You Looked Down on Me Once, Now You Look Up. novel Chapter 457

“Cassidi, is Mr. Martin home yet?”

“No, ma’am,” Cassidi answered.

Tina made her way downstairs, work finally finished for the night. She expected to see Emerson somewhere—maybe on the couch, maybe grabbing a late snack in the kitchen. But the house was quiet.

Again. No sign of him.

These days, Emerson still came home after work, but there was no telling when. Once or twice, she could brush it off. But as it kept happening, Tina couldn’t help but wonder.

“Is work that busy lately? He’s coming home later and later,” she said, half to herself.

Cassidi was the housekeeper Tina had hired earlier this year. She was barely in her thirties, always cooked up the best comfort food, and most importantly, she knew when to keep her mouth shut.

Tina didn’t wait for Cassidi to answer. “Go ahead, finish what you’re doing,” she said, already heading toward the tea room, phone in hand. She dialed Emerson’s number as she walked.

The call rang a few times, then he hung up. Almost instantly, a message popped up from him.

“At a business dinner.”

He’d attached a photo. Tina glanced at it for a second, didn’t think much of it, and closed the chat.

She went back to her company group chat, scrolled through some messages, then suddenly remembered something. She shot Emerson another text: “Try to come home early. We need to finalize the details for the gala on the 14th.”

“Okay,” he replied.

Tina was about to exit the app, but her finger slipped and opened the photo Emerson had just sent. This time, she looked closer. Through a clear wine glass on the table, she spotted a girl’s face reflected in the glass.

She zoomed in, fiddled with the brightness, checked it again and again—seven, eight times—before she finally put the phone down, her heart pounding.

That girl. Her vibe, her features—she looked so much like someone they’d known back in college.

That girl had been one of Emerson’s biggest regrets.

She’d been shy, almost otherworldly, with long black hair and faded clothes. There was something pure and gentle about her, like she didn’t even belong in the real world. She and Emerson had had this wild, all-consuming love back at school, until reality pulled them apart.

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