“Okay.” Owen whistled. “Proper. Have you ever already spoken with the police, or would you want me to contact them?”

“I’ll deal with it.” But, as a lot as he knew it was the correct factor to do, seeing that coronary heart had modified one thing in Patrick. He didn’t know what it meant, however he needed to consider it meant one thing. Why would Emma have risked the forgery by including one thing if she hadn’t needed to speak with him?

It was a flimsy hope, however Patrick wanted it proper then.

The 2 males spoke slightly longer, after which Owen headed again to his workplace. Patrick stayed behind his desk. He couldn’t fairly shake the sensation that Emma may nonetheless stroll into his workplace or, relatively, peek across the door and provides him certainly one of her signature smiles. Regardless of all the pieces, he missed her.

And perhaps that tiny coronary heart within the solid Aurora was proof that she missed him too.

Emma was the primary girl Patrick had felt this fashion about. He knew that his emotions for her had skyrocketed after their evening collectively, and even her betrayal couldn’t rid him of the love he knew he felt for her. He hadn’t identified that he may really feel this a lot love — or this a lot sorrow.

CHAPTER 17

EMMA

“This serves you proper,” Emma informed herself firmly. She was sitting on the cool tiles of the lavatory flooring, her elbow resting in opposition to the bath. It was a troublesome morning. Ever since stealing Aurora, Emma hadn’t been feeling properly, which was regular for her in this type of state of affairs. Ever since she was a baby, she’d felt guilt and stress bodily. When she was eight, she’d stolen a chocolate egg after which been so sick that her dad and mom had rushed her to the hospital.

A month had handed. A month since she had taken Aurora and left Patrick’s condo for the primary and final time. The primary few weeks, she’d been in a type of blur. She’d simply waited for the police to come back to her door. However after a while glided by, she realized that she wasn’t going to jail instantly and that she wanted to do one thing, not less than for now.

That was when she discovered a job educating artwork at the local people school. It didn’t pay in addition to company espionage, however Emma felt good about enriching the minds of her college students as an alternative of stealing secrets and techniques. She nonetheless discovered herself wanting over her shoulder for the police, was nonetheless sick nearly day by day, and she or he’d missed a number of intervals from the stress, however not less than issues have been slightly higher.

Talking of her new job, Emma wanted to get going. She obtained up and brushed her enamel, then splashed cool water on her face. After catching sight of herself within the mirror, she determined that it wasn’t fairly sufficient and settled on a full bathe. Standing beneath the nice and cozy water felt therapeutic for her drained and achy physique.

She hoped her stress and guilt signs would subside quickly. In any other case, they have been going to change into a fair greater drawback than they already have been.

As soon as out of the bathe, Emma went to her closet. It was a brief stroll. The condo she’d discovered was a tiny studio in an artsy however previous Chicago neighborhood. The one luxurious merchandise within the condo was the artwork protected she’d purchased to retailer Aurora.

She knew it was a mistake to maintain the portray. It could function irrefutable proof that she was the thief when the police lastly caught as much as her. However Emma simply couldn’t convey herself to promote or destroy it. It was attractive, and it was the one factor of Patrick’s she had. Even when it did remind her of what may have been, she didn’t assume she’d be capable of bear the considered Aurora out on the earth, maybe belonging to a collector who had no thought of the importance, or worse, destroyed to cowl her personal tracks.

Protecting the portray wasn’t Emma’s first mistake both. As she’d painted the forgery, her guilt and her look after Patrick had led her to make a number of delicate adjustments. It was past misguided to take action, however she couldn’t assist eager to ship Patrick a message. A message to inform him that her emotions for him had been actual and that she hadn’t needed to do what she’d achieved.

It didn’t matter now. Emma walked previous the protected to her chest of drawers, the place she chosen a peasant shirt and a protracted skirt. She’d all the time most popular skilled clothes or wanted to put on it for work, however now that she was an artwork instructor, she was leaning right into a freer sort of clothes. It match along with her new career. And maybe it will make her ever-so-slightly more durable to trace down if she didn’t look the identical as she had.

As soon as she was dressed, Emma paused within the kitchen and thought of breakfast. Her abdomen gave an offended roil and discarded the concept. She’d have a snack between her first two courses as an alternative.

The one she was dashing off to now was an early morning class. It ran from seven thirty to eight thirty, which gave her college students sufficient time to go to work afterwards. Due to that, the category was primarily attended by professionals who have been making an attempt out a brand new interest or nurturing an previous ardour round their work schedules. They reminded Emma slightly of Patrick.

The thought led Emma right into a rabbit gap of questioning. Had Patrick gotten a interest? Had he changed Aurora with one other portray, or was his lounge naked now? Did he nonetheless take into consideration her? Did he hate her for what she’d achieved?

Emma shook her head to clear it. Then she grabbed a coat and rushed out. The October days she’d spent with Patrick had given method to the chilliness of November, then to the sunshine dusting of December snow. It was freezing out right now and she or he pulled her scarf tighter in an effort to maintain heat. It was exhausting to consider that it had been a month since she’d seen Patrick.

Emma had chosen her studio largely for its proximity to the group school, in addition to its value. She solely had a ten-minute stroll as her commute, which was good. As traditional, she arrived early. She placed on a playlist of pleased portray music and began straightening up the classroom to organize for her college students. Right now’s class was centered on nonetheless lifes, so she additionally took the time to regulate her props. They included a bowl of fruit, a stack of books, and a leafy plant in order that her college students had choices for what to color.

Simply as Emma was ending up, her first scholar entered. He was a middle-aged man who labored at an area financial institution however who had all the time liked portray. He was gifted, too. Emma was all the time impressed by his work.

“Good morning, Dwight.”

“Good morning, Professor.” He winked at her. Emma had informed all her college students to name her Emma, however a number of of them, like Dwight, insisted on calling her “Professor” as an alternative. “What do you’ve got in retailer for us right now?”

“One thing nice.” Emma raised her eyebrows at him, then flashed a smile. “Have a seat. Because you’re early, you get your decide.”

As Dwight made his method to a seat immediately throughout from Emma and with line of sight to the stack of books, a number of extra college students trickled in. Emma greeted every of them. She was glad she was so good with names. In her new position, she wanted to be taught quite a lot of them.

Then, a brand new scholar entered. He had sandy blond hair and an athletic construct, and he was sporting a go well with jacket and a tie. Emma’s mouth fell open. This couldn’t be… it wasn’t…

After which he turned and Emma noticed that it wasn’t Patrick in any respect. In truth, this man was significantly shorter and fewer athletic than Patrick. Disappointment hit Emma like a tsunami and she or he abruptly felt close to tears. Which was ridiculous. It had been over a month since all the pieces had occurred. She shouldn’t be having such dramatic reactions each time she noticed somebody who bore a resemblance to him.

However her feelings appeared to have been frayed by what occurred. She discovered herself swinging between feelings like a pendulum. She was okay one second, morose the subsequent, then responsible in fast succession. Proper now, she wanted to calm herself and concentrate on educating.

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