Chapter 9
The next day, at the hospital.
Emily was getting ready to leave the hospital, and Edward kept texting me.
He wanted me to whip up some nutritious meals for Emily, but I just ignored him.
Emily rubbed her belly, looking blissfully happy.
"Good thing the baby's fine. Nothing's going to mess up tomorrow's wedding," she said, her voice full of relief.
Edward didn't say a word. He kept replaying the scene of me kneeling yesterday, and the way I'd been looking at him these past few days.
My eyes were just blank—calm, dead, not a hint of emotion.
For some reason, he felt uneasy. Annoyed, he grabbed his phone and called his driver.
"Go to the jewelry store right now and buy that diamond necklace I picked out two months ago."
Emily's eyes lit up. "You've already given me so many gifts lately"
"It's for Sophia," Edward cut her off.
Emily's face fell.
"Is it some kind of special day?" she asked, trying to keep her tone steady.
"Tomorrow's her thirtieth birthday," Edward said, his voice flat.
Emily forced a smile, barely holding back her anger. "Wow, what are the odds? Guess she's been so useful, she deserves a little something."
When Edward got home, Sophia was nowhere to be found.
"She's actually not here?" Edward blurted out, genuinely surprised.
Emily shrugged, trying to reassure him. "Maybe she got upset and decided to move out. It's fine, tomorrow's our wedding, she's the bridesmaid. She'll definitely show up."
"Yeah, you're right. She'll show up, for sure," Edward muttered, almost as if he was trying to convince himself.
But no matter how much he tried to convince himself, Edward just couldn't shake the emptiness gnawing at his heart.
Late that night, Edward tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Finally, he wandered out to the balcony and lit a cigarette.
After a few drags, he suddenly remembered what I'd said.
"Don't smoke! If you keep at it, you'll end up leaving me behind! I'd be heartbroken."
Edward hadn't smoked in ages, but tonight, he was in a really bad mood. He was supposed to be happy since he was getting married tomorrow.
He pulled out his phone, wanting to call me, but in the end, he just sent a text.
The message read: [You're the bridesmaid tomorrow. Be on time. If you make Emily unhappy again, you know what will happen.]
After sending it, he frowned. "Damn it, I wanted to comfort her, but the words just came out wrong."
On the day of the wedding, almost everyone who mattered in the city showed up.
Emily walked in, arm in arm with Edward, wearing a custom-made wedding dress.
Everyone rushed over to congratulate the newlyweds.
"Congratulations, Mr. Grant!"
"Happy wedding, Mr. Grant! And Mrs. Grant, hope you have kids soon!"
All the employees showed up one after another, but I was nowhere to be seen.
"Where's Sophia?" Edward asked, grabbing one of the employees.
The employee shook his head. "I don't know. Isn't Ms. Lane here yet?"
Emily's face fell. "Seriously? She's my bridesmaid. Why hasn't she shown up yet?"
The employee guessed, "Maybe something came up and she got held up?"
Edward pulled out his phone and saw the text he'd sent me yesterday. I still hadn't replied.
His heart was pounding. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was slipping away from him, and that sense of losing control made him uneasy.
"I'll call her," he said.
He dialed my number, but I didn't picked up.
He tried calling me on WhatsApp, but I didn't answer that either.
"Did something really happen to her?" Edward spoke.
He was freaking out inside, but tried to act calm. "Guys, call the hospitals and check if anyone named Sophia has been admitted."
"Got it, Mr. Grant. We'll get on it right away."
The employees were busy making calls, but there was still no news about me.
Seeing how anxious he was, Emily urged, "Edward, the wedding's about to start. It's fine if the bridesmaid isn't here. Let's just go up on stage."
"No," Edward said, frowning.
"We have to wait for her," he insisted.
Just as the ceremony was about to start and everyone was pushing them to get going, the HR manager rushed in, looking all flustered.
"Congrats, Mr. Grant! Sorry I'm late, there was some stuff at the office I had to deal with," the HR manager said.
"You just came from the office? Did you see Sophia?" Edward asked.
"Yeah, I saw her," the HR manager nodded. "She stopped by to grab her stuff, then took off."
"She left?" Edward's expression darkened instantly, his voice shook. "Where did she go?"
"I heard she's joining a new company. Mr. Grant, Ms. Lane resigned a few days ago. Yesterday was her last day at the office, and this morning she just grabbed her stuff and left," the HR manager explained.
The HR manager added, "Didn't you know? Didn't you sign off on her resignation yourself?"