"W-who are you?" Emily asked in a choked voice. All her nerves tensed. It was as if she was seeing a ghost in front of her. Knowing the girl's fear, the masked man hid in the shadows again. At that moment, Emily could see that he was limping even though he was assisted by a cane. "Did I scare you?" The man looked down. One of his hands rose to ensure that the mask was on properly. "Sorry, I didn't mean that. If only I knew you couldn't see me ...." The man sighed heavily. "I shouldn't have kept my promise to see you." Emily blinked confusedly. Her eyes refused to look away from him. "You sent me that email? You ... are Cayden?" The man pointed his index finger. Instead of answering, he went in and came back with a rather large box that looked heavy. "What's that?" Emily asked worriedly. "You've taken the trouble to come here. It would be a shame if your trip was in vain. So, even though you don't want to talk to me, please accept this." Emily didn't dare move. She didn
The longer Emily thought about Prince, the more thorns grew in her heart. When she couldn't stand the pain, her hand rose to clutch her chest. "But it wasn't like an act. I felt like he was sincere—" "It was just an act, Emily. He's good at it. Otherwise, how could he attract so many girls out there? He's pretending to be me." While Emily was trapped in confusion, Cayden said softly, "The guy who has been with you for the past few days is fake, Emily. He's just trying to fulfill his final mission to destroy my life. He knows how important you are to me. He wants to take you from me, having you completely so that I break." Emily subconsciously shook her head. She still had difficulty digesting the information that was too shocking for her. "No, tell me it's not true." "I speak the truth, Emily. You are my motivation to survive. If you fell in his arms, I can't imagine what my life would be like. I would no longer have a reason to fight." Suddenly, Cayden put a photo on the b
"Cayden Evans?" Summer squinted. Her hands were still on her hips. "I've never heard of that name. Who are you, Cayden Evans?" "I'm a photographer who has known Emily before your mother knew her, but Emily and I have been separated for a long time. Only now can we meet again. I can even be in NZ because I follow her." Summer's lips pursed. Her cheeks puffed up a little. "Where's the proof that you are her friend?" Prince ran to get his camera. He showed a photo of Emily and himself at Mont Saint Michel. Summer observed it carefully. "This guy looks like you," she muttered as she compared. "Eyes, nose, lips. I think this is you. You also look close to Aunt Emily. Okay, now I believe you are her friend." Feeling amused, Prince stroked Summer's head. "Then, could you please call Emily now? I have something important to discuss with her." "Auntie isn't here, Sir. She's away." Prince's eyes widened. The answer was beyond his expectations. "Where is she?" "Auntie said
"Emily ...." Prince looked happy to have found Emily. However, seeing who was standing behind the girl, his face turned sullen. He quickly approached. Unfortunately, the masked man stepped in front of Emily. Pointing his stick at Prince, he shouted, "Don't come any closer!" Then, he glanced slightly over his shoulder. "Don't be afraid, Emily. I will protect you." Prince snorted at that. Tilting his head, looking at the girl peeking behind the enemy, he said softly, "Miss Harper, come here. Get away from him. He's a murderer." Emily's brows furrowed. Again, she was trapped in confusion. Who should she trust? Prince or "Cayden"? "Miss Harper?" Prince's voice touched Emily's heart. After a breath, she finally spoke. "You two, can you just make peace? You're brothers. You shouldn't be enemies." Prince stared wide-eyed at Emily. "You said the two of us are brothers?" "I already know that you're Princeton and he's Cayden." Emily failed to hide her doubts. Her voice w
"Emily, let's get out of here!" the masked guy said as he pulled her away. However, Emily was reluctant to go. She didn't even move an inch. "You want to leave Prince alone here? He could die!" "Don't worry about him. Gunshot wounds are nothing for him. He's just pretending to be in pain to get your sympathy." Emily sighed in disbelief. She pulled her arm from his grasp, whispering, "No. I can't leave him alone." Emily bent down again, helping Prince to his feet. But, again, she was restrained. "Emily, don't argue! Come with me and leave him." "He's your brother, Cayden! Even though it's true that he hurt you, you don't have the right to kill him," Emily said hoarsely. Her nose flared to match her ragged breath. While "Cayden" sighed in disbelief, Emily turned her attention back to the man who was still pressing on the wound. "Come on, Prince. Don't let your blood run out." "You prefer him over me?" The masked guy sounded disappointed. "It's not about preference. H
"Cayden fought as hard as he could to save you. He even risked his own life, but you surrendered yourself in front of that murderer? You should have run for your life! But what are you doing here?" The woman scolded Emily. Emily could only looked down while clenching her fists. She didn't need to ask who dared to slap and scold her. She knew. That must be Grace Evans. "I can't leave Cayden here alone," Emily muttered softly. "What can you do by staying here? His wound can heal itself? You almost made his sacrifice in vain! You're lucky we arrived in time. Otherwise? You want Cayden to wake up in immense anger and regret?" Suddenly, Emily straightened her head. Her eyes twinkled a little, reflecting hope. "Cayden will wake up, right? He will recover and be healthy again, won't he?" Grace sighed in disbelief. She had scolded Emily at length. However, that was the only part she perceived? "I can't promise that. I'm not God. I can only try my best for his recovery." At that
Upon arrival in L City, Emily was not greeted by her own family, but by a video call from Summer. The toddler whined and begged her mother to contact Emily. Like it or not, Sky fulfilled her request via Orion's phone. "Hello, Aunt Emily. How are you? Are you okay? I heard you were in trouble. You had to go home early and broke your promise to me. Actually, I was very excited to take you to the cave. I even prepared more provisions. My bag became so much heavier that the straps were about to come loose. But I had to unpack it again because that plan was cancelled." Emily smiled wryly at the babble. "Sorry, Summer. I was forced to leave NZ without saying goodbye to you. Are you angry with me?" "Yeah, a little. I'm annoyed because you have to leave when there are still so many things we have to do together. I've even put them together on a list." "Is that so? What did you write there?" Summer's lips pursed even more. "Mama and I have a lot of agendas until the end of the year.
As the car entered the gate of her house, Emily swallowed hard. Several people had gathered in front of the main door. She could guess who were there. "Orion, why are they here? Are they ready to scold me?" Emily whispered, nervously. Orion smirked. "Maybe they want to welcome you. Just think positively," he said casually. When the car stopped, he rushed out, leaving Emily behind. "Orion, wait! Let's walk together. Orion!" Ignored, Emily could only grimace. She was about to cry. "I haven't prepared a reason to defend myself," she thought with a resigned sigh. Like it or not, she got out of the door opened by the driver. "Emily ...." Kara Harper welcomed her into a hug. Her eyes were closed. Her breath was deep. She was relieved that hr daughter made it home safely. "Mom," Emily whispered as she clenched her fists. Guilt had stuck in her throat. "I'm sorry." While stroking Emily's hair, Kara kissed her temple. "You already know your mistake, hmm? Next time please don't