Chapter 4

Emily Collins POV:

The air in my office hung heavy, thick with the scent of ambition and stale coffee. I stared at the new acquisition report, the numbers blurring before my eyes. My empire. My carefully constructed world. It all felt like dust.

Cole.

His face, vibrant and alive in the photos Elodie shared on social media, haunted me. He was laughing, truly laughing, with her. His restaurant, "L'Âme du Chef," was a culinary sensation, winning awards, glowing reviews. He was living the dream I had unwittingly made possible by pushing him away.

I hadn't seen him in person since that fateful day in the hospital, since he had uttered those chilling words: "I don't love you anymore, Emily. There's nothing left." Those words, once a dull ache, were now a constant throb, a relentless reminder of my folly.

I remembered the early days of his departure. I had been in denial, convinced he would eventually come back. He always did, didn't he? He always forgave me, always picked up the pieces of my self-destruction. But this time, he hadn't. This time, he had picked up his own pieces and built a new, beautiful life without me.

The divorce papers had been a formality, a legal confirmation of a death that had already occurred. I had signed them, my hand shaking, a desperate, futile hope that he would fight it. But he hadn't. He had accepted them, just as he had accepted my neglect for years.

Now, I was left with the bitter truth: I was the one who had been replaced. Not by Elodie, not by some new, vibrant woman. But by his own happiness, his own self-worth.

My phone buzzed. It was Sarah.

"Ms. Collins, a Ms. Anissa Best is here to see you. She says it's urgent."

Anissa. Cole's best friend. A fierce, loyal woman who had always seen through my façade, who had always protected him. My stomach clenched. This couldn't be good.

"Send her in," I said, my voice betraying none of the apprehension I felt.

Anissa walked in, her gaze, usually warm and bright, now cold and sharp. She looked at me, not with anger, but with a weary pity that cut deeper than any accusation.

"Emily," she said, her voice flat.

"Anissa," I replied, trying to maintain my composure. "To what do I owe this... pleasure?"

She didn't miss a beat. "I'm here because Cole asked me to deliver something." She held out a small, velvet box.

My heart pounded. A gift? A peace offering? A ring?

I took the box, my fingers trembling. I opened it.

Inside, nestled on a bed of black satin, was a single, silver key.

My breath caught in my throat. It was the key to our old apartment, the one we had lived in before the big house. The first place we shared, filled with laughter, with hope, with the beginnings of our love story.

"What is this?" I whispered, my voice hoarse.

"It's his final farewell, Emily," Anissa said, her voice cutting through the silence. "He doesn't want anything from you. Not the house, not the money, not even the memories."

"But... but the apartment," I stammered. "He loved that place."

"He did," Anissa agreed, a sad smile touching her lips. "He loved you in that place. But that's over. He's made his peace."

My eyes welled up. "He's happy, isn't he? With... with Elodie?"

Anissa's gaze softened, but held no comfort. "He is, Emily. Truly happy. The kind of happiness you never allowed him to have."

The words hung in the air, a heavy shroud.

"He wants nothing to do with you," Anissa continued, her voice firm. "He asked me to make sure you understood that. Completely. Totally."

"I... I understand," I whispered, the key feeling heavy in my hand, a symbol of everything I had lost.

"No, I don't think you do," Anissa said, stepping closer, her eyes blazing with a suppressed fury. "You think you can just waltz back into his life once you realize what you threw away? You think he's some puppy, waiting at your door?"

"I just... I want to apologize," I pleaded, tears finally spilling over. "I want him to forgive me."

Anissa scoffed, a harsh, humorless sound. "Forgive you? For leaving him to die while you rushed to Bryant's side? For years of emotional neglect? For making him feel like a second-class citizen in his own marriage?"

Each word was a physical blow.

"He almost died, Emily," she continued, her voice raw with emotion. "While you were playing nurse to your toxic ex. He called 911 himself. He lay there, bleeding, thinking you had just signed his death warrant."

The memory, fresh and agonizing, flooded my senses. I remembered his pale face, his desperate plea, my cold dismissal. It was a scene etched in my soul, a scar I would carry forever.

"I know," I choked out, tears streaming down my face. "I know I messed up. I know I was a fool."

"A fool?" Anissa laughed, a bitter sound. "You were cruel, Emily. Selfish. You broke him. You broke the kindest, most loving man I've ever known."

I sank into my chair, my body trembling.

"What do I do?" I whispered, my voice broken. "How do I fix this?"

Anissa looked at me, her gaze filled with a profound sadness. "You don't, Emily. Some things can't be fixed. Some mistakes are too big. You lost him. And you deserve to feel that loss, truly feel it, for the rest of your life."

She turned to leave, then paused at the door.

"He's moved on, Emily," she said, her voice softer now, but no less firm. "He's happy. Find your own happiness, if you can. But leave him alone."

Then she was gone, leaving me alone in my opulent office, the silver key a cold weight in my palm, a testament to a love I had destroyed.

I clutched the key, the sharp edges digging into my skin. It was a tangible representation of my loss, a painful echo, because Cole used to care for me just like that.