The Forbidden Throb Chapter 178

Emma's POV:

The warmth of Daniel's embrace slowly seeped through the fog of my emotions.

I could feel his heartbeat against my cheek, steady and reassuring, anchoring me back to reality.

I pulled back slightly, just enough to see his face. His gray eyes were warm behind his glasses, patient and attentive.

I didn't want him to see that I'd been crying, so I rubbed my nose casually and leaned back against his shoulder. "Not exactly."

My voice was steadier than I felt. "She came to ask me to let it go, but I thought about it. The most I can do is not pursue civil damages."

"She made these choices. Whatever consequences come from that—those are her responsibility to herself."

His expression didn't change, but I felt his arms tighten fractionally around me. "And?"

"I replied to the Student Affairs office this afternoon," I began, my voice steadier than I expected. "About the disciplinary proceedings against Lily."

"I told them..." I swallowed. "I told them I'd accept a settlement for the civil harassment part. If she writes a formal apology letter, deletes all the content, and covers the legal fees, I won't pursue damages."

Daniel nodded slowly, his gaze never leaving my face.

"But," I continued, my voice gaining strength, "I also told them the school's disciplinary action has to proceed according to the student code. I won't ask them to go easy on her. I won't intercede on her behalf."

Something shifted in Daniel's expression—pride, maybe, mixed with approval. "That's a good decision, Emma. It shows both your compassion and your boundaries."

I felt a small smile tug at my lips despite everything. "You sound like you're proud of me."

"I am." His hand cupped my cheek, thumb brushing across my cheekbone. "You're learning to protect yourself without losing your kindness. That's not easy."

The warmth in his voice made my eyes sting.

"There's something else," I added, remembering. "Lily told me something. Something I didn't know."

Daniel's arms circled my waist from behind. He lifted his gaze slightly, studying me for a moment, his eyebrows rising fractionally. "What did she say?"

I lowered my eyes, pressing my face into his chest.

I took a breath, trying to organize the fragments of what Lily had told me.

"She said three years ago, you turned down positions at Johns Hopkins, Mayo Clinic, and several other top hospitals." My voice was quiet, careful. "That you chose to stay in Boston instead. Because of me."

His hand stilled against my waist. He was very still now.

"Even though I was with Nicholas then." The words came out barely above a whisper. "Even though I didn't even know you cared. You gave up all those opportunities just to... to stay close to me."

My vision blurred with tears. "I was so awful to you. You did all that, and I... I didn't even know. I was with your brother, completely oblivious to what you were sacrificing, and you just... you just let me be."

"Emma—" His voice was rough.

"No, let me finish." I was crying now, the words tumbling out in a rush. "All that time, you were giving up your career opportunities, watching me be with someone else, and I never once realized. And then when Nicholas and I broke up, when you offered to help me, I just... I took and took and took, and I never once asked what you needed. I never—"

"Stop." Daniel's hands came up to frame my face, his thumbs wiping away my tears. "Emma, stop. You don't need to apologize for not knowing. That wasn't your responsibility."

"But—"

"Listen to me." His gray eyes were intense, holding mine. "I was the greedy one, Emma. Not you. I was the one who wanted more than I had any right to ask for."

His thumbs continued to brush away my tears, his touch achingly gentle. "Those choices were my decisions. You don't need to carry this, Emma."

He leaned his forehead against mine, his voice dropping to a whisper. "When you love someone, you don't keep a ledger of what you've sacrificed. "

His hands tightened slightly on my face. "And now? Now you've chosen me. You see me. I've already gotten everything I ever wanted. Everything else was just the price of admission, and it was worth every second."

I pulled back, cupping his face in my hands, letting out a soft sigh. "Daniel, you have absolutely no idea, do you?"

He blinked, confused. "What?"

"Do you want to know how many women wouldn't choose you if you were standing in a room with every other man on earth?" I tilted my head, studying him with a mixture of exasperation and tenderness, as if I couldn't believe how utterly clueless he was about his own worth.

Daniel looked at me sideways, a small smile tugging at his lips as he caught my hands, pulling them away from his face.

Our fingers naturally intertwined, and he gave them a gentle shake. The ring on his finger—the one I'd given him—caught the light, casting fractured gleams across the dark depths of his eyes.

"I don't want to know," he said quietly, his voice soft but certain.

His thumb traced over my knuckles. "I only want to know one thing, Miss Emma Johnson." His eyes held mine, warm and steady. "Would you choose me?"

My breath caught. The simplicity of the question, the vulnerability beneath it, the way he looked at me like my answer was the only one that mattered in the entire world—

"I think," I whispered, my voice thick with emotion, "I'm going to love you to death, Daniel Prescott."

I kissed him softly, tasting salt. "Daniel Prescott, you are the most patient, devoted, frustratingly selfless man I've ever met. And I love you. I love you so much it scares me sometimes."

He kissed me back, deep and desperate, like he was trying to convince himself I was real. When we finally broke apart, we were both breathing hard.

"Then just stay with me," he murmured against my lips, his voice rough with emotion. "Don't let anything else shake you. Not the past, not what other people say, not doubts about whether you deserve this."

His forehead pressed against mine. "Just stay. That's all I need."

"I will," I whispered, my hands tightening in his shirt. "I promise. I'm not going anywhere."

His arms wrapped around me, pulling me impossibly closer. "Good," he breathed. "Because I'm not letting you go."