Chapter 5
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It was him.
The moment I saw Ambrose walking toward me, tears sprang to my eyes. All the fear and worry
I’d been holding onto suddenly unraveled.
My knees gave out beneath me, and I collapsed into his arms. His familiar warmth wrapped
around me like a shield.
But the moment I reached out, Ambrose tensed, as if startled by the sudden closeness.
“Are… Are you okay? I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” My voice cracked with sobs as I buried my face in his embrace.
The storm of emotions overwhelmed me, leaving my words tangled and lost. “They told me you’d been in a car accident. I couldn’t get up here… I couldn’t find you anywhere.”
Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably.
After a brief pause, he gently patted my back. “It was just a minor concussion. I’m already feeling better, so don’t worry.”
I nodded, fighting back a sniffle. Resting my face against his chest, I felt a sense of solace in his
presence. The heavy burden that had weighed on my heart for so long finally began to lift.
“Danielle, are you insane? Didn’t you hear what he just called you?”
Behind me, Emmett finally snapped out of his shock. His voice roared with fury as he bellowed,
Get over here, now!”
He stepped forward decisively, positioning himself between us Beneath his mask of concern,
Emmett’s words cut sharply and unforgiving.
“What the hell is wrong with you? What’s so special about this penniless nobody that you’d treat
him like this?”
Ambrose frowned, his gaze sharpening as he stared at Emmett.
I stepped in front of him, deliberately enunciating each word. “He’s my fiance. I won’t tolerate you
speaking about him that way.”
Emmett’s composure shattered, his eyes widening in disbelief. “Fiance? Danielle, are you serious? Say it again. Who is he?”
“I already told you–he is my fiance.”
I didn’t hesitate for a moment.
Locking eyes with him, I added, “Even if you asked me 100 times, my answer would stay the same.”
“Shut up!” Emmett roared, his face twisted in fury.
The fire inside me blazed brighter. “Why? If he’s not my fiance, are you saying you are?”
Chapter 5
2/2
Hearing that, Emmett froze. The words he’d been ready to throw at me caught in his throat.
Clenching his teeth, he let out a cold, bitter laugh. “I can’t believe I almost fell for your game. If you’re dead set on tying yourself to a penniless fisherman, then so be it! I won’t stop you!”
With that, he spun on his heel, throwing his final words at me like a curse. “You’ll regret this. Don’t come crawling back to me when you’re crying your eyes out!”
I watched him storm off, his body tense with fury.
There wasn’t a flicker of longing in my heart. Instead, a wave of relief washed over me.
When he was finally out of sight, I turned back to Ambrose, a faint, apologetic smile touching my lips. “I’m sorry. I’ll explain everything later… Please don’t take it personally.”
I couldn’t help but look him over, my eyes traveling slowly from his head down to his feet.
No matter how much I tried to steer the conversation away, worry tinged my voice. “Are you really okay? Does it still hurt?”
As I spoke, I reached out, my hand moving toward the bandage on his forehead.
However, he gently grasped my wrist, stopping me in my tracks. Looking at me with calm, steady eyes, he asked, “If I said yes, would you stay and take care of me?”
“Of course I would.” The reply came almost instinctively.
It was only after the words left my mouth that I noticed the slight tremble in my voice–not from
fear, but from the sudden rush of warmth that rose inside me.
Just seeing Ambrose again had brought a flood of memories from my past life.
His lashes fluttered as a smile curved his lips. “Hey, you’re the one who said it.”
I never could have guessed that Ambrose’s idea of “being taken care of” involved me moving in
with him.
