Chapter 2 · I Do, Maybe

I'd never met him.

My mom only mentioned him once.

She said, "In most people's eyes, your dad was a bad person. But if he hadn't grown up in that environment, he could've been a good dad.

"In the end, I was the one who deceived him. I can't live with myself."

"Emmy, you had it the hardest. You deserve to find love, marry someone you truly care about, and have kids of your own."

After that talk, I finally understood why she pushed herself so hard at work, almost like she was punishing herself.

She died in the line of duty when I had turned eighteen.

In her final moments, she couldn't speak anymore.

She gazed at me for a long, long time.

Her eyes were filled with sorrow, unwilling to let go.

I crouched down by her ear and whispered softly, "Mom, I'm okay."

After that, I tried to chase after the kind of happiness everyone talks about, so my mom wouldn't have to worry about me.

But thanks to my job and my cool, distant personality, blind dates were a total bust.

That was until I met Alex.

We'd been together for three years.

I was already thirty, definitely not young anymore.

I was desperate to get married.

But all I could do was pretend I hadn't heard what he said.

When I woke up again, he was gone.

As I was about to go look for him, my phone ran. It was him, sounding panicked. "Emily, I broke my leg. I took a bad fall while running this morning."

For the past three years, I'd always been the one looking after him.

My heart skipped a beat. "What happened? Where are you? I'm coming over right now."

I quickly changed and rushed out the door.

The hospital trip was pure chaos.

It was already noon by the time we finally got everything sorted out.

I nearly dropped the cup while pouring him some water, stumbling a little.

He caught me and asked, "You didn't eat breakfast, did you?"

Yeah, I totally forgot.

I had low blood sugar, and I really couldn't skip breakfast.

Once Alex found out, he'd always get up and make breakfast for me whenever he wasn't away on business.

He always had a solid reason: "You're great at cooking, so you handle dinner. Breakfast is easy enough for me to take care of. I can't let you do everything."

I really liked how he knew where to draw the line.

We cared about each other, but neither of us ever took the other's efforts for granted.

I grabbed his hand to steady myself. "I saw the bread you left on the table, but I didn't get a chance to eat it. I'll go grab some food from the cafeteria. What do you want?"

He gave me a pitiful look. "Bone broth. I want some bone broth. Gotta eat what helps you heal, right?"

I laughed and pushed his head away as he leaned in.

But I only had one day off. Monday, I'd be heading out on a business trip.

After he got out of the hospital, he moved back to his own place.

His mom was the one looking after him.

Then, out of the blue, I got a call from prison.

It was my biological father, the one I'd never met.

He was in really bad shape.

He wanted to leave me all his wealth. "You're Emily, right?"

He looked at me through the glass. It felt like he was looking right through me, seeing someone else entirely. "You don't really take after your mom. You look more like me.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there while you were growing up. All of this money is legit. Take it as my way of making it up to you."

I opened my mouth, but I had no idea what to say.

When visiting hours were up, one of my mom's colleagues walked me to the door.

The sun was bright and warm, and it should have lifted my spirits, but I still felt completely at a loss.

I called Alex.

He sounded super excited on the phone. "Emily, you're back from your trip? I missed you so much. I want to move back in with you."

"How's your leg?" I asked.

"It's pretty much healed. I'm back at the law firm. Walking's fine, but running's still a no-go."

All of a sudden, I felt desperate to grab onto something real. "Let's go get our marriage license tomorrow, okay? Head straight to the courthouse in the morning. I'll be waiting for you there."

Chapter 2

I'd never met him.

My mom only mentioned him once.

She said, "In most people's eyes, your dad was a bad person. But if he hadn't grown up in that environment, he could've been a good dad.

"In the end, I was the one who deceived him. I can't live with myself."

"Emmy, you had it the hardest. You deserve to find love, marry someone you truly care about, and have kids of your own."

After that talk, I finally understood why she pushed herself so hard at work, almost like she was punishing herself.

She died in the line of duty when I had turned eighteen.

In her final moments, she couldn't speak anymore.

She gazed at me for a long, long time.

Her eyes were filled with sorrow, unwilling to let go.

I crouched down by her ear and whispered softly, "Mom, I'm okay."

After that, I tried to chase after the kind of happiness everyone talks about, so my mom wouldn't have to worry about me.

But thanks to my job and my cool, distant personality, blind dates were a total bust.

That was until I met Alex.

We'd been together for three years.

I was already thirty, definitely not young anymore.

I was desperate to get married.

But all I could do was pretend I hadn't heard what he said.

When I woke up again, he was gone.

As I was about to go look for him, my phone ran. It was him, sounding panicked. "Emily, I broke my leg. I took a bad fall while running this morning."

For the past three years, I'd always been the one looking after him.

My heart skipped a beat. "What happened? Where are you? I'm coming over right now."

I quickly changed and rushed out the door.

The hospital trip was pure chaos.

It was already noon by the time we finally got everything sorted out.

I nearly dropped the cup while pouring him some water, stumbling a little.

He caught me and asked, "You didn't eat breakfast, did you?"

Yeah, I totally forgot.

I had low blood sugar, and I really couldn't skip breakfast.

Once Alex found out, he'd always get up and make breakfast for me whenever he wasn't away on business.

He always had a solid reason: "You're great at cooking, so you handle dinner. Breakfast is easy enough for me to take care of. I can't let you do everything."

I really liked how he knew where to draw the line.

We cared about each other, but neither of us ever took the other's efforts for granted.

I grabbed his hand to steady myself. "I saw the bread you left on the table, but I didn't get a chance to eat it. I'll go grab some food from the cafeteria. What do you want?"

He gave me a pitiful look. "Bone broth. I want some bone broth. Gotta eat what helps you heal, right?"

I laughed and pushed his head away as he leaned in.

But I only had one day off. Monday, I'd be heading out on a business trip.

After he got out of the hospital, he moved back to his own place.

His mom was the one looking after him.

Then, out of the blue, I got a call from prison.

It was my biological father, the one I'd never met.

He was in really bad shape.

He wanted to leave me all his wealth. "You're Emily, right?"

He looked at me through the glass. It felt like he was looking right through me, seeing someone else entirely. "You don't really take after your mom. You look more like me.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there while you were growing up. All of this money is legit. Take it as my way of making it up to you."

I opened my mouth, but I had no idea what to say.

When visiting hours were up, one of my mom's colleagues walked me to the door.

The sun was bright and warm, and it should have lifted my spirits, but I still felt completely at a loss.

I called Alex.

He sounded super excited on the phone. "Emily, you're back from your trip? I missed you so much. I want to move back in with you."

"How's your leg?" I asked.

"It's pretty much healed. I'm back at the law firm. Walking's fine, but running's still a no-go."

All of a sudden, I felt desperate to grab onto something real. "Let's go get our marriage license tomorrow, okay? Head straight to the courthouse in the morning. I'll be waiting for you there."