Chapter 28 - Emily

**EMILY**

Emily’s heart pounded as she stepped off the elevator. The soft soles of her sneakers squeaked softly on the gleaming marble floor of the hotel hallway. She felt out of place, like a foreign body in the immaculate elegance of the hotel. With her jogging clothes and gym bag slung over her shoulder, she looked anything but a guest. Hopefully she wouldn’t get in trouble!
She kept her eyes down, avoiding eye contact with the staff as she hurried through the spacious foyer. Every second felt endless. The fear of being spoken to or even stopped tightened her throat. What if they asked her what she was doing here? Or worse, if they suspected that she had stolen something? The thought sent a cold shiver down her spine.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw movement. A tall, stiff-looking man in a perfectly fitting dark suit approached her. His face was expressionless, but his posture left no doubt that he was someone who kept order - probably security. Oh no! A conversation was the last thing she needed right now. Her nerves were already on edge, and the last thing she needed was an embarrassing interrogation, or worse, a body search.
Almost unconsciously, she quickened her pace. She didn’t want to appear to be fleeing, but her breathing quickened and her heart pounded as if she really was running. Her eyes were fixed on the exit, which was within reach. Just a few more meters and she would be out, free. The man was getting closer, but she couldn’t afford to be distracted now. The thought of being led into another room and having to deal with questions about her stay brought panic to her face.
Blood rushed to her ears, and the adrenaline pumping through her body made her feel slightly dizzy. But she forced herself to keep walking, her eyes glued to the swinging door. She finally reached the exit and pushed the door open with a quick shove. Cold, clear night air hit her and she took a deep breath of it. Freedom! But she didn’t slow down. Not yet.
Emily kept walking, feeling the asphalt under her feet and the fresh air on her skin, but her heart was still beating too fast. She wasn’t safe yet. She couldn’t take any risks until she was out of sight of the hotel. Only when the lights of the entrance faded behind her did she slow down and finally breathe out properly.
“Done,” Emily said with a sigh of relief. Only now, as the tension slowly eased from her, did she notice how tense her body was. Her shoulders ached and her legs felt heavy, as if she had been carrying a weight around with her all day - which, in a way, was true. Relaxing her shoulders, she shook out her legs and walked a little slower down the street. Her haste was gone and she began to feel calmer.
The elegant neighborhood she found herself in was foreign to her. The neat streets and imposing houses seemed like something from another world, a world she didn’t belong to. But she knew that there had to be a bus stop somewhere around here. At least she could get to the train station. From there it would be easier to get home. The train station - a place that never slept, full of people and shops that were open around the clock. It was almost comforting to think of the hustle and bustle that gave her a sense of normalcy.
After walking for half an hour, which seemed like an eternity, she finally came to a stop. Her luck seemed to be with her tonight, as a bus arrived a few minutes later. She got on, bought a ticket, and sat down on the first available seat near the driver. The bus was almost empty, and the silence, which she would normally have found uncomfortable, was a welcome change this time. She felt safer up front, where she could still control the situation.
When she finally arrived at the station, she plunged into the familiar noise of the crowd. The hustle and bustle had a calming effect on her, like a contrast to the luxurious and stuffy rooms she had just left. She went straight to a drugstore and bought the essentials: makeup remover, cotton pads, and a liquid to remove stubborn mascara. It was as if she wanted to symbolically wash away the evening and all that had happened.
Emily tucked the small bag into her gym bag and walked out to the bus platform where the line would take her home. Here, away from the glamour of the hotel and the bustling shopping district of the station area, the atmosphere was completely different. There was hardly anyone around, and the few people she saw made her feel uneasy. Some figures leaned casually against the walls or stood in groups, squinting at her. An unpleasant tingling sensation spread through her stomach as she waited for her bus to arrive. Why did it always have to be shady here? She just wanted to get away, home, to her familiar surroundings, to safety.
When the bus finally arrived and she could board it, Emily breathed a sigh of relief. She sat down in a seat far away from the other passengers and leaned back into the worn upholstery of the seat. She was finally able to relax a little, but her thoughts wouldn’t let go. Now that the stress of the evening was beginning to wear off, all she wanted was someone to talk to. Someone who would listen, who would understand. A best friend. But the only person who came close to filling that role was Vivien, her colleague from the office. And even with Vivien, she wasn’t sure she could really trust her.
Emily remembered the “trial sessions” at the gym that Vivien had arranged for her. How could someone who called herself a best friend tell a stranger that she desperately needed a round of sex? This was not friendship, this was humiliation. Maybe she really did live in the wrong world, a world where women like Vivien, with their ease and permissiveness, could simply overlook things that deeply affected Emily. Or had she simply missed the social evolution? The new wave of nonchalance about one’s body and sexual relationships?
“Oh, what’s the point?” Emily muttered, shaking her head. She turned her eyes outside and stared into the darkness. The dimmed light on the bus was pleasant, and the streetlights passing by gave her some comfort. It was a familiar sight that soothed her, a glowing network of streets and buildings stretching through the night. Sometimes she enjoyed the stillness of the city at night, the quiet movements and the soft glow of the lights. Maybe she should have stayed in Alexander’s suite. The view from there was breathtaking, almost surreal, as if you held the entire city in the palm of your hand.
*Mr. Fitzpatrick*, she corrected herself mentally, *I shouldn’t call him Alexander anymore.* It had been a mistake to see him as someone so familiar, as if he were someone she could really know. But over the course of the evening, she had almost idealized this billionaire, who lived in another world, as some kind of mysterious figure. But in the end, he wasn’t Alexander - he was Mr. Fitzpatrick, her boss, a man of unattainable status and a life she would never understand.
The bus lurched slightly as it hit a bump in the road, and Emily let out a small sigh. She was exhausted, not only physically, but emotionally as well. This day had been too much - too much drama, too much confusion, and too many thoughts she couldn’t shake. And Alexander Fitzpatrick - her irresistible, attractive boss - kept popping into her head.