Emily stood quietly in the wide and somewhat gloomy corridor of the Harrison family's mansion. The air around her seemed to freeze, and only her gaze, as if pulled by an invisible force, was firmly fixed on the half-open door. She clearly remembered that Jack had told her before that they would share a bedroom, but that she'd better avoid entering it rashly until he had everything properly prepared. However, just a moment ago, a faint sound of quarreling broke the silence in the corridor, and the sound was coming from the direction of that door, with Jack's familiar voice mixed in it. Her curiosity was like an invisible hand, gently scratching at her heart, driving her to involuntarily and slowly walk towards that door. She was really eager to know what was going on behind the door.
She carefully stretched out her hand and gently pushed the door open. The door hinge made a slight "creak" sound, as if sighing softly for the secret that was about to be revealed. What came into view was Jack standing on the other side of the room, his back to her, having a fierce discussion with a strange woman. The woman was tall and slender, just like a model. She was dressed in fashionable and exquisite clothing, showing extraordinary taste. Her long hair, like golden satin, fell smoothly over her shoulders and swayed slightly with her agitated movements. At this moment, her face was full of anger, and that anger seemed capable of igniting the surrounding air. One could feel the oncoming smell of gunpowder even from a distance.
"Jack, you can't just abandon me!" The woman's voice suddenly rang out, sharp as an arrow piercing through the night sky, and with a hint of a desperate tremor, echoing in this not-so-big room and piercing straight into people's hearts.
Hearing this, Emily felt her heart rate instantly accelerate, as if it was about to jump out of her throat. She suddenly realized that she might have rashly barged into an extremely private and sensitive conversation scene, like a clumsy person who had accidentally broken into someone else's forbidden area. She thought to herself that this was bad and was about to quietly back out when Jack, as if sensing something, had already turned his head and noticed her presence.
"Emily," Jack's voice tried hard to remain calm, but the slight tremble still betrayed his inner nervousness. "This might not be the best time," he said, a hint of helplessness in his eyes, as if begging Emily to understand this awkward and thorny situation.
Hearing Jack's words, the woman also turned around. Her eyes fell on Emily, and immediately, her eyes were filled with undisguised hostility and contempt, as if Emily was an uninvited guest who had suddenly broken into her territory, making her extremely annoyed. "Oh, is this your wife? I've heard of you, Emily," she said in a tone with a hint of sarcasm, and each word seemed to be like a thorn, stabbing at Emily.
Emily felt a chill rush from the soles of her feet to her heart. She knew in her heart that there must be an unusual relationship between this woman and Jack, definitely not an ordinary acquaintance. She forced herself to calm down, took a deep breath, and tried to make her voice sound steady, although her heart was beating violently like a drum at this time. "Hello, I'm Emily Thompson," she said while politely extending her hand, trying to show her grace, but her slightly trembling hand still revealed her inner panic.
Seeing this, the woman just gave a cold laugh, full of ridicule. She completely ignored Emily's outstretched hand, as if it wasn't even worth her responding. "I'm Lily Morgan, Jack's former fiancée," she deliberately emphasized the words "former fiancée", and each syllable seemed like a small hammer, hitting hard on Emily's heart, making her feel dizzy all of a sudden, with her head buzzing and feeling at a loss for a while.
"Lily," Jack frowned, with an obvious warning tone in his voice. "This isn't the time," he tried to stop Lily from continuing, not wanting to make the situation even more unmanageable.
However, Lily simply ignored Jack's warning. She suddenly turned around and angrily shouted at Jack, "It's not up to you to decide when it's the time, Jack! You owe me an explanation!" Her eyes were wide open, her face full of anger and grievance, looking like a child whose beloved toy had been taken away and was desperately demanding an explanation.
At this moment, Emily clearly realized that she had inadvertently walked into a complex emotional entanglement as tangled as a mess of threads. She knew in her heart that staying here would only make the situation worse at this time. She needed to leave quickly and give Jack and Lily space to solve their problems. "I think I entered the wrong room," she tried to make her voice sound as calm as usual, but the slightly trembling intonation still betrayed her inner unrest. "I'll leave you two to talk alone," she said and then turned around to leave.
Jack looked at Emily's back, and a flash of gratitude showed in his eyes, mixed with a bit of guilt, as if blaming himself for putting Emily in such an embarrassing situation. Lily, on the other hand, raised the corners of her mouth and showed a smug smile, full of a sense of vengeful pleasure, as if seeing Emily leave in a flustered manner made her feel much better. Emily gently closed the door. The action of closing the door was very light, but it seemed to take all her strength. She felt her legs were a bit weak, and she felt as if she had just escaped from a nightmare.
She walked back to her room in a daze and sat on the edge of the bed. Her mind was like a mess of tangled threads, and her thoughts were in chaos, unable to be sorted out no matter how hard she tried. She knew that there must be a complex and long past between Jack and Lily, but she had never thought that one day she would face this thorny problem so directly and so unexpectedly. At this moment, she felt like an innocent passerby who had been forcibly dragged into a story she knew nothing about before, and was also playing a crucial role in it, which made her feel both bewildered and helpless.
