Chapter 6
The crowd was growing larger by the second. People started hurling things at her–whatever they had in hand. Emma couldn’t dodge fast enough. In the chaos, she had no choice but to help the driver carry Caitlin’s parents into the car and rush them to the hospital.
As soon as they entered the emergency room, Caitlin stormed over and slapped Emma hard across the face.
“You said you didn’t hate me, but now you’re trying to kill my parents behind my back?” Caitlin was crying uncontrollably. “Emma, how could you be so cruel?”
Emma opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say a word, she caught sight of a familiar figure out of the corner of her eye.
Braydon walked up quickly and held onto Caitlin, who was on the verge of collapsing. “Caitlin, don’t get so worked up–it’s not good for the baby.”
As he steadied her, he looked at Emma. His brow was furrowed, his expression full of disappointment. He didn’t even try to hide it.
At that moment, Emma felt a chill spread through her entire body.
He didn’t see the bruises on her. He didn’t even ask. He just… didn’t believe her.
“Emma, you really…”
Before he could finish saying “disappointed me,” Emma suddenly burst
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out laughing.
She laughed so hard her body trembled, and the tears ran into the cut at the corner of her mouth.
He wouldn’t even listen to a single word of explanation before passing judgment.
“That’s right! I’m vicious! I’m reckless! I’m heartless! I’m beyond redemption–I should just die, right?”
Her voice rose sharply, echoing through the hospital corridor. “Is that what you want to hear?”
Braydon froze, clearly taken aback. A flicker of panic crossed his eyes. “Emma, I…”
“Braydon!” Caitlin suddenly slumped weakly into his arms. “I… I feel dizzy…”
Braydon instinctively caught her, and when he looked up again, Emma was already walking away.
She moved fast, her white coat flaring behind her like the broken wings of a butterfly.
A wave of unease washed over Braydon, and he almost chased after her, but Caitlin let out a soft whimper in his arms.
“Don’t go…” she murmured, clinging to his shirt. “The baby… Our baby…”
Emma heard the commotion behind her but didn’t turn around.
The moment the elevator doors slid shut, she finally let herself sink to
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the floor, burying her face in her hands.
So this… this was what it felt like when your heart truly broke. Even crying didn’t make a sound.
When Emma got home, she buried herself under the covers.
That night, she had a long, vivid dream.
In it, she saw all the ways Braydon used to love her.
Under the cherry blossom tree on campus, he held her hands and said, “I can’t imagine a life without you.” At their wedding, his hands had trembled as he slipped the ring on her finger, his eyes red with emotion. When he found out she was pregnant, he lifted her into his arms and spun her around the living room, beaming with joy.
But in the blink of an eye, the dream twisted into something else- Braydon shielding Caitlin.
He took drinks for her, bought her medicine, and in front of everyone, claimed the child in Caitlin’s belly was his.
Bang!
A loud crash startled Emma awake.
It was already dark outside.
From downstairs, she heard the clatter of footsteps and Caitlin’s sugary, commanding voice.
“Move that sofa to the sunroom. I want to sit in the sunlight.
“I don’t like that plant–get rid of it.
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“And change the curtains. I want them in my favorite shade of blue.”
Dragging her exhausted body out of the bedroom, Emma opened the door–just in time to see Braydon walking up the stairs holding Caitlin’s pillow.
Their eyes met. Braydon stiffened.
“Caitlin’s parents are in the hospital because of you,” he said bluntly. “They didn’t want her living alone, so I let her move in. Just until the baby comes.”
Emma listened in silence, her face blank.
She didn’t even look at him. Her eyes stared straight through him as if
he were a stranger.
So this was what it felt like–pain so deep it hollowed you out.
She felt nothing now. Numb. Empty. Not even enough energy left to be
angry.
She turned to walk away, but Braydon suddenly called after her,
“Emma…”
His voice carried a familiar hesitation–the same tone he used after their arguments when he wanted to apologize but didn’t know how.
“Braydon!” Caitlin’s syrupy voice rang out at just the right moment. “The baby just kicked again! Come feel it!”
Braydon stopped in his tracks.
Emma heard him let out a quiet sigh, then the sound of his footsteps retreating.
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She knew exactly what he was thinking.
He was telling himself that everything would be fine once the baby was born. That for now, he just had to go along with Caitlin.
Just like what he always said in the past.
“Just hold on a little longer. It’ll all be over soon. Once this blows
over…”
But this time, Emma didn’t want to wait anymore.
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