Chapter 8
During the days when Marcus was not at home, Emma found it convenient. She cleared out all her belongings from the house.
She bought a small apartment in Chicago without telling anyone, using it as a temporary place to store her things. The memories inside the house. belonging to her and Marcus slowly faded away.
The night before the wedding, Marcus suddenly returned home, holding a somewhat familiar photo in his hand.
At that moment, Emma was cleaning up the last few things that belonged to her.
Looking at the empty house, Marcus almost thought he had walked into the wrong door. When he saw Emma in the living room, her face covered in dust like a little kitten, he felt a sense of relief.
“Why did I make myself look so miserable? How did so many things go missing from the house?”
Emma didn’t expect Marcus to suddenly come back, so she hesitated unconsciously when she heard the question. Fortunately, in these days, she had already mastered the skill of lying without showing any emotions.
“Cleaned out some unwanted clutter, will purchase new items after the wedding.”
Marcus obviously misunderstood Emma’s meaning, but Emma did not bother to explain further. He had a gentle smile on his face as he pulled Emma to sit beside him and handed her the photo in his hand.
“I had the repairman fix the first photo of us together after we got
Chapter B
together. Take a look and see if it looks exactly the same as before.”
Emma took the brand new photo. Under the blooming cherry blossoms, she looked at the camera with a smile in her eyes, while Marcus looked at her in profile in the picture.
This was their first official photo together after she agreed to be with Marcus. Just recently, the photo that was displayed in Marcus’s office was torn to shreds by Claire’s dog. Since the original photo was long gone, there was no way to print another one.
This was not something Marcus told her, but something Claire mentioned on purpose when she was showing off Marcus’s favoritism towards her to Emma.
Now, the photo has been taken by Marcus to be repaired. However, while the photo can be fixed, the emotions can never go back to the past.
Emma said in a flat tone, “I suddenly feel like eating the pasta you made, let’s have dinner together tonight.”
When she was rescued initially, Emma, who had endured several days of hunger, devoured two bowls of pasta.
Marcus personally went to a small restaurant to learn the skills for a month in order to make pasta with the exact same taste that she liked to eat at any time.
Just treat it as drawing a complete period to the relationship between her and Marcus.
Marcus raised his hand and rubbed her head, agreeing without hesitation.
Just as two bowls of pasta were placed on the table, Marcus’s phone started ringing.
Marcus’s expression changed from relaxed to serious. After hanging up
Chapter
the phone, he looked at Emma with a mixture of conflict and apology in
his eyes.
The words had not been spoken, but he already had the answer in hist heart, “Emma, there is a sudden emergency at the company…”
Emma lowered her head and stirred the pasta in her bowl, trying to force a smile but couldn’t manage it. “The matters at the company are important, you should go and attend to them. We will have plenty of time in the future.”
Marcus hugged her tightly and said, “Emma, thank you for understanding me.”
Emma smiled, but the smile didn’t reach her
eyes.
“Emma, I might be busy until late today, so you don’t have to wait for me. I am really looking forward to seeing you in your wedding dress tomorrow.”
Emma was held in his arms, answering in a muffled voice, “I’m looking forward to it too…”
Looking forward to seeing his reaction after he found out the bride had been replaced, wondering if he will be very surprised.
After Marcus left, Emma immediately received a message from Claire.
“Emma, the night before your wedding, he was with me the whole time. Why do you think you can compete with me?”
Claire was not surprised that Emma didn’t reply to her messages, but she kept sending them, each one harsher and piercing than the last.
Emma turned off her phone and looked at the delicious pasta in front of her, but she had no appetite. It turns out that not only emotions can change, but also people’s habits and tastes can easily change.
Chapter 8
She tore the photo that Marcus brought back between them, leaving only half of Marcus in the picture. After doing this, she took a relaxing hot bath and quickly fell asleep in bed.
After a good night’s sleep, Emma woke up before seven o’clock the next morning.
Looking at the train departure time reminder on her phone, as well as the information that her parcel was currently in transit within the same city, Emma packed up her luggage in a good mood.
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Her things had already been sent out several days ago, and the remaining items are what she will need for the next period of time.
Having packed up everything. Emma left the place that had once been her home without looking back.
At that moment, Marcus suddenly woke up from Claire’s bed. He pressed his chest, feeling the growing sense of panic inside him.
Glancing at the time, Marcus quickly got up and dressed.
Last night he received a call from Claire, who was crying and saying that she had accidentally fallen and hurt her stomach.
When he arrived, he realized that it was just a trick played by Claire to compete for attention. But under Claire’s insistence, he stayed.
Marcus left Claire’s place early that morning, heart light, humming a tune. Today was the day. Their day.
He pictured Emma in white, walking down the aisle toward him, smiling with teary eyes, ready to be his forever.
Unable to contain his excitement, he texted her:
“Emma, I can’t wait to see you at the altar.”
Seconds later, her reply came.
“I hope you’ll love the surprise I prepared for you–right at the beginning of the wedding.”
A playful tease, he thought.
He smiled. Foolishly. Blissfully.
At the venue, the atmosphère was magical.
The string quartet played their soft prelude, the guests whispered praises. about how devoted Marcus had been to Emma.
Marcus stood at the altar, eyes fixed on the entrance.
And then-
The bride appeared. White veil. Elegant figure. Slowly walking toward him under a rain of flower petals.
Marcus’s heart pounded with joy. This is it.
He reached out, took her hand, and said gently, “Emma, I vow to love and protect you for the rest of my life. Will
you marry me?”
Under the gaze of everyone, the bride with a veil on her head nodded heavily.
With a beaming smile, Marcus lifted the veil-
And froze.
Standing in front of him, wearing Emma’s dress, Emma’s ring–was
Claire.
Marcus took a full step back, his voice trembling with horror.
“How is it… you?”
