My Great Escape Led Me to You (Emily Blair) novel Chapter 289

Isabella Austin tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ear, her expression fragile and delicate, as if she’d just survived an ordeal. She spoke in a gentle, almost apologetic tone.

“I tried to catch your hand, but you let go so quickly. I just couldn’t react in time.”

Her eyebrows knit together as she stepped back toward Andrew Lane, looping her arm around his. In a low voice, she added, “It’s my fault too. I should’ve pulled you with me.”

At her words, everyone’s expressions shifted. Their gazes toward Emily Blair grew colder, suspicion flickering in their eyes.

So that’s it—did Emily just reach for Isabella’s hand for show?

Isabella glanced up at Andrew, her eyes brimming with embarrassment and affection. “Andrew, too—he ran right up and pulled me away. None of us noticed you…”

From the crowd, someone scoffed. “Told you Emily Blair was just putting on an act.”

Emily lifted her head and stared at the ceiling, her face and lips drained of color. Her voice was flat, almost detached. “So you’re saying, just for the sake of appearances, I reached for you twice, you shook me off both times, and then I went and got myself a broken ankle from the falling rig?”

She gave a rueful half-smile. “Seems like a pretty steep price for a performance, doesn’t it? If I wanted to fake it, wouldn’t it have been easier to just stand back and shout for you to move with your fans?”

Isabella and her fans stiffened.

But Isabella—ever the actress—kept her perfect smile. “Emily, you misunderstood me. That’s not—”

One of Isabella’s fans muttered angrily, “What’s that supposed to mean? Is she trying to throw shade at us?”

Emily squeezed her eyes shut against the throbbing pain in her ankle, forcing her voice to remain steady. “If there weren’t security cameras, I’d have no way to prove myself, would I?”

She looked straight at Isabella. “Right, Ms. Austin? The footage should show me reaching for you that first time, and you shoving my hand away.”

Isabella opened her mouth, her expression helpless and innocent. “No, I was just panicking. That’s all—”

Arianna George’s sharp gaze flicked back and forth between the two women. At forty-something, she’d seen more than enough to recognize something wasn’t right in this scene.

She frowned, watching as his hand inched closer to her swollen ankle. Her voice was low, warning. “Andrew Lane, don’t push your luck.”

His fingertips barely grazed her leg before he looked up, meeting her eyes with a cold, impassive stare, then turning his attention back to her ankle.

“It’s definitely broken,” he said briskly. “I’ll get an orthopedic specialist from the hospital. You’ll need to rest. I’ll arrange for someone to help you.”

Emily eyed him warily, her tone cool. “That won’t be necessary, Mr. Lane. I can manage.”

Isabella’s heart skipped—did that accident just awaken some protective instinct in Andrew for Emily?

She called softly, “Andrew…”

He simply acknowledged her with a brief “Yeah,” and returned to Isabella’s side.

His tone brooked no argument. “You got hurt because of Isabella. That means you’re owed responsibility. I’ll handle your medical bills and compensation. Since you’re a senior in high school, if you need to reach me, I’ll coordinate with your teachers. I don’t want your studies interrupted.”