Chapter 7
There they were: Sophie's eyes pleaded desperately, Stella was sobbing uncontrollably, her cries tearing at the air, and Emily was silent, seemingly waiting for the betrayal she'd long expected.
Andrew clenched his jaw, forcing himself to make a choice. He said, "I choose Sophie."
Emily let out a sorrowful, broken laugh that echoed hauntingly across the cliff, each note heartbreakingly raw.
She gazed at Andrew, and the spark in her eyes faded away bit by bit.
"Okay," Emily whispered, her words scattering in the wind. She said, "Please take care of Stella."
Nathan flashed a cruel, satisfied grin. He said, "Well, well, well. Mr. Frost chose his mistress over his wife. That's rich."
He waved his hand, and the burly man untied Sophie, shoving her toward Andrew.
Sophie stumbled forward, throwing herself into Andrew's arms, her face streaked with tears. She said, "Andrew, I knew you'd never leave me behind."
But Andrew didn't hold her. He pushed her away coldly, his eyes never leaving Emily. He said, "Nathan, don't forget about Stella."
Nathan just sneered, "Since you picked Sophie, this little brat's no use to me anymore."
With that, he reached out, ready to shove Stella off the cliff.
Out of nowhere, Emily had somehow slipped free from her ropes and launched herself at Nathan.
She was like a furious lioness, locking her arms around Nathan's neck in a death grip as they struggled violently.
"Mommy!" Stella screamed, her cries tearing through the air.
Emily and Nathan fought at the edge of the cliff, one wrong move and they'd both plunge into the abyss below.
"Emily!" Andrew cried out, trying to rush forward, but Sophie yanked him back, refusing to let go.
Sophie held onto him with all her strength. She shouted, "Andrew, don't. It's too dangerous."
At the edge of the cliff, Nathan gave a twisted grin and seized Emily by the collar. He said, "Let's go down together."
Suddenly, he hurled himself backward, pulling Emily with him as they plunged off the edge.
"Emily!" Andrew shouted, desperation tearing through his voice.
"Mommy!" Stella screamed, her cries echoing wildly across the cliff.
Emily slowly opened her eyes, squinting against the blinding white light and instinctively raising her hand to shield her eyes.
That's when she realized there was an IV drip stuck in her arm, and every inch of her body ached like she'd been hit by a truck.
She was still alive.
The shouting outside her hospital room grew louder and clearer.
Yvette snapped, "Andrew, how dare you show your face here? If you hadn't picked Sophie, Emily never would've fallen off that cliff." Her voice was sharp with fury.
Andrew muttered, "Let me see her." His voice was barely recognizable, raw and hoarse with pain.
Yvette snapped, "In your dreams. Get out! Don't make me throw you out myself."
Emily's fingers curled up just a little, her heart clenched tight, as if an invisible hand was crushing it.
Andrew chose Sophie in that life-or-death moment: the realization hit Emily like a punch to the gut.
Despair and heartbreak crashed over her, so heavy that she could barely breathe.
The hospital room door slammed open, and Yvette rushed in, her eyes puffy and tear-stained. The moment she saw Emily awake, tears sprang to her eyes. She called out, "Emily, you're finally awake."
Emily tried to speak, but her throat was dry and sore. She asked, "Where's Stella?"
"Stella's fine, she's in the room next door," Yvette said, gripping Emily's hand, then spat through gritted teeth, "That bastard Andrew has been waiting outside this whole time. I'm calling security to kick him out."
"Let him in," Emily murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.
Yvette's eyes went wide. She said, "Are you out of your mind? He almost got you killed."
Emily shut her eyes, sounding utterly drained as she said, "It's time to put an end to this."
After a moment, the door to the hospital room creaked open.
Andrew stood at the doorway, pale as a ghost, with deep shadows under his eyes. He was a far cry from the charming young man he used to be.
His voice cracked with emotion as he said, "I'm sorry, Emily."