Chapter 9

Daniel stood outside my building for several nights in a row. He was determined to see me. But each time, all he could see was Adam and me walking in and out of the office together. I never gave him so much as a glance. Maybe he finally understood that I wasn't coming back. In the end, he left. Work in Miami went smoothly. The company found its footing quickly and started turning a profit. My bank account finally began to grow. If everything went according to plan, I would be able to buy a small apartment of my own by the end of the year. Adam told me how he felt. At the time, I was pouring everything into my career, and the shadow of my last marriage still hadn't fully lifted. When I turned him down gently, he took it in stride. He said: "I'll wait. Until you're truly ready to open your heart again." He didn't push me. He didn't use his position as Don of the Cole family to pressure me in any way. And that, more than anything, was what finally put me at ease. The day the apartment sale closed, I got a call from an unknown number. "Emma, life must be pretty good for you now, huh?" Lily's voice was dark enough to chill. But I recognized her instantly. Word was, things had gone badly for her. Someone had leaked the truth: she was actually my father's illegitimate daughter. My mother and Mark lost it on the spot and dragged her to the hospital for a paternity test. It came back positive. Lily was thrown out of the house almost immediately. She took the baby and went to Daniel. Daniel had signed the divorce papers by then, but he still refused to take responsibility for her and the child. Lily was furious. She stormed into the hospital where Daniel had investments and caused a scene. Hospitals live and die by reputation, and the board moved fast to bury the scandal, cutting Daniel out of a chunk of his stake in the process. As for the private physician who had forged my test results and performed the procedure on me, losing his medical license was only the beginning. Later, I heard that Daniel and Lily tore each other apart trying to protect what was left of the Hayes family's image. Lily refused to back down. She showed up at his operations again and again, baby in her arms, airing every dirty secret until the whole world knew. In that world, reputation is power. A Don who can't keep his own house in order doesn't stay feared for long. Daniel began losing allies, then business. The people who had once bowed and scraped in his presence were now circling, waiting to carve off a piece of the Hayes empire for themselves. He and Lily dragged each other down, each more wretched than the other. Thinking about all of this, I let out a quiet laugh. "Yeah. A whole lot better than you." A stream of venomous curses erupted from the other end. I didn't bother listening. I just hung up. Sunlight poured through the window. I looked down and watched the diamond on my ring finger catch the light, scattering it into brilliant shards. Adam had placed it there the day he proposed. This time, I didn't run. And I didn't look back.