Chapter 21 Please, Choose Me

The living room lights flicked on, and there was Olivia standing in the doorway. Her clutch slipped from her hand, hitting the marble floor with a thud. "What the hell is going on?"

Emily was slumped against the wall, looking a mess. Her lips were swollen, fresh hickeys from James all over her neck, and her hair was a tangled disaster.

James didn't look much better. His black shirt was all wrinkled, and his rolled-up sleeves had a few scratches from Emily's earlier struggle.

The room reeked of lust, making it pretty obvious what had just gone down.

Olivia was shaking with anger, her face twisted in rage. She'd been holding it in for days, but now she couldn't keep it together. Her mind was blank, the glaring scene burned into her vision. Her hands were trembling, nails digging into her palms, but she didn't even feel the pain.

Olivia had always suspected James might still have a thing for Emily, but Emily had seemed so innocent that Olivia had played along, pretending to be cool with it. She never thought she'd actually catch them like this.

Olivia shot a fierce glare at Emily. Emily was such a bitch; all those days of pretending to be friends with her were wasted.

Emily and James were caught off guard by Olivia's sudden return. They scrambled to fix their clothes, looking embarrassed. Seeing Olivia's distress, Emily stepped forward quickly, trying to explain, "Olivia, it's not what it looks like. Please, don't be mad."

A mocking smile crept onto Olivia's lips. "A misunderstanding?"

She suddenly raised her hand and slapped Emily hard, her long nails leaving scratches on Emily's face. Emily's pale face snapped to the side, and she crumpled to the ground, overwhelmed with guilt and shame.

Emily didn't fight back; she knew this was all her fault. James and Olivia were the ones in a relationship. If she had just pushed James away earlier, things wouldn't have gone down so far.

James's eyes narrowed as he instinctively helped Emily up, his concern obvious. "Emily, are you okay?"

The genuine worry on his face only made Olivia angrier.

Olivia wanted to hit Emily again, but James grabbed her wrist.

James stood in front of Emily, his brows furrowed, a hint of confusion in his eyes, but he held Olivia back firmly, not letting her get close to Emily.

Olivia struggled a couple of times but couldn't break free, so she shouted angrily, "James, let go! Did Emily seduce you? I treated her like a good friend! How could she do this? Why won't you let me hit her?"

"Olivia, stop!" James said in a deep voice, pushing Olivia aside. He couldn't quite grasp what he was doing, but he couldn't just stand by.

Olivia turned her fierce gaze to Emily. "Emily, you're really something. You look so innocent, but I had no idea you were so calculating. I kindly let you and your son stay here, and you go and seduce James. You're shameless!"

Olivia had never taken Emily seriously; she always thought Emily was useless. But now, Olivia had suffered a great loss.

Emily's face grew even paler at Olivia's words. She knew what she and James had done was wrong. She hadn't left because of Michael, leading to the current situation. It was her fault.

"Olivia," James's voice was hoarse. "Don't be unreasonable. This is all my fault. Don't blame Emily."

"You're actually defending her!" Olivia bit her lip, looking deeply hurt. She took a deep breath, her voice trembling, her tone resolute. "James, I'm your girlfriend! How could you do this to me? You have to choose between me and Emily!"

James was stunned; he hadn't expected Olivia to make such a demand. He looked at Emily, then his gaze lingered on Olivia's face for a few seconds. He thought, 'This absurd choice shouldn't exist; I should only love Olivia. But right now, I'm conflicted.'

Emily looked up, her eyes shining as she stared at James, waiting for his decision.

Over the past days, she had spent every moment with James, unable to let him go completely. Not to mention what had just happened between them. Maybe, just maybe, James had a little bit of love for her and couldn't leave her. They had Michael between them, and eight years that couldn't be erased. Maybe they could still be a family.

Emily had never been firmly chosen by anyone, whether family or lover. She was always invisible, always a supporting role in others' lives. But who didn't want to be the exception, even if just this once?

This time, she hoped James would choose her.

She could no longer endure this ambiguous state. Even if it meant betraying Olivia, even if it made her seem like a bad person, she wanted his love. No matter what apologies or reparations she would have to make to Olivia afterward, she didn't care.

'James, please,' she silently pleaded, 'choose me.'