By admin A Romance In Passing Chapter 17
Emily deleted the video from William without even watching it. She closed her inbox with a sigh.
Her day had been going well- until his constant harassment dragged her right back into the emotional mire she’d worked hard to escape
The first time she received a video, she thought it was from a friend back home. But the second she saw that famillar stretch of coastline and Willian’s bruised,
haggard face, all she felt was an overwhelming sense of disgust.
And then, at the end of the video – he jumped.
Panic had ripped through her. That night, she could barely sleep, terrified he might’ve actually taken his own life.
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But after that, the videos kept coming. One after another, he sent her clips of places they’d once visited and meals they used to share. Ils eyes were full of desperate affection–but to Emily, it was nauseating.
Het nightmares had returned with a vengeance.
That afternoon, she was walking to lunch with Keith after class when someone called her from behind.
She tumed–and froze. A group of William’s friends stood there.
“You… How did you find me?” she asked, her voice trembling. Memories she’d fought hard to suppress came rushing back. Her hands began to shake.
“Emmy, come home,” one of them said. “William needs you.”
They held out a photo–William, fractured and hospitalized. He looked pale and frail.
But she didn’t want to see it. She didn’t care anymore. All she could think was why couldn’t he just let go?
She’d already given him up and handed him over to Aria. And yet, he still haunted her life.
She trembled slightly. Her voice was tight as she spoke. “Ask William this for me. Is he done pretending to be the tragic hero?”
“It’s not an act!” one of the guys insisted. “He was climbing that mountain–the one where you had your love padlock. He fell and broke his leg.”
“We don’t know what happened between you two, but he’s really sorry. He’s broken things off with Aria. Just give him a chance, okay?”
“A chance?” Emily let out a bitter laugh.
“How many chances did I give him? If he had just trusted me–if he hadn’t betrayed me for that woman–we might’ve still had a future. But he destroyed it all.”
Her voice rose. The pain she had buried returned to the surface. “I’m done. Whether William lives or dies is no longer my concern. Please leave.”
With that, she turned to walk away. But they weren’t done yet. One of them reached out to grab her shoulder–only to be smacked away by someone.
“What the hell? Who the hell are you?”
Keith, who had been silently listening to their conversation this whole time, finally understood the situation.
It finally made sense to him why Emily constantly looked troubled. Seeing that William’s friends were trying to stop her, he couldn’t hold back and acted without
hesitation.
“I’m her boyfriend, he replied, wrapping his arm around Emily’s waist.
Emily froze for a moment, then slipped her fingers between his. She remained calm.
“Did you hear that? I’ve moved on. I have a boyfriend. Go back and tell William not to contact me again. I won’t watch his videos or respond to any of it.”
The guys looked stunned. Feeling defeated, they slowly walked away.
As soon as they were gone, Emily let go of Keith’s hand and exhaled shakily.
“Sorry… I used you again.”
Keith just smiled. “Anytime. If you need someone to lean on, you’ve got me,”
His warmth caught her off guard. She lowered her head, trying to hide the flush on her cheeks.
“Will you tell me, someday?” he asked softly. “What really happened?”
Emily looked up, into the kindness in his eyes. And for the first time in a long time, she wanted to tell someone the truth.
Keith seemed like the one that could comfort her.
So she did. And before she even finished, he pulled her into his arms. “I can’t believe you went through all that. But you’re here now. You’re safe. It’s going to get
better.”
Emily sobbed quietly into his shoulder, finally letting it all go. “Sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t mean to fall apart,”
“There’s no need to apologize. Crying means you’re trying to move on.”
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Then his voice turned gentle “But are you really ready to let it go?“.
That night, his question stayed with her. She stood alone on the balcony of her apartment. Her gaze lingered on the screen of her phone, on the contact she knew by
heart.
It was time. She pressed the call button.
“Hello” William answered weakly, his voice barely a whisper.
“It’s me, Emily”
There was a long pause, and then an eruption of emotion. “Emily? Oh God, Emily, is it really you? I miss you so much…”
Over the phone, she could hear the beeping of hospital monitors in the background.
“We were together for 8 years. You made promises. You said I was your only one. Even when you lost your memory, I didn’t care. I let everything go just to stay by your side. But what did you do? One word from her, and you erased everything we ever had.
She continued, “Don’t contact me again. Whatever pain you’re in, you brought it on yourself. This is goodbye. For good.”
William’s voice cracked. “No, Emily, please. I’m sorry! I swear I’ll make it right. Just give me one more chance-”
“I don’t want your apologies. And I’ll never forgive you.”
She ended the call and blocked the number. The wind swirled around her, but for the first time in a long time, she didn’t feel cold.
She felt free.