Escape from Mr. Whitman (Emma and Theodore) novel Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Lately, it seemed like every night brought rain.

Emma had barely drifted off when the gentle patter of raindrops began tapping against the window. The soft scent of camellia shampoo

lingered around her, calling to mind the previous night spent at her grandmother’s cottage in the countryside–a memory wrapped in quiet comfort and peace.

She slept deeply that night, better than she had in ages.

Morning came abruptly with the shrill ring of her alarm clock.

For a moment, half–awake and drowsy, she thought she was still at Grandma’s–snuggled beneath a perfectly warm blanket, breathing in the same sweet scent of camellia, and… holding on to her grandmother.

Wait a minute.

She was hugging her grandmother?

Suddenly, she jolted awake.

That couldn’t be right. She’d already come home from Grandma’s!

Her eyes fluttered open to find the collar of a navy–blue pajama top, and above it, a man’s Adam’s apple and the faint shadow of stubble.

Her mind went blank with shock. She rolled away in a flash, disentangling herself from Theodore’s arms.

How did this happen?!

This was exactly why the master bedroom was better–the guest bed was far too small. Only with three people’s worth of space between them could she truly feel safe.

Theodore stirred just then, apparently roused by her sudden movement.

“This weather lately–rain all night, clear by morning,” he remarked as he

Chapter 53

got up and pulled back the curtains. “Hard to sleep with all that noise.”

What was that supposed to mean?

“I’m heading to the office. I’ll be home late tonight.” He finished getting ready in record time, offered nothing more, and left.

Emma didn’t care what time he’d be back. The moment the door closed behind him, she launched into a cleaning frenzy.

She gathered up her IELTS prep books, keeping only the ones full of early mistakes, and had Fallon call a guy to cart off the rest for recycling.

Then there was the ring on her finger. She hesitated, but in the end, slipped it off. Might as well turn it into cash.

In fact, if she was going to sell it, why not sell the pair?

She searched everywhere but couldn’t find the other ring.

Suddenly, she remembered the safe in the house–always filled with Theodore’s things, a place she’d never considered opening before.

A flicker of resolve sparked inside her.

She didn’t know the code. She tried Theodore’s birthday–no luck. Of course, there was no way it would be her birthday…

She thought about it–just like the jumble of numbers on the door lock, the code was probably something random and unfamiliar to her.

On a whim, she tried the last four digits of the security code. To her surprise, the safe clicked open.

Inside were stacks of property deeds, gold bars, and various objects that must have meant a lot to him.

She found her jewelry box easily enough–it matched her own. But there was another box, tucked under a notebook.

She lifted the lid and found the silver ring from yesterday.

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Chapter 53

Her hand rested on the notebook, wavering. Should she look or not? The struggle was real, but in the end, her better judgment won out: leave it alone. But as she pulled her hand back, the notebook slipped, falling to the floor–along with a photo that fluttered out.

It was a picture of him and Cecilia, taken back in college.

Honestly, it wasn’t a big deal.

He had a past. She’d always known about his ex–girlfriend. When she married him, she told herself the past didn’t matter–at least, not at the

altar.

But now…

She sighed, picked up the photo, and tucked it back into the notebook.

Enough. Her heart was already battered; any more and there’d be nothing left of her.

She meant to close the safe after slipping the photo back where it belonged, but when she opened the notebook, she froze.