Chapter Five

The moment Noah got into the driver's seat and closed the door, the warmth he had worn for her family vanished instantly. The distance between them becoming painfully obvious.

The silence was deafening as Noah tore down the driveway, leaving the housewarming party behind.

Emma's hands remained clenched tightly in her lap, as she watched the trees blur past the window, her mind going a mile a minute.

"How much did the house cost?" she asked suddenly. Her voice was tight and trembling slightly. "I will pay you back later."

She thought about her design studio. She had graduated with honors, poured every ounce of her energy into building the brand, and recently, the studio had been making remarkably good money. It was growing fast enough that she couldn't help but feel proud. If she liquidated some personal assets, perhaps took out a business loan, and dedicated every single cent of her upcoming profit margins to it, she should at least be able to repay a small part of the massive sum first.

"There's no need," Noah said, his eyes fixed on the road, his tone bored and impatient. "We are husband and wife. A house for your parents is well within my margins, Emma. Stop being ridiculous."

Emma let out a short, humorless laugh under her breath. "Really? Am I still your wife? Because last night, nobody treated me like your wife. Including you."

Noah's jaw tightened, "You're still angry about that? I already told you, it was just a joke. Liam was drunk and talking nonsense."

"It's not just that." Emma finally turned to look at him fully, "It's everything. It's the way you treat her, and the way you treat me."

"There's no comparison between the two of you," Noah said flatly.

"Really?" Emma's voice dropped low, quiet and bitter, almost more to herself than to him. "If she hadn't left back then, you would have married her instead. Wouldn't you?"

The car rolled to a smooth stop outside the driveway of their own mansion. Noah's hand froze against the wheel for a second too long before he finally spoke, "Stop bringing her up. I already handled today's situation. It won't happen again."

Without waiting for her reply or even looking back to see if she was following, Noah threw his door open, stepped out, and closed the car door before walking into the grand mansion.

Left behind in the car, Emma sat completely alone as the bitter tears she had held back all day finally spilled over her cheeks. Looking up at the massive, silent house before her, a profound, unbreakable resolve settled over her heart.

It was finally time to end their agreement.

Emma didn't know how long she sat in the car, feeling sorry for herself, before she finally found the strength to make her way inside. Her eyes red and stinging from the tears she couldn't help but shed.

When she entered the living room, she was surprised to see Noah still sitting there. Usually after a fight or a disagreement, he would retreat to his study or go downstairs to the gym. Instead, he was leaning back on the leather sofa, a glass of untouched scotch on the table in front of him.

He looked up the moment she stepped inside, and whatever he'd been about to say died on his lips when he caught sight of her eyes.

He paused.

It wasn't like him to hesitate. Noah Walker was a man who made decisions in seconds, who never second-guessed himself in boardrooms or backrooms or anywhere in between. But something about the look on Emma's face made something shift uncomfortably in his chest.

Reaching into his breast pocket, Noah took out a box, "Here," he said, holding it out toward her. "This is the apology gift I promised yesterday."

Emma stared at the box, then slowly opened it. Inside sat a delicate pink gemstone pendant, the exact shade she'd once mentioned in passing months ago, surprised he'd even remembered. "It matches your necklace well," he added, almost as an afterthought.

Something in Emma's chest loosened, just slightly, against her own will. She hated how easily he could do this, how one small gesture could soften the hard edges of her resolve, even after everything.

Seeing Emma's emotions soften slightly, Noah felt the tension leave his shoulders, and he returned to his usual calm, composed expression. The crisis had been managed. He stood up, buttoning his suit jacket.

"I will not eat dinner at home tonight," he said casually, checking his watch before walking past her toward the door. "I have a late meeting to attend to."

With that, he left the house, the front door closing firmly behind him.

She hadn't even thanked him for the incredibly generous gift, she thought as she picked it up, the gemstone catching the light. It was incredibly pretty. But she told herself she wouldn't read into it. She told herself a lot of things lately that she didn't quite believe anymore.

After a quiet dinner alone, she went to her study, the new gemstone now sitting on her desk as she sketched out new dress designs. The pretty color sparked something in her, and for a little while, she was hunched over her sketchpad with charcoal smudged across her fingers and she almost felt like herself again.

Then her phone rang breaking the comfortable quiet.

Emma pulled her eyes away from the sketchpad and picked up the device. Her heart gave a sudden, uneasy thud. It was an incoming video call from an unknown number, but the profile name was unmistakable: Veronica Hayes.

She didn't remember ever giving Veronica her number, and even if she did, why the hell would she be calling her by this time?

