Emily adjusted the delicate gold bracelet on her wrist as she passed the corner office. The low murmur of conversation from Mike’s colleagues reached her ears, pulling her to a halt when she heard her name.“Did you hear? That girl Mike had a crush on in high school is back from overseas,” one of them said, his voice low but intrigued. “Yeah, and I heard she’s stunning. If I were Mike, I’d be tempted too,” another replied with a quiet chuckle. “Things might get messy, especially since he and Emily are supposed to be engaged soon,” a third added. Emily froze. Her fingers tightened around the papers in her hand—design drafts for their engagement rings. The words swirled in her head like smoke, suffocating her thoughts. Engagement delayed? Tempted? Stunning?Then, another voice broke through the haze. “Oh, and get this—they left the bar together last night. Word is, they went straight to a hotel.” “Shh!” someone hissed, their voice urgent. “Keep it down. The boss doesn’t want thi
Emily stepped out of the office building, her heels clicking against the polished pavement as the bustling energy of downtown swirled around her. The air was crisp, but it did little to cut through the heaviness in her chest. Mike was the CEO of the company, a brilliant designer who built it to its peak, and Emily was the design department manager. They had been a seamless team in both work and life—or so she thought.In her hand was a folder containing the wedding ring designs she had painstakingly created for them. Today was supposed to be the day she showed them to Mike, but now, the thought of what she’d just seen in his office made her stomach churn.Reaching the parking lot, she slid into her car and sat there, gripping the steering wheel tightly as she stared out at the vibrant cityscape. This was the heart of downtown, where high-end restaurants and luxury cars lined the streets. But no matter how lively the surroundings, Emily felt lost, unsure of where to go.After a few min
Emily glanced at the clock above the bar as she stepped toward the door. The sky outside had turned pitch black, and the rain was still pouring heavily. It was only then she realized how long she had been sitting there, lost in her thoughts.Adrian stood next to her, holding an umbrella he had just opened. His movements were calm and deliberate, as always. “You parked your car at your apartment?” he asked, his deep voice cutting through the soft background hum of the bar.Emily nodded. “Yes.”“Then let’s walk back,” he said simply. “I’ll go with you.”She hesitated for a moment, but the thought of walking alone in the rain made her nod. “Okay.”The two stepped out into the downpour, the umbrella shielding them from the worst of it. The streets glistened under the soft glow of the streetlights, and Emily felt the coolness of the night air against her skin. Adrian walked close beside her, their shoulders nearly touching beneath the umbrella.She noticed how much of the umbrella’s covera
Emily and Lila chatted in the cozy living room for hours, catching up on everything they had missed over the past few months. Lila’s laughter filled the space, her light-hearted comments helping Emily momentarily forget the weight in her chest. Eventually, Lila yawned and excused herself to bed, leaving Emily alone in the quiet of the grand house.After a long day, Emily decided to take a shower, hoping it would help her relax. The warm water cascading over her skin was soothing, but it did little to ease the storm in her mind. As she stepped out and reached for her phone, a message from Mike lit up her screen.“You came to the office? Why didn’t you come in? Are you mad again? Stop being so childish, okay?”Emily stared at the text, her fingers hovering over the keyboard. But she didn’t reply. She locked the screen and set the phone down, leaning back against the cool wall. Her thoughts drifted back to the past two years with Mike. His family had always treated her well, welcoming he
Adrian excused himself and went upstairs to change. Emily sat in the dimly lit kitchen, swirling her tea absently as her thoughts raced. She could still feel the weight of their earlier conversation, the way Adrian’s calm, steady gaze seemed to quietly unravel all the worries she hadn’t even voiced aloud.When he returned, Adrian had changed into casual loungewear—a fitted black shirt and dark sweatpants that looked effortlessly elegant. His damp golden hair had been lightly tousled, and his steady presence filled the room once again as he walked over to the counter to pick up his tea.He noticed her shift her fingers slightly on the cup, as if the heat was bothering her. Without a word, he reached into a nearby drawer, pulled out a cup sleeve, and gently slid it over her mug. "Here," he said in his deep, measured voice. "Don’t burn yourself."Emily looked up at him, startled by the gesture. Under the dim kitchen light, with his relaxed posture and calm demeanor, he looked impossibly
Emily’s breath hitched, and her fingers tightened around the now-empty cup in her hands. Her eyes widened as she stared at Adrian, whose face remained composed and serious, the weight of his words still hanging in the air.Her thoughts raced wildly. This was her first time being proposed to, and it wasn’t in some romantic, expected setting—it was here, in a dimly lit kitchen, under circumstances she couldn’t have imagined. And the reason? To escape her entanglement with Mike.“Why?” she finally blurted out, her voice trembling. “No, Adrian, I know you want to help me, but you don’t need to go this far. Getting married like this—it’s too... casual.”Adrian tilted his head slightly, studying her reaction. Then, to her surprise, his lips curved into the faintest hint of a smile. “You’re right,” he said, his deep voice carrying a note of dry amusement. “Proposing to you in a kitchen with tea wasn’t exactly my finest moment. Next time, I’ll prepare a proper setting.”Emily blinked, fluster
