That night, as she settled into bed, she rested her head against his broad chest, listening to the steady thump of his heartbeat.
For the first time in his arms, sleep eluded her.
His chest radiated warmth, so why did his heart still feel so cold?
A few days later, Amelia White finally regained her memory.
She had gone to the cafe that day to review the accounts. On her way downstairs, she lost her footing and slammed into the wall with tremendous force. She collapsed unconscious and was rushed to the hospital in a panic.
When Emma Johnson heard that Amelia had been admitted, she had already guessed the reason. Unlike Amelia's brother, Liam Williams, and their father, Henry Williams, who were frantic with worry, Emma remained composed.
But she didn't let it show. In the car, she kept reassuring the elderly Henry, murmuring that the fortunate are always protected by heaven. Even as the words left her lips, she felt the sting of her own hypocrisy.
By the time they arrived, Benjamin Williams was already there. Amelia had woken up amid everyone's tense vigil. Her eyes were no longer vacant. After complaining of a headache, she said she remembered everything. Dr. Owen Jones examined her, asked a few questions, and then happily announced that Amelia's amnesia was cured.
"That's wonderful, Amelia. You've got your memory back."
Benjamin hugged her tightly, his joy even more radiant than hers. Henry was overjoyed too, repeatedly thanking Dr. Jones.
Emma watched coldly as Amelia was embraced by Benjamin. A faint, mocking smile touched her lips. Amelia's almond-shaped eyes seemed to glance carelessly in her direction, meeting Emma's icy gaze without flinching.
Now that her memory had supposedly returned, Amelia's attitude toward Emma turned noticeably colder. Liam noticed the shift between them but chose to say nothing, hoping silently that their relationship might improve in the future. He had no idea that the two women were irreconcilable.
After recovering her memory, Amelia asked to return to work at Liam's company. He refused. She was disappointed but knew better than to throw a tantrum like before. She backed down for the time being.
Since she shared a room with Liam, she worked her influence on him. A few days later, Liam compromised and let Emma persuade him to allow Amelia back into the company.
One day, Liam asked Christopher Martin to deliver a document to Ethan Davis's company. Ethan was Liam's childhood friend and business partner, and they still collaborated on several projects.
Emma wanted to meet her best friend, Olivia Davis, so she volunteered to deliver the documents herself. Liam understood her intention and let her go.
Emma drove to Ethan's company and handed over the documents. Olivia personally saw her out. It was lunchtime, so they found a nearby restaurant to eat.
"Emma, you haven't been resting well. You don't look good. Why rush back to work? You could take it easy at home. It's not like you need the salary. Unless you're just trying to keep an eye on your husband."
Olivia teased her.
Emma couldn't help but smile. "What's going on in that head of yours? It's not that. I just get too bored staying home."
Amelia, who had regained her memory, was no longer content to stay quietly at home. She was planning to open an art gallery. But every time she saw Emma at home, the sarcasm in her eyes made Emma feel like her chest was blocked. It reminded her of the things Amelia had said to her before, and it made her uncomfortable.
"I know you've always been a workaholic. Even as a rich wife, you'll never learn to live the leisurely life of those socialites."
Olivia shook her head at Emma, as if she were wasting her status.
Emma found it amusing and chatted with her friend for a while until it was time to go back to work.
Before driving back to the company, she received a call from Mia Lewis. Mia told her that the branch at The Waterfront had finished renovations and asked when she could come see it. Emma figured there wasn't much work at the office anyway. Even if she returned late, Liam wouldn't say anything.
So she agreed to meet Mia that afternoon to check out the renovation results.
"How does it look? Not bad, right?"
Mia and Emma walked around the hotel. Emma nodded with satisfaction.
"You can decide on the store's details."
As they were discussing matters, just as Emma was about to leave, Elijah Clark drove up unexpectedly.
"I called him. My chef has been working on some new dishes, and I wanted more people to taste them and give feedback. He happened to be free, so he came."
Mia said to Emma with a smile, and when Elijah wasn't looking, she winked at Emma. Emma understood instantly and nodded.
"Emma, you look well. Is your throat still sore?"
Elijah hadn't seen Emma since the day of the fire. Liam had made sure he couldn't enter Sunrise Manor again. They had only spoken on the phone a couple of times, and that was during Emma's recovery period. So Elijah had been very worried.
He had come today, ostensibly to taste the new dishes at Mia's restaurant, but really just to see Emma and find out how she was recovering.
"I'm fine. Don't worry, my voice isn't hoarse anymore."
Emma said to Elijah with a smile. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but he felt that Emma seemed preoccupied today. She didn't look very happy.
The three of them returned to The Waterfront. After tasting the dishes, Mia pulled out three movie tickets.
"A friend gave these to me. I heard it's a really scary horror movie. I don't dare go alone. Since we're all here, we can keep each other company."
Emma knew exactly what her friend was up to and sighed inwardly. These things should be initiated by the man, but Elijah never took the lead. So Mia, tired of waiting, had to take matters into her own hands.
"I won't go. I have things to do tonight. You two go ahead. Tell me how it is afterward."
"Oh, okay. Well, we'll watch it together next time. Don't forget to bring your husband then."
Mia looked disappointed, but Emma knew she was secretly pleased.
Elijah didn't want to go either, but before leaving, Emma told him to accompany Mia. Reluctantly, he agreed.