Chapter 20
“Mr. Harrington, you—”
“She’s not coming back with me.” Alex’s voice was so quiet it nearly disappeared into the sterile hospital air.
His assistant said nothing at first, calm and unsurprised, as if he’d expected this outcome all along.
Alex turned toward him, brow creased in frustration. “What do I do?”
For a moment, the assistant looked startled. In all his years with Alex, he’d rarely heard a question like that. He stood up, voice respectful but firm.
“Sir, I hope you’ll forgive me for speaking plainly. I’ve been with you eight years. I’ve seen everything–how you and Miss Harper loved, fought, fell apart.”
He paused, searching Alex’s face. No fury. Just emptiness. He continued.
this.”
come back–not like thi
*What you two had was intense. It survived chaos, but not quiet. She’s gone, and she won’t come b
He lowered his gaze. “If you wanted, I could arrange for her return. We could lock her away, keep her close. But she’d never forgive you for it.” Alex slowly shook his head. “I want her to come back because she wants to. Willingly.”
The assistant blinked, stunned for a second. Then he nodded slowly and offered the only real option left: “Win her back. From the beginning. Make her tall in love with you again.”
Something shifted in Alex’s eyes. A flicker of hope. That same day, he checked himself out of the hospital–and bought the house next door to Emily’s Emily had been on edge ever since their last encounter, constantly bracing herself for the moment Alex might show up unannounced and drag her away
ke he used to.
But three days passed without a trace of him.
Just as she began to let her guard down, she saw a moving truck outside. The house next door had a new owner,
Then Alex appeared–calmer, softer–holding a plate of homemade chocolates.
“My scrappy girl,” he said with a faint smile, “Your favorite.”
She froze. He hadn’t called her that in years
She’d always preferred “My scrappy girl” over all the sweet nothings–sweetheart, darling. That nickname belonged to a time when their love was still
real
“I’m cutting sugar,” she said coully, turning her back. “I don’t eat chocolate anymore.”
His smile fell. His jaw tensed. He dropped the plate to the ground,
But he didn’t stop
“Morning, my scrappy girl, try this apple juice.”
“I got your favorite flowers. They’re just for you.”
*Emily, good morning
”
Day after day, he lingered outside her villa, leaving food, gifts, flowers. Soon, her courtyard was so cluttered she could barely step outside.
She thought about leaving Pinevale in the middle of the night. Just vanishing But she knew he’d find her. There were too many things between them that still needed to be said.
Alex’s constant presence chipped away at her patience. All the t
the
Werks passed. Emily never replied. Still, Alex kept showing up.
things she’d once troasured–now pushed at her again–only made her more annoyed.
Every time she turned something down, he’d quietly take it away–only to show up the next day with something new.
One afternoon, she was playing violin in her living room when he appeared again.
He leaned against the doorway, sunlight spilling across his shoulders, making him look as devastating as ever.
But her heart no longer flinched. She glanced up at him, then kept playing.
When the must ended, he vaulted over the low garden wall and looked up at her.
Chapter 20
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“Emily, it’s your birthday today,” he said. “Whatever you want–just name it. I know you’re still mad, but I’ll keep trying until you’re not.”
Emily lowered her violin and stared down at him, expression unreadable. “Alex,” she said, her voice even. “Come upstairs.”
She was done stalling. It was time to end this–once and for all.
Chapter 30
