Chapter Nine

After Mark finally left her office, Emma felt utterly drained, both emotionally and physically. She sank back into her desk chair, burying her face in her hands as she tried to process everything that had just transpired. The confrontation had dredged up a whirlwind of emotions - anger, lingering desire, bitter humiliation - leaving her reeling.

A soft knock at the door made her look up with a weary sigh. "Come in."

Nelly, her trusted assistant, poked her head in hesitantly. "Ms. Montgomery? Are you alright? I couldn't help but overhear some of that...heated exchange."

Emma waved her in with a mirthless chuckle. "It's fine, Nelly. You may as well know the whole sordid tale at this point."

As Nelly settled into the chair across from her, Emma began recounting the entire history - her years-long relationship with Mark, the devastating discovery of his infidelity with her former friend Amanda, and his increasingly desperate, manipulative attempts to win her back ever since news broke of her engagement to James.

"And then today he just barged in here again, spouting the same empty promises about changing and how we belong together," Emma said bitterly, her fingers clenching into white-knuckled fists atop the desk. "The utter audacity of that man, thinking I would even consider taking him back after the way he utterly demolished my heart."

Nelly shook her head slowly, her brow furrowed with empathy. "That's just awful, Ms. Montgomery. I can't even imagine the depth of pain and humiliation you went through at his hands."

"It was..." Emma's throat grew tight as she wrestled with the difficult memories. "Indescribable. I loved him so deeply, despite his countless flaws. He was my entire world for so long. And then to find out he had not only cheated but with my closest confidante of all people?"

She paused, swiping angrily at the tears that sprang to her eyes, hating how the anguish still felt so raw even after all this time. "It was like having the ground ripped out from underneath me. Like my life, my entire reality had become this twisted, cruel joke without a punchline. All those years and memories we built together, all those whispered promises of forever...it was all an elaborate lie."

"I'm so sorry," Nelly said gently, her expression pained as she reached across to give Emma's arm a comforting pat.

Emma sniffed hard, willing herself not to break down completely in front of her assistant. "Worst of all, there's still some traitorous part of my heart that loves him despite everything. Mark has this insidious way of just...seeping under your skin, making you want to believe all his silver-tongued platitudes again. That's how the bastard ropes you back in every damn time."

"From what you've told me, Ms. Montgomery, he sounds like an absolute cad," Nelly said with surprising vehemence. "A master manipulator who will say whatever he thinks you want to hear in order to regain your trust. And once he has it again, he'll just revert to his cheating, deceitful ways without a second thought. Utterly despicable."

Emma couldn't help but let out a derisive chuckle at her assistant's biting assessment. "You're not wrong, Nelly. But you'd be surprised how easily I was able to ignore or rationalize away his infidelities in the past because I loved him so damn much. The heart has an incredible way of making fools of us all."

"With all due respect, ma'am, you should count yourself lucky that you finally saw Mr. Reed for the lying, unfaithful snake that he is," Nelly insisted with surprising passion. "Can you even imagine if it had been someone else who stumbled upon him and Ms. Hayes together like that instead of you? That poor woman would have been blindsided in the worst possible way."

Emma felt her cheeks flush hot with shame and humiliation at Nelly's blunt words as she pictured that devastating scene all too vividly. She had always prided herself on being hyper-attuned to even the slightest changes in Mark's behavior or demeanor, but in the end, she had still been made the utter fool.

"You're absolutely right, of course," Emma said tightly after regaining her composure, her shoulders tensing. "It would have been even crueler if the truth came out in some horrific, public way. Though I can hardly say learning of their affair in the manner that I did was a picnic either."

Nelly winced sympathetically. "I can only imagine how traumatic that must have been. The point is, Ms. Montgomery, Mr. Reed has shown you his true colors time and again now. He is simply not a man to be trusted or taken at his word, no matter how sincere he may sound in the moment."

"But what if..." Emma began, unable to resist giving voice to that small, niggling kernel of doubt before she trailed off helplessly, hating her own weakness.

"No." Nelly shook her head adamantly. "No 'what ifs', ma'am. Not where serial cheaters like him are concerned. All you'll do is drive yourself mad with questioning and uncertainty. He lied to you and betrayed your trust in the most fundamental way. That is unforgivable in my book."

A lump formed in Emma's throat as she absorbed the harsh truth of Nelly's words. As much as some deeply buried part of her heart still foolishly yearned for Mark, for the fantasy of restoring what they once had, her friend was right - no amount of pleading or empty promises could ever undo the permanent damage he had inflicted through his selfish infidelity.

Drawing a shuddering breath, Emma lifted her chin with renewed determination. "You're right, Nelly. Enough dwelling on the past and second-guessing myself. Mark and I are over, definitively and irrevocably this time. He's made his own bed through his reprehensible actions, and now he has to lie in it alone."

Nelly looked immensely relieved at her boss's declaration. "I'm glad you can see that now, Ms. Montgomery. Lord knows you deserve so much better than that liar could ever give you." She paused, seeming to consider something before pressing on delicately. "Speaking of...how are things progressing with your upcoming nuptials to Mr. Reynolds?"

A soft, fake smile curved Emma's lips at the mention of her fiance. "Things with James are...wonderful, truly. He treats me with such devotion, love, and respect, like the equal partner he believes me to be in all things. I know without a doubt that he would never betray my trust the way Mark has," she lied, this part of her life with James wasn’t for others to know but for her to fight

"Well then, it sounds like you have all the more reason to firmly shut that door on your past and focus all your energy on building your beautiful future with Mr. Reynolds," Nelly said with an approving nod. "In fact, I think a bit of indulgent wedding planning might do you some good right about now to take your mind off that scoundrel for good."

"You know what? You're absolutely right. I'm going to dive headfirst into planning my dream fairy-tale wedding to the man who actually cherishes and respects me. No more dwelling on manipulative parasites like Mark."

She rose swiftly from her chair, smoothing her hands over her skirt as she drew herself up to her full height, with newfound confidence in her stance. "In fact, I suddenly have the urge to go shopping for my wedding gown and all the other bridal essentials that have been on my mind. Would you care to join me, Nelly?"

Nelly blinked in surprise before beaming up at her boss. "I would be honored, Ms... Emma! Just let me grab my things and we can go wherever your heart desires."