My deep affection binds me like a long night

The hotel’s massive digital display cycled through 999 of Emily’s private photos.

“Serves her right. She should’ve known better than to mess with Miss Judith. Getting off without a live broadcast is mercy.”

“Who knew such a vicious woman could have a body like that? Tsk tsk… legs white as alabaster, hips ripe as peaches. I’d love to see her begging and crying beneath me.”

Her face went ashen as the vile words wormed their way into her ears.

And Jerry? Not a flicker of emotion. His hand clasped tightly around Judith’s, his voice a low, tender murmur of comfort.

He never once looked her way.

Emily downed a glass of liquor in one go. The burn seared her throat, sending her into a fit of violent coughing.

She was trying to drown the feeling, to silence that stubborn, traitorous heart of hers. Maybe then it wouldn’t hurt so much.

“Hey there, sweetheart. Drinking alone?”

She was too striking to ignore. A few men with ill intentions closed in, their hands brushing against her thigh, her waist.

A leering middle-aged man hooked a finger under her chin. “Got your heart broken? Big brother here can help you forget all your troubles.”

“Get away… get away from me! Jerry!”

In her panic, his name spilled from her lips.

In the past, he’d always been her first line of defense. He never let anyone lay a finger on her, never let her feel an ounce of hurt. His name had become a reflex, a talisman.

But now, Jerry’s long, elegant fingers were interlaced with Judith’s, the two of them the center of a glittering crowd.

It dawned on her with brutal clarity: Jerry belonged to someone else now.

The heat behind her eyes came sudden and sharp—a sting of something perilously close to tears.

Only when security finally intervened did she escape those groping hands. Clutching her disheveled dress, she fled to the restroom to compose herself.

She was about to leave when she saw them. Jerry had Judith pinned against the vanity, kissing her with a desperate, consuming hunger.

Emily’s vision blurred.

Jerry had a reputation. Distant. Unmoved. People said he was frigid, that he only responded to someone he truly desired.

There was a story—a woman once tried to seduce him, spiking his drink with every drug she could get her hands on. He hadn’t even blinked. Some in their circle even whispered he preferred men.

Then he met Emily. Their first time, he’d been overcome with a passion that shocked even him. His friends teased him mercilessly, saying he’d finally met his match, that she had him wrapped around her little finger.

She’d secretly thrilled at it, believing she was special. Different.

Now she knew the truth. A simple kiss from Judith was enough to make him lose all composure. Enough to make him forget there was a room full of guests just outside.

At the vanity, Judith’s eyes were slightly red-rimmed. “Jerry… Emily is your ex. Doesn’t it bother you, seeing those men touch her like that?”

“Are you jealous?”

Seeing her like this, his voice dropped, rough and husky. “Judith, you’re the only one I care about. What happens to her is none of my concern.”

“But… she waited for you for three years…”

“That was her choice.” He captured her lips again, his voice thick with fraying restraint. He tilted her chin up, his kiss deepening. “Judith, do you really have the mind to worry about anyone else right now? Hmm?”

His hand slid around to the clasp of her bra.

Judith flushed crimson, a muffled gasp escaping her. “Don’t… she’s right outside…”

“Let her watch,” Jerry murmured, a slight frown creasing his brow as his movements grew more deliberate. “This is between us. Do we need to explain ourselves to an outsider?”

It felt like a blunt knife sawing at her heart.

She remembered once, watching a movie, joking with him. “In movies, when the hero loses his memory, he always falls for someone else. If you ever forgot everything, would you forget me too?”

He’d taken her hand and pressed it against his chest. The thunderous beat of his heart vibrated against her fingertips. “Hear that? My heart would recognize you before my memories ever could. So you can never let go of my hand. Ever.”

Every word had felt so real then. Now, they just sounded like a cruel joke.

A bitter smile touched Emily’s lips.

It must be the alcohol, she thought. It wasn’t strong enough, not potent enough tonight. Otherwise, why would her heart feel like it was being torn apart?