The New Emily Hills

NORA

Asher didn't get the chance to say another word when Rod and Esmeralda suddenly arrived.

"What are you doing here?" Rod demanded the moment he saw him.

"Dad-" Asher began as he turned toward him.

But Rod's eyes turned razor-sharp.

"Don't call me that," the old man said coldly. "You are not my son."

I noticed the slight twitch at the corner of Asher's lips, the way his hand clenched as if he were holding himself back from responding.

"Why are you still here?" Esmeralda asked next. Her voice was calm, almost gentle, but the hostility beneath it was unmistakable. "Aren't you already divorced from our daughter?"

"I canceled the divorce application," Asher replied.

"What?" Rod and Esmeralda exclaimed at the same time.

Shock. Anger. Disgust.

All of it was written clearly on their faces.

"Emily is still my wife," Asher continued. "And I'm here to take her home."

"I'm not going back to your house," I cut in firmly. "We're done. I'm done with you."

"Asher," Esmeralda said, her voice now edged with restrained fury, "it would be best if you leave for now. If you have even the slightest awareness of the trouble you've caused, you'd know better than to stay. Rod and I will never allow you to take our daughter after what you did to her."

Asher was about to argue when the door suddenly opened.

Corrine walked in.

I was certain it was her-even if this was only the second time I'd seen her and no one had clearly introduced her to me before.

"Asher... you're here," she said softly, her voice laced with hesitation and false concern.

I had to give her credit.

She was very convincing.

"What are you doing here, Corrine?" Asher asked, clearly running out of patience. He glanced at me briefly, as if trying and failing to explain something without words.

"I heard what happened to Emily," Corrine replied. "So I came right away."

That made Asher turn fully toward her.

"I'm impressed by your radar," I said coolly. "How did you even know I was here?"

For a split second, Corrine didn't know where to look.

All eyes were on her-waiting.

And when it became obvious she couldn't come up with an excuse, she suddenly clutched her head.

"Ah... my head hurts," she groaned, squeezing her temples and shutting her eyes tightly.

I laughed.

So did Mr. and Mrs. Hills.

Devon, meanwhile, merely smirked-as if he already knew exactly what was happening.

"No answer, so you'll pretend you're sick instead?" I asked mockingly.

Rod and Esmeralda continued laughing while Devon silently shook his head, clearly entertained.

"Asher, you know I fell down the stairs too," Corrine insisted weakly. "This might be a side effect of-"

"Just stop," Asher snapped. His face darkened as he grabbed her arm. "Let's go. Since we're already in a hospital, I'll have you checked."

He guided Corrine toward the door. It was obvious he didn't want to leave, but he must have realized that staying any longer would lead nowhere.

Only when they disappeared from my sight did I finally breathe out in relief.

"And who might you be?" Rod asked, turning his attention to Devon.

"I apologize for the late introduction," Devon replied, scratching the back of his head with a faintly sheepish smile. "I'm Devon. I'm the one who brought Emily here."

Rod and Esmeralda both looked at me, silently asking for confirmation.

Since I genuinely had no idea what had happened before I blacked out-and Devon was clearly the one present, I simply nodded.

"Thank you very much," Rod said politely, though his caution was evident. "But we'll take care of our daughter now. We may already be inconveniencing you."

"I'm not inconvenienced by Emily," Devon replied. "But I'll be going anyway. It seems you still have things to discuss."

Before leaving, he turned to me. A faint smile curved his lips as he spoke.

"Nice meeting you. Next time, don't eat food you're not supposed to."

I nodded at him, keeping my expression neutral.

I didn't know him.

But I had a strong feeling he wasn't ordinary.

The way he spoke to Asher earlier, his calm provocation, his confidence-those weren't the actions of a random man who just happened to save me.

And I never ignored instincts like that.

Devon had already left, leaving me alone with Rod and Esmeralda. The curiosity on their faces was unmistakable-both of them were clearly dying to ask about the man-but they chose silence instead, something I was deeply grateful for.

"Why would you eat something you're not allowed to?" Esmeralda asked as she gently stroked my arm. Her eyes were already brimming with tears, as if something truly terrible had happened to me. Well, something bad did happen-an allergy could have killed me. But here I was, still alive, still breathing, still standing.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know I was allergic to shrimp," I said softly. I didn't want her to worry. I couldn't bear the sight of the woman in front of me looking so distressed. Even if I wasn't truly Emily, I cherished the warmth of being treated like her daughter.

"This is your father's and my fault," Esmeralda said, her voice trembling. "We forgot to tell you, knowing fully well that you have amnesia. When you were younger, you absolutely loved shrimp. You could never get enough of it. That's why I understand why it was the first thing you reached for."

"Mom, you don't have to blame yourself-or Dad," I replied, squeezing her hand reassuringly. "What happened was on me. You were right, though. It felt like I was craving shrimp. But I want you to know that I'm actually happy, because now I know how delicious it really is."

Esmeralda could only smile and shake her head at that, clearly torn between relief and lingering worry. Rod, on the other hand, remained silent, having nothing more to add.

Not long after, I was discharged from the hospital. As usual, we went straight back to the Hills' residence.

But before we had even settled comfortably in the living room, one of the maids hurried over to us.

"Ma'am Emily, Sir Asher is outside."

Mr. and Mrs. Hills exchanged glances.

"Go upstairs to your room," Rod said firmly. "Your mother and I will handle talking to him."

"No need," I said calmly before turning to the maid. "We all know he won't stop anyway. Let him in."

The maid nodded and left. When she returned, Asher was already with her.

"Let's go home," he said without warning, making me let out a small, humorless chuckle. He didn't even bother greeting the Hills, despite clearly seeing them.

"I already told you-we're done," I replied. "Is that really so hard to understand?"

"And I already told you that you're coming home," he shot back. "We're still married, and-"

I didn't let him finish.

"Mr. Bennett, you know exactly what kind of marriage we have," I said evenly. "Like I said before, I don't remember anything about our past. But I do know how I feel now. I don't love you anymore. I'm letting you go, so feel free to openly claim your Corrine."

I made a conscious effort to keep my voice calm. As much as possible, I wanted our separation to end peacefully.

I had no idea what Emily truly felt deep inside-but I didn't care.

"Corrine and I are just friends," Asher insisted. "I never cheated on you. Yes, I took you for granted, but that's not enough reason for us to separate. If you don't want to come home, I'll give you time. I'll let you think this through. Just don't make me do something we'll both regret."

With that, he turned and left. He gave the Hills a brief nod on his way out, fully aware that they wouldn't acknowledge him.

I raised my hand to my temples and gently massaged them, the weight of everything finally settling in.

"Are you okay, my child?" Esmeralda asked, worry etched deeply into her face.

"You should go upstairs and rest," Rod added. "You need to recover so you can attend Mr. Taylor's seventieth birthday party. That will be your chance to build the connections you'll need now that you're the new CEO of Hills Pharma."

I nodded in agreement. I knew how important it was to surround myself with people who could be of help in the future, especially now.

For the moment, there was one person I was particularly eager to meet-a brilliant lawyer who could help me have my marriage to Asher legally annulled. I could only hope that someone like that would be among the guests invited to that party.