Talking and focused on the road, meanwhile, Emma focused on the birthmark on his earlobe. It made him look like he was born with an earring, giving him a slightly evil and dangerous aura.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked. “Is there dirt on my face?”
Emma reached out for Eric’s arm. “Before we go to our new home, could you come with me somewhere?”
“Of course, but after that, are you interested in finishing what we started last night?” Eric’s tone was casual, but Emma couldn’t hide her nervousness. She wasn’t sure she felt as confident as she had the previous night.
Eric didn’t pressure her, though. He just continued to drive and enjoy the touch of her hand on his arm. At Emma’s request, they headed to a park known for its beautiful cherry blossom trees and a wonderful restaurant. Emma and Nathan had met at the park frequently, or at least had often made plans to meet there.
Finally answering Nathan’s call, she said, “I’m heading to the Cherry Blossom park. Meet me under our favorite tree as soon as you can.”
“I’m on my way,” Nathan said immediately. Even though he was having an affair with Amber, he had never intended to stop seeing Emma. Where would he find another woman who was so easy to manipulate? He appreciated her loyalty, her family background, and her easy-going nature. He would be foolish to let her go.
Emma hung up and looked at Eric. “I have no love left for Nathan,” she said. Without a word, he patted the seat beside him, gesturing for Emma to sit. The two of them looked out the window at the scenery below.
Not long after, an anxious figure appeared beneath her favorite cherry blossom tree. Mason had arrived. She had stood under that tree so many times, naively waiting all day for him to show up. Most of the time, she had waited in vain. She couldn’t believe how badly she let him treat her. He had stood her up, toyed with her, and then betrayed her. But now, it was his turn to suffer.
“Will this make you feel better?” Eric asked as the two of them continued to look at the sad figure below.
“It’s a start. I want him to experience everything he made me go through, the big things and the small ones,” Emma replied.
With long, powerful fingers, Eric reached for Emma’s chin, turning her face to his. He saw a woman who was delicate on the outside but had an inner core of steel.
“I ordered foie gras,” she said. “The waiter said it was quite good.”
Eric released her from his grasp and let out a surprised smile. “How did you know that I liked that?”
“I have my ways,” she said, gesturing for the waiter to start serving. “Let’s eat while we chat.”
Eric looked at her pink, soft, luscious lips. His gaze held a trace of danger. “I don’t want to chat. I just want to kiss you.”
They didn’t remain standing under the tree while Emma and Eric enjoyed their meal and their glances. They might look unassuming, but she isn’t weak, he thought.
Time passed quickly for the couple. As Nathan continued to wait outside, he kept calling Emma, but she had turned her phone off. Finally, the two finished their meal. Eric took a last glance down at Nathan and asked, “Do you want to continue watching him wait?”
“No, I want you to help me move into your house,” Emma said.
Eric paid the bill, escorted Emma out through the side door, and drove her to her home. She’d asked for five minutes alone in the house to remove all traces of her relationship with Nathan. To be honest, there wasn’t much. Nathan had never left any of his belongings there.
“Well, she packed,” Eric looked around. He found a huge photo in the living room of Emma receiving a modeling trophy. “If she hadn’t retreated from the industry,” he thought, “she would have been an international superstar by now.”
A few minutes later, she emerged from her bedroom with a teddy bear and a small bag. “I’m ready. You don’t want anything else?”
“No, let’s leave the memories behind,” Eric said. He took the bag and the teddy bear and placed them on the sofa. Then he took her into his arms and kissed her passionately. At first, Emma was surprised, but then she closed her eyes and returned his kiss. But when her hands began to slide along his rib cage, he said, “Let’s leave the rest for when we get home. But for now, has my kiss helped you make some better final memories here?”
Back at the park, Nathan waited for four hours. He had planned to stay all night if that’s what it took. But then Amber called.
“Nathan, where are you? I’m waiting outside your house. I need you. Why are those photos of us still all over the web? I’m going to be destroyed,” Amber exclaimed.
Nathan rushed home, seeing Amber standing pitifully on one foot outside his door. He couldn’t help but run to her. “I won’t let you be destroyed, and I won’t let Global be destroyed. Amber, you’re all I have. Don’t leave me,” he pleaded.
In the baby’s room, Ethan tried his best to comfort and reassure her. That night, Nathan ordered his staff to release a statement saying that the pictures of the two of them that had been posted earlier in the day were misleading. The truth, as the statement said, was that Amber had been standing on one foot due to her injury and had lost her balance. She had fallen into Nathan’s arms, and they had landed on the bed together.
