Escape from Mr. Whitman (Emma and Theodore) novel Chapter 261

A dull ache welled up inside Emma, sharp and sour, impossible to put into words.

Everyone seemed to believe Theodore could make her happy—everyone except Theodore himself, and those people around him who were just like him.

Love, she’d learned, was not something you could force.

It had taken her five years to truly understand that.

She could even accept that Theodore didn’t love her. After all, the day she’d saved him, her mind had been completely blank—she’d rushed in without hesitation, acting only on instinct and a surge of adrenaline.

Who could possibly think straight in a life-or-death moment? How could she have been plotting, as Theodore now seemed to believe, to use her act as leverage to force him into marriage?

The thought that he saw her that way still left a bitter sting deep in her heart.

If he didn’t love her, why hadn’t he just told her?

If he’d said something five years ago, she would have asked for nothing, would have left the hospital as soon as her wounds healed, and taken responsibility for her own life from then on.

Even if he’d told her any day over the last five years, she would have respected his honesty. They could have parted ways and each found their own peace, knowing they’d both tried their best.

Instead, things had come to this—so ugly, so unbearable.

Sebastian had fallen into a long, heavy silence. Serena was the only one speaking, her voice soft as she tried to comfort him.

Emma felt something cool on her cheek. She reached up, brushing her fingers across her face, and found her palm wet with tears.

She quickly wiped them away, unwilling to interrupt whatever was happening between Sebastian and Serena. Without a word, she turned and walked away.

Even after making an effort to calm himself, Sebastian’s emotions still surged uncontrollably. “You don’t know,” he said quietly, “five years ago, when she got married, I went. I watched her from a distance, smiling so happily at her wedding… Do you understand? When Theodore Whitman put that ring on her finger, I had this insane urge to run up there—to stop everything and take her away, just take her and disappear…”

Serena snorted. “Well, Sebastian, it’s not too late! The past is over. If you love her, go after her! Tell her how you feel! How else is Emma supposed to know?”

He looked at her, searching her face. “I will. But not yet. She hasn’t even finalized her divorce. I don’t want to add to her burdens.”

“There you go! So quit moping and drinking alone. If Ms. Brown catches you, you’ll never hear the end of it!”

“I’m not drinking.” Sebastian held his glass out for her inspection. “The restaurant has these special mocktails. Not bad, actually. Want one?”

He never drank.

After all, it was Theodore Whitman’s drunken recklessness that had led Emma to save him in the first place, changing the course of her entire life. Sebastian would never be as irresponsible as that.

Serena couldn’t help but laugh, half exasperated, half amused. “Here I was thinking you were drowning your sorrows in booze! I came all the way here to comfort you! All right, enough of this. Let’s get some rest. We need to help Emma with her rehab tomorrow. The past is the past. Let’s be there for her and help her build a better future.”