“Does your proposal still count? I accept.”

A low chuckle came through the line. “Of course it does. I’ll come get you in a week.”

Then came his promise, “Don’t worry. I won’t let you regret this.”

Emma smiled faintly.

Everyone in Bellington knew the young master of the Rhodes Family was a sickly man with little time left. How could he possibly keep such a promise?

But she said nothing. She simply replied, “Okay.”

After hanging up, a video arrived.

In the footage, Cole Barrett and Theo Blackwood stormed into a private bar room like men unhinged. In front of a stunned crowd, they snatched the wine glass from Juliet’s hand and downed it in one gulp.

Juliet’s face flushed instantly from her alcohol allergy. The moment they saw it, both men turned red-eyed with fury, lashing out at the others, demanding who had dared to force her to drink.

Their sudden explosion stunned the room into silence.

“Brother Cole, Brother Theo, isn’t Emma sick today? Why would you leave her alone to come see this woman?”

“Yeah, Emma’s at a critical point in choosing a fiancé. You’ve both liked her since childhood; how could you let her find out you were with Juliet?”

Cole frowned, his expression dark and menacing.

“Who said I liked Emma? The only one in my heart is Juliet. She’s the only one I want to marry.”

“Emma was just a distraction during a dull phase. You people have no idea how hilarious she’s been lately, watching her get toyed with.”

As if recalling something amusing, he sneered. “Other than the two of us, who else could Emma even marry?”

The room erupted. “No way, Brother Cole! That orphan girl can’t possibly compare to Emma! Even if you want to marry her, your family would never approve!”

“Brother Theo, say something! He’s completely lost his mind!”

All eyes turned toward Theo, who had always been the cold, composed one. He pressed his lips together, then said quietly, “Emma’s had enough love all these years. It’s time someone gave a little to Juliet.”

The video cut off there.

A moment later, a message from Juliet followed.

[Sister, they were just drunk and rambling nonsense. Please don’t take it to heart.]

Emma stared at the screen, her fingers tightening around her phone.

She stared blankly at the familiar faces on the screen. Their cold, indifferent expressions pierced her like thorns, sharp and merciless, embedding deep into her heart.

Everyone used to say Theo and Cole had eyes only for their childhood friend, Emma.

They would run across streets, breathless, just to buy her favorite pastries.

When she fell ill, they climbed all 999 church steps, praying with trembling hands for her safety.

To make her smile, the two young masters once planted over ten thousand roses beneath her window.

But everything changed the moment Emma took pity on Juliet and brought her into the family.

The once hot-tempered Cole now spoke to Juliet with startling gentleness as if terrified she might frown.

Even the always distant Theo began to soften, his gaze often lingering in Juliet’s direction.

And when Emma had to choose a husband, it took Juliet only one sentence, just one, for both men to reject her and fall hopelessly in love with someone else.

Later, Emma quietly asked them what Juliet had said that day.

But neither ever answered.

The ones who once shielded her from the world now took turns tearing her down.

Those who once stood between her and every hurt had become the ones who hurt her most.

At that thought, Emma’s eyes burned. Hot tears slipped silently down her cheeks.

She raised a hand to wipe them away and with each tear shed, her resolve to leave only deepened.

Cole had been wrong; those two weren’t her only choices.

Very soon, she would marry their greatest rival.

When Emma returned home and was about to head upstairs, faint sounds drifted down the hallway, low, breathless and unmistakably intimate.

She paused. Something pulled her forward. Step by step, she approached the slightly ajar door at the end of the corridor.

And then she saw it.

Through the narrow gap, Theo and Juliet were locked in an embrace.

Theo kissed her hungrily as though trying to merge her into himself. His usually icy expression was now flushed with desire.

He gripped her waist tightly, his voice rough and low.

“Juliet, do you like it?”

Panting beneath his touch, Juliet weakly pushed at his chest and murmured, “I like it…”

Just one wall away, Emma stood motionless, listening, watching, as their kisses deepened.

Though their voices were soft, they sliced through Emma’s chest like blades, leaving her breathless.

Her hands slowly curled into fists, nails digging inch by inch into her palms.

She had known Theo for over twenty years, yet she had never seen him like this.

Since childhood, her parents had always told her that the Callahan, Blackwood and Barrett families were lifelong allies. One day, she would need to choose between the boys to marry.

And after two decades of growing up together, she had made her choice.

When she shyly confessed her feelings to her parents, their answer had been a heavy silence.

“Theo is like a flower high on a cliff; you may never reach him. Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider?”

Emma hadn’t believed them. From the moment her heart settled on Theo, she tried everything to win him over.

When she knocked on his door late at night, dressed seductively, trying to seduce him, he frowned and threw a coat at her, saying she shouldn’t wear clothes like that.

When she leaned in close, fingers brushing his Adam’s apple in feigned curiosity, he stepped away and reminded her, “There’s a difference between men and women.”

