Chapter 4

Emma followed Nathan back to the hotel, where he said he had a gift for her.

When she opened her eyes, she saw him holding a pink diamond necklace, clearly worth a fortune.

Nathan carefully placed it around her neck. Her fingertips brushed the cool metal. "Why are you giving me such an expensive gift?"

He smiled. "You deserve the best."

Emma found it bitterly ironic. He bought two necklaces-one a cheap Hello Kitty for her true self, and this extravagant pink diamond for her too.

Nathan grinned, missing the bitterness in her smile.

He wrapped his arms around her from behind, nuzzling her neck and murmuring, "As long as you like it."

A moment later, she pushed him away, her voice icy. "I'm leaving."

He wouldn't let her go. He stood, pulling her into a tumble onto the carpet. His experienced hands easily slipped under her clothes.

The strength difference was stark, especially with Emma now slender. She couldn't break free. Staring at the ceiling, she trembled as she spoke. "Would you do this to your obese clingy girl too?"

Nathan paused, looking up with a frown. "Why bring her up?"

"What?" Emma met his gaze with mockery. "Does mentioning her make you sick?"

In that moment, she nearly told him she was Emma Fowler.

But he didn't give her the chance. Pulling her up from the floor, he laughed and admitted, "Of course it's disgusting. If you saw her, you'd feel the same. No need to be jealous-she's nothing compared to you."

Emma said nothing more. She quietly fixed her clothes and left.

Nathan, irritated, called Felix to vent. "This Snow girl is so weird. She was all fire that first night, but now she's like a different person!"

Felix took a moment to respond. "Snow? I thought her name was Amy."

"What?" Before Nathan could ask more, Felix hung up and sent a message. "I'll check and get back to you."

After a long wait, Felix called back. "I got the wrong person that night..."

Realizing the woman he arranged never showed up, Nathan understood his night with Snow was an accident.

Worse, he had said those things in front of her. Regret gnawed at him.

He hung up, head pounding, and kept calling the contact labeled "Snow," but no one answered.

He sent apology texts and heartfelt messages, all left unread.

Frustration overwhelmed him. He grabbed something from the table and smashed it to the floor.

The elegant gift box crumpled, and the Hello Kitty necklace spilled out, lying quietly on the carpet.

Emma's round, heavy figure flashed in Nathan's mind. He frowned deeply.

Since she saved him from drowning, they had been tied together. Emma was sweet, and he had enjoyed her company.

But as she gained weight, people taunted him. "You and that fat girl are childhood sweethearts?"

"She saved you, so you owe her your hand in marriage?"

"Wow, Nathan, you must be starving to go for her."

When Emma's grandfather passed away, her mother planned to take her abroad.

To distance himself, Nathan encouraged her to go for treatment.

He didn't care if her treatment worked or if she ever returned. He just wanted her out of his life.

Nathan opened his phone and checked his chat with Emma, noticing she hadn't replied.

A spark of annoyance flared. Emma had never been this cold to him before.

Even after he told her not to contact him, she should've begged for his forgiveness.

Lighting a cigarette, he sent her messages. "Have you set a date to come back? I got you a gift. You'll probably like it."

He was confident two lines would make her act like she used to.

He didn't mind treating Emma as a pastime, a bit of fun.

Emma, in a taxi, saw his messages.

He had just told her not to contact him yesterday, yet now he acted like nothing happened.

She gave a wry smile. As she stepped out of the taxi, meaning to block him, her phone died.

She slipped it into her bag and looked up to see a familiar figure approaching in the hotel lobby.

When the person stopped before her, she spoke in disbelief. "Louis... what are you doing here..."