Emilia rushed out of the building, her eyes welling up. She just rejected the only chance of being with Christopher because of her pride. She couldn't accept being with a married man.
As she stormed out of the building she caught a glance of Patrick who was on hand if Christopher ever needed him. She wiped a tear escaping her eye and walked towards him.
"Mr Cosby." She knocked on a window of the car that he sat in.
"Miss Vincent?" Patrick came out of the car, looking at her with worry. "What is the matter?"
"I am sorry to say that but due to the recent circumstances I will not be able to carry out with my job." Emilia mumbled out, wiping her eyes again. A thought of being within a proximity of Christopher again made her feel panicky.
"Miss Vincent, I think you should reconsider. There are clauses in your contract that will penalise you for an early termination."
Emilia weighted her options carefully.
"What is the penalty for early termination of the contract?"
"A percentage of your salary. Besides, you still require a notice period."
"I see."
"Miss Vincent, please reconsider." Patrick urged her. "Would you like to talk about this?"
"I'm not certain. I really don't think I can stay here."
"Is it because of your mum?" Patrick asked directly.
"I do not want to be in the manor." Emilia said directly as she tried to calm down her breath.
"If you want to stay closer to your mum, that's fine. There is only a single event in about two weeks time, and then there's a quieter few weeks. I'm sure you living closer to your mum isn't going to be an issue either."
"Okay." Emilia agreed. Any added distance between her and Christopher was good.
If Patrick wasn't busy trying to calm Emilia down and persuade her to not leave the 'job', he would've probably noticed that his phone was buzzing in the car and Christopher was requesting his assistance.
After no answer from Patrick, Christopher managed to get one of his drivers to pick him up.
Christopher returned home and immediately went to the kitchen where he found a bin bag.
He made his way to the alcohol bar in the living room. He picked up the bottles and threw them into the bag, some breaking on the drop. Soon, the stench of alcohol filled the room. But he was insistent that if this was Emilia's concern, there was a simple solution.
Emilia was dropped off to the manor by Patrick to pick up some of her belongings so that she could go back to her own apartment from now on.
She walked in and immediately the noise of the shattering glass drew her to the living room. She didn't expect to see Christopher nor she didn't anticipate what he was doing.
"Mr Hayden…?" Emilia watched the scene with worry, confusion, and a touch of fear.
"I shall never be under the influence of alcohol again, Emilia. If that's the concern, know that what I did was a level-headed decision."
"What?" Emilia mumbled as Christopher approached her quickly, before she reacted his lips crashed into hers. She didn't fight nor did she comply. She was too stunned to react, and too conflicted.
"My head is as clear as it's ever going to be." Christopher said, panting after becoming breathless from the kiss.
"I-…" Emilia stuttered, her breath was irregular. "I cannot be a part of this. You must divorce." She said sternly. Her brows furrowed. Her voice was that of decisiveness. She wanted Christopher but never as a mistress.
Christopher's eyes widened.
"Divorce?" He asked in utter disbelief.
"This is the reason to divorce?" He asked her with frustration.
"Is it not?" Emilia asked with equal frustration.
"No. If you wish, I will not continue. But do not speak to me of divorce. I will not divorce. I cannot." Christopher was furious at the mere suggestion. He imagined many outcomes of the night but never this one.
Emilia nodded, disheartened.
"I see." Her eyes welled up. She turned around and run up the stairs.
"It was merely a kiss!" Christopher felt his heart stop. He couldn't bear Emilia divorcing him because he crossed the line with a single kiss, a single mistake. He couldn't lose her completely.
"Merely a kiss?" Emilia repeated his words as she stopped at the top of the stairs. She looked back at him. "Merely a kiss?" She repeated. Her eyes twinkled dangerously. "So, you would be perfectly okay with your wife merely kissing other men?"
"No, of course not." Christopher shook his head.
"Then, it is not merely a kiss."
Emilia turned back around and continued towards her room.
"Emilia!" Christopher raised his voice in despair but there was no more answer.
He bit his lip, feeling his heart break once again, shatter into millions of pieces. His eyes filled with tears. He tried to contain his emotions but it was too much to bear. He picked the bag with the bottles off the floor launching it at the wall. A loud bang of shattering glass echoed in an empty hallway.
He restarted to his study finding more letters carefully laid by Bernadette throughout the day, with exact same one again gracing his eyes.
Christopher screamed in anger and agony, not aware that Emilia packed her laptop, a few bits of clothing, and her bonsai tree and she left.
Neither aware of the true miscommunication and Patrick's trick.