Farewell to Love: The CEO's Desperate Chase novel Chapter 142

A sharp, burning pain flared across Tyler's cheek, flooding him with a wave of anger and humiliation.

In all twenty-eight years of his life, no one had ever dared to disgrace him like this.

Fury surged within him as he whipped around, ready to unleash his outrage—only to meet Emilia's tear-filled eyes.

She stood right in front of him, fragile and thin in the moonlight. Her face was pale, but her eyes were red and swollen from crying, tears streaming silently down her cheeks. They seemed endless, falling without a word, and the sight broke his heart.

His mind flashed back to that day in Cerulion, the day they lost their child.

She had wept bitterly then, curled up in his arms, sobbing quietly. Now, she made no sound at all, but the silent tears hurt him just the same.

A dull ache pressed against his chest. He never wanted to see her cry like this again.

Tyler reached out, wanting to wipe the tears from Emilia's face, but she pushed his hand away.

"Tyler." Her hand trembled as she did it, her voice shaking but firm.

She locked eyes with him. "I'm still Emilia—I'm not so easily broken."

Tears kept slipping down her cheeks, but she clenched her fists, refusing to look weak.

"You said Vivienne wouldn't survive six more months, that you needed to take care of her. Fine."

"You said you wanted a divorce, wanted to grant her dying wish. I went with you to city hall and signed the papers."

"I never cared about what was going on between you two."

"But how could you?" Her voice cracked but she pressed on, each word clear under the cold, silent moon. "How could you humiliate me like this—humiliate my child?"

She spoke softly, every word slicing into him.

"Tyler, you're not the only one who bleeds in this world. You and Vivienne aren't the only ones who know what it means to hurt."

"I admit I loved the wrong person. If that's my mistake, I'll accept defeat and leave. But how could you… how could you treat me and my child like this?"

Her lips trembled. By the end, she couldn't stop her voice from breaking. Fingernails dug into her palms as she pressed her lips together, standing tall on pride alone.

"Emilia…"

"Emilia," he called stubbornly, desperate.

She didn't even bother to say "let go," just tried to pull free, but his grip only tightened.

Under the moon, his eyes were rimmed red, refusing to release her hand.

She struggled, wanting nothing more than to escape this place.

But as a breeze rippled across the lake, dizziness swept over Emilia. Her head spun.

That drink…

Years of following Tyler to business dinners had taught her to judge the strength of a drink with just a taste or two. She knew her own limits; tonight's glass shouldn't have been too much for her.

She had learned to be wary of tampered drinks when negotiating abroad, but she was sure this one was clean—and Chloe had no reason to set her up.

So why…

Through the haze, she saw Tyler's hand locked tightly around her slender wrist.