Later, the police in the Pinecrest City solved the human trafficking case, but no leads on her family surfaced.
At Elliot's insistence, the Carter Family took her in and named her Emery, meaning "brave ruler," for she had the power to tame the once-untamable Elliot, turning him into a man who could be controlled.
From then on, Elliot kept the tradition of celebrating her birthday twice a year.
But today, he forgot. He was too caught up in celebrating with someone else.
After finishing her cake, Emery quietly removed all the wedding photos and family portraits from the bedroom, feeding them into the shredder. She had already made up her mind to leave; there was no point in holding onto the past.
Once the photos were gone, she packed her things and moved them into the study next door, leaving behind only the jewelry and gifts Elliot had given her over the years.
For now, she couldn’t bear to see his face every day.
The study, a space she had once insisted on keeping, now became her sanctuary. She had planned to use it for work, but life had kept her tangled up in Jaxon’s needs and daily duties.
Ironically, it was now the place she would retreat to before leaving the Pinecrest City for good.
Pushing aside the whirlwind of thoughts, Emery took a bath and then settled into bed. Despite her efforts to find rest, she tossed and turned for hours, her mind racing, until at last, sleep claimed her, but it was a restless one.
In the dead of night, Elliot returned home alone.
When he saw the empty bedroom, a mocking smile tugged at his lips.
He knew Emery was upset, throwing her little tantrum, but he wasn’t the young man who once panicked at the sight of her tears.
With a sharp bang, Elliot flung open the study door, only to find that Emery wasn’t sitting in there waiting for him, anxious and expectant, as he had imagined.
She rubbed her tired eyes and spoke with surprising calm, “Wrong room. The bedroom is next door.”
A surge of frustration rippled through Elliot. He marched toward the bed and grabbed her wrist. “You just can’t stand seeing Calla happy, can you? You had to embarrass her in front of everyone, didn’t you?”
Emery couldn’t help but laugh, though it was more bitter than anything. “Elliot, today isn’t just Calla’s big day…”
Elliot froze, the weight of her words slowly sinking in. It was then that he remembered; it was also Emery’s birthday.
A moment of unease flickered across Elliot’s chest, but it quickly faded, replaced by a surge of anger over Calla’s injury. “So that’s what this is about? If you want a present, just swipe my card at the mall. Calla never had a birthday like yours. Can’t you give her just this one day?”
His tone turned cold. “Don’t think hiding in the study will scare me. If you plan to stay here, then you better stay for good. And you’ll apologize to Calla tomorrow, or I won’t stop Jaxon from turning against you.”
He tightened his grip on her wrist until her face lost its color, then let go with a forceful shove. He stormed off, his anger trailing behind him.
As his figure disappeared down the hallway, Emery’s lips twisted into a laugh.
The marks on her wrist were bright, mocking, as if to remind her of the hold he still had over her.
Once upon a time, she would have been angry beyond words.
But now, all she felt was the hollow ache of years spent in his shadow; twenty-four New Year’s Eve spent with him, watching the fireworks over Pinecrest City and all of it slipping away like sand through her fingers.
At eighteen, Emery’s heart began to stir with a feeling she had never known. On a yacht, beneath a sky lit up by a dazzling burst of fireworks, Elliot gently took her hand and promised her a lifetime together.
The fireworks had been so breathtaking, and in that moment, she had never imagined that love, so sincere, so bright, could fade away just as quickly as the sparks in the night sky.
With the Carter Family’s encouragement, she naturally married Elliot and by twenty-two, she had given birth to their son, Jaxon, a child she cherished more than anything in the world.