Every time she closed her eyes,Adrian’s voice echoed in her mind. "Marry me,Emily." It wasn’t just the proposal that unsettled her—it was the quiet certainty in his tone,like he had already decided this was inevitable.And what was worse…a small,reckless part of her wasn’t entirely against the idea. She groaned and buried her face in the pillow.This is insane. Emily tossed and turned,but sleep refused to come.The weight of the day pressed heavily on her chest—the whispers outside Mike’s office,the way he looked at that woman,the sound of his colleagues laughing as they speculated about her. Her phone buzzed on the nightstand. She knew who it was before she even looked. Mike. For a moment,she debated ignoring it,but curiosity—or maybe old habits—got the best of her.She unlocked her phone and read his message. Mike:How long are you planning to sulk?You’ve been acting ridiculous all day.If you keep up this childish tantrum,maybe we should just end this. Emily stared at the
Emily’s breath hitched, and her fingers tightened around the now-empty cup in her hands. Her eyes widened as she stared at Adrian, whose face remained composed and serious, the weight of his words still hanging in the air.Her thoughts raced wildly. This was her first time being proposed to, and it wasn’t in some romantic, expected setting—it was here, in a dimly lit kitchen, under circumstances she couldn’t have imagined. And the reason? To escape her entanglement with Mike.“Why?” she finally blurted out, her voice trembling. “No, Adrian, I know you want to help me, but you don’t need to go this far. Getting married like this—it’s too... casual.”Adrian tilted his head slightly, studying her reaction. Then, to her surprise, his lips curved into the faintest hint of a smile. “You’re right,” he said, his deep voice carrying a note of dry amusement. “Proposing to you in a kitchen with tea wasn’t exactly my finest moment. Next time, I’ll prepare a proper setting.”Emily blinked, fluster
Adrian excused himself and went upstairs to change. Emily sat in the dimly lit kitchen, swirling her tea absently as her thoughts raced. She could still feel the weight of their earlier conversation, the way Adrian’s calm, steady gaze seemed to quietly unravel all the worries she hadn’t even voiced aloud.When he returned, Adrian had changed into casual loungewear—a fitted black shirt and dark sweatpants that looked effortlessly elegant. His damp golden hair had been lightly tousled, and his steady presence filled the room once again as he walked over to the counter to pick up his tea.He noticed her shift her fingers slightly on the cup, as if the heat was bothering her. Without a word, he reached into a nearby drawer, pulled out a cup sleeve, and gently slid it over her mug. "Here," he said in his deep, measured voice. "Don’t burn yourself."Emily looked up at him, startled by the gesture. Under the dim kitchen light, with his relaxed posture and calm demeanor, he looked impossibly
Emily and Lila chatted in the cozy living room for hours, catching up on everything they had missed over the past few months. Lila’s laughter filled the space, her light-hearted comments helping Emily momentarily forget the weight in her chest. Eventually, Lila yawned and excused herself to bed, leaving Emily alone in the quiet of the grand house.After a long day, Emily decided to take a shower, hoping it would help her relax. The warm water cascading over her skin was soothing, but it did little to ease the storm in her mind. As she stepped out and reached for her phone, a message from Mike lit up her screen.“You came to the office? Why didn’t you come in? Are you mad again? Stop being so childish, okay?”Emily stared at the text, her fingers hovering over the keyboard. But she didn’t reply. She locked the screen and set the phone down, leaning back against the cool wall. Her thoughts drifted back to the past two years with Mike. His family had always treated her well, welcoming he
Emily glanced at the clock above the bar as she stepped toward the door. The sky outside had turned pitch black, and the rain was still pouring heavily. It was only then she realized how long she had been sitting there, lost in her thoughts.Adrian stood next to her, holding an umbrella he had just opened. His movements were calm and deliberate, as always. “You parked your car at your apartment?” he asked, his deep voice cutting through the soft background hum of the bar.Emily nodded. “Yes.”“Then let’s walk back,” he said simply. “I’ll go with you.”She hesitated for a moment, but the thought of walking alone in the rain made her nod. “Okay.”The two stepped out into the downpour, the umbrella shielding them from the worst of it. The streets glistened under the soft glow of the streetlights, and Emily felt the coolness of the night air against her skin. Adrian walked close beside her, their shoulders nearly touching beneath the umbrella.She noticed how much of the umbrella’s covera
Emily stepped out of the office building, her heels clicking against the polished pavement as the bustling energy of downtown swirled around her. The air was crisp, but it did little to cut through the heaviness in her chest. Mike was the CEO of the company, a brilliant designer who built it to its peak, and Emily was the design department manager. They had been a seamless team in both work and life—or so she thought.In her hand was a folder containing the wedding ring designs she had painstakingly created for them. Today was supposed to be the day she showed them to Mike, but now, the thought of what she’d just seen in his office made her stomach churn.Reaching the parking lot, she slid into her car and sat there, gripping the steering wheel tightly as she stared out at the vibrant cityscape. This was the heart of downtown, where high-end restaurants and luxury cars lined the streets. But no matter how lively the surroundings, Emily felt lost, unsure of where to go.After a few min
Emily adjusted the delicate gold bracelet on her wrist as she passed the corner office. The low murmur of conversation from Mike’s colleagues reached her ears, pulling her to a halt when she heard her name.“Did you hear? That girl Mike had a crush on in high school is back from overseas,” one of them said, his voice low but intrigued. “Yeah, and I heard she’s stunning. If I were Mike, I’d be tempted too,” another replied with a quiet chuckle. “Things might get messy, especially since he and Emily are supposed to be engaged soon,” a third added. Emily froze. Her fingers tightened around the papers in her hand—design drafts for their engagement rings. The words swirled in her head like smoke, suffocating her thoughts. Engagement delayed? Tempted? Stunning?Then, another voice broke through the haze. “Oh, and get this—they left the bar together last night. Word is, they went straight to a hotel.” “Shh!” someone hissed, their voice urgent. “Keep it down. The boss doesn’t want thi