My Love for You Has Never Withered

I turned and saw Emmett standing there, his face twisted in fury.

The moment Amelie spotted him, she put on a wounded expression and threw herself into his arms, tears spilling down her cheeks.

“Your girlfriend is so cruel, Emmett,” she sobbed. “I just wanted to talk to her, and she tried to hit me…”

Seeing her weep so pitifully in his arms, Emmett’s face darkened further.

“Claire!” he snapped. “Why did you hit her for no reason? Was it Franklin who taught you that, or did I?”

My eyes burned red with anger, and my voice trembled with fury.

“For no reason? What a joke! The restaurant has surveillance—go check the footage. See for yourself why I hit her, and what she did to me!”

Could he not see how soaked I was? The disheveled state I was in?

I had intended to lay out the facts calmly and reasonably, but he blindly defended Amelie, never once bothering to confirm the truth.

“No matter what happened,” he said coldly, “you shouldn’t have raised your hand. Amelie said she only asked you out for a meal. She did nothing to you.

“Attacking someone is wrong, Claire. You need to apologize.”

He wanted me to apologize to her?

The victim… apologizing to the aggressor?

Fury surged in my chest. I stared at him.

“I did nothing wrong. No matter what you say, I won’t apologize,” I said firmly.

He insisted on an apology, and I stood firm in my refusal.

Neither of us wanted to give in.

In the end, it was Amelie—perhaps afraid the situation would escalate and expose the truth—who raised her tear-streaked face and looked at Emmett.

“It’s my fault… Don’t argue with her anymore. My heart… It’s acting up again…” she whispered.

Emmett’s face immediately showed signs of anxiety and panic.

He shot me a look that was hard to read and rushed to help Amelie up, then hurried to the hospital without a backward glance.

Watching them leave, my anger gradually faded, replaced by a deep sense of frustration and sorrow.

Tears, which I had held back for so long, suddenly overwhelmed me.

I quickly wiped them away, then went to the restroom to wash my face before leaving the restaurant.

Just as I stepped onto the sidewalk, a motorcycle came speeding toward me.

In the next moment, Emmett appeared out of nowhere, pulling me into his arms to protect me.

A loud crash rang out, and the entire world spun out of control.

In the chaos, I lost consciousness.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself lying in a hospital bed.

Emmett sat at my bedside, his face pale and exhausted, yet his eyes sparkled with a mix of concern and relief.

“You’re awake! You scared me to death! Don’t ever do that again, do you hear me?

“Stay still, don’t move. I’ll go call the doctor to check on you.”

After he left, his phone, which he had left on the table, suddenly buzzed with a new message notification.

I glanced at the message Amelie had sent.

When Emmett returned with the doctor, he noticed that his phone screen was lit up and his pupils constricted.

He immediately stood, took his phone, and quickly scanned its contents. His steps faltered for a moment.

Unable to resist, he glanced at me as the doctor examined me.

"Did you have a look at my phone just now?"

"No, why?" I asked calmly.

He smiled, as if relieved, then casually said, "It’s nothing."

He turned and asked the doctor about various precautions I needed to take.

For the first time, I couldn't read him.

This was supposed to be our charade—a transactional relationship with an expiration date.

He shouldn't care whether I saw his messages.

Unless…

The treacherous thought surfaced: Was he afraid of losing me?

I crushed the hope before it could take root.

After everything, how could I still be this naive?

The monitors beeped steadily as I made my decision.

I would go home.

Leave Emmett behind.

And finally, stop loving him.