Even the time he was drunk when she climbed onto his lap and kissed him boldly, he froze in dazed surprise, then calmly pushed her away without a word.

She still remembered how she had broken down afterward, sobbing as she asked, “You like me, don’t you? If not, why would you treat me so well?”

Theo only looked at her, his gaze heavy with the haze of lingering alcohol.

"Emma, you're overthinking. I've always seen you as a sister."

The pain that rose in her chest felt like a dull knife, slow and cruel as it carved its way through.

It wasn’t until Juliet appeared that Emma truly saw what Theo looked like when he loved someone.

Even the flower perched high on the cliff had finally descended, stirred by earthly longing.

Only, it wasn’t for her.

The sticky, intimate sounds clung to her ears. Taking a slow breath, she pushed the door open.

Perhaps she had walked in at the wrong moment, Theo’s eyes narrowed, a dark storm flickering behind them.

After all these years, Emma knew that look too well; it meant he was annoyed.

He wiped the remnants of desire from his face but didn’t let go of Juliet. His gaze lifted lazily.

"What is it?"

Emma gave a cold laugh. "Shouldn’t I be asking that? Kissing someone else in someone else's home, is that some new fetish of yours?"

The atmosphere thickened in an instant. It was Juliet who broke the silence, her voice soft and trembling.

"Miss Callahan, I was the one who pulled Brother Theo in here. Please don’t blame him."

Emma's tone turned to ice. "It’s not your place to speak."

Startled, Juliet bit her lip and tears slipped from her eyes almost immediately.

Theo’s brows furrowed deeper. He stepped in front of her, shielding her from Emma’s glare, his gaze turning frigid.

"Juliet, don’t be afraid of her. As long as I’m here, she can’t touch you."

Though he spoke to Juliet, every word was clearly meant for Emma.

And she understood far too well. Her heart turned to frost.

Just as she opened her mouth to respond, hurried footsteps echoed outside the door.

Cole barged in, face stormy. "Emma, your parents told me you’ve chosen someone for the arranged marriage. Is that true?"

"You’d better not have chosen me. My heart belongs to Juliet. If you dare name me, I’ll ruin the wedding myself and make sure you’re utterly humiliated!"

At those words, even Theo’s expression shifted for a brief second. His voice turned colder than ever. "Don’t pick me either. I won’t marry you."

Staring at their expressions filled with disdain, Emma suddenly laughed.

She couldn’t help but wonder how much they hated her now. How could they be so gentle with Juliet yet treat her like she was nothing?

Her lips lifted faintly into a bitter smile, the ache in her heart spreading slowly.

She simply turned away, looking out the window in silence.

She doesn't choose either of them, and as for the man she is going to marry, they are not worthy of knowing it now!

That was when she saw several people in the courtyard digging up the rose bushes.

The same roses Cole and Theo had once planted for her were now being ripped from the ground like they meant nothing.

The garden was in chaos. And at that moment, she knew who was behind it.

A sharp pain pierced her chest. She turned around, her voice trembling with rage.

"Who told you to dig up the roses in my yard?!"

Facing her fury, Theo’s expression remained unchanged. His gaze was calm, indifferent, even.

"Juliet doesn’t like the smell of roses. So I had them cleared out."

He looked down. "And that dog you raised, I sold it. Juliet doesn’t like yellow things."

"What did you say?!"

That dog had been by Emma’s side for over a decade. Through every heartbreak, every tear, it had stayed with her like family.

And now, because Juliet disliked the color yellow, they had sold it off like it meant nothing.

A surge of fury flooded her, so fierce it nearly burned her from the inside out. Her whole body trembled and her voice came out hoarse.

"Theo, what gave you the right?!"

Cole stood there, utterly unfazed. "Those roses? Theo and I planted them one by one. The dog? A gift from us, too. So what’s wrong if we want to take them back?"

That single sentence cut her down like a blade. The words she wanted to hurl at them died in her throat. Her arms fell to her sides, fingers shaking. "Of course not. Take back whatever you want."

After all, soon enough, there’d be nothing left between us.

She couldn’t bear another second in that house. Turning on her heel, she left, gave the driver the address of a luxury club and slammed the door shut.

Then she messaged her best friend, Maya Everhart, telling her she had booked ten male models for the evening.

There were plenty of men in this world. Why waste another breath on Theo’s cold, heartless face?

The lighting in the club was dim, cloaked in a sultry haze that carried a vague, suggestive allure.

Just as she settled into her seat, a new post from Juliet flashed across her social feed.

[Spoiled every day by two handsome guys, so happy.]

Two photos followed.

One showed Cole, ever the reckless hothead, boiling brown sugar water for her late at night and thoughtfully placing a warming pad nearby.

The other showed Theo, usually cold and distant, crouching to tie her shoelaces, his gaze tender, her smile soft, like sunlight melting snow.