Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 51 - Chapitre 60

EmilyI couldn’t bring myself to call Adrian.Or text him.Or even listen to the voice notes he kept leaving.Every time my phone buzzed with his name lighting up the screen, my chest tightened so painfully it felt like something inside me might crack. The first few times, I stared at the screen until it stopped ringing. After that, I started flipping the phone over the moment it vibrated, like I could pretend it wasn’t happening.Cowardly.But I needed time.Time to think.Time to convince myself I was doing the right thing.So I buried myself in work.If I stayed busy enough, tired enough, maybe I wouldn’t think about the warmth of his hands, the quiet way he said my name, the messages that probably sounded softer than anything I was ready to hear.I started staying late at the office. Reviewing documents twice. Taking on tasks that weren’t even mine just to fill the hours.Nathan’s mother invited me to two different social gatherings that week.I declined both.She sounded mildly s

Emily I didn’t expect him to take it so calmly. When the words left my mouth—Let’s break up—I had braced myself for something else entirely. Anger. A harsh laugh. Maybe even Adrian completely losing his temper. He was capable of it. I had seen flashes of it before—when someone crossed a line, when something threatened the things he cared about. But he hadn’t crashed out. He hadn’t raised his voice. He'd simply asked questions I had no answer to. Those dark eyes—usually steady, confident, almost teasing—had filled with something I had never seen before. Pain. And something worse. Betrayal. That look would probably haunt me for the rest of my life. I couldn’t stay there after that. If I did, I might have taken the words back. I might have apologized, crawled across the space between us, and begged him to pretend none of this had happened. So I left. I walked away from the car without looking back. And I didn’t stop walking. The city was quieter than usual at that hour

Emily The next morning, I somehow managed to pull myself together. It wasn’t easy. My eyes were swollen despite the cold compress I’d pressed against them earlier, and my chest still carried that dull, lingering ache. But life had the annoying habit of continuing whether you were emotionally wrecked or not. And right now, I had work. A major project deadline was approaching, which meant the office was in complete chaos. Phones ringing. People rushing between desks. Design boards covering almost every surface. Even Amy—who normally snapped at the smallest mistakes—was too busy to waste energy scolding anyone properly. Instead, she barked quick orders while simultaneously reviewing layouts and typing emails. “Emily, revise the lighting concept for the west hall.” “Jason, that material sample is wrong—check the supplier list again.” “Someone bring me the updated budget sheet before noon.” It was the kind of frantic environment where you didn’t have time to think about persona

Adrian When Vivian finished speaking, the room felt strangely quiet. For a moment I simply sat there, staring at her as if she had said something in a language I couldn't understand. Then I turned and walked out. I didn’t trust myself to say anything. By the time I reached the car, my head was spinning. I sat in the back seat, staring at nothing while Daniel drove. The city lights passed by the window in long streaks, but I barely registered them. This wasn’t what I expected. I had imagined dozens of possibilities. Maybe Emily’s father had found out about us. Maybe Nathan’s family suspected something. Maybe Vivian had threatened her with some rumor or fabricated story. All of those were things I could deal with. Problems had solutions. Scandals could be suppressed. People could be silenced. But this… This was different. Emily wasn’t afraid of losing reputation. She was afraid of history repeating itself. Her mother had sacrificed everything for love and paid the ul

AdrianAfter what Vivian told me yesterday, I had spent the entire night turning Emily’s past over in my mind like a puzzle that refused to fit. The more I thought about it, the clearer it became—her fear wasn’t irrational. It had been carved into her by tragedy, by humiliation, by watching the world destroy her mother.And yet…That didn’t mean I was willing to let her walk away from me.I told myself I only came to check on how the project was going, but I knew it was just a lie, I just needed to see her faceBut the moment I stepped inside the building, I saw them.Emily.And him.The guy who was at the cafe with her, they walked through the entrance together, talking quietly, their heads tilted toward each other in the easy familiarity of people who were comfortable together. Emily smiled at something he said, not the fake one she used in society, it was soft. Natural.The kind she used to give me.My jaw tightened.The room had gone quiet the moment I appeared. I could feel the e