Chapter 5

Emily accidentally bumped into the tables and rattled the plates, which clinked loudly enough to distract her.

She looked away from me to say nonchalantly, "It's fine. I don't care anyway."

I replied, "I stayed at a hotel because I have no home, Miss Stewart. It's just a coincidence that I'm here to have my meal. I have no intention of giving you any trouble."

Emily stood up right away and was about to yell at me when Liam appeared. He put his hand over my shoulder and said with a smile, "What are you standing around here for, Chad? Everyone has arrived. Come into the private room. It's time to eat!"

He turned and saw Emily.

Assuming we were still together, he invited her along. "Why have you started without us, Emily? Come on in!"

Emily looked at me in a fluster, but Ivan tugged at her sleeve, hinting with his eyes not to join us. However, she ignored him and came along with me.

Ivan had no choice but to follow behind her with an unhappy look on his face.

The private room was filled with Emily and my friends. When they saw Ivan, they all looked at each other, then turned to me with awkward expressions.

That was when I realized they had probably known about Emily and Ivan's relationship. These were the people who had always tried to convince me Emily was just exacting revenge on Ivan, and that I was the person she truly loved.

I guess I never really had any real friends by my side.

During our meal, Emily purposely took special care of Ivan by helping him with the food and drinks, and showing him extra care.

This seemed wrong to our friends, and they kept throwing pointed glances at Emily, worried I would lose my temper, but when they turned to see how calm I was, they were taken aback.

Eventually, everyone started to toast me.

After a round of drinking, everyone became tipsy and started teasing me.

"I can't believe it's been ten years, Chad. I remember when you worked five odd jobs a day to provide for Emily, and you ended up hospitalized because of exhaustion.

“Even then, you stubbornly asked to be discharged the next day because you wanted to save money and start working again. We're all witnesses to how difficult it was for you to get to where you are now."

"Emily's leg was broken then, and she was close to being paralyzed, but you stayed by her side and accompanied her every day for physical therapy. You’re the reason she can walk now! You're a real man, Chad."

"Now that the company has finally made a name for itself, it's time you indulge in some self-care. I heard that you got hurt during your last working trip. There was a huge gash on your arm, but you refused to go to the hospital. Why are you such a cheapskate when your wife is so rich?"

A cheapskate? Emily was the one who refused to let me see a doctor because she claimed it was not necessary for a ‘minor injury’.

However, when Ivan printed the wrong document while working as her assistant, she was so flustered about accidentally giving him a paper cut when she smacked him with the papers that she admitted him to the hospital’s VIP ward.

Emily stayed at his side for several days. She claimed that if he died, she would not be able to torture him further.

I should have given up on her that day.

I chugged down a glass of beer, feeling the ice-cold liquid flow down my throat. Fortunately, I was clear-headed enough to see things clearly now.

Emily seemed to remember something about us, and she looked at me deeply and with emotion.

That was when my phone buzzed. She had actually texted me.

Emily: [Did you arrange this meet-up on purpose just to get everyone to say nice things about you? Is this your attempt at trying to get back together?

Emily: [I'll consider forgiving you since you've put so much effort into this. We might even have our wedding early.]

Emily continued typing, but before I could reply, one of our friends stood up to give me a toast, and he cheered, "Don't forget us after you leave for such a faraway country, Chad!"

Bam!

Emily's phone fell onto the ground, and she turned pale. "Who did you say was leaving the country?"