He Dumped Me, Now He Begs for Me

Chapter 1

Eight years after their divorce, Emily Johnson saw her ex-husband again at the airport.

If she remembered correctly, today was the day of his engagement.

Liam Carter had a cigarette clamped between his lips, the smoke he exhaled drifting through the air. He wore a dark burgundy suit today, and the iris embroidered with gold thread on his chest shimmered in the sunlight.

In her memory, his wardrobe had never had anything but black suits.

"Get in the car."

That familiar voice washed over her, and for a moment, she was transported back to the old days.

The car cruised smoothly toward the Carter family estate.

The two of them didn't exchange a single word the whole ride.

Finally, Liam spoke first. "My mom told me to come pick you up. Don't get the wrong idea."

Emily nodded. "I know."

Liam furrowed his brow slightly, as if dissatisfied with her answer.

"How have you been all these years abroad?"

Emily answered him just as coolly and calmly, "Not bad."

His searching gaze locked onto her. After a long moment, he spoke in a low, deep voice.

"Emily, don't you think coming back now is too late?"

Emily did not understand what he meant. After a pause, she asked, "Is it?"

For a moment, the atmosphere in the car dropped to freezing point. Emily simply continued watching the scenery outside the window.

The car pulled steadily up to the hillside villa. No sooner had she gotten out than her old childhood friends swarmed over, chattering and surrounding both of them.

"Emily, you've finally decided to come back! We're all here to welcome you. We haven't seen you at all since you and Liam got divorced."

"Emily, you have no idea, the woman getting engaged to Liam is some i********: influencer, and she's got all sorts of sneaky tricks. You have to watch out."

"No matter how many tricks she has, can she compare to the mutual affection that once existed between the perfect couple? You two got divorced over a misunderstanding. If you ask me, you should just get back together and walk down the aisle again!"

Before Emily could say anything, Liam stepped in first and shooed this bunch of useless friends away.

He took the suitcase from her hand and walked toward the house.

Emily followed close behind him. The furnishings in the living room were exactly the same as when she left the country—nothing had changed at all.

"Thanks." Emily's voice was cool and distant, as if the man standing in front of her was nothing more than an ordinary business partner.

Liam lifted his head, his deep gaze fixed on her. "Emily, what exactly did you come back for this time?"

Emily's hand, reaching to take the suitcase back from him, paused. Only a second later, a polite smile touched her lips.

"Mr. Carter, I came back to seek a partnership. I hope that the jade mined by Carter Group can be supplied to my jewelry design company."

Hearing her address him so formally, Liam pressed his thin lips into a tight line, then gave a cold sneer. "Emily, you won't even admit what you really feel."

Hardly had he finished speaking when his mother, Nora Carter, stepped in from the balcony into the living room and gave his shoulder a light slap.

"Hey! Mind your manners! "

With that, Nora stepped forward, raised her hand to stroke Emily's hair, her eyes glistening slightly with tears.

"My girl, you've finally come home."

Emily moved her lips, and after careful consideration, she said, "Mrs. Carter..."

Hearing this unfamiliar address, Nora froze for a moment. Half in rebuke and half in fondness, she said, "Why are you calling me Mrs. Carter? You still call me Mom!

"Even though you and Liam got divorced, you grew up by my side since you were little. You will always be my daughter.

"You even said on the phone that you were going to rent a place after coming back. Absolutely not! You will stay right here in this house, with me."

A warm current flowed through Emily's heart. When she was eight years old, an accident left her orphaned. It was Nora who took the helpless girl back to the Carter family and raised her as Liam's future wife.

No matter what period it was—before her marriage to Liam, during their marriage, and even after their divorce—Nora had always loved her as if she were her own biological daughter.

Emily nodded and called out, "Mom."

Just then, someone entered the house—people heard her voice before they saw her—"Honey, I haven't seen you all day. I've missed you so much!" A woman stepped forward, clinging to Liam's arm, and cooed, "My birthday's coming up. Let's grab some French cuisine."

When Nora saw her, she immediately turned her face away, clearly unable to stand this cutesy, over-the-top act. Catching Emily standing awkwardly in place out of the corner of her eye, she had no choice but to make introductions.

"This is... Liam's fiancée, Sophia Miller."

Emily smiled cordially and said, "Hello, Mrs. Carter."

Mrs. Carter.. Liam's expression shifted, and he froze in place.

Sophia cracked a smile, stepped forward, and hugged Emily while pretending to be close. "There's no need to be so formal! We've met before, don't you remember? It doesn't matter. We'll be family from now on, won't we, Liam?"

Liam collected himself, let out a grunt of acknowledgment, then dotingly tapped the tip of Sophia's nose.

"You said you wanted to go eat French food. Let's go."

Liam's voice was unbelievably soft and tender.

Watching the two walk away, a thought crossed Emily's mind: Liam seemed to have really changed...

In her memory, he was a golden boy—from a good family, exceptionally handsome, and a business genius. His life has been steeped almost entirely in the admiration of others.

She had never seen Liam show patience toward anyone, except when it came to work.

Back when they were still married, Liam had always been indifferent, showing no interest in anything.

In their five years of marriage, he had never once celebrated her birthday, let alone taken her out for a romantic French dinner.

He always said that it was a waste of his time.

Looking back now, she was the one who'd been wasting his time.

Emily noticed a patch of soft, pale pink roses in the back garden. She heard from the Carter estate's maid that Liam had personally arranged them overnight in preparation for his engagement.

She thought back to when she was planning their wedding, when she had asked him what style he preferred.

He never even lifted his head and only said, "Whatever, you decide."

Back then, Emily had held her glowing, passionate heart out to him, time and time again, only to have it doused, over and over, by his cold, indifferent gaze.

Now... Sophia had easily gotten everything she'd once longed for and never received.

But fortunately, she had long let it go. Her love had finally been reciprocated by someone else.

After the divorce, Emily left the country heartbroken and completely demoralized and developed severe depression there.

Later, she met her current husband. He completely healed her with his love and enthusiasm and stayed by her side to help her walk out of the darkness.

He helped her learn to love again.