Chapter 1
Emily sat in the chair by his bed in the hospital. She couldn't believe everything that happened over the last couple of years. The whole thing was crazy. No matter how complicated the situation was, she knew what the truth was. As much as she tried to fight it, Emily really did love Daniel. Even through the craziness of the Daniel Jack Aiden love square, she knew Daniel had the potential to be a good person. He just had to break free from the poisonous influences that were his parents.
She gazed at the man for a brief moment before returning to her magazine a couple of minutes later, shuffling through the latest issue of People magazine. Emily's heart thumped inside her chest, getting louder with each passing beat. A bead of sweat plopped down her face. Emily would never be able to forget everything Daniel did but she had to stop lying to herself. It wouldn't get her anywhere. The lies were also getting confusing. It was too much for her to bear…
Emily took in another deep breath, appreciating how Daniel did something noble. He stepped in the line of fire to save her. There was no hidden agenda. He had nothing to gain. She wouldn't deny that Daniel's bravery made her smile a little. It reminded her of what they used to be.
"What are you doing here?" asked a voice.
Her magazine crashed to the floor. "I had to see you. I needed to know you were okay."
He furrowed an eyebrow at her. "Am I really here? I thought I died."
Emily whipped her head back and forth. "No. You didn't. The ambulance arrived in time."
A tear fell down his face. "I need to ask you about something Emily, if that's okay?"
Emily nodded. "Of course. Ask me anything. I'm an open book. And I promise I mean that this time. Cross my heart. Hope to die."
Daniel sucked in a gulp of air, as his chest contracted and expanded. "I need to know if you really said what I think you said."
She smiled. Emily didn't even have to force it. Not this time. "And what's that?"
"Did you really say it wasn't all a lie, not with you?" His eyes bulged up, refusing to take Emily out of his focus.
Emily pulled up the sleeves of her blouse. "Yes. I did. And I promise there was no hidden agenda."
His teeth jabbed his lip. "But were you saying that to humor me because you thought I was dying or because you really meant it?"
She didn't even flinch. "I really did mean it. But yes, I did want to provide you with a comfort in case you died."
His jaw lowered a little. "Thank you for providing me with a honest answer for once."
Emily took her arm to her eyes, wiping the tears away.
He lifted his eyebrows at her. "Wait. Are you actually crying?"
"Yeah," said Emily while she swallowed the lump in her throat. "I thought I was going to lose you for forever. I don't know what I would have done if you died."
He hung his head a little lower. "I know you must still hate me…"
Emily rolled her eyes. "Daniel, please…"
The blood drained from his face, revealing a white color. "We don't have to dance around it. I'm grateful you see I'm trying to become a better person, but I shot you. It was a terrible thing to do. I'll admit it."
Emily paused for a moment, allowing the issue to simmer in her mind a little. "There's something you don't know Daniel. Charlotte tried to kill me. She lured me to Jack's bar, knocked me unconscious and set the bar on fire. I'm not going to lie. What you did was despicable. But you did it after hours of drinking. It wasn't premeditated. So maybe there is hope for you yet…"
He averted his eyes. Daniel just wasn't ready to make eye contact at the moment. "I appreciate that you're giving me the benefit of the doubt but you don't have to make excuses for me. I'll never forgive myself for shooting you. I'm a terrible person."
She extended her hand, giving Daniel's hand a quick squeeze. "We can talk about that later."
Opaque blobs flung down from his eyes. "The only thing I ask is that you keep me out of your war with my Mom. Please just let me leave town when I get out of the hospital. I won't ever try to talk to you again or even hit on you. Please just let me leave."
A depressed look formed on her face. "You don't have to leave town Daniel."
He expelled another breath. "No. I think I should. I just need to get the hell out of the Hamptons."
She grinned, allowing her mouth to get even wider. "Why?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "Because Margo was just my rebound from you. I mean don't get me wrong. I'll support my child and spend time with him or her because I'm tired of being a coward but I have to get out of here. It's made me someone I'm ashamed to be. And plus no offense or anything but I can't keep running into you. It hurts too much. "
Emily gasped. "Oh. I didn't realize you felt that way."
"I mean I know that we can never be together after everything that happened and I respect that but I need a fresh start," said Daniel before he coughed into his arm.
She shoved the magazine into her purse. She craned her head back to Daniel a moment later. "Did it ever occur to you that you might be your toughest critic?"
He moved his fists through the air. "But don't you get it? I wrecked it with the love of my life and I have no way to come back."
Emily continued to avert her gaze. "I know. But Daniel, there's something else you don't know. Part of my manipulation required giving you bad advice. Like when I manipulated to oust Conrad from Grayson Global. I can't fault you for showing your true Grayson colors. I needed you to go dark for my plan."
He clicked his lips together. "Wow. I never realized that."
"There's one more thing I should tell you. Even when we were engaged the second time around, my feelings were still there deep down. I just took out my anger with you because I was frustrated with my revenge scheme. That wasn't fair to you." Emily wrapped her pearl necklace around her fingers, playing with it.
He let out a small sob. "So what do we do from here?"
She inhaled another breath. "I don't know. You tell me. What do you want to do?"
