On the way back, both of them remained silent. Emily was lost in thought, trying to figure out how to tell Jackson about the situation, while Vincent was uncharacteristically quiet, avoiding any discussion about their past. The car pulled up to the Hilton Hotel entrance. Emily opened the door to get out. "Emily." Vincent suddenly called her name. She paused. "Mr. Norman, I'd prefer if you call me Miranda outside of the family residence," she said, her tone polite but firm. Vincent nodded in agreement. "Alright, Miranda. I just wanted to say, if Grandma's wish is causing you any stress, I'm truly sorry." Emily looked down. "It's not your fault, so there's no need for an apology." "Either way, it's still on me. I failed to keep my promises to you," Vincent said softly. "But I hope we can work together on the luxury apartment project, and once it’s over—if you decide to go back to the UK, to leave everything behind—I won’t stop you." Emily took a deep breath. "Is it Grandma's kindness that finally made you realize forcing someone isn’t right?" Vincent smiled bitterly. "I just want you to be happy. If leaving me is what will make you happiest, then I'll let you go." Emily hesitated for a moment, then closed the car door with a firm bang. "I’ll do my best on the project. But I hope by the end, you remember what you said today." Back in her hotel room, Emily threw herself onto the soft bed. The dark room made her feel like she could finally rest in peace. She liked the darkness—it could hide everything: her appearance, her identity, and even her heart. She checked her phone. It was already close to 1 a.m. She got up and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. Adults weren't supposed to have worries or insomnia, she thought. She had work the next day. Half an hour later, she walked out of the bathroom, her hair dried, when she saw her phone screen lit up, buzzing.She hurried over to pick it up. "Hello?" "Emily! Why didn't you answer my call? I thought something happened to you, I was so worried!" Jackson's voice came through, tinged with worry and a hint of frustration. Emily's voice softened as she explained, "I was in the shower, and the phone was in the other room. It's late—aren’t you asleep yet?" "It's daytime here in London, you know," Jackson replied, sounding both exasperated and amused. "Oh? Right," Emily rubbed her still-damp hair, "I’ve been working too much; my days are all blending together." Jackson's concern was evident, "Emily, let me come to the U.S. to be with you. I can't help but worry about you being there alone." "I'm an adult; there's nothing to worry about." "I'm worried someone will take you from me," Jackson said, a bit of irritation in his tone. "Vincent is a cunning guy. I’m really afraid he'll try something to win you back." Emily’s hand tightened slightly on her phone. "Have you seen Vincent?" Jackson asked. "...Yes." She didn't want to lie. Jackson fell silent, and his breathing grew heavier, clearly unhappy. Emily said, "The Great Wall Group is collaborating with Stardream. He's kind of my boss right now, that’s all." "Boss, my foot! He's not giving up, Emily. No matter what he says, don't believe him. Or just tell him straight—you have a boyfriend, and it’s me, so he should give up." Emily closed her eyes. "Jackson, we’re really just working together..." "I don’t believe it. No way," Jackson said loudly. "Emily, don't forget what happened three years ago. I was the one who signed the surgery papers to save you. Vincent didn’t care about you or the baby's life!" Hearing that, Emily felt exhausted. "Jackson, since I've been here, I found out something." "What?" "Three years ago, during that fire... he was burned too, wasn't he? Dylan said he rushed into the fire to save me, nearly losing his life. His face and voice were ruined. Given how badly he was injured, how could he possibly have ordered the doctors to stop treatment for me and the baby?" Jackson was silent. Emily sighed. It seemed Dylan was telling the truth. "Jackson, I’m not saying this to upset you. I’m really, really grateful that you saved me three years ago..." "You’re wavering." "No, I'm not..." "Emily, don’t lie to yourself. You are wavering," Jackson's voice was icy. "Even if he didn't ask the doctors to abandon treatment, he was with Penelope in the hotel lobby—intimately—right after the incident. That’s a fact, proven by surveillance footage. If you don’t believe me, go to the Hilton Hotel and check." Emily said slowly, "I’m staying at the Hilton right now." "......" "But I don't want to check. The past is the past. Whether it was Penelope or Logan who started that fire, it doesn't matter anymore. The end result was the same—he and I went our separate ways, and each of us started our own life. This is good for both of us, and I don't want to change that. Once the project is done, I will stick to the original plan and return to the UK." Jackson's tone softened suddenly, "Emily, are you mad at me?" "Mad at you for what?" "For lying to you," Jackson said quietly. "If it weren't for me, you wouldn’t hate Vincent as much as you do." "I don't hate him," Emily smiled slightly. "I’ve hated too many people—Logan, Grace, Sophia, Nathan, Carol, and even Penelope. But holding onto hate is exhausting. I'd rather not hate at all." In the end, Jackson let out a long sigh. "Emily, I still want to come see you." "Don’t come," Emily said. "There's something I want to tell you." Jackson immediately interrupted, "No, I don’t want to hear it." Emily's words were already at her lips but had to be swallowed back down. "I have a feeling whatever you say will make me feel worse, so I’d rather not hear it.""Then... alright." "Okay, enough of this. I'm off to the store to buy groceries. When you come back, I’ll cook for you." Beep beep beep— The call ended abruptly. Emily held the phone, staring at the now dark screen, her shoulders sagging in defeat. The past felt like a tangled ball of yarn. Every time she tried to pull a thread, it only got more knotted and complicated. Buzz— The phone vibrated again. "Hello?" "Miranda, this is the emergency department of St. Mary’s Hospital. We've just received a patient in critical condition due to acute vocal cord hemorrhage leading to shock. We’re currently treating him, and his phone only has your number saved. Could you please come to the hospital as soon as possible?"