Suddenly, in front of him, a huge screen materialized in the air.David stared at it, confused about where it had appeared from. Then images and videos started to play on the screen.At first, the screen showed Emma’s face — glowing, full of joy and love. She was wearing a beautiful white dress, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him. David could almost feel the warmth of her smile, the way it used to light up a whole room. He saw himself standing across from her, sliding a ring onto her finger. Emma’s hands were trembling slightly, but her smile never faded. When it was her turn, she slipped the ring onto his hand, her fingers brushing against his with a gentleness that made his chest tighten.The crowd around them cheered, but David only heard Emma’s soft laughter as they leaned in and kissed- a deep, passionate kiss, full of promises and dreams. It felt so real that David almost reached out to hold her, to pull her back into his arms.The images shifted, and he saw her curled
“Dammit!” David slammed his hands hard against the steering wheel, his voice rough with anger and frustration.The rain continued to pour heavily outside, the sky dark and angry. The road ahead, which had already been bad, had become even worse. Car horns blared from every direction as drivers, growing impatient, pressed down aggressively on their horns. People tried to cut each other off, swerving and pushing their way forward, causing more confusion.David gritted his teeth as he watched the cars barely move an inch. The downpour made visibility almost zero, but it didn't stop reckless drivers from pushing their way ahead. Every second wasted felt like a knife twisting in his heart. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel, his bloodied fingers trembling slightly. He wished he had his phone with him right now. At least he would have tried to call Emma and find out how she was doing.“Dammit!” he cursed out loudly again, silently blaming himself for being in such a hurry that
David broke into a run, weaving through the chaos. Some drivers cursed at him, others simply ignored him, but he didn't care. He started running towards the hospital, not even thinking about his injuries, not thinking about the blood that still stained his face and clothes.Passers-by froze mid-step, gasping and turning to stare."Is he hurt?!" a woman whispered, clutching her umbrella tighter."Somebody stop him!" another man shouted, backing away as David barreled past.Ahead, a group of policemen stationed ahead, at the roadblock spotted him instantly. Their faces hardened with alarm."Hey! You there!" one officer barked, stepping forward with his hand raised. "Stop! Stop right now!"But David didn’t even glance at them. Another officer lunged toward him, grabbing at his arm. "Sir, stop! You need medical attention—!""Get off me!" David growled, yanking his arm free without breaking stride."He's bleeding like crazy!" one officer muttered under his breath, chasing after him
When the call came a second time, Emma knew something was wrong. It wasn’t work—she’d taken leave, and it wasn’t family because she’d distanced herself from them. That left only one person: Sophie, her best friend, despite today being Emma’s “no disturbance” day. “Sophie?” Emma answered, confused. “Emma, the airport? Seriously?” Sophie teased, laughing. “What are you talking about?” “I’m behind you... wait, you’re not here?” Sophie’s tone immediately shifted. “No, I’m at home.” “Then who’s with David?” Emma’s heart skipped. “What?” “Never mind, it’s your anniversary—” “No, Sophie. Tell me now. Is David there? Who’s he with?” After a pause, Sophie sighed. “Let me send you a picture.” Emma opened the photo. Her breath hitched. It was David, her husband, standing with another woman, her back to the camera, hugging him intimately. The phone rang again. Sophie’s voice was panicked. “Emma, are you okay? I’m so sorry—” “You’ve done nothing,” Emma replied coldly. “
Emma woke with a start, the soft scent of flowers drifting into her consciousness before her eyes even opened. As she blinked, the first thing she noticed was the large bouquet of white roses sitting beside her bed. Immediately she saw them, a soft sigh escaped her lips. “White roses again,” she thought, her brow furrowing. “Why does he always get white roses?”She had always preferred red roses—deep, passionate, full of life. Red roses reminded her of love, of fire, of everything she had hoped for in her marriage. Yet, time and again, David would always choose to get her the white ones.But then her gaze fell to the card nestled among the blooms. ‘Pure flowers for pure angels, happy second anniversary.’Her heart skipped a beat. It wasn’t the flowers themselves that had touched her, but the words. The tenderness of the message, the love that shone through, made her chest tighten with warmth. The depression that had weighed on her since yesterday’s events vanished in an instant. H
After David left, Emma felt a sudden strange emptiness in the house. She tried to distract herself by doing something simple—anything to keep her mind from wandering. She began tidying up, folding David’s shirts and placing them neatly in the laundry basket. The simple task gave her something to focus on, but as she picked up a particularly crumpled shirt, something in the air caught her attention.A faint scent lingered in the room, one that wasn’t hers. It was floral, sweet, and unmistakably feminine. ‘Perfume,’ she thought, her pulse quickening. Her mind raced as she turned the shirt over in her hands, inhaling deeply. It wasn’t her perfume; in fact, it didn’t even resemble anything she wore. She froze. What was this? The smell felt foreign, out of place. Her heart hammered in her chest, and an uncomfortable tension settled in her stomach. The perfume was subtle, almost as if it had been transferred to the fabric by accident, but the thought that it was someone else's scent—some
