Chapter Four Goodbye, Hello
The way Hallie's voice sounded so smug yet fake made Emilia want to slap the smirk off her face, but she was at her place of work. She needed to be professional. She refused to give Hallie the satisfaction of seeing her break.
But the moment those words left Hallie's mouth, a sickness swirled violently in Emilia's stomach. Her vision blurred with unshed tears, her breath coming in uneven gasps. The world around her felt like it was closing in, suffocating her under the unbearable weight of heartbreak.
Her fingers trembled as she reached into her coat pocket, pulling out her phone. She hastily typed out a few messages—one to her assistant, instructing them to cancel or reassign her appointments, another feeble excuse that she was feeling sick. Within moments, replies flooded her screen, messages of concern and well wishes, but none of them mattered. None of them could pierce the numbing agony consuming her.
Without another glance at Chase or Hallie, Emilia turned and walked out of the hospital. Her head was low, her face streaked with silent tears as she rushed toward the parking lot. Each step felt heavier than the last, her body fighting against the betrayal weighing her down.
By the time she reached the penthouse, the place she had shared with Chase, her legs could barely carry her. The moment she stepped inside, the truth crashed over her like a tidal wave, and she crumpled against the door, sobbing into her trembling hands.
All those 'I love yous.'
All those 'I'm working late' excuses.
Lies. Every single one of them.
He had been sleeping with an actress who never truly cared about him, while she had been at home, loving him, trusting him, waiting for him like a fool.
And yet—doubt clawed at her, cruel and insidious. Had he really slept with Hallie? Or was this just another twist of fate? But then the memory came rushing back, slamming into her like a truck—the image of them kissing in the rain. The way Chase's fingers tangled in Hallie's hair, the way he used to hold her. The way his lips moved against Hallie's as if whispering something only she was meant to hear.
Her stomach twisted, bile rising in her throat. Whether he had gone all the way with Hallie or not didn't matter. The betrayal had already shattered her.
She had been so blind. So stupid. And worst of all, she had loved him anyway.
Her mind spiraled back to the first time she met Hallie—at a college function, Chase introducing her as his girlfriend for the first time. Hallie had barely acknowledged her, had looked at her as if she were insignificant, as if she were temporary. And now? Now Chase had chosen her.
How could she have been so blind?
Shame and fury warred within her as she stood, tearing off her jacket and tossing it onto a kitchen chair. She stared at the life she had built with Chase—the framed photos on the shelves, the candle she had lit just last night, the remnants of a home she had thought was filled with love.
But it was all a lie.
And she refused to be part of it any longer.
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A loud knock shattered the silence.
"Em! Em! Are you home?" Chase's voice rang through the apartment, followed by the sound of keys jingling. A moment later, the front door unlocked. She stiffened. What was he doing here? Her body moved on instinct, retreating into their bedroom as she furiously wiped away her tears.
"Emilia!" His voice boomed, splitting her world apart. She turned as he entered the room, his face a mix of frustration and something unreadable. "It's not what you think," Chase started, his tone almost exasperated, as if her heartbreak was an inconvenience. "Hallie—she needs help. That's all this is."
Emilia let out a humorless laugh, shaking her head. "Help? You were helping her while you were supposed to be with me?"
He ran a hand through his hair, clearly agitated. "She doesn't have anyone else, Em! All she has is me. I couldn't just abandon her."
"Bullshit," Emilia spat, her voice rising. "You've been lying to me! Sneaking around with her while I waited for you like an idiot! I loved you, Chase! And you—"
"Loved?" he cut her off, his lips curling into a smirk that sent ice through her veins. "Don't be so dramatic, Emilia."
The words were like a slap. Emilia's breath hitched, but she refused to break. "Dramatic? You cheated on me! You threw away everything we built for—for some washed-up actress who needed a man to fix her problems?"
"So that's why you cheated on me?!" Em's voice cracked, raw with disbelief and fury.
Chase said nothing. But his face—God, his face—gave him away. The guilt was there, tangled with something uglier. Justification. Defensiveness. The kind of regret that wasn't about hurting her, but about being caught.
"It was a mistake," he said, his voice low. "A relapse in judgment."
Em let out a shaky breath, but before she could say anything, he added, "She needed me." Then, colder, "And maybe if you weren't so obsessed with your job, you would've noticed that I needed something too."
Her stomach dropped. The cruelty in his words struck deep, cutting sharper than the betrayal itself. How could he say such a thing? She had worked tirelessly to build a future for them, sacrificing everything—yet she had always made time for him. Always. She had loved him with every piece of herself, even on the nights she came home exhausted, even when he felt distant, even when she had sensed something was wrong but convinced herself it was just in her head.
And this was his excuse?
Chase exhaled harshly, running a hand through his hair. "I didn't mean—"
But he did. She could see it. The truth was written in his posture, in the way he didn't even reach for her.
