Something had felt off from the very start.

Right before Benjamin left, Emily was still tied to a tree. He'd been furious, waving a knife dangerously close to her arm, looking every bit like he was seconds away from hurting her. But then he got a call. Whatever was said on the other end changed everything. Suddenly, Benjamin put the knife away, told his guys to untie her, and hurried off, his face lit with some kind of excitement she didn't understand.

Still trying to figure out what had just happened, Emily watched as Benjamin came back-this time with Andrew.

Andrew didn't look like someone who'd just been dragged in against his will. In fact, he seemed totally chill, like he was just taking a stroll through the park. There was no trace of fear or reluctance. And when Benjamin said, "He came for you," Emily's heart skipped. She kind of guessed what was going on, but she couldn't let herself believe it.

Andrew flashed her a crooked smile. “You should really blame your amazing boyfriend for this. If he hadn't decided to play hero, I wouldn't have ended up here."

Emily frowned and glanced at Benjamin, searching for answers.

Benjamin leaned back, arms crossed, knife still in his hand. He lifted his chin and said, "Here's the deal. Andrew and I made an arrangement. He agreed to come here as my prisoner, and in return, I'll let the whole calling-the-cops thing slide. You get a free pass this time. That's what we agreed on."

He shot her a look, voice dripping with sarcasm. “Emily Blair, you sure have luck. Guys can't wait to throw themselves on the line for you."

Emily's face went pale.

Andrew just grinned at her. "Feeling touched? If you are, can I ask you for something?"

Benjamin cut in, curious. “Yeah, what's your big ask?"

Andrew's eyes never left Emily. "Break up with Tristan Davis. Do it for me."

For a second, Benjamin's face turned to stone. He made a sound of annoyance and looked away.

All the guys standing around stared at Andrew like he was out of his mind. One of them glared especially hard, then spat on the ground near Andrew and Emily, eyes full of contempt.

Benjamin shrugged as if to explain. "His girlfriend of a few years cheated on him over and over. Cut him some slack."

Andrew's voice was soft, almost sincere. “Oh, really? You should take care of yourself. Don't let it get you down."

The man just rubbed his nose and glared even harder, like he wanted to say, Who are you to talk, you homewrecker?

But Andrew just kept going. “Still, maybe you should look at yourself, you know? Sometimes it's not just the other person. Maybe there's a reason she went looking for someone else."

The air turned tense. The guy's face twisted with anger and he lunged forward, only stopped by the others holding him back. He looked ready to tear Andrew apart.

Emily stared at Andrew for a long moment before finally saying, “You're insane. Completely insane."

Instead of being offended, Andrew just smiled even wider, unconcerned by her words or the angry stares. He pressed on, relentless.

"So, what do you say? I'm just asking you to break up with Tristan. It's not even

a big deal you two haven't enot ether that long, right? There

been

can't be that much between you."

Emily turned away, shut her eyes, and pretended not to hear him.

Andrew's voice chased after her. "You don't want to? That's okay. I can wait. I'll wait

for the day you finally break up with him."

Emily snapped. She spun back, eyes blazing, and glared at him.

That fire in her eyes just made Andrew laugh quietly to himself.

Benjamin elapped his hands together, bringing everyone's attention back Alright, you've had more than enough time to chat My patience is running thin. It's time to keep our promise."

Emily looked over, her heart pounding, and saw Benjamin standing in front of Andrew, knife in hand. Andrew looked completely unfazed, not a hint of fear.

Emily demanded, "What promise?"