Emily started to sketch a picture of Rupert, illuminated by the setting sun. It helped her pass the time while she waited for Byron to come to his senses. It was probably going to take a long time since he had done nothing but drink, stare at the wall, then stare out the window. He crossed his legs, then uncrossed them and leaned back, staring at the ceiling. The sound of footsteps made Emily look up. A short, prematurely balding man entered the room, looking right at home."Hey man, you haven't returned my calls. Oh, hi," he said, spotting Emily, "I'm Nathan Clarke.""That's because I didn't feel like talking," Byron said."I've been his friend since elementary school," said Nathan, "and this is how he treats me. And you must be the lovely Emily."They shook hands, then Nathan went over and patted Rupert."Do you think the situation is all that bad?" Emily asked."I don't have an inside view of the business," Nathan said, pouring himself a whisky and plopping a couple of ice

When Byron came out into the breakfast room the next day, bleary and exhausted, his mom was there sipping coffee and eating a croissant. He decided to have the same. His hangover seemed to have hit a reset button on his mood, the physical discomfort making it easier to ignore the mental suffering. "I'm glad you're finally eating something," his mother observed. "I could kill that Christine Tourneau for putting you through this! But soon it will be all right. She'll know not to mess with our company."Byron remembered the conversation from last night. He hadn't been as drunk as his mother might have imagined. It was his dire mood that had made him lethargic and unable to connect with people. "Have you gone ahead with the announcement yet?" he asked. "About me being depressed?""Not yet. Emily insisted that you should truly be on board.""I don't want to do it," he said firmly, "It would make me look weak.""How long can you go on not admitting that you have a problem?" his mothe

The next day, Nick finally went to school, and Emily felt like she had more free time to spend on her projects instead of worrying about him. The website she had started to sell her hair ornaments was barely garnering any income, with just three sales in the last month. Luckily, she now had enough students to support herself, and she was gradually redecorating the downtown art studio.Another thing that was going to occupy her time was the event Sylvia planned for depression awareness. Sylvia insisted that Emily should be part of it in order to show a united front to anyone who doubted the strength of Byron's company, or his family.She smiled with amusement as her phone rang with yet another call from Byron's mother. Although Sylvia could be b*tchy at times, Emily was quickly warming up to her, and she was flattered to be included in the family's plans. "Hello?" Emily said."We need to get you a dress," Sylvia declared without preamble."Right... because you think I don't have a

His... what?! Emily couldn't be sure whether Byron said this for the sake of their fake relationship, which was probably a moot point now that she had told her story in the newspaper... but he had never called her 'his girlfriend' before. She nearly tuned out the rest of the speech as her mind whirled, trying to understand this sudden turn of events.To her surprise, she felt a blush of happiness infusing her face with fresh color. Meanwhile, Byron announced the opening of a new fund to help people suffering from depression. "I have lived with depression for most of my life," he said, "but I wanted to hide it from everyone, even from myself. Now, a very insistent young woman has asked me to come forward, and I'm here to tell you we will try to overcome this illness together."Many people gasped, not expecting such a revelation. The next moment, the hall was filled with deafening applause. Emily heard Byron's voice whispering in her ear as they turned to leave the stage, "I reall

In the pearly grey morning light, Emily realized she was alone in the middle of a large bed, snuggled between silky sheets. The clouds were spread in an almost transparent layer over the city outside the window. She went to the washroom and realized her hair was a mess, but a kind of sexy mess. Everything that happened the previous night felt so right. She got back into bed as she couldn't escape a pleasant drowsiness, and she didn't have anywhere to be yet. The feeling of Byron's caresses all over her body was still there, as if it just happened seconds ago. The man himself appeared in the room, wearing only his briefs and carrying a breakfast tray filled with coffee, pastries, and fruit."Hey, you're awake!" he said, "That's good because I brought you something."She gave him a smile that was partly shy but mostly excited. His eyes lit up."You don't regret getting involved with me?" he asked, setting down the tray in front of her."Not when you bring me coffee and breakfast!