The Forbidden Throb (Emma and Daniel) novel Chapter 136

Chapter 136

Emma’s POV:

The keycard beeped. The handle turned.

I looked up as Daniel stepped through the doorway, tiny droplets of Paris rain caught in his dark hair, speckling the shoulders of his charcoal

cashmere coat.

His eyes found mine immediately, then dropped to the drawing in my hands, to the scattered contents of his bag.

His entire body went rigid. One hand still gripped the door handle, knuckles white.

For a moment, neither of us moved. The heating system hummed. Outside, car horns echoed through the winter streets.

Then he stepped inside, letting the door click shut behind him. “Emma—”

The drawing crumpled slightly in my grip as I searched his face.

“It was you,” I whispered. My voice came out smaller than I intended. “You’re D, aren’t you? The one who’s been… all along.

The question didn’t need an answer. I could see it in the way his shoulders tensed, in the muscle that jumped in his jaw, in the way his hand tightened on the door handle until his knuckles went white.

He was already moving forward, one hand extended. “Let me explain-”

“Why didn’t you tell me? All this time-” My voice cracked.

Daniel exhaled slowly, his hand falling back to his side. “So you remember.” It wasn’t a question. His eyes searched mine with something that looked almost like resignation. “Everything?”

I clutched the drawing tighter, my throat burning. “Your arm and abdomen… that day. You hit the rocks.”

The memory crystallized with painful clarity-red blooming in the water, his face white with pain as the paramedics loaded him into the ambulance. “Are you okay? Did it-did it heal properly?”

The words felt absurd the moment they left my mouth. Too late. Years of him carrying that scar while I’d forgotten hum complete, forgottư the boy who d risked himself to save me.

Guilt crashed over me in waves. My throat constricted. I should have-I should have asked this years age. You were hurt because at me, and I just… forgot.”

“It’s fine. His voice was too casual, too controlled Nothing serious

“Liar.” The word came out choked. Heat prickled behind my eyes. I saw it last night the scar on your left side, below your ribs That’s from the rocks, isn’t it? When you I pressed my hand against my mouth, trying to steady my breathing When you saved me

Something flickered across his face surprise, maybe, that Id noticed that Id remembered

Chapter 136

It’s just a scar, Emma His voice softened One that carries a good memory.”

A good memory? I stared at him, incredulous. You almost-

But I didn’t. He took a small step closer, and this time I didn’t retreat. And you were safe. That’s all that mattered

My chest tightened. Then why hide it? Why not just… tell me?”

Daniel’s jaw worked for a moment before he answered.

“I didn’t hide it intentionally. Not at first. He paused, his gaze dropping to the drawing in my hands. “When you moved to Boston, when I saw you again-you didn’t remember me.”

His voice grew quieter. And by then, you were Nicholas’s girlfriend. Telling you all of this back then wouldn’t have served any purpose. It would only have… complicated things for you. Added another burden you didn’t need.”

The words hit me like a physical blow. I could picture it-how strange that would have been, how invasive.

‘So I did what I could,” he continued, his eyes meeting mine again. “Help you quietly, from a distance. I just wanted one of the few good friends from my childhood memories to… to have a better life.”

The words settled over me like a warm blanket, and for a moment, the anger receded, replaced by a rush of tenderness that made my chest

ache.

Friend

I blinked, the word snagging on something in my mind. “Wait.” I tilted my head, studying his face. “Friend?”

His brow furrowed slightly. “Yes?”

Heat crept up my neck, but I pushed forward anyway. “So you’re saying you weren’t- I gestured vaguely between us, feeling increasingly foolish. ‘I mean, in all those TV dramas, the guy who saves the girl as a kid is always secretly in love with her the whole time. You’re telling me

that wasn t…?”

Daniel’s expression shifted. The corner of his mouth twitched, and then-impossibly-a soft laugh escaped him. It was quiet, almost surprised, as if he hadn’t meant to let it out.

“No, Emma.” His eyes held a glimmer of amusement as he looked at me, standing there clutching that ridiculous cravon drawing. I wasn’t quite that precocious. My main concerns were medical textbooks and avoiding my father’s expectations, not. He shook his head, the ghost of a smile still playing at his lips. Not romance.”

But then his expression shifted, the amusement fading into something more serious, more wistful Though perhaps if I’d been a bit more emotionally aware back then, we wouldn’t have missed so many years

The weight of those words hung between us.

His gaze held mine, steady and intent, and suddenly the air in the room felt too warm, too close. I looked down at the drawing in my hands, at the two stick figures on the beach, my cheeks burning.

Chapter 136

So… I forced myself to meet his eyes again, even as my heart hammered against my ribs. When did you I mean, when did it become more than just wanting to help an old friend?”

Daniel was quiet for a long moment, his brow furrowing slightly as if the question had caught him off guard. I’m not sure I can pinpoint an exact moment, he said finally, his voice careful. It wasn’t sudden. It was…” He paused, searching for words. Gradual. Like realizing you ve been walking in one direction for so long that you can’t remember when you started.”

His eyes grew distant, remembering. “When I saw you again at BU, I told myself I was just… checking in. Making sure you were settling in okay. But then I’d find myself looking for you on campus. My eyes would track you in a crowd longer than they should have. His jaw tightened. “Longer than was appropriate, given the circumstances.”

The implications hit me like cold water. “Wait.” My voice came out strangled. “You mean… when Nicholas and I were together? You were

already-

I couldn’t finish the sentence.

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