The realization hit her all at once, a tidal wave crashing over her, dragging her under. This wasn't just about the cheating. This was about all of it. The way he had checked out long before this moment, the way he had already decided she wasn't enough.
And she had never even seen it coming.
Her vision blurred. She sucked in a breath, but it felt like she was breathing through broken glass.
Chase shifted his weight, like he was waiting for something—for her to scream, to cry, to beg him to take it back.
She did none of those things. Instead, she forced herself to look at him—really look at him—and the person standing in front of her wasn't the man she thought she knew. Maybe he never had been.
Her vision blurred with fury and devastation. She ripped the engagement ring from her finger and threw it at him. The tiny band of gold and diamonds, once a symbol of their love, clattered to the floor between them.
"You don't get to make me the villain here, Chase! You lied! You betrayed me! You broke us!"
Chase swallowed hard, something flickering in his gaze, but he quickly buried it. His jaw clenched as he bent down, picking up the ring. His fingers ran over the band, as if testing the weight of what he had just lost.
Flashback - 5 months ago
Chase had just finished a late-night meeting when his phone buzzed. Hallie. He hesitated before answering.
"Chase?" Her voice was shaking. "Can you come over? Please, I—I need you."
Against his better judgment, he told her yes. When he arrived at her apartment, she was a mess—eyes red, hands trembling.
"I'm pregnant," she whispered, voice breaking. "I just found out."
Chase's stomach tightened. "Okay... and?"
"And he's married, Chase! The man I've been seeing—he lied to me. I had no idea! And if this gets out, if he finds out I know, I don't know what he'll do." Her breath came in short, panicked gasps. "I can't do this alone. I need someone to protect me. Please."
"Hallie..." Chase exhaled, running a hand down his face. "I don't see how—"
"We can pretend we're together," she blurted, desperation dripping from her words. "If the press thinks I'm with you, they won't look for anyone else. He won't come after me. I just need time to figure this out. Please, Chase."
He took a step back, shaking his head. "No. No way. I love Emilia. I want to marry her."
Hallie's eyes turned glassy, a single tear slipping down her cheek. "I know, Chase. And I hate asking you this. But if you really love her, you'll understand. You know what it's like to be trapped, don't you? To have no way out?"
He did. He knew all too well.
"If you don't help me, I don't know what I'll do. I could lose everything. And the baby... I just... I don't know who else to turn to."
Guilt clawed at his insides. This wasn't about love. This wasn't about Emilia. This was about doing the right thing.
"Just for a little while?" he murmured, already regretting it.
Hallie nodded, relief flooding her face. "Just until it's safe."
And just like that, he made the biggest mistake of his life.
Present
Chase snapped back to reality, Emilia's tear-streaked face in front of him, her hands shaking with rage. He had told himself it was temporary. That it meant nothing. But in the end, it had cost him everything.
His phone rang. He didn't need to look to know who it was.
"It's Hallie," he muttered. "The press is on her again—she's having a panic attack."
Emilia let out a broken laugh. "Fake. You know it's fake. But go ahead, Chase. Run to her. Play the hero. It's what you're best at, right?" Her voice cracked, and for a moment, something inside him wavered.
But then, with a heavy heart, he turned his back on her.
He answered the call, voice steady. "Yeah, Hal, I'm coming. I know, I know. I won't let anything happen to you."
And then, as if driving the final nail into the coffin, he did the unthinkable. He called the press.
The silence that followed felt like death.
Emilia's eyes locked onto his, her expression hollow, and in that moment, Chase realized something that shattered him more than anything else ever could.
He had just lost her. For good.
Emilia's knees buckled. The earth tilted beneath her feet, and before she could process the betrayal slicing through her, everything went dark.
The last thing she saw was the flicker of regret in Chase's eyes before she hit the floor.
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When Emilia woke, the world was a blur. The familiar scent of their sheets wrapped around her, her mind struggling to catch up. She was in their bed.
A note rested on the pillow beside her.
With shaky hands, she picked it up and unfolded it.
Em, you need to stop being ridiculous. You're the love of my life. We're still getting married after Hallie gives birth. I just need to help her keep her image intact. I know you'll understand.
Her blood turned to ice as she read his final words.
I know you'll understand?!
Quickly crumpling up the paper, Emilia hurled it across the room before ripping the covers off her. Reaching for her phone, she blinked at the flood of messages lighting up her screen-dozens of texts asking if she was okay, calling Chase a jerk, or demanding to know what the hell was going on. Without hesitation, she blocked every single number from people she knew were team Chase.
To her real friends, she sent a simple text:
"He's been cheating... I don't know for how long, but it's over. Hallie can have him. After all, she's all he's ever wanted."
