My Great Escape Led Me to You (Emily Blair) novel Chapter 441

Emily Blair flicked the droplets from her fingertips straight onto Tristan Davis’s face and scowled. “Don’t stand so close.”

Tristan tried to dodge, but she still managed to splash him.

Wiping the water from his cheek, Tristan leaned in, peering at her with a half-grin. “Wow, you’re in a mood tonight. Didn’t even get a chance to say much before you got physical.”

Emily set the bowl in the sink and shot him a sidelong glance. “If you’re so free, why don’t you wash the dishes for me?”

Tristan rolled up his sleeves without hesitation. “Of course. It’s the least I can do, after eating your family’s delicious dessert.”

Emily scrubbed her hands clean and stepped aside, making room for him at the sink. Tristan slid in next to her, picking up a bowl and washing it with practiced ease.

She crossed her arms and watched him like a hawk at first, her eyes following his every movement. She couldn’t help but notice how long and elegant his fingers were, the joints clearly defined, his skin almost porcelain-pale under the running water. His hands seemed even more striking in the soft kitchen light, and before she knew it, she was staring, her mind drifting elsewhere.

Tristan’s voice sounded distant, muffled, as if coming from the other side of a thick wall. “You keep saying you’re not upset, but—”

The truth was, Emily’s mood had been awful all night. If she was honest, her whole day had been overshadowed by it.

On this same date, in what felt like another lifetime, she’d been trapped inside The Lane Estate, six months pregnant. Locked away in a tiny room meant for the help, she’d sat in the dark, secretly downloading her exam admission ticket from a website on her phone. She’d spent the entire day trying not to draw attention, hardly saying a word, agreeing to whatever anyone else said, and heading to bed early just to avoid notice.

But at three in the morning, she’d lain awake, clutching her phone and a wad of cash, heart pounding. She slipped out of bed as quietly as she could.

The whole estate was so silent, she thought she could hear her own heartbeat echo in the halls. Emily crept along barefoot—she hadn’t dared put on shoes for fear of making a sound—her feet freezing against the cold floor.

Her room was on the ground floor, one of the servants’ quarters, not far from the main entrance.

Using the faint glow from her phone to guide her, Emily tiptoed to the front door, gripping the handle and easing it down as slowly as possible.

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