Chapter 74: Reunion in the Shadows

Chapter 74: Reunion in the Shadows

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It had been over a hundred days since they last saw each other. Even during their divorce, they hadn't gone this long without meeting.

Emily didn't want Annie to think she was a pampered, unprofessional socialite, so despite the presence of a Creston Media hotel in the area, she avoided staying there. She didn't even entertain the idea of taking a couple of days off to return home.

Ethan's repeated attempts to visit her were turned down, and she told him to "find another way to solve it on his own."

During the changing seasons, they found themselves in a small northern town. Annie fell ill due to the unfamiliar environment.

There were no hotels in the county town, only a tiny inn. Having been away from home for so long, Ethan's wife didn't have any luxury preferences; after all, no hotel could compare to the top suite at their own Creston Media hotels. As long as it was clean, it would do.

It turned out that clean was not enough. While Emily was drying her hair after a shower, the electricity suddenly went out.

With water still dripping from her ends and one hand holding up her phone for light, she was caught off guard when there was a soft knock on the door.

Panic set in instantly. She didn't dare respond and quietly approached the door.

Peeking through the peephole, she was taken aback, and her hand automatically unlocked the door.

A tall figure slipped inside. As the door closed, Emily squinted in the faint light to catch a glimpse of the man's face.

Her Ethan seemed a bit thinner.

But he was still as handsome as ever.

"You came!" Emily asked, her voice barely containing her excitement.

Ethan didn't speak but immediately enveloped her in a hug. His hand brushed against her damp hair, and he frowned in the darkness.

Not finding a towel, he removed his shirt and wrapped it around her head, drying her hair.

Emily felt like a kitten being dried after a bath, obediently holding her head still and smiling contentedly.

After her hair was partially dry, she clung to his arm and looked up at his dark eyes. "Ethan, did you miss me?"

Ethan's eyes were darker than the night itself.

"Yes," he replied.

He pinched her chin gently. "Who else would be so heartless as to not let me come and see you?"

His warm cedar-scented breath covered her lips. Emily couldn't see, but everything felt intimately familiar.

After so long apart, they expressed their longing in the most direct way possible.

Whether she had discarded her modesty or the new environment felt too exhilarating, every slight movement on the creaky floor intensified her embarrassment.

The poor soundproofing heightened every noise, making them both painfully aware of their surroundings.

Emily felt incredibly focused despite being distracted. Until Annie's sudden cough next door, she tensed up instinctively.

Ethan muttered a curse, his voice low and muffled.

"Little vixen!" He slapped her lightly, "Doing it on purpose, huh?"

The slap wasn't gentle, and Emily's throat immediately emitted a sound.

As the floor started creaking again, she curled her toes and bit down on his shoulder.

---

The next morning, Ethan left quietly. He still had several meetings to attend.

Before heading downstairs for breakfast, Emily spent a long time applying concealer on her neck.

To be honest, besides the initial moments, their night had just been about talking.

She couldn't help but share everything that had happened during this period, eventually falling asleep in his arms, exhausted.

At breakfast, Emily couldn't shake the feeling that Annie's smile was tinged with a hint of mischievousness.

After finishing her meal, Annie took out a rarely used digital camera from her bag and turned it on, placing it in front of Emily.

Emily: "......"

She didn't want to eat; she wanted to disappear into the ground.

On the screen were images of her and Ethan bidding farewell on the street in the morning.

Annie had taken quite a few photos. Looking at them all together, Emily realized… Oh, they looked quite affectionate.

Was that truly her face, so sweet and coy?

The last photo was a bit overexposed, the yellow morning light blurring their faces and hiding their kissing lips, but Emily thought… it actually had a certain aesthetic?

"Can I have these photos?" she asked Annie, a bit embarrassed.

Annie's smile deepened. "Of course."

She looked at the camera, nodding with satisfaction. "They're beautiful."

"Love looks so beautiful."

"We should visit Southeast Asia again. By the time we return from the tropics, it will be winter in China." Annie closed the camera and smiled at Emily. "You should head home too."

"During winter, nothing beats the warmth of a loved one's embrace."

---

Before boarding his plane, Ethan received a message from his bodyguard: Emily was also on a plane, heading further south.

Throughout the flight, his thoughts kept drifting back to last night.

Even though they were a married couple, it felt like they were having a secret affair.

The troubling part was, he actually wanted to see her that way again…

Just as he landed, his phone suddenly rang with a call from his bodyguard.

Ethan was surprised, quickly growing anxious—this wasn't the usual time for a report.

"Chairman Harrison," the bodyguard's voice was clearly urgent, sounding different from usual.

"We just received news that Mrs. Harrison had an accident at a subway station in the south!"