Chapter 190 She is Nicholas's Lifesaver
The moment the call connected, Nicholas's anxious voice burst through the speaker.
"Emma, the trending topics online are fake! I won't marry Zoe—don't overthink this!"
Emma didn't become hysterical or angry. She simply asked with unusual seriousness, "Nicholas, you already knew Zoe was Ms. White?"
He fell silent.
After a few seconds, he responded in a low voice, "Yes."
Emma clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging deep into her palms, sending dull waves of pain through her hands.
So, last time at Harrison Manor, when he said he was interested in becoming the White family's son-in-law...
And when Luna specifically thanked him for taking care of Ms. White...
From beginning to end, they were talking about Zoe.
She took a deep breath, suppressing the sob rising in her throat, and asked again, "You already found out who orchestrated my kidnapping, didn't you?"
Another deadly silence stretched between them before he admitted, "Yes."
So he really hadn't punished Zoe. Once again, he had quietly chosen to protect her.
Emma's heart felt as though it were being stabbed by a dull knife, twisted back and forth until it was bloody and raw, the pain so intense she could barely breathe.
"Emma, where are you? I want to see you. I need to talk to you." Nicholas sensed the silence on her end and spoke urgently, his voice carrying a trace of barely concealed panic.
She lifted her hand and decisively hung up.
The phone screen lit up again immediately, but she didn't even look—she simply declined the call.
The ultrasound printout she'd been gripping in her palm now had a hole torn through it by her fingertips.
Those trending topics were quickly scrubbed clean from the internet, but the gossip had already spread like a virus.
Zoe even posted on her official social media account—a romantic photo with double hearts, captioned: [Waiting for you to marry me.]
Dr. N's fans and Zoe's supporters immediately went to war in the comments section, creating the kind of fan drama explosion that dominated entertainment news.
Before long, chaos erupted outside Jackson Mansion.
Of course—Nicholas had come looking for her.
The moment Daryl saw him, he exploded with fury, shouting, "Mr. Harrison, since you've decided to become the White family's son-in-law, don't you dare step foot in the Jackson family again! The Harrisons are clearly too good for us Jacksons."
Fortunately, Ruby wasn't home, or she definitely would have thrown punches.
Nicholas stood in the center of the living room with a dark expression, his posture rigid as he endured the elder's verbal assault.
He spoke in a low voice, "Mr. Jackson, I want to see Emma. I need to say a few words to her."
"I won't marry Zoe. Emma is the only one I love. I want to explain this to her personally."
Daryl glared at him, his anger unrelenting. "As a man, let me give you some advice—don't think you can possess two women at the same time or play with both their feelings."
"The moment that woman threw herself at you, you became tainted. Our Emma doesn't want you anymore."
Evelyn stormed down from upstairs, pointing an accusatory finger at his face.
"Nicholas, here's your chance to redeem yourself—throw that bitch Zoe in prison! She was the mastermind behind the kidnapping!"
Daryl was shocked. "That roadside kidnapping attempt—she was behind it?"
Nicholas's jawline tensed. After several seconds of silence, he spoke with difficulty, "I will make her pay, but not now. It has to wait until after the family recognition ceremony."
"Family recognition ceremony?" Evelyn laughed bitterly. "Looks like you're really protecting her. Once she's officially recognized as Ms. White, do you think you'll still be able to touch her? Nicholas, you just want to shield her."
Nicholas frowned, his voice heavy with exhaustion. "I'll give you a satisfactory explanation, but the timing isn't right yet. I have my reasons. This recognition ceremony is crucial."
He couldn't say anything now.
He couldn't tell them that everything he was doing was to eliminate all risks so he could bring Emma back to the White family openly and reclaim everything that rightfully belonged to her.
By stupidly revealing her identity, Zoe had painted a target on her back for every force in Empire City that opposed the White family.
She was practically throwing herself into the line of fire.
But he would never let Emma face those dangers.
No matter how powerful the White family was, there were always vulnerabilities. How could he put her in harm's way again?
This was the most critical moment—they were so close to exposing the hidden puppetmaster.
But Daryl took it as an excuse, trembling with rage as he shouted, "I actually thought you'd changed—what a fool I was! Get him out of here!"
At his command, four bodyguards surrounded Nicholas.
"Mr. Jackson, please let me see Emma. I'll explain everything to her personally." He called out desperately.
"Throw him out!" The bodyguards escorted him away.
"Nicholas, you'll regret this," Evelyn said coldly before heading upstairs.
In the room, Nina had arranged a table full of snacks, constantly offering them to Emma.
She kept gesturing excitedly and even peeled candy for her.
Emma reached out to accept it, but the sweetness turned to bitter ash in her mouth.
Nicholas sent her countless messages. Fed up, she moved her finger and blocked him.
Her anger far outweighed her sadness.
She felt so naive—naive enough to think this man had truly changed.
But he was still secretly doing things that broke her heart.
Meanwhile, Nicholas stared at the red exclamation mark on his phone screen, completely stunned.
She had blocked him.
A feeling of complete devastation washed over him.
His bodyguard's call came at just the right moment, "Mr. Harrison, Mrs. White has returned to Empire City with Miss White. They left in quite a hurry."
Running away pretty quickly.