"Hey, I know this feels crazy, but we’re doing the right thing. You deserve answers," Sophie said, trying to sound reassuring.Emma nodded, but the knot in her stomach only tightened. She took deep breaths, muttering and convincing herself that she indeed was doing the right thing and deserved answers.Sophie parked outside the hotel, her unease growing as she glanced at Emma, who was pale and silent. Inside the lobby, the buzz of activity only made Emma feel more overwhelmed. “Now what?” Emma murmured, her voice barely audible. “We don’t even know his room number.” Sophie shot her a reassuring look. “Leave it to me.” Marching up to the lobby manager, Sophie greeted him with her usual charm. “Hi! It’s Emma’s anniversary today, and she’s here to surprise her husband, David. Could you help us find his room?” “Ms. Evans! Mrs. Lawson! It’s an honor to see you both again," the manager greeted them with a warm smile. When he heard Sophie's request, he hesitated, his polite smile fa
The moment Emma saw the woman standing in the doorway, her world seemed to shatter. Her legs turned to jelly, and she nearly collapsed to the ground in shock. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the woman's face — a face she knew all too well. It was the face that haunted her dreams, the face of the woman who had once been the love of David’s life. A breathless, broken whisper escaped Emma’s lips as she called out, “Sister.”Sophie, sensing the growing tension in the room, gave Emma a subtle glance before quietly excusing herself. "Uh, I think I’ll just... give you two some space. Catch you later, Emma," she said, slipping out of the room without another word, leaving Emma standing frozen at the doorway.The air in the room grew thick with awkwardness as Emma and her sister, Allison, stood facing each other. For a moment, neither spoke, the silence hanging heavily between them. Then, finally, Allison took a small step forward, her smile gentle as she opened her arms."Emma," she sa
David broke into a run, weaving through the chaos. Some drivers cursed at him, others simply ignored him, but he didn't care. He started running towards the hospital, not even thinking about his injuries, not thinking about the blood that still stained his face and clothes.Passers-by froze mid-step, gasping and turning to stare."Is he hurt?!" a woman whispered, clutching her umbrella tighter."Somebody stop him!" another man shouted, backing away as David barreled past.Ahead, a group of policemen stationed ahead, at the roadblock spotted him instantly. Their faces hardened with alarm."Hey! You there!" one officer barked, stepping forward with his hand raised. "Stop! Stop right now!"But David didn’t even glance at them. Another officer lunged toward him, grabbing at his arm. "Sir, stop! You need medical attention—!""Get off me!" David growled, yanking his arm free without breaking stride."He's bleeding like crazy!" one officer muttered under his breath, chasing after him
“Dammit!” David slammed his hands hard against the steering wheel, his voice rough with anger and frustration.The rain continued to pour heavily outside, the sky dark and angry. The road ahead, which had already been bad, had become even worse. Car horns blared from every direction as drivers, growing impatient, pressed down aggressively on their horns. People tried to cut each other off, swerving and pushing their way forward, causing more confusion.David gritted his teeth as he watched the cars barely move an inch. The downpour made visibility almost zero, but it didn't stop reckless drivers from pushing their way ahead. Every second wasted felt like a knife twisting in his heart. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel, his bloodied fingers trembling slightly. He wished he had his phone with him right now. At least he would have tried to call Emma and find out how she was doing.“Dammit!” he cursed out loudly again, silently blaming himself for being in such a hurry that
Suddenly, in front of him, a huge screen materialized in the air.David stared at it, confused about where it had appeared from. Then images and videos started to play on the screen.At first, the screen showed Emma’s face — glowing, full of joy and love. She was wearing a beautiful white dress, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him. David could almost feel the warmth of her smile, the way it used to light up a whole room. He saw himself standing across from her, sliding a ring onto her finger. Emma’s hands were trembling slightly, but her smile never faded. When it was her turn, she slipped the ring onto his hand, her fingers brushing against his with a gentleness that made his chest tighten.The crowd around them cheered, but David only heard Emma’s soft laughter as they leaned in and kissed- a deep, passionate kiss, full of promises and dreams. It felt so real that David almost reached out to hold her, to pull her back into his arms.The images shifted, and he saw her curled
