4: 4
4
I listened to Liam and let out a breath.
We talked for hours that night. Years had passed since we'd last seen each other, and still, talking to him, there wasn't the smallest wall between us.
Early the next morning, a burst of hard knocking jolted me awake.
I opened the door to find Joshua and Olivia standing there.
“Emily, what's the matter with you?”
Joshua frowned at the sight of me. “Why aren't you up yet?”
“The flight's about to leave. Hurry up!”
I nodded, quietly packed everything, and left with him.
On the way, he and Olivia laughed and chatted the whole time and completely ignored me.
I watched Joshua and smiled.
He seemed to have forgotten that I was the one who was his girlfriend.
He'd always been close with Olivia, and I'd brought it up with him before. Back then, Joshua told me there was nothing between him and Olivia.
“Emily, Olivia and I have been friends since we were kids, that's all!”
“If there were anything between Olivia and me, I wouldn't be dating you.”
He'd been angry when he said it, and I'd believed him completely.
But looking at Joshua now, I felt certain he'd been lying to me from the very start.
On the plane, Joshua and Olivia sat together while I was stuck in the farthest corner.
“Emily, when I booked the tickets, there were only two seats left together!”
“I'm a little afraid of heights. Could you let Joshua sit with me?”
Olivia looked at me with a face full of fake helplessness.
I smiled. “Sure!”
Olivia wasn't afraid of heights at all. Her social feed was packed with photos of her out having a wild time, and plenty of them were up in the air.
I looked at her and said nothing more, just walked straight to the back.
The whole flight, I stayed on edge, not knowing what would come next.
Then a message came through on my phone.
“I've already got people in place. When you reach the airport, go with them. Don't worry, my men will stay with you the whole way!”
It was from Liam.
I read it and let out a breath.
I sent back a single “okay” and didn't reply again.
Grandma had told me Liam had a lot of connections in this place, so I didn't need to worry.
After the plane landed, I followed the two of them out of the airport. The moment we stepped outside, Joshua grabbed my arm.
“Emily, about that agreement, I really think you should sign it!”
He pulled out the agreement and held it out to me. “After all, this isn't home. What if something happens?”
I looked at Joshua and smiled. “No need, Joshua.”
“I'm not planning to hand my things over to you.”
The moment I said it, the gentle look on Joshua's face vanished.
He fixed me with an icy stare. “Emily, I gave you a chance!”
“You're the one who threw it away!”
“You'd better understand, this is a war-torn country overseas. Now that I've gotten you out here, do you really think you can get back home?”
There was a coldness on his face as he said it, and I stared back at him, just as cold.
Because I'd already seen the car that had pulled up beside me a short distance off.
The men who climbed out were clearly bodyguards. They surrounded the three of us at once, and the one in front walked straight toward me.
“Ms. Emily, Mr. Rowe is already waiting for you!”