Nicholas's eyes held a tangled web of anxiety and rage.
That evening, Nicholas sat alone in the garden, staring at the half-finished romantic proposal setup, his heart clenched tight.
Before long, Ethan arrived, and the two men drank in brooding silence.
Actually, Ethan was suffering too. He knew he liked Nina, but she couldn't speak.
His grandmother would never let him marry her, and people in their circle would mock him. So that night, even though he'd had the chance, he hadn't dared touch her. He'd held her all night, kissed her many times, but forced himself to hold back.
The next day, Emma went to the hospital lab early in the morning.
Leon brought over the extracted blood samples. She put on sterile gloves and spent the entire day at precise instruments, carefully preparing the reagent.
They injected a small white rabbit.
Within seconds, the rabbit's eyelids drooped and it fell asleep, breathing steadily.
Leon held the pale blue reagent with trembling hands, ecstatic with joy.
Finally, they'd succeeded.
Emma asked Leon to send it to Empire City for patient testing first. He nodded.
But after Emma left, he entered a hidden room. Unable to contain himself, he drew out some of the reagent and injected it into his own bloodstream.
He watched the wall clock, slowly closing his eyes...
When Emma walked out of the hospital, it was completely dark, city lights beginning to twinkle.
Cold wind hit her face, and she instinctively pulled her coat tighter. Looking up, she saw the face she least wanted to see at that moment.
Nicholas leaned against a car door, his tall frame appearing somewhat desolate under the dim streetlights.
Seeing her emerge, Nicholas immediately straightened and strode over, pulling her into his arms without a word, holding her so tightly it was as if he wanted to meld her into his bones.
His voice was hoarse, heavy with fear and pleading.
"Emma, don't hide from me. I'm going crazy."
Emma stood like a soulless puppet, letting him hold her without struggling.
She simply raised her eyes slowly, looking at him with calm detachment.
"Nicholas, when you decided to spare the perpetrator, did you ever consider my feelings?"
"Don't the wounds I've suffered leave even a trace in your heart?"
Her eyes held ice-cold hatred.
She was referring to the previous kidnapping, when that psychopath had tortured her—also Zoe's doing.
He hadn't pursued justice then either. This time, he was letting her off again.
He fell silent, tightening his embrace even more. After a long moment, he spoke with difficulty, "I will make her pay, but not now."
He looked down, almost pleading with her. "Emma, can you give me some time? Just eight days. I promise I'll make her pay."
He swore earnestly.
But the last glimmer of light in Emma's eyes died out.
She spoke with disappointment, her voice soft, "Nicholas, if you truly can't let her go, then go to Empire City. Everyone has the right to pursue their own happiness. I won't stop you."
"Matthew once stepped aside for us. Today, I'll do the same for you and her."
"Let's end this here."
She pried away his hands that were locked around her waist, finger by finger.
So much for eternal vows—they crumbled before harsh reality.
She truly didn't want to entangle with him anymore.
Nicholas panicked completely, pleading, "Emma, I don't love her. I could never be with her."
"I only love you. If you're upset, you can hit me, curse me—please just don't leave me."
He couldn't imagine what the world would become without her.
After a pause, he added, "I'll go to Empire City right now! I'll drag her back and let you deal with her however you want!"
Hearing this, Emma felt her heart break while finding it almost laughable.
"Nicholas, you only think you love me, but everything you do hurts me."
"From now on, your affairs are none of my business."
"I'm tired. Really tired."
"Let me be alone for a while, okay?"
She lowered her head as a scalding tear fell to the ground.
He reached out helplessly to wipe her tears, saying nervously, "Emma, don't cry. I was wrong. Please don't cry."
"Don't be sad. I'm sorry—I didn't consider your feelings."
Her tears made him panic. Emma suddenly pushed him away forcefully.
"Nicholas, stop pestering me. I don't want to see you."
"No, Emma, listen to me." Nicholas tried to embrace her again.
But she stepped back sharply, avoiding him.
Using all her strength, she shouted toward the distance, "Charlie!"
Charlie quickly ran over. Seeing Emma's breakdown, he immediately positioned himself between her and Nicholas.
"Mr. Harrison, perhaps you should go home. I'll take Mrs. Harrison back."
Nicholas shoved him aside, his eyes bloodshot as he growled, "Get out of my way!"
There was no way he was leaving now.
But Charlie persisted in blocking him. "Madam is already devastated. Mr. Harrison, please don't push her anymore. She can't take it!"
Nicholas's gaze fell on the slender figure crouched in the distance, covering her face as she wept silently. His heart ached beyond breathing.
He stood frozen, fists clenching and unclenching repeatedly.
After several seconds of silence, he finally turned around, got in his car, and drove away with resolution.
After crying for who knows how long, Emma finally supported herself on her knees to stand up slowly, roughly wiping the tears from her face.
Charlie offered her a tissue. "Mrs. Harrison, let me drive you home."
She looked up at him with red, swollen eyes , her voice hoarse, "Charlie, tell me—why? Why does he keep protecting Zoe, over and over again?"
Looking at her anguished state, Charlie blurted out without thinking, "Mrs. Harrison, Mr. Harrison had no choice. Zoe... she's his lifesaver..."
Lifesaver?
Emma stared at him in shock, her eyes wide...