Chapter 12: Hope

Rui's grip tightened around my wrist as he leaned in, his eyes locked on mine.

"I can sue you for this," I said, my voice shaking more than I wanted it to.

"Oh, stop it, Emilia." He gave a short, scornful laugh. "You are nothing but a brat."

"What? Leave me alone!"

I couldn't understand it. We were divorced. Nothing I did with my life should have been his concern, and he had no right to come near me. Yet he was behaving as though I still belonged to him.

"You want to play games, huh?" He bit his lip, the way he always did when he was angry. "Let's see how well you play."

He let go of me and pulled out his phone, his thumbs moving in a hurry, as if someone on the other end were pressuring him. I seized the moment and slipped past him.

Just as I reached the door, I heard him say, "Hello. We should speak now."

I didn't care who he was talking to. I only wanted to leave, not just the restroom but the restaurant and everything that came with him.

I walked back to our table quickly. Ethan was still seated, his eyebrows drawn together as he watched me approach. The unease must have been written all over my face.

"Ethan, I think we should leave. I'm not comfortable here anymore."

Already? Your clothes are still stained." He glanced at them, then back at my face. "Are you okay?"

Before I could answer, Rui appeared behind me, standing still with that familiar slow movement of his fingers. The moment Ethan saw him, his expression darkened.

"What is he doing here?"

"I don't know," I whispered.

We stepped outside into the cool night air. Ethan asked me again, as if he suspected I had invited him.

"I truly have no idea."

He started toward the door, and I caught his arm and held on, begging him not to go back in. I had never wanted to speak to Rui again, and that waitress had forced the moment on me. I didn't want it to turn into a scene.

"He had the nerve to set you up just to talk to you?" Ethan said through clenched teeth. "Emilia, let me go and show him who I really am."

"No, please don't. You'll only give him the attention he's looking for." I softened my voice. "Just go home. You don't have to ruin your night because of him. Take a shower and cool down."

He studied my face for a long moment. "Okay. Make sure you're okay, alright?"

"Okay." I gave him a small smile, and he finally left.

When he was gone, I let out a long breath and went home. I climbed the stairs slowly, feeling the weight of the day in every step, until I saw Mia waiting outside my room with a pitiful look on her face.

"Emilia, can I talk to you?"

I was still angry with her for keeping secrets from me for years. But she was only eighteen, and I couldn't bring myself to look at her for long. I kept walking down the stairs.

She followed me, pleading. "Emilia, please."

"What, Mia? I just need to rest."

Her expression crumpled as she stared at me, and I sighed. "Okay. What do you want to tell me?"

"I just want to say I'm deeply sorry, and it won't happen again." Her voice trembled. "When Rui told me he liked me, I overlooked it. I didn't take it personally because he was drunk."

She kept explaining and apologizing, over and over. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to hold on to my anger, but it slipped away. She threw her arms around me, and I let her.

That night I lay in bed and tried my best to sleep. It took a long time, but eventually I did.

---

Morning came again.

I was ready for work when my mother approached me, her hand resting on my shoulder and a gentle smile on her face. I had no idea why she was smiling, but I smiled back.

"You're ready? Going to work?"

"Yes, Mom." I kissed her cheek and tried to move past her, but she held me back and said the words I needed most.

"You will be happy again, Emilia."

They touched me deeply.

"Thank you," I whispered, and I excused myself before my eyes could betray me.

At the office, I was working on a task Steven had given me when a thought struck me. Rui's appearance at the restaurant had not been a coincidence. It had all been his plan, and he still had the audacity to speak to me as if I were the one who had wronged him. I kept turning the thought over in my mind, so lost in it that I almost didn't hear the voice beside me.

"Emilia. I have been calling you. Didn't you hear me?"

I jumped to my feet. "I'm sorry, Mr. Steven. What can I help you with?"

I didn't realize I was crying until a tear slid down my cheek. I looked up quickly, trying to blink it away.

"You don't have to hide it," he said quietly. "I understand if you're emotional."

I couldn't look at him. I had never heard that tone from him before, and it left me speechless.

"I heard what happened with your marriage, okay?"

I froze. I hadn't expected him to know, let alone say it so gently.

"You don't have to cry anymore."

Before I could answer, he pulled me into a hug, and I didn't pull away. I was stunned. Steven rarely smiled, and I had always thought of him as a strict boss, the kind who cared only about results. I never imagined he could be this kind.

For a moment, I let myself lean into the warmth of it, and the tears I had held back for days finally came.

Then I looked over his shoulder and saw Natasha standing at the end of the corridor, her eyes fixed on us with a terrifying stare.

I blinked, and she was gone. The corridor was empty. It had only been my imagination, but my heart pounded as if she had been real. The guilt of what I had seen in Steven's house came rushing back, and I quickly stepped away from him.

"Sir."