Chapter 140.

Two blocks away, Adrian was beginning to think three hours was a very long time. He stood inside the small house with his hands in the pockets of his coat.

The house was empty.

It had been listed for sale several weeks ago.

Christian had found it because nobody was living there, and the owners were currently out of the city.

It wasn’t ideal.

It was simply private, safe, ans temporary.

A place where Adrian could speak to Emilia without a dozen eyes watching them. He had arrived almost three hours ago.

He walked toward the window.

The curtains were slightly parted. He looked outside, and stil, thwre was nothing.

His jaw tightened.

Maybe she hadn’t found the note. Maybe she’d thrown it away. Maybe she’d been afraid.

She should be.

That would be the sensible thing.

Adrian stepped away from the window.

He glanced at his watch.

Three hours.

He had told himself he wouldn’t wait this long. He’d told himself he’d give her an hour. Maybe two, then he’d leave.

He hadn’t left.

He walked into the kitchen, stopped, turned around, and walked back into the living room. He had never felt this restless.

His phone was on the table.

He picked it up, and put it down. Ten seconds later, he picked it up again.

Adrian exhaled through his nose. "She doesn’t have to come." He said it aloud as though the empty room needed convincing.

He could leave.

He should leave.

If she didn’t come, he would understand. He had no right to expect her to trust him after what had happened.

No right to expect her to risk anything for him.

He looked toward the door.

He’d leave in another ten minutes. He’d give her another ten minutes.

Then he heard a car outside.

Adrian’s head turned.

His entire body became still.

The car passed, and his jaw tightened. He looked away. Five minutes later, he checked his phone again.

He walked toward the door.

His hand rested against the knob.

Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe he should go before she ever had the chance to arrive.

He closed his eyes.

Then he imagined her face. The hurt in her eyes when she ends up showing up, and not find him here.

Adrian’s grip tightened around the doorknob.

He couldn’t leave.

He stepped away from the door.

His phone buzzed.

Adrian turned immediately. His heart jumped, and he reached for it.

A notification from Rowan thanking him for hee early Christmas gift. Nothing else.

He placed the phone back down, and walked toward the window again.

Outside, the city continued celebrating.

Christmas lights flashed across the streets.

People moved through the cold. Somewhere out there, Emilia was walking through the same city.

Maybe she was coming.

Maybe she wasn’t.

Adrian didn’t know. And for the first time in a long time, not knowing was unbearable.

...

Emilia walked quickly.

She didn’t know why she was walking so fast.

Perhaps she was afraid she’d change her mind. Perhaps she was afraid someone would stop her.

Her hands were tucked into her coat pockets.

The note was still there.

She kept touching it.

Every few steps, just to make sure it was real. She passed a family carrying shopping bags.

A couple stood outside a restaurant, laughing.

A child dragged a red sled behind him.

Christmas was everywhere.

And yet Emilia felt like she was walking into something that had nothing to do with Christmas.

Her heart pounded harder as she got closer.

Two blocks.

She looked left, then right. The house was there. Exactly as she remembered, and a small sign stood in the front yard.

FOR SALE.

Emilia stopped.

Her stomach dropped.

The curtains were closed. There was no car outside, and no indication that anyone was inside.

For a second, she wondered if she’d been foolish. Maybe he’d already left. Maybe he’d never intended to wait.

She touched the note again, and looked at the house. Her feet wouldn’t move. This was the last chance to turn around.

She could go home. She could put the note somewhere safe. She could pretend she hadn’t come.

Then she imagined Adrian standing somewhere inside, waiting on her.

She swallowed.

Her hand moved toward the gate, and ahe stepped forward.

...

Adrian heard nothing.

The house was silent.

He stood near the door.

His arms were folded across his chest, and his face was calm. But his body wasn’t. His heartbeat had been too fast for too long.

He looked at the clock.

This was ridiculous.

He had negotiated with people who had

None of those things he had done had ever made him feel this helpless. He could control almost everything.

Except whether Emilia would walk through that door.

Adrian looked down.

His fingers flexed.

Then, the doorbell rang.

He froze.

His breath stopped. For one second, his mind refused to process the sound. Then his heart slammed against his ribs.

Hard enough to hurt.

His head lifted.

The bell rang again.

Adrian stared at the door.

She came.

The realization moved through him slowly.

She actually came.

His hand reached for the doorknob.

However, he stopped.

He closed his eyes, and took in two deep breaths.

His fingers tightened around the dokr knob, and then he opened the door.

Emilia stood on the other side.

Her cheeks were pink from the cold.

Her eyes were still slightly swollen. A few strands of hair had escaped around her face.

She looked up at him.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Adrian simply stared at her in awe.

Three weeks. Three weeks of distance. Three weeks of silence. Three weeks of convincing himself that protecting her was enough.

And now she was standing in front of him.

His expression remained controlled, but his eyes betrayed him. They softened.

Emilia’s lips parted.

She stared at him beneath the porch light.

He was real, and not a stranger, or a memory. Not someone her heart had invented in a crowd.

Adrian.

Her Adrian.

And suddenly, the words she’d rehearsed all the way there disappeared.

Adrian’s fingers remained wrapped around the doorknob.

He couldn’t speak.

Because if he did, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to stop himself from telling her how much he’d missed her.

So he simply looked at her, and Emilia looked back.

The distance between them was barely a few feet. Yet somehow, it felt like three weeks. Like three years.

Adrian quietly stepped aside.

Emilia remained on the porch for one last second. And then she walked inside.