You Are the Cinnabar in My Heart

No Need to Pretend Anymore

After closing the door, Emma Wilson's face swiftly changed from tender to venomous. She glanced at the adjacent room's open door, walked over with curiosity, but found a cleaner tidying up.

The shocking bloodstains on the floor stretched from the room to the bathroom. Emma immediately thought of the shattered ashtray; there was no blood when she left. Could the blood be... Lily's?

The moment Emma walked in, she adopted a worried look, "Ma'am, where are the people from this room? My friend and her husband argued and stayed here. Ah! Blood! Did something happen to my friend?"

"I don't know, I was just told to clean here," the cleaner glanced at her indifferently and continued her work.

"I see, I'll make a call to check, thank you."

Emma left the room and took the elevator straight down to the basement where her car was parked. It was only then that she took out her phone and called Lily.

It took a while for the other side to pick up. Without waiting for a response, Emma hurriedly began, "Lily, where are you?"

Lily was awakened by Emma's call, and the pain that enveloped her body rushed back, along with the terrifying ordeal with James Carter flooding into her mind.

Her mind quickly pieced together the events. Initially, she received a call from Emma asking her to bring a set of clothes to the Golden Bay Hotel because Emma had dirtied hers at work. When she got to the room, Emma handed her a glass of water before going to change.

After drinking the water, she felt dizzy and then passed out. Upon waking up, she found herself undressed by Mark Johnson and nearly violated, but she managed to resist fiercely and avoid his advances.

Later, she vaguely saw James burst in and beat Mark Johnson up while Emma entered from outside. Then both she and Mark were kicked out by James, and she had no idea how long James tormented her after.

Now, waking up at home, she assumed it must have been James who brought her back.

"Lily? Are you listening?" Emma's voice was filled with anxiety on the phone.

"Where exactly are you? And what's going on with you and Mark Johnson? I came out after changing, and you were asleep. My colleague came looking for documents, so I went down to give them to her. In a while, James came looking furious, saying you betrayed him. I didn't believe it. We had just met, and when I opened the door, I saw Mark pressing you down on the bed, nearly..."

"Lily, please tell me, what exactly is going on?! Did you and Mark Johnson..."

"No need to pretend anymore, Emma," Lily said coldly.

Piecing everything together, she knew it all – it was a trap set by Emma.

How could it be such a coincidence that the clothes were dirty, and she was asked to bring them to a hotel instead of the office? After drinking the water Emma gave her, she fell unconscious, why would Mark Johnson be in the room for no reason? And Emma already knew that James had an important meeting today; how could he possibly appear at the hotel if it wasn't deliberate?

All these signs, if not indicating she had been set up, would mean she was a fool.

"Lily, what are you talking about? Pretend what?" Emma was taken aback for a moment before feigning injury.

"Emma, you orchestrated all of this, didn't you? All for James, right? They say beware of fire, theft, and the so-called best friend. I was a fool to never doubt you before."

"I can't believe it, Emma, this is how you treat me!"