Tears welled in her eyes as she allowed herself to see the cracks that had always been in their relationship-the secrets she'd brushed aside, the excuses she'd swallowed, the gut feelings she'd ignored. Oh, how it hurt. But she was done hurting for a man who never truly loved her. Taking a deep breath, she focused on the steady stream of supportive texts filling her phone, warming her chest. She smiled-a real, small, but genuine smile. It felt as if, for the first time in weeks, the heavy storm clouds were beginning to part.
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Lost in thought, Emilia's phone buzzed again. This time, it was a message from her Aunt Rose:
I miss you, sweetie. How are you? When are you planning on visiting?
A laugh bubbled from Emilia's lips. Leave it to Aunt Rose to try and set her up when her life was in shambles. But maybe... just maybe, she was onto something. If Chase could move on without a second thought, why couldn't she? As if summoned by her thoughts, her aunt's name flashed across the screen. Emilia chuckled, wiping away the last of her tears before answering.
"Hi, Aunt Rose."
"Emilia, darling! It's been too long! How are you? I saw something about—"
"Had a beautiful moment with a family at work today," Emilia interrupted quickly, forcing a lightness into her voice. "I'm fine." Aunt Rose hummed, unconvinced but choosing to let it slide. "That's wonderful, dear. Nothing more rewarding than bringing a life into the world. Now, I wanted to ask—"
Emilia let out a knowing sigh. For the past four years, Aunt Rose had been trying to set her up with her best friend's grandson. Emilia had always brushed off the suggestion, believing Chase was the one. But that was before.
Her mind drifted to a warm summer day in California, four years ago, when Aunt Rose first mentioned him. They had been picking apples in her aunt's orchard, the golden sunlight filtering through the trees. The air was sweet with the scent of ripened fruit and freshly cut grass.
"So, tell me, sweetheart, how's your love life?" Aunt Rose had asked, her voice light but laced with curiosity.
Emilia had laughed, plucking an apple and tossing it into the wicker basket at her feet. "It's wonderful, Auntie. Chase is amazing. I think he might be the one."
Aunt Rose raised a brow, reaching for another apple. "Really? Then why hasn't he come around to meet the family yet?"
Emilia's hands stilled for a fraction of a second before she quickly forced a smile. "Business is rough right now. He's been working nonstop, but he'll meet you soon."
Aunt Rose had sighed, dusting off an apple on her apron before biting into it. "Darling, I just worry. A man who loves you will always find time for you." She chewed thoughtfully before continuing, "My best friend is worried about her grandson, you know. He's been through a lot. He deserves to be happy. And from what I hear, he's the sweetest soul—always helping out, always putting others before himself."
Emilia had rolled her eyes with a teasing smile. "Are you matchmaking right now, Aunt Rose?"
"I'm just saying, you should keep an open mind, Em," her aunt had replied with a knowing look.
Now, years later, those words echoed in her mind. Aunt Rose had seen something she hadn't—Chase's neglect, the cracks forming before Emilia ever noticed them herself.
Taking a deep breath, Emilia hesitated before speaking. "Do you remember that perfect guy you wanted me to meet?"
There was a pause before Aunt Rose practically squealed. "Why yes, I do! And may I add, the man is still single! Why? Are you finally interested?"
Emilia chuckled softly, heat rushing to her cheeks. "Would it be okay if you gave him my contact? Or maybe... his to me?"
Aunt Rose gasped dramatically. "Well, it's about time, Emilia! I'm going to assume you finally tossed out that useless boy, right?"
Emilia opened her mouth, tempted to challenge her aunt's words—was Chase really using her all along? The thought unsettled her, but before she could dwell, Aunt Rose plowed ahead with excitement.
"But never mind that—let's talk about Henry! Oh, Emmy, you're going to adore him. He's got the kindest heart, always thinking of others. Just last week, he helped rebuild a neighbor's fence after a storm, completely unprompted! And he's great with kids too. You should see him with his nieces and nephews—pure adoration in his eyes!" Aunt Rose sighed dreamily. "Not to mention, he's smart and driven. Got himself a stable career and a home of his own. No baggage, no drama. Just a good man, looking for the right woman."
Henry. His name was Henry. Four years older than Emilia, stable job, kind-hearted. The more Aunt Rose spoke, the more Emilia found herself intrigued. As they continued chatting, Emilia quickly texted her friends, asking if they knew a place she could crash while she figured things out. Within seconds, Travis responded: I have a penthouse three miles from you. Stay as long as you need.
She sent him a grateful kiss emoji, jotting down the address and entry code. By the time she hung up with Aunt Rose, her heart felt lighter. Change was terrifying, but for the first time in a long time, it also felt... exciting. Determined, Emilia grabbed her suitcase and began packing. She refused to leave a single trace of herself in this penthouse. Chase had taken enough from her—her love, her trust, her time.
He wouldn't get another second.
As she zipped up her suitcase, her phone buzzed again. One new message.
From Henry:
"Hey, Emilia. I don't know much about you yet, but I'd love to change that."
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