Open Marriage, Broken Promises: When Love Turns to Ashes novel Chapter 28

Margaret tried to stop them, but the doctor held her back.

With a sigh, he said, "James's condition isn't something medicine can fix. The only cure for him… is Emily."

Margaret clenched her fists but had no choice but to let them go.

Emily didn't take James anywhere fancy—they really did go back to their old school.

Winter was approaching, and the ginkgo leaves had fallen from the trees, forming waves of golden yellow.

Back in school, she used to love stepping on the leaves, listening to the soft crunching sound they made.

James would follow her, stepping on them too. He used to say, "Emily, Emily, you're like a tall tree, and I'm the breeze that can take you on adventures. That's why we were destined to be together from the start."

But he forgot—it's the leaves that get carried away by the wind.

The tree stays rooted, standing tall and unmoving.

That was a metaphor for their relationship. She stayed grounded, while he drifted, carrying different leaves into his colorful world.

The two of them walked to the bridge where they had first confessed their feelings. Emily took out the carved gold scepters that Alex had given her.

"This is from Alex," she said softly.

Hearing the name, James stiffened. "What... what does he mean by giving you this?"

Another Scepter.

Did it mean the same thing as before?

Emily looked him straight in the eye. "No. He gave it to me to celebrate my new beginning."

With that, she let go of the Scepter, and it fell into the lake with a soft splash, blending into the green water.

James' eyes lit up. "Are you saying..."

That she didn't want a new beginning? That she wanted to get back together with him?

Emily shook her head. "I don't see the Scepter as a symbol of a new beginning. To me, it's just a part of the past."

Breaking it meant she was finally breaking free from the nightmare.

Even if it hadn't broken, it wouldn't have stopped her from moving forward.

James' face turned pale as her meaning became clear.

He couldn't hold back anymore and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"Is there really no chance?"

"No."

She looked at him, her gaze gentle and clear, without resentment. "James, I don't hate you anymore, but I also won't be with you again."

In the moment he saved her, she had felt a sincerity she hadn't seen in a long time.

She believed James had truly loved her once.

But love couldn't erase the harm he had caused.

So, they could never go back to how things were.

James' eyes reddened. He lowered his head, taking a few deep breaths before saying, "I understand."

He had thought that pretending to lose his memory and acting weak would win Emily's sympathy.

But she saw through his cheap tricks immediately.

She brought him back to where they started, to say a proper goodbye to the past, giving him one last shred of dignity.

James smiled bitterly. "I'll arrange the divorce papers."

This time, he didn't cling or beg. This was what she wanted, and it was the last thing he could do for her.

James held a press conference.

In front of the reporters, he admitted to his infidelity.