Emma's POV

The drive home was a blur of muted city lights and the phantom scent of expensive leather. The silence in the back of the limousine, once a sanctuary of hushed luxury, now felt like a suffocating void. Marriage. The word echoed, a terrifying, mesmerizing chime, bouncing off the polished windows of the car, relentless in its insistence. A contract. A year. His name. My life. Jake’s life.