Chapter 9: The Night I Can’t Undo
1696 Words
“I never thought you’d actually come,” Caleb Han grinned, giving Emily a playful nudge. “You look... wow. You look amazing without those glasses.”
Emily gave a polite smile. The company-wide celebration had brought out employees from every department—developers, UI designers, admin staff, and even Isaac himself, the ever-elusive CEO.
The atmosphere was electric—music, laughter, and glasses clinking in toasts. Emily stood near the refreshment table, awkwardly holding her drink, trying to look invisible.
Until she wasn’t.
“Come on, just one shot!” Jayden Wu said, handing her a small glass of golden liquor.
She hesitated. Then shrugged. Why not?
The first sip burned, but the warmth that followed made her feel light. So she had another. And another. And another.
Three bottles later, her head was spinning and her cheeks were flushed. She was laughing at something Caleb said when a voice cut through the room like silk.
“Emily.”
She turned—and Isaac was walking toward her, slightly disheveled, his shirt unbuttoned at the top, his eyes... darker than usual.
And then he kissed her.
Right there in front of everyone—though no one seemed to notice.
His lips pressed softly, then deeper—hungry, desperate. She froze for a second, stunned, until she found herself kissing him back.
When he smiled—truly smiled—it stole her breath.
His hand slipped into hers, and before she knew it, they were stumbling into a hotel room. Doors closed. Clothes fell. And logic vanished.
She reached for his face, caressing it gently, almost like a dream. His lips returned to hers, warm and commanding. His kiss trailed to her neck, her collarbone, down her belly, and she gasped.
Her mind screamed for clarity, but her body betrayed her.
He whispered her name between kisses. She didn't say anything. She didn't stop him.
What followed was a blur of heat, skin, hands, sighs—and regret waiting at the edge of dawn.
***
The next morning, sun shone through the glasses. Emily stirred under warm sheets. Her head throbbed violently. She groaned, squinting against the sunlight filtering through the curtains.
She reached to pull the blanket—
—and froze.
A bare arm was draped across her waist.
Her entire body tensed. She looked down—completely undressed. Panic hit her like a freight train.
She shoved the arm away and scrambled off the bed. The carpet burned her knees as she struggled to stand. Her legs wobbled, sore in unfamiliar ways.
She reached for a coat—Isaac’s coat—throwing it over her trembling frame as she spotted the torn remains of her dress on the floor.
On the bed, Isaac stirred.
“…Ugh… my head.”
Her heart pounded.
‘Please, don’t look. Don’t remember.’
He sat up slowly, squinting. “Emily?”
She flinched.
“What happened last night?” he asked, eyes scanning the room, realization creeping in.
She gritted her teeth and mumbled, “I’ll get going first.”
As she turned to leave—
“Wait... Emily. Did we...?”
But the door shut before he could finish.
***
She didn’t stop until she reached her apartment. She locked the door, slid down to the floor, and hugged her knees.
Tears fell—hot, bitter, ashamed.
Why did I let it happen?
Why with him? Why this way?
After what felt like hours, she dragged herself to the bathroom, peeled off the coat and remaining undergarments, and stepped into the hot shower.
Her skin stung. The water couldn’t scrub the guilt away.
She stared at the faint marks on her collarbone and neck.
Purple.
Ugly.
Proof.
She sank to the tub’s edge and wept silently into her hands.
***
By lunchtime the next day, Emily kept her head low at work. She thanked every force in the universe that no one was whispering or giving her strange looks.
She moved through the hallways like a ghost, dodging eye contact.
When she spotted Isaac in the lounge near the stairs, she turned on her heel and bolted to the elevator instead.
She jabbed the down button like her life depended on it.
Please. Not now. Not him.
Ding.
The door opened.
She stepped inside—just in time for a hand to stop it.
Isaac walked in. Of course.
Of all the timing.
“Are you avoiding me?” he asked, voice neutral but firm.
“No. You’re imagining things,” she said, keeping her eyes on the floor.
The elevator descended. Silence pulsed between them.
The doors opened at the lobby—but before she could step out, he grabbed her wrist.
“About last night…”
“Nothing happened,” she said quickly. “Let’s just forget it.”
The doors closed again. They were alone.
Isaac stepped closer and pressed her against the elevator wall.
“I remember all of it,” he said.
“Let go.”
“I can’t forget it, Emily.”
“You’re hurting me,” she whispered.
He released her wrists immediately. “I’m sorry... I didn’t mean to.”
