Chapter 756

Tristan Davis gazed at Emily Blair’s delicate profile-her fair skin, the gentle curve of her lips and felt utterly powerless.
He knew better than anyone how stubborn Emily could be. Once she set her mind to something, nothing could stop her. He remembered the first time she launched a game: she barely slept for five days, maybe a dozen hours in total, pushing herself until her eyes were bloodshot and she nearly collapsed from exhaustion.
That fierce determination was what he admired most about her. Right now, it was also what he hated most.
No one but Tristan knew the panic that had gripped him when he heard about Emily’s car accident. It was as if the ground had vanished beneath him, and he was falling-endlessly, helplessly-into a darkness with no bottom.
There was nothing Tristan could do to stop her. And there was no way he could ever override her will.
Emily sat with her head bowed, her gaze unfocused, lost in her own world. The hospital room had been quiet for so long that the silence had become almost comforting.
Suddenly, Tristan broke the stillness, his voice lower than usual. “Emily, you want me to understand you. But do you even try to understand me?”
Do you understand that I don’t want you taking these risks?
His words were so soft and slow, layered with a meaning Emily couldn’t quite grasp.
Her heart skipped, and she looked up at him.
Tristan’s usual mask of indifference was gone. His striking eyes held an intensity that made her uneasy, their depths fixed on her with a seriousness she hadn’t seen before.
She parted her lips, uncertain. “You
In the end, all she managed was a dry, awkward question. “What are you talking about?”
She truly didn’t understand.
But Tristan did.
For years, Emily had thrown herself into her career, working relentlessly, leaving herself little time for anything else—least of all her personal life. More than once, Tristan had tried to show her, sometimes subtly, sometimes directly, but either she hadn’t heard him, or she simply didn’t get it.
He didn’t want to push the issue any further.
“I won’t force you anymore,” Tristan said quietly.
Emily blinked, momentarily stunned.
He met her eyes. “But whatever you’re planning to do next, promise me you’ll tell me first.”
Emily pressed her lips together and nodded. “Okay,” she murmured.
There was a brief silence. Then Tristan’s expression shifted, his usual playful smile returning. “By the way, Ms. Blair, I forgot to mention-while you were in a coma, the Eldoria regional finals for that piano competition you signed up for were held. Since you couldn’t attend, your spot was forfeited. Just thought you should know.” Emily had already figured out she’d missed the finals; she’d calculated the days after waking up. But she didn’t really care-she’d never been invested in the competition, so winning or losing made no difference.
Still, there was one thing she was curious about.
“Who took the top three spots?” she asked.
When Isabella Austin got the overseas call, she was at Benjamin Gomez’s house, playing with Ashley Gomez on the soft living room rug. One moment she was laughing, the next her face went stiff as she listened to the news.
As soon as the call ended, Isabella scrambled to her feet.
Ashley tugged at her hand. “Mommy, where are you going?”
Her daughter’s sweet, childish voice grated on Isabella’s nerves for no reason. She jerked her hand free, a little too roughly. “Mommy needs to talk to Daddy. Go play by yourself for a bit.”
Ashley pulled her hand back, her voice dropping to a soft, disappointed, “Okay.”
Isabella hurried to the study, where Benjamin was working. Ever since they’d agreed to give married life a trial run for a month, Benjamin had moved most of his work home. His secretary and assistant now delivered important documents straight to the house. At first, Isabella had been anxious, awkward around the constant stream of visitors, but over time she’d gotten used to it-barely even noticing anymore.