Chapter 5 [The Encounter]

Emily's POV 

The open suitcase on the bed seemed like a reflection of the state of my mind. Crumpled clothes, shoes thrown in haphazardly, the camera case tossed in a corner.

I shoved everything in without looking, without folding, without thinking. I just needed to leave that country. That place. That room.

"Emily?"

Nathalie's voice came from the door. I didn't turn around.

"You disappeared all night." She entered slowly, her steps muffled on the carpet. "I called. I sent messages. Where were you?"

"Nowhere."

Nathalie approached, her eyes scanning the chaos of the suitcase, the dress I had hung on the chair,  the same dress from the previous night, now clean, dry, as if nothing had happened.

"Emily." Her voice grew softer. "What happened? You seem different."

"I don't want to talk about it."

I kept throwing clothes into the suitcase. A blouse. A pair of pants. The toiletry bag. Order didn't matter. Nothing mattered.

"You can't leave now." Nathalie said.

"Yes, I can."

"Emily." She grabbed my arm, stopping my hands' harsh movements. "We're in Italy. You don't have a ticket. You don't have the money to change your flight date. And the fashion show isn't over yet."

"I don't care."

"You will care when you're at the airport and can't board."

The truth hurt. Because she was right. I had nowhere to go. No way to escape.

Nathalie released my arm, her eyes sad.

"At least wait until tomorrow. When the fashion show ends, I'll go with you. We'll go together. Just don't do anything now, while you're still worked up."

My hands fell to my sides. The suitcase half-packed. The room messy. My head throbbing.

"What do I do, Nathalie?" My voice came out small.

She was about to answer. But the door banged.

A dry, firm sound. We both turned. Nathalie went to the door and opened it.

And there he was.

Marcus. With a bouquet of flowers in his hands. Red roses. Many of them. His blond hair perfectly styled, his suit impeccable, the smile that once made me believe everything.

"Emily." He said, as if my name were a prayer.

Nathalie looked at me, seeking permission. I nodded. She left, closing the door behind her.

And there we were, just the two of us.

Marcus took a step. Then another. The flowers in his hand, his eyes fixed on me.

"I was an idiot." He said.

I didn't respond.

"A complete idiot. I have no excuse. No explanation. I just..." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I lost my head, Emily. The pressure, my family, that woman who won't stop coming after me... I didn't know how to handle it."

"That woman who was sitting in your lap?" My voice came out cold. "The same one you were screwing in the dressing room?"

He flinched. As if the word had hurt.

"I wasn't..."

"I saw, Marcus. I saw with my own eyes."

He closed his eyes for a second. When he opened them, there was something different there. Something I hadn't seen in a long time.

Desperation.

"Emily, I know I was wrong. I know I hurt you. I know you have no reason to forgive me." He took another step. "But I can't be without you."

"Marcus..."

"Listen." He knelt down.

My heart stopped.

He knelt in front of me, the bouquet set on the floor, his hands outstretched as if asking for something he knew he didn't deserve.

"I wasn't in the right state of mind. I wasn't okay. But I know one thing." He looked up, his blue eyes shining. "You're the love of my life, Emily. The only one. You always have been."

The words pierced my chest like knives.

"Get up, Marcus."

"I'll get up when you hear me out." He reached into his jacket pocket. "I brought something. To show you I'm not just talking. That I'm serious."

He took out a small box. Blue velvet.

My heart raced.

"Marcus..."

"I was going to wait for the dinner with my parents. Do it right. But after yesterday... after seeing your face when you left..." He opened the box.

A ring. Solitaire. Diamond. Small, but beautiful. Just the way I had always imagined.

"Today." His voice trembled. "Today itself, I'm going to introduce you to my parents. To everyone. I'm going to show them there's no one else. Only you, Emily. Only you."

I felt the tears coming. I didn't want to cry. I didn't want to give him that satisfaction.

But I was pregnant.

My hand pressed against my belly without me realizing it. The secret burned inside me like fire. And the guilt. The guilt from the night before. From the room. From the man. From the fake name.

Scarlett.

"Please." Marcus said, still kneeling. "Give me a chance. Just one. To fix everything."

I cried. I couldn't hold it back.

He stood up and pulled me into an embrace. His scent was the same as always. Cozy. Familiar. Deceptive.

"I love you." He whispered into my hair. "I love you, Emily. I'll never hurt you again."

I closed my eyes. And I hated myself for believing him.

****

Hours later, the afternoon sun bathed the mansion's gardens.

I walked alone along the stone path, my low heels sinking slightly into the grass. The weather was pleasant, but my mind was far away.

The night before came back in fragments. The dark bar. The whiskey. His hands. The room. The white sheets.

Jason.

I didn't even know his real name. Only the fake one. The one he chose for that night. And I had chosen Scarlett. As if I were someone else. As if erasing my name would erase what had happened.

***It was the best night I've had in years.***

The letter was still folded in my bag. I hadn't thrown it away. I couldn't.

"I'm going to forget." I said in a low voice, to no one. "I'm going to forget this happened. I'll never see him again. Never."

The wind swayed the surrounding trees.

"I hope he never shows up again." I repeated, as if it were a mantra. "I hope he disappears. Disappears forever."

I turned the corner of the garden.

And bumped into someone.

The impact was light, but I lost my balance for a second. Firm hands grabbed my arms before I could fall.

"Sorry." The voice came deep. "I didn't see..."

He turned.

And the world stopped.

Dark eyes. Hair with silver threads. Square jaw. The same face I had seen in the dim light of the bar, in the shadows of the room, in the darkness of the storm.

His smile appeared slowly. Small. Dangerous. Intimate.

"Scarlett?" He said.

My heart dropped to the ground.

"Jason?" My voice came out as a whisper. "How... what are you doing here?"

He was about to answer. But another voice came from behind me.

"Dad!"

Marcus passed by me in an instant, his arms open wide. And the man, Jason, turned to him with a smile I had never seen.

"Son."

The air left my lungs.

Marcus hugged the man I had slept with the night before. The man who knelt to take off my shoes. The man who signed a letter with a heart.

"Dad, I'm so glad you made it." Marcus stepped back, a huge smile on his face. "I want to introduce you to someone."

He reached his hand out to me. His eyes shining.

"This is my girlfriend. My future fiancée. Emily."

The man looked at me. Those dark eyes, which I had seen shining in the shadows of the room, now stared at me with a calmness that sent chills down my spine.

Marcus continued, happy, oblivious to everything.

"Emily, this is my father. Arthur Sterling."

Silence.

The wind blew between us, rustling his hair, the silver threads glinting in the sun.

He extended his hand.

Slowly.

The hand that had traveled across my body the night before. The fingers that had slid over my skin. The palm that had held my face while he asked if I was sure.

"Pleasure." His voice was smooth. Controlled. "Daughter-in-law."

The smile didn't reach his eyes.

I trembled.

And his hand squeezed mine with a force that only I felt.