Chapter 201

[ 1,005 words ]

Emilia’s POV

“Hold on a sec,” I said to Lily, still on the line.

I bent down and scooped up the wallet before the crowd could kick it aside. The leather was soft, expensive. I straightened and called out, “Excuse me! Ma’am!”

The woman in the mink coat turned, one elegant brow arched in question.

I jogged up to her and held out the wallet. “You dropped this.”

She pulled off her dark sunglasses, and I found myself looking into a pair of warm eyes framed by fine lines. Something about her face felt familiar, though I couldn’t place it. Like I’d seen her somewhere in passing.

“Oh, goodness.” She took the wallet with both hands, her smile genuine. “Thank you so much, dear. I didn’t even notice.”

“No problem,” I said, smiling back.

She tucked the wallet into her coat, gave me one more grateful nod, and swept off into the crowd with the same grace she’d arrived with.

I brought the phone back to my ear. “Still there?”

“Of course I’m still here,” Lily said, teasing. “Did you just return someone’s wallet instead of keeping it? Who are you and what have you done with Emilia?”

“Oh, shut up.” I rolled my eyes. “Yes, I returned it. What was I supposed to do, run off with it like some cartoon villain?”

“I don’t know, maybe? You could’ve at least checked if there was cash inside.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“And you’re too honest for your own good,” she shot back. “Seriously, Emmy, you deserve a medal.”

“What I deserve is for you to actually show up on time. Have you even left yet, or are you still on your couch?”

“I left ages ago! Ten minutes. Promise.”

“You said that twenty minutes ago.”

“This time I mean it.”

“Sure you do.” I hung up before she could argue and dropped the phone into my bag.

Lily finally turned up fifteen minutes later, looking a little green but determined.

“You look terrible,” I said by way of greeting.

“Thanks. Love you too.” She looped her arm through mine. “Come on. Let’s shop until my stomach stops trying to murder me.”

“Are you sure you’re okay? We can do this another day if—”

“I’m fine. I took something for it. Now stop fussing and help me find a jacket that doesn’t make me look like I’m auditioning for a nature documentary.”

We spent the next few hours drifting through stores, trying on clothes, testing lipsticks on the backs of our hands, arguing over whether a pair of boots was “edgy” or “trying too hard.” I picked up a few things , an armful of skincare, serums and creams and a face mask set I’d been meaning to try, and grabbed a tie and a watch for Sebastian that I knew he’d pretend not to like and then wear anyway.

By the time we finished, we were both weighed down with bags, our arms aching.

“Okay,” Lily panted, shifting her bags to the other hand. “I vote we take the stairs down. Burn off that pretzel we split.”

I glanced at her. She looked wrung out, her face pale, the bags dragging her shoulders down. She kept switching hands every few steps.

“Lily,” I said slowly. “The elevator’s right there.”

She stopped. “The elevator?”

“Yeah. The metal box that goes up and down? Saves us from collapsing halfway down three flights of stairs?”

Her eyes went wide. “Emmy, are you sure? I know you’ve been working on it, but—”

“I’m sure.” I nodded toward the doors. “You’re carrying half the store. I’m not making you walk down three flights when there’s a perfectly good elevator ten feet away.”

She studied my face, looking for any sign of panic. When she didn’t find it, she nodded. “Okay. But the second you feel even a little uncomfortable, you tell me. We get out and take the stairs. Deal?”

“Deal.”

We walked over. I pressed the button, and the doors slid open almost at once. We stepped in, and I moved to the back, one hand closing around the railing.

The doors slid shut.

My chest went tight. The walls seemed to inch closer, and the air turned thin and metallic in my mouth. My heart started to pound, too fast, too loud, and my palms went damp against the railing. For one awful second I wasn’t in the elevator at all. I was small again, folded into the dark of that locked room Henry used to shut me in, too little to reach the handle. I could smell it, dust and cold and my own fear. My throat closed. My legs wanted to fold.

“Easy,” Eve murmured in my mind, steady and calm. “You’re not there anymore. That room is gone. You’re here, and you’re safe.”

I made myself breathe. In through my nose, slow, the way I’d been practicing. I counted the seconds. One. Two. I thought of my mother’s letter, the golden words blooming across the page. I thought of Sebastian’s arms around me this morning, solid and warm, the steady weight of him telling me I wasn’t going anywhere he couldn’t follow. Little by little, the walls settled back into place. The air came easier.

The elevator chimed. The doors opened.

I let out the breath I’d been holding and stepped out into the open air of the ground floor. My legs were still a little unsteady, but they held.

Lily grabbed my arm, her face lighting up. “Emmy! You did it!”

I let out a shaky laugh. “I did, didn’t I?”

“That was amazing!” She bounced on her toes, grinning like I’d just won a marathon. “How do you feel?”

“Honestly?” I glanced back at the elevator. My heart was still coming down from it. “Still a little scared. But I’m working on it. One step at a time.”

She squeezed my hand. “You’re doing great. Really. I’m so proud of you.”

“Thanks.” I smiled, and this time it felt real. “I’m proud of me too.”

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