Chapter 6

Emily's POV

The living room went dead silent.

His friends stared at me, holding their breath. No one expected me to put it out in the open like this.

Alexander's face darkened instantly. He stood up abruptly. "Emily, what nonsense are you talking about?!"

"Nonsense?" I leaned back against the chair, looking completely relaxed, though my eyes were like ice. "Do you want me to bring out the wedding photo from the guest room for everyone to see?"

Sophia's face drained of color, and her eyes welled up with tears.

"Emily, why are you doing this to me? Alexander was only trying to help..." She covered her face and started sobbing.

"Enough!" Alexander yelled, pointing a finger at me. "Emily, you are being completely unreasonable! How many times do I have to tell you it was fake? Do you have to embarrass me in front of my friends like this?"

"I'm embarrassing you?" I stood up, staring him down. "Alexander, you brought her into my home. You hung that photo in the guest room. And now you're blaming me for making a scene? You have the guts to do it, but not the balls to admit it?"

"You." Furious, Alexander raised his hand high.

I didn't even flinch. I just stared at him coldly. "Do it. Hit me, and these five years are officially over."

Alexander's hand froze in mid-air.

I locked eyes with him, refusing to look away for even a second.

A few seconds later, he gritted his teeth and slowly let his hand drop.

He pulled at his collar in frustration. "You guys should leave. Sorry about tonight."

His friends quickly stood up and practically ran out the door.

Once the door shut, only the three of us were left in the living room.

Sophia cried harder, tugging at Alexander's shirt. "Alexander, I'll leave. I'll leave right now. I shouldn't have dragged you into this..."

"Why are you leaving?!" Frustrated, Alexander pushed her back down onto the couch. "This is my place. Let's see who dares to kick you out!"

Watching this drama unfold, I only felt amused.

"Since she's not leaving, I am."

I turned, walked into the bedroom, and dragged out my pre-packed suitcase.

Seeing the suitcase, Alexander's expression completely changed. It was as if he finally realized what I had been doing the past few days.

"Where do you think you're going?" Alexander rushed over, grabbing the handle of my suitcase. His voice was much tighter than usual.

"Let go."

"No! Emily, don't overreact. I told you, nothing is going on between Sophia and me. Once her situation is resolved, we'll get married immediately!"

"Alexander, do you honestly think I'm that stupid?" I let out a cold laugh. "Would a man bring a woman he doesn't care about into his home? Would he let her wear his shirt? Would he abandon his girlfriend in the middle of the night to comfort her? Is it really just sympathy?"

Alexander froze.

He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Looking at his reaction, the very last piece of my heart shattered into dust.

"See? You can't even lie to yourself," I said, yanked the suitcase out of his grip. "We're done. I'll mail you the keycard."

"No! I don't agree!" Panicking, Alexander wrapped his arms around me from behind. "Emily, I was wrong. I won't talk to her anymore, okay? Just don't leave..."

Right then, Sophia let out a sharp scream, rolling off the couch and curling up on the floor, clutching her stomach.

"It hurts... Alexander, my stomach hurts so bad."

Alexander's body stiffened. He instinctively let go of me and rushed over to her.

"Sophia. What's wrong?"

"I don't know... it hurts..." Sweat was pouring down Sophia's face as she clutched his arm tightly.

Alexander scooped her up, giving me a highly complex look.

"Emily, wait for me. Wait for me to come back, and we'll have a real talk."

With that, he ran out the door with her in his arms.

I stood there alone as the cold night wind blew in through the open door, making me shiver.

Wait for him?

I pulled my suitcase and walked out into the night, never looking back.

I would never wait for him.