Words were lost amidst a sea of overwhelming emotions.

Emmie didn't know what to do, nor what she was supposed to say to Brandon — or rather, Noah — in that instant. She was lost. So she stood there, her mouth opening and closing in soundless attempts to express her feelings, yet to no avail.

She stared up at the man in front of her. the same one she had just called, not long ago, disgustingly handsome and now that she knew this man was the very one she had longed to see again, Emmie wished in that instant that the sky would swallow her whole, so her embarrassment might vanish with her.

And yet her whole body looked as though it held too much blood, her face burning crimson.

She was ashamed of those hurtful words she had thrown at the man she, doubtlessly, loved. But more than that, she was ashamed to even meet his eyes after what she had done to him.

He had died, Emmie realized, her mind slowly catching up with the weight of it, though her heart only grew more frantic.

This man — Brandon or Noah — might have said it wasn't her fault, but Emmie knew deep down that it was. And yet, there was nothing she could do anymore.

Saying sorry at that moment would feel undermining, almost insulting, after everything he had gone through because of her. So she only smiled faintly, doing her best not to let guilt and sorrow poison her smile. Tears trickled softly from her eyes as she spoke:

"Isn't that great?" she said, trying to sound bright. "You finally got the reincarnation you always wished for! Ah, though it wasn't from Truck-kun!" She forced a chuckle. "But I did a better job, didn't I?"

Noah suppressed a smile, watching her struggle to lighten the atmosphere with her awkward jokes. He wasn't surprised, honestly. Emmie had always been like this…joking, playful, and weirdly unhinged when it came to humor.

She was the kind of person who rarely took any situation seriously, always throwing jokes no one understood, making everything more cringe and embarrassing and yet, despite all of that, she was fun to be around.

Or maybe that was exactly why she was fun to be around.

With that strange character of hers, Brandon's bleak life after losing his mother had found light again.

But like any being, flawlessness was not in her nature. The same way she loved to put people in awkward situations with her jokes was the same way she loved money and, by extension, luxury.

And that love for those fleeting, glittering things was what made her act the way she did with Brandon.

"I should indeed thank you," Noah said, laughing softly. "The journey till now has been one of a kind."

His words finally made Emmie register something within these visions. Her tears suddenly stopped. Her face went blank, devoid of all emotion.

The guilt and sorrow that had once filled her eyes melted away, burned by something hotter, more primordial.

Something Noah recognized all too well.

A deep, seething flame of obsession.

Emmie had lived past years in silent agony, her mind fixated on the belief that Brandon was the only polished jewel who could ever protect and love her after meeting dozens of thorn-like jewels that only tore away at her spark.

At that realization, a feeling of loss and dependence had begun to swell inside her, clinging to his memories and drowning herself in alcohol to bear the pain. Those memories drove her all the way to Morocco, where she visited his mother's grave, hoping not only to pay respect to the woman who gave birth to the one she loved, but also to somehow see him there.

She didn't.

Then she went even further, searching for the father who had abandoned him. With the money she earned by scamming rich men, she managed to discover that his father was dead — murdered by a brother over the man's twisted games with his sister.

A death worthy of him, she had thought.

She felt nothing except distress, not for the man's fate, but for not seeing Brandon.

And when they met again, in Paris, her emotions had been so overwhelming that she could do nothing but cry. But now she was calm.

Now she was ready to do anything to take Brandon back… only to find that he had died, reincarnated, and somehow had dozens of wives?

Wives? Not one wife, but wives?

Emmie's brown eyes went void. She slowly, deliberately walked toward Noah, who stood there, quietly watching her approach.

"This woman is just like Yuki," Elizabeth whispered, her eyes narrowing at Emmie. Yuki's lips twitched.

"No," Zara said, feeling Emmie's emotions more clearly than anyone. "She's different." She finished with a knowing smirk.

And indeed…

Once Emmie was within an inch of Noah, she leaned forward, resting her head against his chest. Her voice came out thick with turbulent, twisted emotions.

"Take me," she said. "I'll do whatever you want. I'll show you properly how much I love you. I'll obey you. And it doesn't matter if I'm not the only one."

'I just want to please you,' she added inwardly.

Her guilt, her love, her obsession…all of it wrapped together, twisting Emmie into a woman consumed by the desire to please Noah, to exist for his happiness no matter what he wished to do.

Anything and everything, except being left behind. Because that, she knew, she would not survive.

These feelings had been bottled inside her for far too long. And now that they had escaped her chest, Emmie realized how heavy they truly were and how the alcohol had been the only thing keeping her from losing her mind under the weight of it all.

Noah, meanwhile, listened carefully to her words. His lips curved into a peaceful smile as he raised his hand and slowly, unhurriedly, began to caress her hair.

Emmie immediately purred in contentment, like a cat.

"I have come here for you," he said. "Of course I would take you with me, if you are willing to accompany me — no, us — on our journey."

"Like, of course, I accept!"

"You have many sisters. Will you get along with them?"

"Like, yes! I'll even kiss their feet for you!" Emmie said fiercely, nodding with determination.

Noah laughed. "Well, no, not that much. Just get along with them, and ah, yes—!" his smile suddenly turned razor-sharp as he placed a finger under her chin and slowly lifted it.

White eyes against brown eyes.

Emmie shuddered.

"This time, darling," Noah began softly, "if you do the same thing as the first time… things will get ugly. I mean very, very ugly."

His voice was cold, deathly calm and yet Emmie only smiled even wider.

'He cares about me! Like, yes! He cares about me!' she screamed inwardly, before nodding rapidly like a chicken pecking at grains on the ground.

"My life is yours! My body is yours! My mind is yours! The only thing in my mind is you, and how to please you!"

"And oh! Do you want me to cook for you? I even learned some of your mother's traditional dishes just for you!" Emmie said brightly, nodding eagerly, her eyes glowing with childish excitement, completely unbothered by Noah's threat.

Noah simply shook his head, smiling, a feeling of warmth and quiet relief swelling in his chest.

Ah, he truly had missed her.

Did the love Brandon once had for her still flow somewhere within him? It seemed so. And yet, he didn't mind.

Let him love this woman.

The second woman he had ever loved across two lifetimes and the first who had shown him what love felt like.

He smiled again, this time more openly. "I don't know if I should say this, but… getting back with your ex is quite a nice feeling," he joked, making Emmie's smile widen, her eyes shimmering with joy.

"I have always been yours," she whispered.

"Then I welcome you in like family, Emmie Rowet Vaelgrim," Noah declared. And finally, his wives — who had grown tired of simply watching — appeared all around him as Noah began the introductions.

"And here are your sisters!"

Emmie responded with bright enthusiasm. "Nice to meet you! Let's do our best to please Bran— ah! Noah!!"

The wives paused, exchanging looks.

"Zara was right," Elizabeth said flatly.

"This woman is something else," Elira laughed.

They began to talk and laugh together, while Selena, already standing beside Emmie, wrapped her in a hug. "You and I are going to get along very well. Let's please my baby together, okay?"

Emmie beamed. "Like, yes, of course!"

—End of Chapter 386—

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