Chapter 17: Beginning of the End

"And then he was like, pissed off or something. I swear he was smirking like a baby." Emma laughs.

"Mhm..." says I.

Not to be rude, but I am worried about Emma. It seems like it has become a habit of hers to make Adam jealous. And why Adam would be jealous, THAT'S another question I would love to ask. But I know Emma could never explain it. She herself doesn't understand why he acted the way he did.

It all began last Wednesday.

Realizing that he's alone all week after Adalea was gone to Australia for an important shoot (models always seem to have 'important' shoots, I can never understand why they don't just call the profession as 'model of importance'), Adam seem to turn allhis energy into trying to get Emma to pay attention to him. All week long he asked her to follow him to business lunches, meeting clients, conferences. At night he will call her and brief her about stuff that she indeed has been done for five straight years. Albeit impressed with all this attention, Emma realized that playing hard is a fun thing to do so all week long she became this monotonous person who just follows around at it drives him crazy.

"Why did you do that?" I asked her.

"I barely know why. But it's as if like... if I treat him nicely and be friendly, it's like giving him what he wants. And I'm tired of it. I don't want to be the alternative choice no more." she answered.

So all week long,it was Adam and Emma, HE did all the talking and she did all the nodding and refusing to do dinner with him. Her resistance drove him crazy. Finally she agreed on a dinner, but to turn him away the moment she realized it's not part of the plan.  

"Are you just playing him?" I asked.
"No...." she shook her head violently, stressing on denying it. "I just don't want to be his yes-girl anymore."
"Have you told him?"
"Told him what?" Emma looked at me quizzically.
"That you don't want to be his yes-girl anymore?"

Emma lowered her eyes to the ground.

"No."
"Why not?"
"I'm scared."
"That you will regret it? That you may break all ties with him but still have feelings for him?"
She laughs cynically.
"Stop knowing me too much." she said.

I let out a heavy sigh.

"How about Dr Lee?"
"What about Edmund?"
"Do you love him?" 
"Love is such a big word. I lost all trust in it."
"But he still believes in them. And he wants you to believe in them again."
"What if I don't want to?"
"Then YOU have to tell Dr Lee that you don't."

Emma gaze turns towards the window.
"I don't want to believe in all that love crap again. But I don't want to lose Edmund." she finally said.

"You have to lose someone, Emma. Whether Dr Lee or Adam. But you just can't keep them at your end's wit."
"It's not like they are in love with me or anything..."
"If you believe in that, then listen to me. Break it to Adam that you're not comfortable being his yes-girl again. Tell him that the two of you are no longer married and that's that. He just need to understand all that links you to him is strictly business."

"And Edmund?"
"You don't need me to tell you everything, Emma. You know your own heart."

And that's how this story REALLY begins...