A few hours later, after finishing his work late at night, Alaric saw Emerald lying on the sofa, curled up and uncertain. Alaric reached out, wanting to touch her face, but pulled back, afraid of waking her. Instead, he gently draped a thin blanket over her.
In the stillness of the night, Alaric stood by the window, smoking silently.
The following morning, Ethan woke up with a start, remembering how he had treated Emerald. He slapped himself hard, guilt washing over his face.
"I deserve to die for bullying her!"
By noon, Emerald woke up, noticing that the sun was already high. She checked the time on her phone—it was already eleven in the morning! She had never slept this long. She removed the blanket and heard the soft voice of a maid nearby.
"Miss Greene, don't worry. It's Saturday. Mr. Corrigan told us not to wake you."
Emerald blinked in confusion. "Where is he?"
"He left a while ago. Would you like some breakfast?"
