I Swear I Still Hate Him (Atlas Lawson) novel Chapter 162

Chapter 162

Emery’s POV

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I wasn’t stupid or naive enough to just brush off that sudden video leak at Dad and Daisy’s wedding.

I mean… Atlas and I were finally taking a real step forward, and then boom, a video pops up out of nowhere and exposes our secret relationship to not just family, but basically everyone at the wedding. Like the universe couldn’t let me have one good thing without setting it on fire.

My first thought was Laila. And honestly, I wasn’t thinking straight. I was confused, guilty, sad, and pissed. I needed someone to blame, and she was right there. The closest target. But as I got older and had more time to actually breathe and think, I realized how shaky that was.

Because it didn’t make sense.

Laila wasn’t some tech genius. She wasn’t the type to pull off a mass send to over a hundred wedding guests in one shot. And even if she paid someone to do it… Laila was buried in school, stressed about money, stressed about life. She wasn’t out here funding a whole operation just to drop an Atlas-and-Emery makeout video like it was a reality show finale. And even if she didn’t

approve of what Atlas and I were doing… There was no way she’d go that far.

No way.

What hurt the most was that my outburst cost me her.

A real friend.

And when I tried to fix what I’d broken, I never got the chance. Laila’s family moved to Mexico the next month, and that was the last time I saw her, eyes glossy, face tight with hurt… because of me. That guilt sat in my chest for years. So yeah… maybe it was guilt. Maybe it was anger. Maybe it was both. But one day woke up, and I couldn’t take not knowing anymore. I had to be sure. I had to find the real person who blew up my life and then walked away like nothing happened.

And I did.

Because the internet is huge, but it’s not magic. People leave trails. Metadata. Accounts. Devices. And no matter how careful someone thinks they’re being… something always slips.

I hired a cybersecurity guy, an actual digital forensics consultant not some “my cousin knows computers” situation. Paid him cash, told him exactly what I needed: trace the original source of the upload and the device that sent it out.

A few days later, he sent me the results. The video had been blasted from a burner number, registered under a fake name.

Ricky Jones.

Never heard it in my life. But the deeper we dug, the uglier it go Because the burner wasn’t just random. It was linked, through a chain of logins and a shared cloud account, to someone I did recognize.

Someone I trusted.

Someone I had once tried to see as a mother.

Daisy Lawson.

Daisy had sent the video.

She ruined a special night. Broke her son’s heart, and mine. Cost me my best friend. And yeah… in a way, it cost me swimming too. Cost me the version of myself that still believed happy endings.

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15:40 Fri, Mar 6 A M

Chapter 162

I saw red.

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I was shaking with it. Sick with it. So I did what any angry, heartbroken idiot would do, I booked the first flight to California, straight from Paris, with one goal in mind. To ask her one question.

Why?

Because there were a million other ways to handle it. I got it, she had every right to be upset that her son and his soon-to-be stepsister were sneaking around. She could’ve been confused, hurt, disgusted, whatever. But there were grown-up ways to deal with that. She chose the cruel one.

When I got to the house, the butler opened the door, and his eyes widened like I was a ghost.

“Miss Emery,” he said, clearly surprised.

I forced my tone to stay polite. None of this was his fault. “Is Daily home?”

“Yes,” he answered quickly. “She’s at the gazebo.”

“Thank you.”

I walked in with purpose. Heart racing. Jaw clenched. Ready to finally put Daisy in her place. And then I got close enough to see the gazebo. Daisy was there.

So was my dad.

They were dancing. Laughing. Holding each other like the world was soft and safe and nothing bad could ever touch them.

So in love.

I stopped dead.

My chest went heavy.

Because how the hell was I supposed to break my dad’s heart?

I knew Rory better than anyone. If I told him Daisy did it, he’d leave her immediately. And then he’d do what he always did: slap a smile on his face for my sake while he quietly fell apart inside. I couldn’t do that to him. And not just my dad… Atlas too. He would blame himself. He’d carry that guilt like a punishment. Like he deserved it. And he’d never stop.

“Emery?” Daisy’s voice called out, snapping me back.

She rushed over and hugged me like she hadn’t been the one who detonated my life. Like she was thrilled to see me.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

Before I could answer, Dad’s voice came in warm and surprised

“We didn’t know you were coming, honey,” he said, pulling me to a hug.

I held on for a second longer than usual, stealing strength from Then I pulled back and put on the best fake smile I had.

“Yeah,” I said lightly, “I thought I’d come surprise you”

“Oh, that’s so sweet, honey,” Daisy said, linking her arm through mine and tugging me closer like we were best friends. “Let’s have the cook make your favorite meal, and you can tell us all al but Paris.”

And I smiled.

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