Humans never truly shared the same joy or sorrow.
While Irvin was collapsing under the weight of his pain, Emilia was at home in Claudeville City popping champagne with William. They were celebrating because Mr. J had finally agreed to work with them, moved by William's sincerity.
"Now, all we need to do is lure them out and force them to take action on domestic soil," William said. "That will severely weaken them."
He added, raising his glass of champagne to Emilia, "Then, we'll strike while the iron is hot. Even if we can't destroy them completely, we'll cripple them enough that they won't have the will or the ability to cause you trouble again."
Emilia raised her own glass in return, looking at him with genuine sincerity. "Thank you, Mr. Ashford, for everything you've done. If there's ever anything I can do for you in the future, please don't hesitate to ask."
Even if it meant she had to go through hell or high water, she would give it her all.
William knew how deeply Emilia had once loved Irvin. He also knew that even though she had now completely let go of Irvin, she still hadn't fully moved on from that relationship. She also wasn't ready to begin a new one.
He wasn't in a rush. He also wasn't hurt by Emilia's emotional distance or the polite way she had thanked him.
With a smile, he gently clinked glasses with her and said, "Alright. If I ever need something, I'll be sure to ask."
The sincere way William had spoken made it clear that he had accepted Emilia's gratitude and would indeed call in that favor one day.
Seeing how dignified William was acting, Emilia felt even more admiration for him. He truly was easy to be around and a genuinely good man.
That night, just as Emilia was getting ready for bed, her phone rang. It was Mason.
With that, Emilia ended the call without waiting for Mason's response. Then, she blocked his number. Whatever happened to Irvin had nothing to do with her anymore.
Emilia had instinctively panicked when she received the call that Irvin was in bad condition. She had thought this would've kept her up all night.
She took a shower and got into bed. But to her surprise, she fell asleep before she could even dwell on it.
When Emilia woke up the next morning, she had a realization. The pain Irvin had inflicted on her would never disappear. However, the love she had once felt for him had already completely faded.
Her instinctive panic and her urge to drop everything and run to him last night was nothing more than a deeply ingrained habit from all their years of being together. And with time, even this habit would gradually fade.
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