Chapter 141.

Adrian stepped away from the doorway.

Emilia stood on the other side of the threshold, her fingers curled tightly around the strap of her handbag.

She noticed he looked different. His hair was slightly messier than she remembered. He wore a dark sweater beneath his coat, and the sleeves were pushed slightly up his forearms.

There were shadows beneath his eyes.

He looked tired.

But he was still Adrian.

Still that impossibly composed man who could walk into a room and make everyone else feel as though they were the ones who needed to explain themselves.

Emilia hated that seeing him still did something to her. Her heart had started beating faster the moment she’d seen his face.

She hated that too.

Adrian stepped farther aside. "Come in."

His voice was quiet.

Eventually, she stepped inside.

Adrian closed the door behind her.

The click of the lock sounded far louder than it should have.

Emilia’s shoulders stiffened. She looked around. The house was mostly empty.

It had been listed for sale weeks ago, and it showed. There was barely any furniture. A few pieces remained covered with white sheets, and the walls looked strangely bare without photographs or paintings.

Emilia pulled her coat tighter around herself.

Adrian looked at her. Then his eyes dropped to her coat. "You’re cold."

"I’m fine."

He nodded.

A few seconds passed.

He reached toward her.

Emilia immediately stepped back.

His hand stopped in the air.

She glared at him.

Adrian’s eyes flickered over her face. "I was going to take your coat."

"I can take it off myself."

His hand slowly dropped.

Emilia looked away.

The silence between them was suffocating.

Adrian studied her for another moment."I didn’t think you would come." He pinched the bridge of his nose.

Emilia’s eyes narrowed. "I’m naive."

The words came out with a bitter little laugh.

"Of course I’ll do your beck and call." She gave him a tight, self-mocking smile before turning away from him.

Adrian’s expression tightened. "You know I did not mean that."

Emilia turned around. "Do I?" She asked calmly. "Did I ever guess you thought of me as naive?"

Adrian said nothing.

"No." She nodded slowly. "So how do I know what you mean?"

He watched her.

Emilia’s eyes were already beginning to shine.

She hated that. She blinked quickly. "You sat there." Her voice trembled slightly. "You sat there while they were deciding what to do with me."

Adrian’s jaw tightened.

"And you told them I was naive."

"I was trying to—"

"Don’t speak." Her voice cracked.

Adrian stopped.

Emilia shook her head. "Don’t explain it yet." She swallowed. "I’ve heard enough explanations."

Adrian remained still.

"I keep thinking about that hearing." Her fingers tightened around the strap of her bag. "I keep thinking about you sitting there."

She looked at him.

"And every time I remember it, I wonder what you thought I was."

Adrian’s expression softened. "You weren’t—"

"Naive?"

He stopped.

Emilia nodded. "That’s what you called me, remembee?" She raised a brow at him. "And you know what the worst part is?"

Adrian didn’t answer.

"I believed you."

His eyes changed.

Emilia looked away. "For a few days, I actually believed you." She swallowed hard. "I thought maybe I really had been stupid."

Her voice grew quieter. "Maybe I didn’t understand what I was doing." She shook her head. "Maybe everyone else knew better than me."

Adrian’s hands curled slowly at his sides. "I didn’t say it because I thought you were stupid." He said softly.

"But you said it." She pointed at him. "You said I was young."

"I know."

"You said I didn’t understand the consequences."

His throat moved.

Emilia looked at him. "Do you know what that felt like?"

He stared at her.

"It felt like you were standing there telling everyone that I wasn’t capable of choosing you."

Adrian’s eyes lowered.

"And maybe I wasn’t capable of choosing you." She laughed softly. "Maybe I was just some stupid girl who didn’t know what she was doing. Going around with a wealthy older man for perhaps some grades."

"Emilia."

"No." She wiped quickly beneath one eye. "I need you to listen."

He nodded once.

"I didn’t need you to protect me from myself." Her voice broke slightly. "I needed you to trust me."

Adrian looked at her. "I did."

She stared at him. Her lips trembled. "Then why didn’t you say that?"

He had no immediate answer.

Emilia shook her head. She turned away. Her eyes moved around the empty room. She didn’t want to cry in front of him.

She had cried enough. She was exhausted from crying over a man who couldn’t even tell her the truth.

Adrian watched her back.

His expression remained composed, but his eyes didn’t. There was too much in them. Too much tenderness. Too much regret. Too much affection that he had spent weeks forcing himself to bury.

Emilia finally turned back toward him. "You know what?"

He waited.

"Let’s end this."

The words landed quietly.

Adrian didn’t move.

"It’s almost five months." Her voice shook slightly. "It was fun while it lasted." She forced herself to smile. "But it should end now." She cleared ger throat. "Formally."

Adrian stared at her. His eyes softened, and his expression crumbled. There was an affection in them she had never seen before..

He looked at her as though the idea of losing her was something his mind couldn’t accept.

Emilia’s breath caught.

Adrian shook his head once. "I don’t want that."

She scoffed, and crossed her arms over her chest. "I don’t care what you want." She sniffed. "I feel like an idiotic fool."

Her voice trembled. "You made me a godforsaken mess."

Adrian swallowed. "I know."

