Author's Note

Hey guys, I would like to sincerely apologize for not updating this story. I realize it's been a while and by that I mean a long while. I'm really sorry for being super late, things just got in the way and I became really busy with life in general. I re-visited this story a few weeks ago and realized that I couldn't leave this story incomplete and so it is my duty to finish this. Thank you for reviewing, following and adding this story to your favorites. Because of that, I had the motivation to continue this. Also, thank you for reading this story in general and waiting for it.

I hope you like this chapter, I loved writing it because I hadn't realized how much I missed this fandom!

Chapter 18

Conrad.

Conrad Grayson opened up the box and looked at all of its contents. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Emily was no stranger…why was he just realizing this now? This box was what Conrad feared the most. It had pictures of his past allies all crossed off with a red marker which could only mean that it was something Emily was responsible for. He couldn't believe that his possible daughter in law was plotting to kill his family. Now it all made sense…why she had approached his family and intoxicated Daniel. Victoria was right all along. This girl was not to be trusted, and for good reason of course. She was David Clarke's daughter and she wanted revenge. Considering how many people she had taken down already Conrad knew that threatening her was not in his best interests. The first thing he wanted to do was call the police, but that would only incriminate him as well. What could he do with this valuable information? How could he use this to his benefit?

Daniel.

On his way back to The Hamptons, Daniel didn't know how he had gotten into his mess. There was a time where the idea of love was a joke to him but after getting to know Emily, he didn't know if he could think of anything else. They had been through so much, but now, he just didn't know if they were meant to stand another chance. It looked like Emily had given up on him. There would be these moments where he genuinely thought that she wanted to get back together but other times she just wouldn't listen to him. Why had he let her go that day on the beach? Why hadn't he held on to her? They would have figured it out together then, and there would still be hope for the two of them. He didn't know what else to do. He was lost without her.

Emily.

Emily Thorne had never been this happy. There was nothing stopping her, she wanted to be with Daniel and right now, it was all she cared about. Nothing else mattered. Why hadn't she realized this earlier? Once Daniel found out that Ashley wasn't really pregnant, everything would become clear. It was true that she had been diverted on her path to revenge but it wasn't for the worse. It was a good thing. She didn't want to become such a cold-hearted person. Finding Daniel was the best thing to ever happen to her; it changed her. She realized that her father didn't want her to avenge his death; he simply wanted her to know that he was innocent. Daniel was her salvation. Suddenly, Emily got interrupted from her thoughts as her cell phone rang. It was Conrad;

"What do you want Conrad?" asked Emily,

"Miss Thorne, was it? I have to commend you for everything that you've managed to put together so far." Conrad replied,

"What are you talking about?"

"I guess I should have seen this coming…but you just had all of us so fooled."

Emily heart lunged…did he know?

"Meaning what exactly?" she asked more nervous than ever.

"Amanda Clarke, that is what you used to go by, correct?"

Emily's heart skipped a beat.

"I didn't know you were so delusional" she replied, not quite knowing how to handle the situation

"Well Ms. Clarke, if you know what's good for you then I suggest you meet me at your house, I've already invited myself in." He said, before abruptly hanging up.

Emily had not prepared for this at all, she had never thought that this would happen. All her life, she had been so careful as to not to find out so why now? She didn't care that she had been found out as much as she realized that she wouldn't be able to be with Daniel. He would obviously find out the truth about her and her happiness would once again come crashing down. She wanted to be with Daniel and she thought that maybe she had a chance at a content life. She almost wished that Amanda Clarke had never existed…right now, she wanted that persona to be the lie.

She didn't want this to break her relationship with Daniel, she wanted to end this without involving him even if that meant being Conrad's puppet.

Daniel.

Daniel Grayson pulled over to Emily's house and looked at the mess it had become, much like his own life. Emily had destroyed him, all he could do was think about her and even though she was leaving, he still wanted to run to her. She was the person in his life who he could be himself around, and she brought out the best of him. He had to move on, though he said trying to convince himself for the millionth time. He still didn't know where Ashley fit in, through all of the chaos. If it weren't for the baby, he would've gotten out of the relationship.

He walked over to her porch and noticed that the door was open. Daniel walked inside, trying to avoid the shards of glass on the floor until he realized that someone else was there,

"Conrad? What are you doing here?" Daniel asked, almost angered at the intrusion.

He turned around, "Son, what a pleasure to see you here, I'm guessing Emily isn't with you?"

Daniel's expression suddenly filled with worry, "Why does that matter to you? Are you still blackmailing her?"

Conrad laughed, "Trust me, I wouldn't be able to blackmail her even if I wanted to. It all makes sense now. Why she'd involve you in her plans, and why you're under her spell."

"What are you talking about? Did you talk to Victoria?"

"I think you'd want to sit down for this." He said, opening up the antique, wooden box that lay beside him.

Emily.

Emily pulled up to her driveway only to see Daniel's car and he stomach sank. He was here, and so was Conrad. That could only mean that he probably knew her real identity by now. She didn't know how she would face him. What could she possibly say to him? She had wanted to destroy his family….and he'd never believe her if she told him otherwise. She wanted to reveal her past to him eventually but not like this, not now. Would he ever listen to her? Would be believe her? Was this how it all ended? She looked at the house and thought back to the day she'd returned here, why hadn't she run away then? She slowly walked towards her house, and opened the door facing her worst fears.

