Chapter 318

Chapter 318

Emily couldn't help but laugh bitterly. "Alexander, you really are a businessman through and through."

"Always have been," he observed her exhausted expression and sighed softly, pulling her into his arms. "You should rest for a while. I'll handle this situation properly."

She gave a derisive laugh and tried to push him away.

But the physical difference between them had never been a fair match.

Even using all her strength, she couldn't break his hold.

Alexander's right arm tightened around her while his left hand gently patted her back. "Take a moment to rest. Keeping your nerves constantly on edge is exhausting. Your mental state will suffer for it."

Mental state suffering?

She had thought Donna's cruelty had already extinguished any hope of reconnecting with her birth mother.

But hearing Alexander's words now, she realized a small part of her had still been holding onto some expectation.

Unfortunately, it had all been for nothing.

She stopped struggling and slowly closed her eyes. "Alexander, I loved you so deeply once, and you chose to ignore it. Now that I want to walk away, why are you clinging to me?"

Her voice was soft, not forceful, yet somehow more resolute for it.

"A broken mirror can't be made whole. Don't you understand such simple truths?" Emily added.

Their relationship had ended three years ago, severed by his own hand.

Even if they forced themselves to stay together now, things would never be the same.

"You're the one who doesn't understand," Alexander replied.

Emily frowned and looked up at him.

His handsome face revealed little emotion, but his eyes held a determination that bordered on obsession.

"Now that I've recognized what's in my heart, I won't let you leave. Whether you agree or not, the outcome won't change."

After a moment of silence, she finally spoke. "You're insane. You're absolutely insane! Alexander, aren't you afraid I'll grow to hate you?"

"If I let you go, would you stop hating me?" His voice remained calm, as if discussing someone else's situation.

Suddenly, Alexander gave a soft laugh, then shook his head. "Perhaps you truly would stop hating me. You might even forget me entirely. In that case, I'd rather keep you by my side forever, even if it means you hate me."

His final words were barely audible, like a whispered confession.

It wasn't clear whether he was speaking to Emily or to himself, but his meaning was unmistakable.

When exactly had his feelings for her become so obsessive?

Emily reflected on everything since her return to the country, but couldn't understand how Alexander had transformed this way.

She pressed her lips together as a clear thought formed in her mind. "Alexander, what's the point of forcing me to stay? I'm only interested in what I can gain from you..."

"I don't mind. Use me if you want. Do whatever you need to do." He replied.

The proud Alexander was willingly letting her use him.

This was something she could never have imagined before, and now...

She remained silent for several seconds before the corner of her mouth curled into a smile filled with mockery and unspoken sadness.

"Then you should know who I'd target first. Alexander, could you really bear that?"

Though she didn't say it directly, her words clearly pointed at Sophie.

Everyone knew their relationship was hostile.

Alexander's thin lips slowly pressed into a hard line, his jawline tightening, his eyes filled with emotions too complex to decipher.

After a long moment, he finally spoke in a hoarse voice. "What if I send her abroad? You'll never have to see her again. She won't bother you anymore."

Emily laughed coldly, her eyes growing even more distant. "Alexander, I've realized that Sophie has always been the most special person in your heart."

"No matter what she does, you see her as someone who must be protected from harm."

"Even now, you're thinking of sending her abroad to live a comfortable, worry-free life."

"Have you ever considered what kind of life I've been living these past years?"

Meeting his evasive gaze, her smile grew more scornful. "Alexander, do you really think I'd let her go?"

"Emily, why can't you just tolerate her? I don't have feelings for her, I never did. Why must you go after her? "

"Enough!" she cut him off sharply, unable to bear anymore.

"Whether I can tolerate her or not has nothing to do with you!"

"She plagiarized my research and happily played the role of your mistress!"

"Why should someone who's done such terrible things be forgiven?"

Having said her piece, she closed her eyes and steadied her breathing, unwilling to continue the conversation.

He sighed again. "Those things were all misunderstandings..."

"Misunderstandings? Was her pregnancy with your child also a misunderstanding?"

After her cold, mocking words, the entire room fell silent.

With her eyes closed, Emily couldn't see Alexander's expression, nor did she open them to look. She had no interest in witnessing his embarrassment at being exposed.

The past was something she'd buried deep in her heart, and she had no desire to revisit it.

Why did he have to push her to say everything out loud?

After a long silence, just when she thought he wouldn't respond due to guilt, his voice broke the quiet.

There was a slight tremor in it, mixed with unmistakable anger.

"Is that really who you think I am?" Alexander asked.

"What else should I think?" She hadn't expected him to still attempt to argue when the truth was so obvious. "Your affair with her was all over the news. You must have known that, right?"

"After all, who would dare publish news about you without your approval? So you, of all people, should know exactly what happened between you two."

"You claimed to be working late at the office, but what was really happening? You were with her in your rest area, so caught up you didn't even remember to collect your underwear!"

"And then you brought her, pregnant, to our marital home to recover!"

By the end, sadness welled up inside her again.

She had put so much effort into their marriage, only for it to end so absurdly.

"Alexander, not owning up to your actions doesn't seem like your style!"

Her contemptuous tone and cold words couldn't mask the pain spreading through her heart.

"Emily!" His voice rose slightly, clearly displeased. "I never touched her!"

A soft laugh escaped her lips with no further reaction, yet it was more unsettling than any words could have been.

Alexander was visibly annoyed now, his tone hardening. "I wouldn't be so pathetic that I couldn't admit to sleeping with a woman."

He released her abruptly, stood up, and walked toward the door.

Sitting on the sofa, Emily gave a cold laugh as she gradually calmed down.

Alexander had always been domineering and proud; he wasn't someone who would deny his actions. Could there really be more to this story?

But...

His underwear had been scattered around his office rest area, and Sophie had collected them so naturally. How could that possibly be fake?

Emily's lips tightened as she stood to leave, just as Alexander pushed open the door and walked back in.