"Do you?"

"Yes."

"Then why did you do it?" She demanded, a single tears now leaving her eyes.

His eyes remained on hers. "Because I thought it was the only way."

"The only way to what?"

"To keep you safe."

Emilia shook her head. She refused to agree with thay reality. "I didn’t ask you to."

"I know."

"Then why?"

He looked down for a moment. When he looked back at her, the composure in his expression had completely disappeared.

"I’m sorry."

Her lips trembled.

"Baby, please."

Emilia immediately turned away. "Don’t call me baby."

The words were barely audible.

Adrian went still.

She pressed the heel of her hand against her mouth. Her breathing became uneven. She tried to inhale, but it didn’t work.

Her chest tightened. She shook her head. "I hate this."

Adrian took one step toward her. "Emilia."

"I hate that I still—" Her voice broke.

She stopped herself.

Adrian didn’t move closer. He watched her shoulders tremble.

"Just leave me alone."

"I can’t."

Her knees suddenly weakened. She took one step backward, then another. Her hand reached blindly for the wall. It didn’t find anything.

Her legs gave way, and she sank to the floor.

Adrian’s expression changed to panic immediately.

"Emilia."

He crossed the space between them. He dropped to his knees in front of her.

She turned her face away.

He didn’t touch her.

Her shoulders trembled. A small sob escaped her.

Adrian’s chest tightened. "Don’t cry."

She covered her face.

"Please." His voice became quieter. "Don’t cry, Emilia. Please."

Another sob escaped her.

Adrian’s hands hovered uselessly between them. He didn’t know whether touching her would make it worse.

He had spent weeks forcing himself not to touch her.

Now that she was right in front of him, he was terrified that even reaching for her would be selfish.

"Please don’t cry."

Emilia shook her head. "You should have at least warned me."

Adrian’s eyes closed briefly. "I should have."

"You should have told me."

"I know."

"You should have told me what you were going to say. You should have trusted me enough to let me understand."

His eyes opened. "I know."

She lowered her hands.

Tears covered her cheeks.

Adrian looked at her. For once, he didn’t try to hide what was in his eyes.

"I was afraid."

Emilia stared at him.

Adrian swallowed. "I’ve never been afraid of losing anything."

She wiped her cheeks.

His voice was barely above a whisper. "I was afraid of losing you."

Emilia’s lips parted.

Adrian looked down. "I knew what would happen if they believed we were still in contact."

His voice remained controlled, but there was strain underneath every word. "They would have taken your scholarship."

Emilia stared at him.

"They would have taken your education." He looked back at her. "And I couldn’t let them do that. I could have paid your tuition myself. But I knew you wouldn’t want that."

"You still hurt me." She fought back her tears. "You made me think you didn’t care."

His jaw tightened.

"You made me think you regretted us."

"I never regretted you." He clarified with no hesitation.

Her breathing caught.

Adrian’s eyes softened. "Not once."

Emilia stared at him.

He moved slightly closer. Still, he didn’t touch her.

"I regretted the circumstances." His voice shook almost imperceptibly. "I regretted putting you in a position where you could lose everything because of me."

He looked at her tear-streaked face. "But I never regretted you."

Emilia’s lower lip trembled.

Adrian took a breath.

"I’ve spent three weeks trying to convince myself that staying away from you was the right thing."

Her eyes filled again. "Then why did you come?"

He didn’t answer immediately. The truth was too simple.

He’d touched her shoulder for one selfish second and discovered that distance hurt more than he’d expected. He had realized he couldn’t keep pretending she didn’t matter.

Adrian looked directly into her eyes. "Because I couldn’t leave without telling you the truth."

Emilia’s face crumpled. "What truth?"

He hesitated. For the first time since she’d known him, Adrian looked uncertain.

"I love you." He breathed out.

Everything inside Emilia seemed to stop. She blinked, taken aback.

Adrian’s eyes remained fixed on hers.

"I love you, Emilia." He repeated, this time, his voice more clear, and certain.

She stared at him.

He breathed slowly. "I should have told you before the hearing." His voice was quieter now. "I should have told you before any of this happened."

A tear rolled down her cheek.

"I thought if I said it, you’d have more to lose." He shook his head. "That was my mistake."

Emilia couldn’t speak.

Adrian’s gaze moved over her face. "I love you." He repeated it softly. "I love you, Emilia."

The rims of his eyes reddened. "I thought I knew nothing about love, until loving you became the one thing I could never stop myself from doing." Tears began to cloud his eyes. "And now, Emilia, I don’t know how to exist in a world where my heart doesn’t belong to you."

Emilia’s breath broke.

She stared at him for another second. Then she moved. It happened so quickly that Adrian barely had time to react.

She threw herself into his arms.

His body stiffened for half a heartbeat. Then instinct took over. His arms wrapped around her.

Emilia buried her face against his chest.

She sobbed.

Adrian held her tightly.

One hand came up behind her head, his fingers sliding carefully into her hair.

The other wrapped around her back.

He lowered his face against her hair. "I love you, Emilia."

Her fingers twisted into the back of his sweater.

He closed his eyes, and his first tears dropped into her hair. "I couldn’t let that happen to you."