The Forbidden Throb (Emma and Daniel) novel Chapter 102

Chapter 102

Eve’s POV:

Emma bit her lip, clearly debating whether to share.

Then, in a rush: “There was this dress. My ex-boyfriend gave it to me about two years ago. It was beautiful. White silk, hand-embroidered, just… perfect.”

She hesitated, her fingers tracing the rim of her coffee cup. “Things you’ve worn, it doesn’t feel right to give them back. At least find out what it’s worth and pay him back for it. I don’t want to give him ammunition if he ever decides to pull something like what your ex is doing.”

Relief flooded through me. Her ex-boyfriend. Not Daniel. For a moment there, I’d been bracing myself for something far more complicated.

“Well,” I said, relaxing back into my seat, “you’re in luck. My family’s been in fashion design for three generations. If you can describe it, I can probably give you a ballpark estimate.”

“Really?” Emma’s expression brightened slightly. “That would actually help a lot.”

“Of course. Tell me about it-style, fabric, any distinctive details you remember.”

Emma’s eyes grew distant, clearly pulling up the memory.

“It was white silk-the kind that has a subtle sheen to it. The cut was… classical, almost timeless. Long sleeves, fitted through the bodice and then flowing from the waist. But the really stunning part was the embroidery.”

Her voice softened with what sounded like genuine appreciation. “Delicate floral patterns along the neckline and cuffs, done in white thread so it was almost invisible unless you looked closely. And the back…” She paused. “The back had this intricate vine design that ran down the spine. branches spreading out across the shoulders. It must have taken someone weeks to complete.*

With each detail, something cold was settling in my chest.

“The silk,” I heard myself ask, my voice sounding distant. “Was it dupioni? With that slight irregular texture?

“Exactly.” Emma was staring at me now, confusion evident in her expression. “Eve, how do

you know

Because I asked my mother to make it.

The realization hit me like a physical blow.

Six months of work. Daniel came to the studio every two weeks, examining each modification with that intense focus he brought to everything. How he’d rejected four different shades of white silk before finding the one that caught the light properly.”

And that six-figure “commission he’d paid me the one that had launched my career.

So the dress had ultimately been delivered through Nicholas’s hands a gift from her boyfriend, when in reality it had been commissioned by the man who’d been secretly in love with her all along.

8:47 am P

Chapter 102

The pieces finally clicked into place. Emma was the woman in the photograph in Daniel’s wallet. The complex triangle of relationships. Danie years of silent longing. And now, somehow, he’d gotten what he wanted-Emma was his wife.

Part

happy for him. After all that waiting, all that restraint, he’d ended up with the woman he loved.

t of me bristled at his methods. They were married now, for God’s sake. Didn’t Emma deserve to know the truth?

ghing whether to tell her.

an outsider here. That was between him and his wife.

La mess.

my expression into something reassuring. “It sounds lovely,” I said carefully. “But honestly? Good craftsmanship, certainly, but not the of thing you need to lose sleep over. You can afford it.”

le relief that flooded Emma’s face was immediate and profound.

Thank you, Eve. You have no idea how much that helps.”

Guilt twisted in my chest, but I pushed it down. Instead, I leaned forward slightly, trying to keep my tone casual.

“But… what made you decide to get married so suddenly? *

Emma hesitated, her fingers tightening around her coffee cup. “My grandmother,” she said finally. “She’s not well. And she… she really wanted to see me settled before…” She trailed off, then added quickly, “And my husband is a good man. He is willing to help me.”

I blinked. “That’s why you married him? Because he’s a good man?”

My mind was reeling. Who marries someone just to be nice? Who sees a girl in need and thinks, ‘Sure, I’ll legally bind myself to her for life as a

charitable act’?

The words were right there on my tongue: *He’s been in love with you for years.

But Emma was speaking again, her voice soft.

“I know how it sound

realize that’s pro

*

be he had feelings for me.” She let out a small, self-conscious laugh. But then

“Even if th

As sh

family we’re building.

sing against flushed cheeks.

falling for him, maybe had been for a while. She just didn’t know if he felt the saine

ut really care about him, don’t you?:

idn’t deny it.

8:47 am P

Chapter 102

I took a breath, choosing my words carefully. “Emma, trust me on this-your husband definitely has feelings for you. A man doesn’t mar

meone just to be polite, no matter how well-bred he is.”

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