Ch 10: Clear as water.

Sam stood there, words hanging between them, like fragile threads of a dream. Janet's gaze softened, her lips trembling as she tried to process the whirlwind of emotions crashing inside her. There were no more walls between them—no more doubts, no more unspoken words.

"I've been such a fool," Sam whispered, shaking his head as if trying to shake off the weight of his confusion. "All this time, I was so blind. I didn't know I was already falling for you."

Janet let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, the relief washing over her like a gentle wave. She reached out and took his hand, squeezing it tightly, as if grounding herself in the truth they had both avoided for so long. "I didn't want to believe it either, Sam. I didn't want to admit that I loved you, not when everything felt so impossible."

"But it was never impossible, Janet," he said, his voice raw with emotion. "It was always you. It always has been."

As they stood in the quiet of the library resolving their misunderstandings, the door suddenly creaked open. Both Sam and Janet looked up in surprise, only to see Emma standing there, her eyes wide with shock and disbelief.

The air between them crackled with tension. The library's dim lights cast long shadows across the wooden floor, but the real storm was brewing between the three of them.

Emma stood trembling, her face pale, her breathing uneven. But it wasn't sorrow in her eyes—it was fury. A desperate, seething rage that threatened to spill over.

"You—" she hissed, stepping forward, her heels clicking sharply against the floor. "You lying, two-faced bitch!" Her voice echoed through the silent space. "Dating two men at the same time? Really, Janet? How shameless can you be?"

Janet recoiled, her breath catching in her throat. For a moment, the sheer venom in Emma's voice stunned her. But then, anger flared inside her.

"That's not true!" Janet snapped, her voice shaking but strong. "Liam was just a good friend. You're the one who twisted everything! You made it seem like more than it was!"

Emma let out a sharp, bitter laugh. "Oh, please! Don't act so innocent. I saw you two together! The looks, the smiles—don't pretend like you weren't leading him on!"

"Leading him on?" Janet repeated, disbelief flashing across her face. "Liam and I never—"

"Enough."

Sam's voice cut through the argument like a blade.

The cold authority in his tone made both women freeze. His usually warm brown eyes were dark with anger, his jaw clenched tight. He took a step forward, placing himself between them.

"Emma," he said, his voice dangerously low. "I know what you've been doing."

Emma's breath hitched, but she forced herself to scoff. "What are you talking about?"

Sam's stare didn't waver.

"I know about the lies. The manipulation. The way you twisted everything to push Janet and me apart." His voice was steady, controlled—but beneath it was a quiet fury. "You set up that whole scene with Liam. You wanted me to think she was betraying me. And it worked."

Emma's face twitched, but she kept up her act. "I—I don't know what you're talking about."

Sam exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "Enough with the games, Emma." His voice dropped to a whisper, cold and final. "It ends now."

Janet watched, her heart pounding. She had never seen Sam this way before. His usual patience, his quiet strength—it was all still there, but now it was laced with an undeniable anger.

Emma clenched her fists and for the first time she was rattled. "I did what I had to do," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "I loved you, Sam! I loved you for a long time, and you never once looked at me the way you looked at her!"

Sam's expression didn't change. "And you thought that lying and tearing Janet down would make me love you?"

Emma flinched.

"You hurt people, Emma. You hurt me. You hurt Janet. And for what? To force something that was never meant to be?" His voice softened, but there was no kindness in it. Just disappointment.

Tears welled up in Emma's eyes, but she blinked them away, refusing to let them fall.

Sam turned to Janet, his expression softening instantly. "Are you okay?"

Janet swallowed, nodding slowly. "I think so."

He reached for her hand, his fingers threading through hers. "She won't come between us again," he said firmly.

Janet looked up at him, her heart swelling. "I don't care about her, Sam," she whispered. "I only care about us."

Emma collapsed into a chair, her hands covering her face as she sobbed. "I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice muffled by her own grief. "I was just so afraid of losing you. I didn't know how to handle it."

Without saying anything Sam took Janet away, as they both drove out from the library, leaving Emma crying and burdened by her own sins.

With their misunderstandings finally being clear they set off to a fresh start. As the days passed, the tension between Sam and Janet began to melt away. They spent more time together, allowing themselves to forget their pain. They talked, shared their fears and their hopes, and slowly, the bond between them grew stronger than ever.

Sam was excited and relieved knowing everything finally got right on track. "I've been so blind, Janet. I've been trying to make sense of everything, but I've always known it was you. You were the one I was writing to all this time. You were the one I was searching for, and I couldn't even see it."

Janet smiled softly, the weight of his words comforting her in a way nothing else could. "I felt the same way. I kept denying it because I didn't want to ruin our friendship, but I knew from the moment I talked with you, that you are my Mr S. I thought I fell in love because you were Mr S, but no, I loved you as Sam Foster, the man I met at the library gala."

Their confessions weren't just about love, it was about acceptance. They had both been afraid, afraid of what their feelings might mean, afraid of the pain they might cause each other. But now, there was nothing left to fear. They had found each other in the most unexpected way, and now they were ready to embrace it, fully and completely.

And as for Emma, her plan failed. Moreover she lost her childhood friend because of her cruel intentions. She quit her job at Passion Industries and took a career break to get out of this mess.