Chapter 134


    Chapter 134. Emily Is Victim!


    My tone was calm, but I knew Aaron could hear the distress and frustrationyered just beneath the


    surface.


    Aaron sighed and held me tightly in his arms. “Olive, I regret telling you all of this. Please don’t think


    about it anymore. You haven’t done anything wrong here.”


    I shook my head and pushed him away. I knew the intimate, seductive scent of amber on his body


    would distract me, and I needed to clear my head right now.


    Despite a few gaps in my knowledge, I tried to imagine the timeline as clearly as possible. I attended


    graduate school in the Midwest, and it was during that time that I decided I would apply to Columbia for


    my PhD. As I prepared to apply, I started paying attention to the top students at Columbia University.


    That was when I met Vincent. He was handsome, funny, smart, and he was an intern at Morgan


    Stanley. With his academic passion and his great sense of style, I couldn’t help liking him immediately.


    When Vincent found out I was trying to choose a school for my PhD, he enthusiastically started


    introducing me to professors and researchers at Columbia, helping me gain a foothold at the college.


    From his actions, anyone would have realized he was falling for me.


    But although Vincent was warm and friendly, he wasn’t too aggressive, and he kept some distance


    between us. He always spoke respectfully to me, and even when no one was around, he never tried


    anything inappropriate. He seemed both sincere and polite in every interaction.


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    Our rtionship only progressed to another level when he got his official job offer from Morgan Stanley.


    When he heard the news, he was as happy and giddy as a kid in a candy store. His eyes lit up with


    excitement, and he jumped up to hug me in the restaurant where we were eating.


    Finally, he pulled me into a secluded corner, covered my eyes with his hands, and asked softly, “Olive,


    can I kiss you now?”


    That was the day Vincent got his job offer, and it was also the first day that Vincent and I were officially


    together.


    After that, we went on several dates, and Vincent carefully chose the location each time.


    I had offers from several universities, but the professor I admired the most had a full researchb and


    was no longer offering PhD positions. Largely because of Vincent, I finally chose to ept my offer


    from Columbia University.


    During those early stages of our rtionship, Vincent became more and more involved with his career,


    and I was busy with my studies. We didn’t have time to go on as many dates as before, but whenever I


    was exhausted from a long day at theb, he would take time off and take me on a vacation to rx.


    He cared for me in every possible way, and even when we weren’t together, I knew he was thinking


    about me. That’s why I felt so embarrassed and angry when I found out that Vincent was having an


    affair with Emily.


    But now I was finding out that our entire life together had been a lie. Judging from the timeline Aaron


    had exined to me, Vincent and Emily knew each other well before I came into the picture. From


    Emily’s perspective, Vincent was having


    an affair with me!


    This was almost too much for me to take.


    I was short of breath, overwhelmed by pain and betrayal, and I tried to stop thinking about it. But my


    mind was already racing ahead, and I realized that Vincent must have wanted to get rid of Emily after


    he sessfully used her to get his job at Morgan Stanley.


    Maybe meeting me had seemed like the perfect opportunity to do that.


    “Olive.” Aaron put his arms around my trembling shoulders and pulled me in close to him, nting a


    feather-light kiss on my forehead. “Can you try to calm down?”


    I choked out a bitterugh. “Aaron, did Vincent stop seeing Emily because of me?”


    I thought of Emily’s undisguised hostility and resentment toward me. At the time, I thought Emily was


    start fights with me on several asions.


    But from Emily’s perspective, all that ‘provocation waspletely justified! How could she not me


    me for taking Vincent away from her?


    She had known Vincent longer than me, and she’d put more effort into their rtionship, even going so


    far as to help Vincent get a good job and elevate his status in society. But in the end, once Vincent had


    everything he wanted, he


    abandoned her and ran off with me instead.


    In being with the man I thought I loved, how badly had I hurt Emily?


    Aaron’s expression stiffened. He didn’t answer my question, just came over and kissed me on the lips,


    obviously trying to distract me.


    As he started to pin me to the bed again, I reached up and braced a hand against his shoulder. “Not


    now, Aaron.”


    “Okay, okay.” Aaron sat up and started toying with my fingers absentmindedly, still pointedly ignoring


    my question.


    But by this point, I was so desperate for answers. I turned my face toward’s Aaron’s and locked eyes


    with him before I asked again, “Aaron, tell me. Did he dump Emily for me? Is that the truth?”


    Aaron nced away ufortably, unable to hold my gaze. But as he realized he couldn’t avoid my


    questions any longer, he grabbed my palm and kissed it before saying quietly, “Yes. Before that, Emily


    and Vincent were a couple.”


    Even though I had prepared myself to hear this, I was still devastated to hear Aaron say this. Not only


    did I feel hurt by Vincent’s deception, but I also felt bad for how Emily had suffered.


    My eyshes fluttered inadvertently. “So… Emily is the real victim.”


    And I was partly responsible for what happened to her!


    I suddenly understood all of Emily’s hatred toward me. In her mind, I was the homewrecker who


    destroyed her rtionship


    with Vincent!