Chapter 13
Sean grabbed Justin’s arm and yanked Emily’s wrist free farm his grasp
Justin looked momentarily stunned, releasing her without a fight
Sean quickly pulled Emily behind him, stepping between them to shield he
“Bullying? Seriously?” Justin thought
She was the one who had slapped him. Who was bullying who here?
And when did that even count as bullying?
Back then, in those intimate moments with Emily, when things got passionate, was that bullying ber? Those times he had been even more forceful making love to her, did that count as him bullying her?
And what about the scratches she had left down his back? Was the bullying kim then?
Now she was huddled behind Sean, looking like she had been terribly wronged What was that supposed to mean? Were she and Sean romantically involved now too?
For the first time, Justin realized how well Emily could play the helpless, vulnerable card, putting on a pitiful act as if she had been mistreated. Watching her like that infuriated him. She was the one who had hit him, yet here she was, hiding behind Sean.
Sean took a few steps back with Emily, keeping a distance from Justin, as if avoiding some kind of threat. When it seemed that Justin had no intention of making another move, Sean gently lifted Emily’s hand, examining her wrist closely.
“Are you okay? Does it hurt? Did you get injured or feel any discomfort?” he asked with genuine concern.
Emily shook her head. “I’m fine,” she replied quietly.
Though her wrist wasn’t seriously injured, it was a bit red, with a dull ache from where Justin had gripped it too hard. Not that she could really blame herself as Justin’s words had been infuriating so she had reacted on impulse.
“Doesn’t look fine to me. Look at this,” Sean said, opening her hand to show her the red marks on her wrist where Justin had squeezed too hard. “I’ve got some ointment back at my place. Let’s go take care of it.” As he spoke, Sean started to lead Emily away.
“It’s fine, I don’t need any ointment. It’ll heal in a couple of days,” Emily said, pulling her hand free from his grasp, but still following along as they left together.
“No, that won’t do. Your skin’s so fair, the marks will take longer to fade. If people see it, they might start spreading rumors,” Sean insisted, firm on treating the mark
“If you don’t put any ointment on and those red marks stay, what are people going to think? And Helen will probably think I was the one who hurt you and come after me!”
Emily gave him a look, surprised at how familiar they suddenly seemed after just a minor accident.
Seeing her confusion, Sean added, “We didn’t exactly start on good terms, but I’ve already sent her the compensation. She asked me to look after you.’
“I’m an adult, I don’t need you to look after me.”
“Yes, yes, you’re an adult. And in the blink of an eye, you’ve already managed to get yourself hurt.”
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Chapter 13
“This doesn’t count as being hurt.”
“Right, right, of course, you’re not hurt…” Sean replied, half–joking as he guided her away.
The two walked off together, almost oblivious to Justin’s presence, until they disappeared down the outdoor hallway.
Justin stood there for a long time, long enough for the ocean breeze to mess up his hair and sting the cheek where Emily had slapped him.
It hadn’t hurt at first, but now the pain was starting to set in, snapping him back to reality.
Yes, Emma was Emma, and Emily was Emily.
For the past three years, Justin had mistaken Emily for Emma.
He had been drawn to her because her face bore such a striking resemblance to Emma’s. He didn’t want to see her ruin herself, wasting that face.
But now Emma was back. She was by his side again. Everything was back on track.
If Emily wanted to throw her life away, to be with anyone she pleased, that was her business. It had nothing to do with him.
Even if she got used or deceived, that was her problem, not his. Realizing this, he felt the lingering frustration in his chest finally ease.
He touched his left cheek. It didn’t hurt. He took a step forward and left the corner of the outdoor hallway.
Emily and Sean had made their way past the pool, heading back to treat her wrist. A server carrying a tray full of drinks approached.
They stepped aside to let him pass, but he must have missed a step or slipped on some water because he stumbled, nearly falling into the pool with the entire tray.
In the chaos, the server instinctively grabbed hold of Emily, who had already moved aside. Her injured wrist was caught in his grip, and she couldn’t pull away in time. The sudden force pulled her off balance, and she fell into the pool.
As Justin stepped out of the hallway, he saw Emily fall into the pool. He was running toward her before he even realized it.
Emily couldn’t swim and he knew that all too well. He had saved her from the ocean once before, and ever since then, she had a lingering fear of water, probably from the trauma.
But before he could reach her, he felt someone grab the back of his jacket.
“Justin, where did you go? I couldn’t find you anywhere. I was so scared!” Emma held tightly onto him, her face full of fear, almost on the verge of tears.
Justin was forced to stop in his tracks, a look of surprise flashing across his face. It felt as if his heart had skipped a beat, leaving him momentarily breathless.
He assumed it was a pang of guilt toward Emma. He had left her at the party with Zac, making up an excuse so he could chase after Emily.
He placed his hand over Emma’s hand, gently pulling his jacket free from her grasp.
Chapter 13
“Where’s Zac? Why aren’t you with him?” he asked, trying to shift the conversation and avoid her questioning
gaze,
“Maybe he didn’t enjoy being around me. Not long after you left, he just walked away,” Emma said, looking hurt. Even now, she couldn’t resist taking a dig at Zac,
“Maybe he ran into someone he knew. There’s no need to be scared,” Justin said, releasing her hands as he instinctively turned back toward the pool, searching for Emily. He wanted to help her.
Emma grabbed his hand again, her voice small and trembling, “I… I’m scared…. Justin, will you stay with me?”
At that moment, a loud splash echoed behind them. Without hesitation, Sean had dived into the pool to rescue Emily. The people nearby gasped, turning to watch the scene unfold.
Sean swam to the edge with one arm around Emily, guiding her safely to the poolside. A few female servers rushed over to help lift her out.
Sean quickly took off his soaked jacket and wrapped it around Emily, covering her up to prevent any wardrobe mishaps.
