Chapter 510

Emily let out a soft chuckle. “So, the reason you’ve been silent this whole time is because you’ve been thinking about that?”
A flicker of embarrassment crossed Tristan’s face. He grew more serious, lowering his voice as he leaned in, urging, “I started feeling something was off the moment Elizabeth Wilson suggested we should go together a few days ago. Just tell me already.”
She twisted her wrist, slipping her hand from Tristan’s grasp. “There’s really nothing to talk about.”
Tristan’s brow furrowed at once. “You don’t want me to know?”
Emily glanced away, her voice cool. “It’s not that I don’t want to tell you. I just don’t think you need to know. This is my business.”
She turned her head away, presenting the back of her head to him.
Behind her, Tristan fell silent for a long while.
As Emily replayed her words in her mind, she realized she’d sounded a bit too harsh. No wonder Tristan’s expression had soured. She opened her mouth to explain, but he spoke first.
“But I want to know.”
Emily turned, facing him fully.
“If things had been fine for me at the Lane family, I wouldn’t have run off to the capital on my own. That’s all I want to say.”
Suddenly, Tristan reached out, both hands resting on her shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze. “I get it.”
It was the height of summer, the air thick with heat. Emily wore a khaki off-the- shoulder knit top paired with flared jeans. Her hair was swept neatly back, framing her striking features, the ends curling softly. She looked sharp yet approachable, a balance of elegance and ease.
Because of the off-shoulder design, her graceful neck and collarbones were bare, her skin pale against the warm light.
Tristan’s palms pressed firmly against her shoulders, warm and steady. The contact left Emily momentarily stunned.
She finally snapped out of it, clicking her tongue. “Get what? Enough with the drama. Let’s just pick out a gift.”
Once they finished choosing the present, Emily took Tristan to visit their old high school teacher, Ms. Carter.
When they met, both were struck by how much time had changed them all. They chatted for nearly two hours before finally saying goodbye.
By then, it was almost time for Andrew Lane and Isabella Austin’s fifth wedding anniversary celebration. Emily changed into a simple, form-fitting dress, put on a touch of makeup, swept her hair up, and headed out-minimal effort, or so she thought.
But that wasn’t how others saw it—especially Tristan, whose eyes flashed with surprise when he saw her.
“Wow, Emily. Didn’t know you knew how to dress up.”
She smacked his arm. “Don’t be a smartass. Now move it.”
Tristan grinned, dodging just enough that she could still reach him if she wanted. He kept close, deliberately matching her pace.
After a few steps, Emily suddenly stopped. “Oh, right. I almost forgot. Did you remember the gift?”
Tristan waved the box in his hand. “Got it right here. Stop worrying, alright?”
The Lane Estate was downtown, not far from their hotel. It took barely ten minutes to get there.
Emily sat in the car, gazing at the familiar glow of the Lane Estate ahead, momentarily lost in thought.
It hadn’t changed much still the same stately house, though now vines curled along the old stone walls. The tree in the yard, a species she never knew, had grown even taller over the years. From a distance, she noticed a swing hanging from one of its sturdy branches, swaying gently in the breeze.
She hadn’t set foot in the Lane Estate in over five years. Now, seeing it again, memories she’d buried deep inside came rushing back, flooding her mind in loops that refused to stop replaying-sweet moments, twisted regrets, times she felt small and helpless. It was as if it had all happened just yesterday. Her throat tightened with emotion.
“Emily.”
Tristan’s voice broke through her reverie.
She closed her eyes for a moment, forcing back the tangled feelings swirling behind them. “Yeah?” she answered quietly, still staring out the window as a shadow moved into her peripheral vision.