Fading Love, Fading Hate, A Forever Farewell

I never spent the night at the Jacob family estate—Emeric knew that.

After wiping my hands clean, I headed upstairs to call him home. But just as I reached the guest room, I froze.

His voice strained yet raw with anguish drifted through the cracked door.

"Marie, when Mom asked us to divorce today, I almost said yes. But I couldn't. If I let you go, my brother might cast you aside without a second thought. And Marie... I can't stand it. It hurts too much..."

The door wasn’t fully closed. Through the narrow gap, I saw Emeric curled up against Marie, sobbing like a child who had lost his dearest treasure.

She held him gently, soothing him with quiet whispers. Then, as if to erase his sorrow, she slipped off her coat and pressed a lingering kiss to his lips.

"Emeric, I know you're hurting. Now that I’m your sister-in-law, this is the only way I can make it up to you. Whatever I owe you, I’ll find a way to repay it. I swear."

In an instant, the cold guest room was consumed by something feverish, moans of passion.

Emeric seized her with the desperate hunger of a man at war with his own heart. "No, Marie, you don’t owe me anything. There's nothing to repay. I love you—I do this willingly, for you..."

I couldn't bear to listen. Biting my lip to keep from crying out, I turned and fled, shame and humiliation clawing at my throat.

The Jacobs had strict rules for women. Without Emeric, I wasn’t allowed to leave the estate at night.

But after what I had just witnessed...

I could no longer face Emeric with indifference.

So, I sat on the bench in the estate’s garden, waiting for dawn to break.

That night, the bedroom Emeric’s mother had prepared for us remained dark.

But from the guest room I had just passed, the sounds of passion—breathless murmurs and fevered whispers—did not cease for even a moment.

At sunrise, Marie found me in the garden.

The moment she saw me, she yanked down the neckline of her silk nightgown, exposing a trail of deep, unmistakable kiss marks.

"Flora, looks like Emeric really finds you disgusting. He won’t even touch you." Her lips curled into a smirk. "Did you see how desperate he was last night?"

Her gaze flickered with amusement as she tilted her head.

"You know, that video wasn’t all that clear. I’d love to get a closer look. They say your chest was practically covered in bite marks. Was it thrilling?"

Before I could react, she grabbed my collar and yanked it down. A wave of humiliation crashed over me.

I shoved Marie away, spinning on my heel to leave, but before I could take more than half a step, I collided straight into Emeric’s chest.

Marie stumbled backward, landing on the ground with a thud.

Without hesitation, Emeric shoved me aside and rushed to her, concern clouding his eyes. "Marie, what happened?"

Tears shimmered in Marie’s eyes as she looked up at Emeric.

"I just wanted to check Flora’s wounds. I have a friend who specializes in scar treatment—I thought maybe I could help her. But before I could even say a word, she shoved me away…" her voice trembled.

Emeric gently brushed the dirt off Marie’s clothes, then turned to me. His tone was colder than I had ever heard before.

"Flora, why do you always have to act like this with Marie? The past is over—you can’t keep using your pain as an excuse to lash out at everyone. You act like a wounded animal, stabbing anyone who gets too close. Marie has done nothing but try to help you. What has she done to deserve this?"

Without waiting for a response, he scooped Marie into his arms.

As he passed me, I saw his glare got sharper than ever. "I’m taking Marie to the hospital. You can drive yourself home."

Without further ado, he carried her away.

Once Emeric was gone, I quietly slipped out through the back door.

As expected, Belize remained indifferent—she had never cared to begin with.