A strange unexplainable unease crawled up her spine and she almost declined it on instinct alone. But some morbid curiosity made her swipe to accept instead.

The screen turned on, and the world completely fell away beneath Emma's feet.

The lighting on the other side of the call was dim and intimate. On the screen, Noah and Victoria were tangled together in a bed, and from the sounds and movements, it was obvious what they were doing. Noah's back was turned mostly to the camera, his broad shoulders shifting as he moved, his voice thick, ragged, and entirely unmistakable as he breathed out, calling Veronica's name over and over again.

Emma's breath left her completely. Her phone slipped through her fingers and falling onto the desk as the audio continued to play the horrific sound of slapping flesh, grunts and moans for an endless second before the call abruptly disconnected.

The room went deathly silent again, but the sound of it still rang in Emma's ears, her hands wouldn't stop trembling. Despite their loveless marriage, Noah had never disrespected her by cheating on her... or at least, she had stupidly believed so. What man of Noah's status would remain celibate for 3 years?

Emma completely broke down. The fragile happiness she had felt just a few moments ago while sketching suddenly became a cruel, humiliating joke. The gift he gave her wasn't even an apology, it was just hush money. An expensive trinket meant to keep her compliant at home while he spent his night losing himself in his first love's arms.

A choked, strangled sob broke from her throat, suffocating her. Blinded by a wave of agonizing betrayal, Emma grabbed her phone from the desk and threw it violently across the room. It hit the wall and shattered into pieces.

Now she finally, finally understood. Noah Walker never wanted to truly be with her. He had never intended to even try. Every public defense, every lingering touch, and every polite word had always been a calculated lie. He would only ever love Veronica.

Emma didn't sleep that night. She couldn't even. She was awake till the early hours of the morning methodically packing a suitcase, ensuring it was one she had gotten with her own money and packing only the things she had bought herself. She left behind the absurdly expensive designer clothes, the luxury bags, and the golds, diamonds and gems. Everything.

After she was done with that, she sat in front of her computer to draft, print and sign a full set of divorce papers. Her hand barely shook as she signed her name at the bottom of each page.

She dragged her suitcase and the papers after she was done, and sat in the living room waiting for him to come back.

Emma felt completely numb, the whole thing like an out of body experience, because she never would've thought she would be strong and resolute enough to do what she's been thinking of for years. But here they were.

Noah didn't come back until dawn, the door opening, his footsteps thudding before he finally entered the living room, and paused when he saw her there. He was still in the same outfit he wore yesterday, but his suit jacket was now draped over his arm, and his white shirt had three buttons open and the cuffs rolled up.

His gaze flickered from her emotionless face, to the suitcase by the door, and finally to the papers on the coffee table. He sighed, too tired for any drama. But still, he asked, "Emma?"

"I know you were with Veronica last night," she said quietly, her voice steadier than she expected.

Noah frowned, a flicker of irritation crossing his features. "Yes," he replied in defense, assuming she was talking about the security teams he had legally deployed to keep Veronica away from the press. "How do you know?"

Emma let out a breath, "I know now. I know everything."

He walked closer, studying her carefully, "What exactly do you think you know, Emma?"

Emma trembled, a violent shudder running through her frame. She looked at his handsome, unbothered face and felt a wave of nausea. She couldn't bring herself to say those horrific words directly. She couldn't speak of what she say in the the video, the sounds she heard, out loud. It would kill her right here.

"You don't need to lie to me about work anymore," Emma whispered, "I know you've been together all this time."

Noah's expression darkened, and he raked a hand through his hair, pacing irritatedly across the room. "So what if I have? You already knew why we got married in the first place. Stop being childish about this."

"Yes," Emma said quietly, something inside her finally going still. "I should face reality."

Noah stopped pacing abruptly, turning to face her fully. "I'm sorry, but I did have feelings for Veronica. You knew that when you agreed to marry me. This doesn't have to be complicated. We continue playing our roles well, we don't disappoint anybody. They don't need to know the truth."

Emma shook her head slowly. "No. I can't keep doing this anymore. I can't keep pretending to be your wife."

Noah fell silent, staring at her like he genuinely couldn't comprehend what she'd just said. "That's impossible. It's normal to feel hurt after a scandal this big, but you will still be my wife."

He still couldn't understand why she was reacting this intensely, why today, of all days, felt different from every other argument they'd had before.

Until Emma finally broke, her voice cracking as she whispered, "Because I love you."

Noah's jaw hardened instantly. "Don't do this, Emma. We are impossible. You've always known that."

"Fine." Emma held the papers out toward him, her hand steady despite everything. "Since you'll never love me, I need you to sign these."