

Our necklaces were exactly the same.

The catch was that Sophie got hers before I did.

Anyone could tell at a glance which necklace he actually cared about more, mine or Sophie's.

Those days, I'd been keeping myself busy, so I wouldn't have to face how I really feel.

When things finally settled down, I made up my mind to go to the office and talk to Edward.

Everyone at the company knew who I was, so no one stopped me as I headed straight for his office.

Just as I was about to open the door, I heard laughter coming from inside, and I couldn't help but freeze.

"Come on, you're hopeless. How can you not even get the hang of a game? When you're hanging out with Ms. Lane, doesn't she ever play games with you?" Sophie teased.

"We don't really have any hobbies, so we never mess with stuff like this," Edward replied.

"That's too bad. Games are actually pretty good for blowing off steam. Feels like you two don't have much to talk about."

"Emily and I haven't really talked in forever."

"Hurry up and come save me in the top lane."

"I'm coming."

"Edward, you're so bad at this. I died."

"Sorry, I'm not good at this."

I really couldn't relate to what they were talking about.

Edward had always said he didn't like playing games, so I never played them either.

But before I was with him, I actually loved gaming.

He never wanted anything to do with it, so I naturally gave it up, too.

I slowly clenched my fists.

But since it was Sophie's turn, why was Edward suddenly willing to spend time with her, getting into these silly things?

Was the difference between loving someone and not loving them really this obvious?

It was so obvious that I felt like the other woman, someone who wandered into their happy life by mistake.

Staring at the door in front of me, I felt I was standing on the other side of time itself.

I didn't know whether to move forward or turn back.

Should I go in, or stand here?

If I went in, what was I even supposed to say?

But if I stood here, I couldn't help but feel so unwilling to give up.

Honestly, as Edward said, there was really nothing for us to talk about.

"Ms. Lane, what are you doing here?" Another one of Edward's secretaries snapped me out of my thoughts.

I was surprised this secretary hadn't quit yet.

The voices inside went dead silent, which immediately caught my attention.

I forced a smile, pretending I'd just arrived. "I came to check on Edward. What about you, Jonny?"

"I'm here to drop off some documents for Mr. Grant."

I smiled, nodded, and then knocked on the door.

When I heard "Come in," I pushed the door open and walked right in.

But as soon as I stepped inside, Sophie was nowhere to be found.

It was crystal clear to me what was happening.

She must be hiding.

In this spacious office, there really wasn't anywhere to hide.

The office was arranged to suit my tastes.

I knew every nook and cranny in this office; spotting a hiding place was easy for me.

There was really only one spot left: under the desk.

If they weren't guilty, why bother hiding?

Edward looked genuinely surprised to see me. "Emily, what brings you here?"

He stood up to greet me and led me over to the couch.

This spot was out of sight. By bringing me here, there was no way I'd spot Sophie hiding under the desk.

I was willing to play along and pretend with him. "I want to talk about a few things."

Edward took the documents from Jonny, signed them, and then waved him out of the office.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Edward looked a bit uneasy, guilt flickering across his face.

"Honestly, I know you don't love me like you used to. Ever since your company went public, there've always been all those girls hanging around you.

"I tried to keep them away, and I know you got annoyed at me for it. You said I didn't trust you, but I never felt safe in this relationship."

I stared into Edward's eyes, trying to read his expression.

I was dying to know what he was thinking.

If there was nothing really wrong between us, I'd be able to feel it.

But Edward fell silent.

After a long pause, he finally looked up at me. "Emily, I know I've been neglecting you in a lot of ways, but I've really been swamped lately."

"You don't have to keep brushing me off with 'I'm busy.' Who did you go to Tibeland with last week?"

I'd been wanting to ask him for a while.

I already knew who he went with.

What I couldn't figure out was why I wasn't his top priority anymore.

He really had changed, but I still wanted to know why.

Edward frowned at the way I put it. "Didn't I already tell you? I was away on a business trip. I went to Tibeland, and a lot of people from the company went, too."

He was lying.

He only went with Sophie.

And it was a vacation, not a business trip.

It wasn't what his friend said that day. I could see so much more in Sophie's posts.

Honestly, Sophie was clearly doing it on purpose. She was totally trying to stir things up and mess with me.

And honestly, she totally got to me.

"Edward, you know your eyes always shift when you're lying, right?" I sat right in front of him, watching as the patience he once had for me was slipping away right before my eyes.

"I really was on a business trip. How many times do I have to say it? Can you stop being so suspicious all the time?

"That's why I don't bother telling you things, because you always get suspicious and overthink everything."

His tone grew increasingly impatient.

I looked at him quietly, keeping my cool.

"You told me you were going out of town. I'm not overly suspicious. Don't take me for a fool. I can pick up on a lot more than you think."

I wasn't lying.

I felt for a long time that Edward hadn't treated me the way he used to.

I always thought we'd end up like those couples who'd grown old together, settling into that easy routine.

After all, we'd been together for so long.

We were really waiting for the right moment to tie the knot.

But at that moment, I couldn't help feeling like everything between us was falling apart.

I really didn't think we were ever going to make it to the altar.

Looking back, these five years felt like nothing but a joke.

"Edward, did you know? On my birthday, one of your friends asked me, 'Weren't you the one who went to Tibeland with Edward?'"

Edward froze for a second when he heard that.

He really did go on a trip to Tibeland last week.

And he went with Sophie.