The Billionaire's Offer

Chapter 33

Emma

Alone in the quiet of my living room, I'm engulfed by a tempest of thoughts, each of them like a relentless wave crashing against the shore of my consciousness.

The recent whirlwind involving Clare and Asher has left me reeling in a haze of disbelief and confusion.

So much so that I didn't think and came straight here to gather my thoughts.

It's been a while since I last set foot in my house, and the familiarity feels strangely foreign now.

When Asher and I started discussing getting married, I thought I'd need my own space to bring me some sort of normality.

Things happened so fast between us that I was sure we'd have some trouble living together, and we'd both need a breather from time to time.

But life has a way of shattering even the most carefully laid plans.

We stood no chance against that cold business deal that brought us together and soon life showed us what was right in front of our faces from the start: we love each other, fiercely and unapologetically, and life has granted us a second chance to make things right.

But man, did we underestimate the chaos? Life threw us curveballs left and right, reminding us that love isn't always smooth sailing.

The sound of the doorbell interrupts my thoughts, and I draw in a deep breath before making my way to the door.

It's late, but I don't need to check to know it's Asher. He texted me about thirty minutes ago, saying he was on his way over.

My heart is pounding an erratic rhythm in my chest and every part of me is ready for this talk.

In his message, he mentioned having some proof about not sleeping with Clare, but honestly, I don't need it.

I've had the entire day to cool off and I trust him.

As much as I want to understand what happened last night, I know he'd never betray me like this.

And even though it hurts to revisit the worst and most painful moment of my life, I need to open up to him and try to reshape our relationship with no shadows from our past looming over us.

Swinging the door open, I find Asher on the other side. A mix of comfort and chaos swirls in his eyes, mirroring the turmoil in my own heart.

All I want is to make all of this go away.

Without a word, I step aside to let him in.

For a moment, we stand locked in a silent exchange, our eyes meeting in a collision of emotions too complex to unravel in mere words.

As he starts to speak, I instinctively throw myself into his arms, cutting off his words with a soft kiss. Whatever he was about to say gets caught in his throat as I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him closer.

His hands grab my waist as if by instinct, a soft groan escaping his lips as he pulls away to look at me. "Emma..." he whispers, his gaze boring into mine.

"I love you..." I cup his cheeks, not missing the dark circles under his eyes and the growing stubble under my fingertips. "I can't even remember when I didn't love you. It's always been there, even when I tried to convince myself what we had was just a passing youth infatuation. I'd told myself countless times I should just move on and that you'd never get back... But it only took one look at you after all these years to know that I've never stopped loving you."

"Did your father let you know I spoke to Clare?" He pulls my hands away, taking a step back.

"What?" I frown, shaking my head in confusion. "My father?" The mention of him in this context sends a shiver down my spine, and an unexpected chill lingers in the air.