She pulled away. “We were drunk. We didn’t mean for it to happen. Let’s pretend it didn’t.”
“I can’t.” His voice cracked, frustrated.
“Then what do you want from me, Isaac?” she snapped. “An apology? Closure?”
He hesitated.
Her world tilted.
The elevator doors opened.
He walked out without another word.
Emily stood frozen.
Hand trembling over her abdomen.
***
Things had been going smoothly for the past few weeks, and Emily had almost convinced herself that the night she couldn’t remember was just a drunken blur. But one quiet Sunday morning, as she lounged around in her pajamas, her stomach twisted into a knot. A wave of nausea crashed over her without warning.
She rushed to the bathroom, hand clasped over her mouth, forcing down the bile rising in her throat. She closed her eyes. No. Please no.
She hurried inside her bedroom and picked up the calendar that was resting on her bed. For the past two months, no red marks have been checked off any days.
She walked back into the bathroom. Her trembling hands pulled open the bathroom cabinet. Inside was the pregnancy test she had bought two weeks ago when her period was late. She had been in denial, hoping it was just stress. But now…
Five agonizing minutes passed. The digital screen blinked.
Positive.
Emily sat on the bathroom floor, stunned.
***
KRINGGGG!
The alarm clock blared the next morning. She threw a pillow at it, knocking it to the floor. Her body ached all over. Her head throbbed. Her phone screen lit up with a sea of missed calls: Caleb Han, Ryan Lin, Jayden Wu—and a particularly desperate one from Jayden: "Emily, are you dead?!"
She shuffled into the kitchen, barely alive, and chugged cold water straight from the bottle. Her back hurt. She puked constantly. Her skin was pale, and her eyes sunken with dark circles.
After yet another bathroom trip, she flopped on the couch, wrapping herself in a blanket like a burrito. Her life was falling apart.
DING DONG. DING DONG.
She froze.
Peeking through the door hole, her eyes widened. Isaac Qiu.
She cracked the door open. "Big Boss, what are you doing here?"
"Let me in."
"But the house is a mess…"
"I don’t care."
She sighed and opened the door. Isaac stepped inside, lifting his foot over an empty pizza box. The sight before him was chaos—clothes strewn about, dishes piled high in the sink, and... was that a black satin bra hanging from the edge of the couch?
Isaac blinked.
"B-cup?" he said flatly, picking it up with one finger.
Emily's jaw dropped. "W-what?!" She snatched it and turned away, cheeks flaming. "You came uninvited! You get what you see!"
He shrugged and sat down. She scrambled around, cleaning like a tornado. After an hour, the apartment was semi-presentable.
"Sorry, I have nothing to serve," she said, placing a glass of water on the table.
Isaac took it without a word. His eyes drifted to the custom mug on the table. He recognized the name printed on it: XiaohaiYunhai.
So it’s true. She really was the legend from Black Jade Chronicles.
"I came because you’ve been missing for a week without a word. Do you still want to work for me?"
Her lips parted. "I... I’m sorry. I’ll be back tomorrow."
"Tomorrow is Saturday."
"Next week then. I’ll come, I promise."
"Good. But today, I need your signature on a few papers."
"Now? I’m not feeling well..."
He narrowed his eyes. "Then I suppose I’ll accept your resignation."
Emily’s heart sank. How am I going to feed your child if I lose this job?!
"Fine. I’ll get ready."
She turned to go, but suddenly clutched her stomach, gagging. She rushed to the sink and vomited violently. Isaac hurried after her.
When she finally straightened, he handed her a glass of water. Her face was ashen.
"I’ll be ready soon," she croaked.
"Emily, if you’re not well—"
"I’m fine," she interrupted, walking unsteadily toward her room. The world spun. Her legs gave way.
"Emily!"
He caught her before she hit the floor, scooping her into his arms and laying her gently on the bed. He pulled out his phone and made a quick call. "Caleb, I need a favor. Bring the internet security document. Emily needs to sign it."
Caleb Han raised an eyebrow at his screen. "You went to her condo?"
"None of your business," Isaac replied before hanging up.
Caleb stared at his phone in disbelief. "I knew this aura felt familiar."
Jayden Wu looked up. "What aura?"
"The same aura when we met Vivian."
"Pfft, stop with your weird premonitions."
"I’m serious."
"Yeah, yeah. Like I’ll believe that." Jayden rolled his eyes.
Back at the condo, Isaac sat beside Emily, brushing strands of hair from her forehead. He had no idea what this meant for either of them.
But one thing was certain: nothing would ever be the same again.
- Writer