The rain was falling heavily, beating against David’s windshield and making it hard to see. The wipers moved quickly, but they couldn't clear away the water fast enough. His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly as he pressed harder on the gas pedal.His heartbeat was racing.The road was almost empty except for his car. The rain made everything look blurry, and the tires slipped slightly every now and then. Still, he didn’t slow down. He had to find Emma, make sure she was alright.Suddenly, a flash of bright lights appeared right in front of him. Before David could react, a huge truck swerved into his lane. The truck’s big wheels were sliding on the wet road, throwing up sprays of water. Heavy crates were stacked high on the back, covered with a torn tarp that flapped wildly in the wind. Some of the crates looked like they were about to fall off.The truck driver was yelling something, waving his arms out the window, but David couldn’t hear anything. The sound of the rain poun
"The investigation into the overseas branch is getting deeper," Mr. Coleman, the Finance Director, said grimly, flipping through a folder. "They're looking into money laundering claims now. If we don’t act fast, it’s not just the fines we’re facing — it's possible criminal charges for the involved parties."A tense murmur passed through the room.David sat at the long polished conference table, his fingers loosely tapping a pen against his notepad. The heavy atmosphere in the boardroom matched the stormy skies gathering outside the tall glass windows. Around him, the board members of Lawson Enterprises discussed the growing list of problems their company was facing.He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. His voice, calm but firm. “We need to cooperate fully with the investigators. Scrub all accounts clean, audit every department, and terminate anyone even remotely involved. Transparency is the only way we survive this."Some nodded in agreement, others shifted uncomfort
After that chaotic and painful day, Emma's life gradually returned to its familiar rhythm.She picked up her work at the hospital again, focusing on her patients and responsibilities. Claire resumed school, her cheerful giggles echoing once more in the mornings. To outsiders, everything seemed back to normal — the same Emma, the same daily life.But inside, something had shifted.Emma and Christian were no longer just friends. They had crossed a line they hadn’t dared cross before, and although it still felt a little new, a little strange, Emma welcomed the quiet comfort it brought her. Christian's presence was steady and warm, and it wrapped around her like a safety net she didn't realize she had needed for so long.Still, some days, it surprised her just how much their relationship had changed.Like today.Emma was juggling her handbag, Claire’s lunchbox, and a folder of school papers as she stepped out of her apartment. Claire was already waiting in the backseat of the car, hummin
"Christian… would you… be willing to be with me?”The moment the words left Emma's mouth, she shut her eyes, unsure if she had said too much or not enough. Her heart was pounding now.There was a pause on the other end. For a second, she thought maybe the line had gone dead.Then his voice came through, gentle and serious."Are you still at home?" he asked."Yes," she replied quietly."Don’t go anywhere. Just wait for me."Before she could say anything else, he hung up.Christian stared at his phone for a second, as if trying to process what just happened. Then a wide smile spread across his face. His heart raced, his hands felt a little shaky, but in the best way possible.Without wasting a second, he grabbed his keys and headed straight for the door. He didn’t care how late it was or how tired he felt. All he knew was that he needed to see Emma right now. When Christian got to Emma’s apartment, he didn’t even wait for her to buzz him in—she was already by the door, waiting.He stoo
Christian pulled up in front of Emma's house. The car ride had been quiet, really quiet. As he parked, Emma unbuckled her seatbelt and said, "Thank you." Her voice was soft, almost distant.Christian watched her closely as she reached for the door handle. He wanted to say something—anything—that would make her pause, look back, maybe smile. But Emma just stared ahead, her face tired and unreadable.Before she could step out, he gently reached for her hand.“Emma,” he said softly, “how are you feeling?”She turned her eyes to him, surprised by the touch. There was a long silence before she finally shrugged.“I’m okay,” she muttered, but even she didn’t sound convinced.Christian gave her hand a small squeeze. “Don’t think too much about everything that happened tonight, alright? I know it feels heavy right now, but things will settle. Your dad… he’ll come around.”Emma let out a bitter scoff and looked away. “You think so? He’s too wrapped up in Isabel and Allison’s vines of lies to s
Christian stepped out of the car and walked straight toward David. His face was cold, and his eyes were sharp."I've given you enough chances, David," Christian said firmly. "More than once, and now, you've lost all your chances."David frowned, confused by the sudden confrontation. Before he could ask what Christian meant, Christian went on."I gave you the first chance to protect Emma. You failed. Then, I gave you a second chance—this time, to take her away with you. I deliberately stayed out of it, hoping you'd finally make a move. But, as always, you hesitated.”David opened his mouth to respond, but Christian cut him off."You decided to still be the same coward Emma fell in love with five years ago," Christian said bluntly.David's eyes showed a flicker of emotion, but he tried to stay calm. Christian just didn't care."Do you know the difference between the both of us?” Christian suddenly asked. “You don't need to answer that; I'll tell you myself. You're a very selfish man.”"