She found an excuse to slip away from the villa's living room and escape to the back garden for a moment of peace.
She knew these people weren't genuinely interested in befriending her. All they saw was the halo of being Mrs. Liam Williams. If she were just Emma Johnson, they probably wouldn't even glance her way.
It was winter now, and after a while, Emma Johnson started feeling chilly. Just as she was about to turn and head back inside, a coat suddenly draped over her shoulders.
"You shouldn't come out without a coat, Emma. You really don't take care of yourself."
Hearing the familiar voice, Emma Johnson turned around and saw Elijah Clark looking at her with gentle reproach in his eyes. She was a bit surprised to find him here.
"What are you doing here?"
"The host of this party is Mayor Vincent Reed. He's always treated me like a beloved nephew. So he sent me an invitation. I didn't expect you to be here either."
Elijah Clark also expressed a hint of surprise at seeing her.
"I came with Amelia. What a coincidence."
It was rare to run into an acquaintance, and she felt genuinely happy. At least chatting with Elijah meant she didn't have to be so fake.
"Look at your nose, it's all red from the cold. We'd better go inside and talk."
Elijah Clark's warm eyes held a trace of concern as he spoke to Emma Johnson.
"I really don't want to see those people in the living room. If I go back, they'll probably swarm me again."
Emma Johnson said helplessly.
"I'll take you to the second floor. There are fewer people there."
Elijah Clark led Emma Johnson upstairs. One of the rooms was empty, so they went inside. Emma Johnson took off Elijah's coat and handed it back to him.
"It's not as cold inside as it is outside."
"But you don't look well, Emma. I feel like ever since you married Liam Williams, you haven't been the same."
Elijah Clark looked at her with worry. Emma Johnson didn't know how to answer him. After all, what he said was true. Even though not all of the recent troubles were Liam's fault.
"Maybe I've just had bad luck this year. Look at you, you've lost weight since your trip to Portland. If Mia saw you, she'd be really worried."
Emma Johnson smiled at Elijah Clark.
"Don't you care?"
Elijah Clark suddenly asked. Emma Johnson was stunned for a moment before answering.
"Of course I care. But I've always seen you as a younger brother. As your older sister, how could I not be worried?"
She said with a smile.
A dim light flickered in Elijah Clark's eyes, and a bitter smile tugged at his lips. He looked at the woman smiling in front of him. For a moment, he really wanted to hold her, to pull her into his arms and tell her his true feelings. But he knew that would only scare her away.
So he couldn't rush. He had to take it slow.
"By the way, does Mia know you're back? She's been talking about you these days. Don't forget to call her."
Emma Johnson remembered that every time she visited Mia, Mia would always look wistful when mentioning Elijah. She and Olivia Davis had gotten goosebumps more than once. So she reminded Elijah.
"I'll go see her at her place tomorrow."
Elijah Clark said to Emma Johnson, and only then did she feel relieved. She noticed a bottle of red wine and two glasses in the room. Elijah Clark went over, opened the wine, and poured a glass for himself and Emma Johnson. They started chatting as they drank.
Time passed without them noticing. Emma Johnson began to feel drowsy. She rubbed her eyes and looked out the window. It seemed like snowflakes were falling.
"Is it snowing?"
Emma Johnson's eyes were a little hazy. She was probably really tired. Elijah Clark got up to look. Emma Johnson watched his back, feeling his figure grow blurrier and blurrier until it became just a shadow. Then her head lolled against the sofa, and she fell asleep.
Elijah Clark didn't know why, but he also felt a little tired. He turned to say something to Emma Johnson and found her already asleep on the sofa. The habits he'd developed as a teenager made him alert. He sensed something was wrong. He wanted to shake Emma Johnson awake, but his own consciousness was starting to fade.
Soon, he collapsed at Emma Johnson's feet, closed his eyes, and couldn't wake up.
At some point, a small side door in the room opened, and a maid in servant's uniform walked in. She looked at the two sleeping figures on the sofa and the carpet, making sure they were truly unconscious. Then, she went to the table, took out a bottle of red wine identical to the one they'd been drinking, and poured half of it out. She replaced the glasses Emma Johnson and Elijah Clark had used.
Then she locked the main door of the room from the inside. She took the bottle and went back through the small side door. After she went out, she took out a key and locked the side door again.
It was past midnight. Liam Williams was busy with company work in his apartment study. He came to the living room and looked at the clock on the wall. He wondered why Emma Johnson hadn't come back yet, since it was so late. Could it be that Amelia and her classmates were having such a good time that they didn't want to leave?
Liam Williams felt that Amelia was being inconsiderate. It was so late, even her father would be worried.
So he called Emma Johnson. But the phone rang for a long time with no answer. Since Emma Johnson didn't pick up, he had to call Amelia.
"Hello, big brother. Why are you calling so late?"
Amelia's sleepy voice came through the phone. Liam Williams frowned.
"You're home?"
"Yes, I got back around ten. But big brother and sister-in-law are really too much. Why did she leave without me? I called her, and she didn't answer."
Amelia White complained with dissatisfaction.
"She wasn't with you?"
"No. I was with my classmates the whole time. When I wanted to find my sister-in-law, I realized she was gone. But I heard from my classmates that Elijah Clark was also at the party. So I think she must have been with him the whole time."
Amelia White told Liam Williams what she knew.
Liam Williams's eyes turned dark and stormy. His cold gaze could have frozen everything around him.
"Give me the address of your classmate's villa."
His voice was low and condensed, like a frost storm, chilling to the bone.
Liam Williams drove to the address Amelia had given him. By this time, the villa was already deserted. No one was there. He rang the doorbell, and a servant came out.