Chapter 4
The table was cluttered with glasses of amber whiskey, their golden glow catching what little light there was.
Emily’s eyes drifted up, searching for Damon’s. She needed him to say
something–anything–that would make sense of all this. But the shadows in the room were deep, and his face was impossible to read.-
The silence pressed in on her, heavy and endless. Emily felt like she was suffocating.
Memories crashed through her mind. When she’d first arrived at the old house, Damon had already lost his eyesight. Every night, he drowned himself in whiskey, trying to escape. She worried about him, begged him to stop, but he never listened.
Then there was that night, the one she could never forget. He was drunk, his words slurred, and he pushed a row of bottles toward her with a bitter laugh.
“So now the housekeeper’s daughter thinks she can boss me around? Is this what it’s come to? Fine. Drink all this, and I’ll do whatever you say.”
She wanted to explain–she wasn’t trying to control him. She’s just caring about him. Still, even though she was allergic to alcohol, Emily didn’t hesitate. For him, she picked up a bottle and downed it in one go.
Minutes later, she was in the hospital.
When she woke up, Damon was at her bedside, his face stormy and his voice rough. “I’m the one who should be drunk, not you! You know you’re allergic. Why did you do something so
reckless?”
She’d only managed one reply: “Because I was worried about you. Damon, your eyesight will come back one day, and even if it doesn’t, I’ll stay with you. So please, don’t give up.”
After that, Damon quit drinking. For years, there wasn’t even a bottle of beer in the house.
Thinking about it now, Emily smiled, though her eyes stung with tears.
She didn’t bother explaining herself anymore. Instead, she grabbed the tin of wasabi powder on the table, dumped it into a glass, and said, her voice steady, “A few drinks can’t show how much I mean it. I’ll punish myself more. Is that enough?”
She tipped the glass back, swallowing the burning liquid. One glass, then another. The sharp, bitter taste scorched her throat, twisted her stomach, and made her chest ache.
By the seventh glass, Damon finally lost it. “That’s enough!”
Looking at the untouched glasses left on the table, Emily just smiled. “Is that really enough? Have I apologized enough? Is this enough to make the girl you love happy?”
Damon shot up and grabbed her hand, his grip tight. His face, always so unreadable, was dark with anger.
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“You know that’s not what I mean! Emily, I told you–there’s nothing between me and Lea anymore. The Raines family won’t accept you because of your background. If you keep doing things like this, they’ll use it against you. I just don’t want you to get hurt or talked about!”
He sounded so reasonable, so righteous.
Emily just laughed.
The Raines family wouldn’t accept her–a servant’s daughter–but would they really welcome Lea, who only ever repaid kindness with betrayal? No matter how hard it got, if Lea asked, Damon still married her.
It was always just an excuse. When it came down to it, he didn’t love her enough.
Emily was done talking. She pulled her hand free, turned, and walked away.
She almost made it to the door before everything spun, and she collapsed.
“Emily!”
Damon’s heart clenched. He ran to her and scooped her up without thinking.
Lea grabbed his sleeve, her voice trembling with tears. “Damon, I feel dizzy…”
He paused for a second–just a second–then walked away, leaving her with just one sentence.
“I’m taking Emily to the hospital. Call an assistant if you need help.”
When Emily opened her eyes again, she was in a hospital bed.
Damon was beside her, looking exhausted, but only relaxing when she finally woke up.
They stared at each other for a long time, neither one saying a word.
He poured her a glass of warm water, tucked in her blanket, and called the doctor to check on her, carefully jotting down every instruction. He ignored every call to go to a meeting, even when his secretary waited anxiously outside.
Finally, Emily spoke. “You should go. I’ll be fine. This isn’t your responsibility.”
Damon paused, knife in hand, and his voice softened. “It is my responsibility, Emily. Don’t you remember? You took care of me like this once.”
Her eyes clouded with old memories.
Back then, when he lost his sight, his family tossed him aside. Only Emily stayed. She taught herself braille just to help him, went to class with him, took him outside for sunlight, cooked him special meals.
Those seven years had been the happiest of her life.
That afternoon, the doctor took Emily for more tests. Half an hour later, a nurse helped her back. to her room.
As soon as she opened the door, she saw Damon, frowning at her phone, his voice cold as he
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spoke to Yvonne
“Ive told you, mother. Emily and I love each other. I don’t care about her background, and nothing you do will change my mind. I’m going to marry her. She’s not leaving me.”
He looked up as Emily came in, just as Yvonne’s confused voice echoed through the phone.
“Not leaving you? Didn’t you know? Emily promised me just a few days ago that she’d be leaving the country…
The conversation cut off in an instant.
Chapter 5