Just then, a clear ringtone of the mobile phone broke the silence in the room and pulled Emily out of her chaotic thoughts. She picked up the phone and saw that it was a message from Jack. "Emily, I need to talk to you." Those few simple words made Emily's heart feel a mixture of emotions. She knew that what had to be faced had to be faced eventually, and running away couldn't solve any problems.
Emily took a deep breath, as if gathering courage for herself. She knew that she needed to face Jack and figure out the truth behind this, no matter how cruel that truth might be. Her fingers trembled slightly as she replied, "Okay, Jack. I'll wait for you."
After a few minutes, a knock on the door sounded outside, clear and rhythmic. Emily knew that it was Jack. She got up and walked to the door, opened it, and Jack was standing outside. His face was full of tiredness and anxiety, and his originally bright eyes were now bloodshot, as if he had just gone through a fierce ideological struggle. He looked a bit haggard overall.
"Emily, I'm sorry for our conversation just now," Jack said with a look of guilt as soon as he entered the room. There was a deep sense of self-blame in his voice, which made people feel uncomfortable listening to it.
Emily slowly raised her head and looked directly into Jack's eyes. There was a firmness in her eyes, as if she was going to dig out the hidden truth from Jack's eyes. "Jack, I don't want to get involved in your past, but I need to know the truth. What exactly happened between you and Lily?" Her tone was calm, but the slightly trembling ending still betrayed her inner nervousness and uneasiness.
Jack let out a heavy sigh, as if putting down a big stone in his heart a little bit. He slowly walked to the chair opposite Emily, slowly sat down, was silent for a while as if organizing his thoughts, and then slowly began to speak. "Lily and I were once engaged. At that time, I thought we would be together forever. But later, after I met you, I gradually realized that we weren't actually suitable for each other. After careful consideration, I finally decided to break off the engagement and choose you," he said, with a complex emotion in his eyes, a hint of regret for the past and firmness for the present.
After hearing Jack's words, a complex emotion that was hard to describe surged in Emily's heart. On the one hand, she felt as if she had been betrayed. After all, Jack and Lily had that kind of past, and she felt like a latecomer who had inadvertently been involved in their entanglement. On the other hand, she also felt a bit of sweetness from Jack's words, which meant that in Jack's heart, she had a unique position that could make him give up his past. "Jack, why did you choose me?" Her voice was soft, but with a persistence of wanting to get to the bottom of it.
Jack looked at Emily, his eyes full of sincerity. He reached out and gently held Emily's hand. The warm touch seemed to be able to convey strength. "Emily, I saw real strength and courage in you, the spirit that never backs down in the face of difficulties and the unknown. Also, your kindness and your wisdom all made me think that you are someone I can spend my life with. I know that with you, I can feel a different and real life."
Emily's heart was now full of contradictions. She knew that Jack's words might have an element of comforting her, but she could also truly see the sincerity in Jack's eyes, which couldn't be faked. She bit her lip, took a deep breath, as if making an extremely difficult decision.
"Jack, I'm willing to give us a chance," Emily's voice trembled slightly. The tremble contained both the worry about the uncertainty of the future and a bit of expectation for Jack. "But we need to be honest with each other and there can't be any more secrets," she said, her eyes fixed firmly on Jack, as if making a solemn agreement with him.
A relieved smile immediately appeared on Jack's face, full of a sense of relief. He held Emily's hand tightly, as if afraid that she would go back on her word. "I promise you, Emily. From now on, we won't have any more secrets," he said in a firm and powerful voice, echoing in the room, like making a solemn promise for their future.
Doubts:
How deep was the past between Lily Morgan and Jack? Were there some emotional bonds or interest entanglements that were hard to break away from between them? And would these become stubborn obstacles in the relationship between Emily and Jack, popping up from time to time and affecting their feelings?
Was there a more complex reason behind Jack's cancellation of the engagement with Lily and his choice of Emily? Was it simply based on emotional considerations, or was it related to certain interests of the Harrison family, internal power struggles within the family, or other unknown factors?
How could Emily face the embarrassing and complex identity of being the "third party" in the relationship between Jack and Lily unintentionally? How should she adjust her mindset to resolve the inner entanglement and uneasiness and deal with the that might be cast from the outside world?
Could the relationship between Jack and Emily withstand the test of this incident and become stronger? Could they really be as honest with each other as promised and have no more secrets? And would the problems hidden in the past or those that might arise in the future hit their emotional defense line again?
Would Lily take actions to retaliate against Jack? How would this affect the internal relations of the Harrison family? What would her means of retaliation be? Would it be creating an within the family or using external resources to put pressure on Jack or the Harrison family, thereby disrupting the originally complex interpersonal relations and power structure of the whole family?