"Ms. Thorne, I see that you've decided to finally join us. Please, have a seat. This is your house after all." He said, smirking.

Emily looked at Daniel and her heart broke when she saw his expression. She had never seen him so hurt before. He looked broken, and she was responsible for it. He didn't even glance at her once, he had his head down and was looking at the floor. She looked at the infinity box on the table, and she knew that there was no running away from this.

"Tell him he's wrong Ems..." said Daniel, in a small whisper. She could hear his voice cracking and as much as she wanted to tell him everything was a lie, she knew that if she ever had a chance with Daniel again, she would have to come clean.

"Do we have to do this here?" She asked, looking at Conrad.

"How long were to planning to keep this going for? Is that why you came back?" yelled Daniel in a hoarse voice as tears rolled down his eyes.

"Daniel, I never meant to hurt you. You weren't part of my plan, you have to know that."

"You lied to me all these years. How am I supposed to believe anything you say?" Daniel exclaimed.

"Seems like you have a lot of explaining to do, Amanda." Conrad said, with a glance of victory in his eyes.

"I'm not telling you anything unless I talk to Daniel…alone." She replied,

"What makes you think he wants to talk to you?" retorted Conrad.

She looked at Daniel who remained silent.

"Daniel, please let me explain. If you think that there is the slightest possibility I might be telling the truth then give me a chance." She pleaded,

Daniel.

Daniel Grayson felt like he couldn't breathe. He felt like he was being crushed with hundreds of stones on top of him. He felt like his world had been picked apart. He had seen the box, and he knew that she had lied to him all along and yet he couldn't believe it. There had to be another reason, he couldn't believe that she would be toy with him to that extent. He'd been gullible, he was a fool to think that she genuinely loved him. The only reason she had approached him was because of her plan; there was nothing real about their relationship was there? She had everything planned from the moment they'd met. He had been so afraid of the fact that his parents were controlling him that he'd never stop to wonder if Emily had been using him as her pawn herself. He was so obsessed with the idea that she was his savior that he didn't realize she was his doom. He was blinded in her love and yet, Daniel was still reluctant to accept the facts. He still wanted his all to be a mistake.

He wanted to talk to Emily, but he didn't know if it was a good idea. He knew that she would convince him otherwise. That was the power she had over him. He wasn't ready to face her…he wasn't prepared. He would breakdown the moment the two were left alone and he didn't want her to see that. Not after all she had done to him. He was already a joke to her. There were so many questions he wanted to ask her but he simply couldn't. He would give in, he would immediately cave. He could barely stand to look at Emily. He was worried that if he did, it would be harder for him to leave her which is what he had to do now.

"I never want to see you again." He said, as he got up to leave.

He couldn't bear to stay in the room for one more second, he was sure to breakdown. He could feel Emily looking at him and as much as he wanted to meet her gaze, he knew that he couldn't…it would be his weakness. She had killed many people, she had murdered them and she wasn't the Emily that he'd fallen in love with. She was someone else…

Daniel slammed the door behind him as a whirlwind of emotions took hold of him and he collapsed on the front porch, exhausted.

Emily.

Emily rushed outside following the thud that followed with Daniel leaving the room. She found him on the porch, passed out.

She instinctively put his face in her lap, "Daniel, wake up. Can you hear me?" she asked as she began to cry. If anything happened to him, she would never forgive herself. He was never supposed to be a part of this.

Emily realized that she had paid the ultimate price for her charade and realized that there was only one way to truly get a chance at redeeming herself.

Conrad.

Conrad could hear wailing sirens getting louder as time passed by.

Daniel.

Daniel Grayson woke up, trying to make sense of his surroundings. His vision was blurry and he could vaguely make out a few shapes. After a few seconds, his line of sight became clear. He suddenly realized that he was staring into the eyes of his fiancée, Ashley.

"How are you feeling? You've been in here for 10 days now," she said softly,

He looked around the room, trying to recall how he had ended up at the hospital but he couldn't put anything together. Everything was hazy, all he remembered were bits and pieces of information. He shuddered as he realized what had probably happened to him.

"How did you find me?" he asked, shocked.

Ashley looked confused, "You fainted on her porch according to Conrad."

"What are you talking about? The last thing I remember was looking for something…in the cold, before I fell on the pavement." He said, still trying to recall more information but to no avail.

Author's Note (...again)

I hope that was a good comeback, it's a bit scary to post after such a long time but I won't bore you. I just wanted to tell you guys that the main reason I went on hiatus was because I stopped watching the show around the time I stopped writing. So, I don't really know what's going on right now except for the major unfortunate spoiler regarding my OTP which made super mad. Either way, my ship still lives on forever in my heart.

& I will try to update soon (this time, I mean it!) I'll have a chapter written by next week since I am dedicated to wrapping things up with this story soon.

Thank you for bearing with my tardiness & I'm super sorry again!