Chapter 5

"It's a friend of mine," Emily said. "She lost her passport and asked me how to get it replaced." Samuel hurried over to Emily and hugged her tightly. "You scared me. I thought you were going abroad without me." Emily turned away and started retching again. She caught a mildly sweet yet salty stench coming off him, mixed with the smell of a woman's perfume. Patting her back tenderly, Samuel asked, "What did they feed you? I told them you've been having an upset stomach, and that they needed to be careful with what they prepared for you. Just you wait. I'll fire the lot of them!" This time, Emily used all her strength to shove him away. "If you want to fire someone, just do it! Stop using me as your excuse." Her sudden outburst left Samuel feeling a little perplexed. "Are you mad at me, Emmy? Is it because I've been working and can't spend any time with you? "How about this—I'll clear my schedule for tomorrow and spend the day with you, okay?" Emily scoffed. "You'll spend the entire day with me?" "That's right. I'll be by your side the whole day." Taking a deep breath, Emily said, "I hope you can keep your word." … For some reason, it started raining heavily that night. Emily kept vomiting the moment she got back to the house. Samuel tried to approach her, but she adamantly refused to let him. "Don't come near me. The smell on you makes me want to vomit even more." He sniffed at his sleeve before saying, "Maybe you don't like the cologne I'm using. I'll switch to a different one." "Samuel, you should know very well it's not because of the cologne!" "Yes, yes, alright. I won't use any type of cologne anymore, okay?" Emily washed her face with cold water before staring at her reflection in the mirror. Samuel was still waiting anxiously outside the bathroom. She still couldn't figure it out. Even now, when he reeked of Jessica's perfume and the stench of their sexual escapades, he was still able to keep a straight face and act like he loved her. How did he manage that? Emily couldn't understand why. Even though he seemed to care about her, he was still able to brazenly betray their relationship. Was it just like what she overheard the senior executive saying earlier today? That it didn't matter if a guy fooled around with other women, so long as he kept it from his wife? Well, he was wrong. She wasn't all that gullible and easily tricked. She wasn't the type to give up on her principles either. Since Samuel's love for her wasn't whole-hearted, she didn't want even the tiniest bit of it. … The next morning, Samuel took Emily to the hospital. After a series of check-ups, the doctor said, "It seems to be stress-induced gastritis." "What is that?" Samuel asked. "Usually, it means the patient has gone through some kind of emotional upheaval that led to a physiological reaction as well. It has caused an imbalance in her digestive system, leading to her vomiting." "Has anything upset you recently, Emmy?" Samuel asked. "Whatever it is, you can tell me. Maybe I can help you resolve it." Emily turned away to avoid his attempts to get closer to her. "You can't resolve it." "Tell me about it first. There are few things in this world that I can't resolve." Well, that was true. The situation that plagued her was one that only he could resolve. To be honest, for a brief moment, she was tempted to ask him who he would save if both she and Jessica were drowning at the same time. But immediately, she reminded herself to never leave her fate in the hands of another. No one could be relied upon like that. She knew how to swim. She could save herself. She no longer needed Samuel. Over at Verusa, she applied for art school under the name Aria Skye. Back then, in order to marry Samuel, she'd given up on her dream of pursuing her art. From now on, she would live the life she wanted for herself. "Shall I take you to the movies this afternoon, Emmy? There's a newly released comedy that I'm sure will lift your spirits," Samuel suggested. "This afternoon? Don't you have to work?" "I thought we agreed that I'll spend the day with you today. I'm a man of my word, you know. I will never go back on a promise," Samuel declared. At the very next second, his phone rang. He moved to reject the call, only to hesitate when he saw who the caller was. Emily could see the way his expression shifted from annoyance to indecision. Smiling, she said, "Go ahead and take it. Work is a priority." "I'll be right back," Samuel said. "Just give me five minutes." "Sure." Samuel was about to head off with his phone when Emily said, "You can take the call here. I wouldn't understand anything you say about work anyway, so you don't have to worry about me leaking confidential information." Pausing awkwardly, Samuel hesitated for a few seconds before taking the call. His brows were furrowed with anger as he snapped, "Didn't I tell you not to call me today? What on earth do you want?" Emily didn't know what the caller said, but she vaguely caught the sound of a woman crying. Even as Samuel stood before Emily, he changed his tone, answering carefully, "Alright. I got it. Wait for me." After ending the call, Samuel said somewhat apologetically, "Emmy, there's an important work document that I have to sign. The manager has brought it to the hospital, and he's waiting for me downstairs. I'll come right back after signing it. It'll only take me 30 minutes, at most." Once Emily nodded in response, Samuel almost ran out of the examination room. "Mr. Porter loves you very much, Mrs. Porter," the doctor remarked with a laugh. "He dropped all his work for your sake." "Is that so?" Emily commented with a smirk. "Please excuse me for a minute, doctor. I need to use the restroom." "Of course." After leaving the examination room, Emily caught sight of Samuel. He was in such a rush that he couldn't wait for the elevator and chose to run down the stairs instead. He did head downstairs, alright, but not to the hospital lobby. He went one floor down to the obstetrics and gynecology department. Right at that moment, Emily's phone buzzed. Jessica: "I do apologize, Ms. Anderson, but he won't be able to accompany you today. All it takes is a single call from me, and he'll rush to my side at once."