In the days that followed, Tyler had completely forgotten that Emma even existed. He didn't call, nor did he give her any tasks. There wasn't even so much as a half-hearted "hello".

Emma went through her recovery alone and checked herself out of the hospital.

She went to the villa where it all began and stayed behind closed doors, waiting in silence for her last task to come.

…

That night, a storm raged outside. Emma turned off the lights and had just laid down when she heard frantic footsteps from downstairs.

Her guard went up as she got to her feet. The moment she opened the door, a tall figure stumbled into her, reeking of alcohol.

Out of reflex, she caught him as he staggered into her. "Tyler?"

He was drunk, leaning into her with his forehead pressed to her shoulder. His hot breath brushed against her neck, and he slipped his arms around her waist, just like he used to.

He mumbled, "Stay still. Let me hold you."

It was an embrace she knew all too well. Memories of the nights he pulled her close and the way he clung to her when he was drunk came rushing back to her mind, threatening to drown her.

Emma pushed Tyler away with much difficulty. "You've been drinking too much again. I'll take you back to your room."

He suddenly cupped her face and kissed her. His breath was heavy with alcohol, but the kiss was so gentle that it made her forget everything else.

His lips brushed against hers, his tongue tracing the shape of her mouth. It felt just the way he always did it when things became heated—slow, intense, and affectionate.

Emma spaced out for a moment. Her mind drifted back to their first kiss on the villa's terrace. The night breeze had been cool as Tyler held her chin and said, "Close your eyes."

She recalled how he stayed up all night when she had a fever, eventually leaning in to kiss her burning forehead.

She thought about how he would kiss her just like this every time he came back from a trip and mutter, "I missed you."

A moment later, she snapped back to reality and turned away from his kiss, her voice quivering. "Let go."

Tyler already had Janice, so why was he still doing this to her?

His eyes were glazed over from the alcohol as his fingers lightly brushed over Emma's trembling lips. "You always liked it when I kissed you like this. Why are you turning away?"

She felt a pang in her chest. "Janice is back. You shouldn't be doing this to me."

He chuckled, swaying as he leaned in for another kiss. "Janice? Aren't you Janice? I missed you so badly while you were abroad. I even found someone who reminded me of you. Did you know that?"

The words hit Emma like an ice-cold dagger straight to the heart. It turned out that he had mistaken her for Janice again.

Emma felt a chill run through her spine. She was about to break free from his embrace when the door suddenly opened.

Standing in the doorway, Janice was drenched from head to toe, her face drained of color.

"Tyler!"

She looked at Tyler and Emma wrapped up in each other's arms, and her eyes welled up with tears instantly. "What are you two doing?"

Tyler jolted upright like someone had thrown cold water on him. He practically threw Emma off him, tripping over his own feet in his rush to Janice. "It's not what you think, Janice."

Emma slammed into the wall, a sharp pain exploding at the back of her head. Warm blood ran down her temple, but she felt nothing. All she could do was watch Tyler frantically reach for Janice's hand.

The man who was always so composed and proud was now stumbling over his words. "I got the wrong person. I thought she was you. I'm seriously wasted. I didn't mean to."

Janice was shaking with sobs. "You mistook her for me? I've been back for so long. How could you possibly still mistake her for me? You're in love with her, aren't you?"

Tyler suddenly raised his voice, the veins bulging along his neck. "That's impossible. During all those years without you, I only managed to hold on by pretending that she was you."

He pulled Janice into his arms. "She was only a substitute. How could she ever replace you?"

Each word cut deeper than the last, leaving Emma's heart bleeding raw.

She watched Janice throw herself into Tyler's arms and listened as he spoke to her in a soft, pleading tone. "I never had feelings for her. She was just a shadow of you, and now she's only my bodyguard. Don't you know how much I care about you?"

As the storm pounded against the windows, Emma turned without a word and walked back to her room. She closed the door, slid down to the floor, and hugged her knees to her chest.

What hurt the most wasn't that he saw her as a substitute, but rather that he had admitted it. All along, he had been seeing someone else every time he looked at her.

Emma was up early the next morning, packing her things. She didn't want to take a single piece of clothing Tyler had bought for her, so she decided to buy a few new outfits before leaving.

At the mall, she stood before a fitting room mirror. The blue dress made her look ethereal, and the gathered waist made her look even more delicate.

A sales associate watched from nearby, visibly in awe. "This dress looks great on you. Would you like me to pack this for you?"

Emma was about to say something when a sweet, delicate voice came from behind her. "Look at this dress, Tyler. I love it."

She froze for a moment as she caught sight of Janice in the mirror, clinging to Tyler's arm as they walked over.

He glanced at the dress Emma was wearing and turned to the sales associate. "Get me the same one."

The sales associate lowered her head. "Sorry, sir. This is a limited edition. It's the last one we have in stock."

Tyler furrowed his brows and turned to Janice. "Let's look at something else. I'll get you something better."

Janice pouted and clung to his arm, whining playfully, "No. I want this one."

