Chapter 2
Right after that, Olivia sent me a message. [Emily, do you really think your few years with him can compare to the decade Michael and I have been friends?
[Let me tell you, unless I say so, you can forget about getting Michael back. Have fun living all by yourself.]
Her words oozed with arrogance.
I clenched my phone, rage overwhelming me. The anger was so intense that I coughed up blood.
I passed out.
When I came to, three days had already gone by.
The hospital let me know they'd already cremated my mother-in-law.
All that remained was a handful of ashes in an urn.
The doctor looked at me with sympathy. "Ma'am, are you sure you don't want to call your husband to take care of things? Given your current condition—"
"No need," I replied, my voice flat.
Even if I called Michael, he probably wouldn't bother to come.
I spent nearly a week in the hospital, trying to recover.
For the whole week, I kept tabs on Michael's whereabouts through Olivia's social media posts.
Under the guise of a work-sponsored training trip, Michael was driving the department's car, taking Olivia on joyrides everywhere.
He used the fire training facility to film all sorts of transition videos for her.
Olivia uploaded every single one of them online.
Her caption read: [Look at my boy, always so sweet to me!]
Everyone was hyping them up in the comments.
[These two are so sweet!]
[Captain Grant, you spoil her so much. Start dating already!]
[Olivia, you're gorgeous, and so is your boyfriend!]
Olivia didn't bother to explain anything.
Instead, she liked every single comment.
The comments section went wild, shipping them harder.
I exited her feed and tapped into my chat with Michael.
He hadn't sent me a single message all week.
Three days later, I finally recovered enough to leave the hospital.
As soon as I got home, I was greeted by a scene of utter chaos.
Clothes were scattered everywhere, stretching from the living room sofa all the way to the bedroom door upstairs.
Laughter and voices drifted out from inside.
My body trembled as I pushed the door open.
What greeted me was a sight that chilled me to the bone. Two half-clothed bodies lay tangled together.
Michael was sprawled out on the bed, wearing nothing but his boxers.
Olivia, his so-called friend, was snuggled up in his arms, dressed in nothing but some sexy lingerie.
They looked completely inseparable.
In that moment, all the pent-up shame and resentment inside me flooded out.
I couldn't take it anymore. I let out a scream, stormed in, yanked Olivia's hair, and slapped her hard across the face.
"What the hell is your problem? Are you out of your mind, Emily?" Almost instantly, Michael jumped up and shoved me hard.
I staggered and crashed to the floor.
The spot where I'd had surgery felt like it was about to tear open, pain ripping through me.
I grabbed my stomach, trying to hold myself together.
Michael shielded Olivia behind him, his eyes full of malice. "Are you faking it again? Your baby isn't two months old. Don't tell me you lost it, Emily."
He said it with utter disdain.
He had no clue that I'd already lost the baby two weeks ago.
He missed the critical moment because he was busy filming videos for Olivia.
I had no choice but to lose the baby.
I gritted my teeth through the pain, locking eyes with him. "Michael, is this what you call being friends, sharing a bed like this? If I hadn't come back, would you two have—"
"Shut up!" Michael cut me off harshly, "Emily, do you really think everyone is as twisted as you are?"
"Yeah, if there was really something going on between Michael and me, do you think you'd still be here? Seriously, you're being way too dramatic, Emily." Olivia threw her arm around Michael's shoulder, acting like she owned the place.
Her chest was practically spilling out for everyone to see.