A heavy silence fell in the store. Tyler paused, then looked at Emma. "Take it off, Emma."

His reply was short and stripped of all warmth.

Emma met his eyes and calmly asked, "Are you sure you want to use your 100th favor on something this trivial, Mr. Manning?"

Tyler knitted his brows together. "What 100th favor?"

Emma didn't bother to explain but pressed further. "Are you sure you want me to take it off?"

Tyler's voice was cold. "Absolutely."

She spun around and stepped into the fitting room. But when she was about to change back into her own clothes, she found that they were gone.

She figured out who was behind it right away. Taking a breath, she walked out in just a strappy top.

Tyler's expression hardened the moment his gaze landed on Emma's bare shoulders. "How could you?"

He yanked off his tailored suit jacket and rushed over, wrapping her tightly in it. The expensive suit jacket carried his signature cedar scent, but nothing could mask the fury in his voice. "I told you to take the dress off, not walk out half-naked."

He snapped over his shoulder, "Face the other way. Do you want me to rip your eyes out?"

The bodyguards quickly turned their backs, holding their breath. Emma saw the anger in Tyler's eyes, and her mind drifted back to that night three years ago.

Back then, she had worn a backless dress to a formal dinner with Tyler. The moment another man had stared a little too long, Tyler's expression had soured, and he had hauled her straight back to his penthouse suite.

Emma had spent nearly the whole week in bed, and he had even fed her in his lap.

Was he seriously still jealous after everything?

She calmly replied, "Ms. Garner had my clothes taken away. I didn't have anything else to wear, so I had no choice but to come out like this."

Janice's eyes turned misty. "That's nonsense. I've been with Tyler the entire time. How could I have done something like that?"

Looking hurt, she bit her lower lip. "If you didn't want to take it off, then you shouldn't have. Why twist the story and make me look like the bad guy?"

Tyler's gaze sharpened as he clamped down on Emma's wrist. His grip was so strong that it left red marks on her skin. "Did I not make myself clear, Emma? The only reason I treated you well was because you look like Janice. But now that she's back, you're just a bodyguard. So start acting like one."

His grip could have crushed her bones, but she didn't even blink.

He fixed his eyes on her, his fingers gradually tightening around her wrist. "Apologize to Janice right now, or you can forget about keeping the jacket."

Tension hung heavy in the air. Emma slowly lifted her gaze, her eyes disturbingly calm. "I did nothing wrong."

Her graceful fingers rested on the buttons on Tyler's jacket, undoing them one by one. As the jacket slipped off, Tyler's pupils shrank in an instant. Did she really just do that?

He called out, "Emma!"

But she had already spun on her heels and walked away. Her slender frame was unyielding, and every step she took was filled with quiet resolve, as if nothing in the world could make her turn back.

Tyler just stood there, watching as Emma walked away without looking back. A wave of dread washed over him like never before.

He instinctively started to go after her, but Janice's soft hand gently held him back.

Janice looked up, her face pale as a sheet and her voice soft and gentle. "You should go after her, Tyler. She's been with you for so many years. You can't just let her walk out like that. Our trip can wait."

He couldn't take his eyes off Emma's fading silhouette. It felt as if something was tightening around his chest.

Yet, he suppressed his unease and said sharply, "Forget about her."

When he shifted his gaze back to Janice, his expression was calm once more. "She's clearly out of line, so she doesn't get to join us on the trip. Let her stay home and think things through."

With that, he took out his phone and called Keith Hartman, his assistant. "Get the private jet ready. Janice and I are leaving right now."

…

Meanwhile, as Emma made her way through the mall, she drew stares and hushed whispers as people pointed her way. Some even tried to sneak photos with their phones.

Wearing only a strappy top, she headed out of the mall, her forehead bruised and her gaze steely. Everything about her suggested there was more beneath the surface.

But she wasn't the least bit flustered. She walked with quiet strength, her eyes unwavering, as if the chaos around her had nothing to do with her.

She went to another store and grabbed a plain white tee and a pair of jeans. After changing into them, she paid and left without a word.

Now that she had finally done 100 things for Tyler, it was time to walk away.

When she returned home, her phone buzzed with a message from him. "I'm taking Janice to Solara Bay, and we'll be back in a week. Stay home and think about what you've done. I want to hear you apologize when I get back."

Emma laughed as she read the message. There was nothing for her to reflect on, and she had no reason to apologize.

By the time Tyler returned, he would realize that the obedient "bodyguard" who used to follow his every word had vanished without a trace.

Besides, her identity as an undercover police officer was classified. No matter how influential he was, he wouldn't be able to track her down.

Emma glanced at her phone with a detached look, thinking Tyler wouldn't even care enough to search for her.

Without hesitation, she cut off all contact with him, grabbed her suitcase, and headed out the door.

She didn't leave a note, nor did she spare a final glance at the place she had called home for three years. The soft click of the door felt like the end of everything.

From this moment on, she was just Emma. She was done being a shadow of someone else and playing the role of a bodyguard.