Chapter 4

Right as Emily was about to black out, she finally caught the frantic voice of the maid cutting through the haze.

"Ma'am! What happened? Can you hear me? Please, someone help! We need to get her to the hospital," the maid cried out.

Emily tried to speak, but no words came out.

When Emily finally came to, the sharp, antiseptic smell in the air told her right away that she was in the hospital.

She slowly pushed herself up in bed, but before she could even reach for the call button, the door was pushed open from the outside, and a nurse wheeled in a cart.

The nurse saw that Emily was awake and immediately called for the doctor to come give her a full check-up.

"Lucky you were brought in so quickly," the doctor said after checking her over.

"You've got four broken ribs and a cracked shin. You'll need to stay put in the hospital for a while. Don't even think about getting up unless it's absolutely necessary," he told her.

Emily's chest felt tight and heavy ever since she woke up, and the nurse quickly adjusted her position, finally letting her breathe a little easier.

"Why hasn't anyone from your family come to see you?" the nurse asked gently as she changed Emily's bandages.

"The people who brought you in said they were your house staff. Are you married or something?" she added, curiosity in her voice.

Emily's fingers clenched tightly into the sheets.

She remembered how, back then, even if she caught the slightest cold, Alexander would stay up all night with her, refusing to leave her side for even a moment.

There was another time when Alexander was overseas for work, and she went out with friends, grabbed some food from a street vendor, and ended up with a stomachache so bad she had to be rushed to the hospital that night.

Emily knew how much that project meant to him, so she made sure everyone at home kept it a secret from him. But Alexander still sensed something was wrong, just from the way she sounded when they talked.

That night, he took a red-eye flight straight back on his private jet, tears streaming down his face as he saw Emily lying in that hospital bed.

It wasn't until later that Emily found out Alexander had lost billions just to rush back for her.

She'd told him he didn't need to drop everything and come running home.

But Alexander just pulled her hand to his lips, gave it a soft kiss, and flashed that warm, familiar smile.

"There's nothing in this world more important than you. If anything ever happened to you, I don't think I could take it," he murmured.

Back then, those memories had been sweet and unforgettable. But now, they felt like a barbed blade twisting in her chest, shredding her heart to pieces. The pain was so deep that she couldn't even find her voice.

The sudden ring of her phone snapped Emily out of her thoughts. Only then did she realize she was all alone in the room.

She picked up the phone and saw Alexander's name flashing on the screen. Her gaze turned icy, and she only answered at the very last second, just before it could go to voicemail.

As soon as she picked up, Alexander's voice came through, which was gentle but with that familiar chill.

"Emmy, how are you feeling? Just rest up and don't think about anything else. I'll have my assistant handle the hospital bills," he said.

"Sophie told me she's not mad at you for what happened on the stairs, and she doesn't want you to apologize. But she got hurt because of you, so I'll be here at the hospital to take care of her," he added.

The more Emily listened, the more bitter it felt. Every breath sent a stab of pain through her chest, but she bit back the agony and tried to sound calm.

"Alexander, if I told you I didn't push Sophie and that she fell on her own, would you even believe me?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Suddenly, the line went dead quiet.

Just when Emily thought he was going to ignore her question, Alexander finally replied, sounding resigned.

"Since when did you become such a good liar? Soph cares more about her body than anyone, and she's got a major event coming up. Why would she risk everything just to hurt herself?"

He added, "I know you think I care too much about her, but I'm doing this for your sake. Can't you just think about me for once?"

For her sake?

She felt herself hollow out, like a puppet with its strings cut, nothing left inside.

She closed her eyes, her voice barely above a whisper. "Alexander, I'm breaking up with you..."

But before she could finish, Sophie's voice piped up on Alexander's end, with a flirty little whine. "Alex, my hand's hurt. I can't reach the zipper on my dress. Can you help me with it?"

Alexander didn't get the chance to hang up before it was too late.

"Emmy, I've got important things to deal with here. Just stay in the hospital and recover. If you need anything, talk to my assistant," he said, sounding cold and detached.

Then, as if he'd stepped away, his voice dropped lower. "Don't overthink what Sophie said. I'm just helping her with some small stuff, since she's only hurt because of you."

He just kept rubbing it in. Sophie was hurt because of her, and it was all her fault.

And Alexander? He was just covering for his girlfriend, acting like he was only here to do damage control for the mess she made.

Emily finally got it. This was the real Alexander. She stared down at the crumpled sheets in her hands and said quietly, "I know. I'm not thinking about it at all."

Alexander caught the coldness in her tone, and for a moment, a flash of unease crossed his mind. He was just about to say something when, on the other end, there was a crash, and Sophie's startled cry came through the line.

"I'll come see you at the hospital tomorrow. Just focus on getting better. I've got to go now," he said.

Before Emily could even get a word in, he hung up.

Emily just sat there, staring at the darkened phone screen for what felt like forever, before finally setting it back on the nightstand with a heavy hand.

The next day, Alexander never came.

For the first time ever, he broke his promise to her.

And it wasn't just the next day. Alexander didn't show up at all, all the way up to the day before Emily was discharged.

But that afternoon, an unexpected visitor walked into her hospital room.

Emily looked at Sophie, who seemed perfectly fine, like she'd never even taken a tumble down the stairs.

"What do you want?" Emily said coldly.

"Emmy, why are you being so mean to me?" Sophie asked, putting on her best wounded act.

"Weren't we best friends once? If you had a problem with me, you could've just said so," she added, pretending to be all innocent.

Emily smirked, her voice laced with sarcasm.

"Quit pretending. There's no surveillance or recording in here. Nobody's going to send Alex a video of you playing the victim."

At that, Sophie's whole act vanished. She glanced around, double-checking for any cameras or mics, and then finally spoke, her attitude shifting in an instant.

"I'm just here on Alexander's behalf to check up on you. He's been super busy lately—not only looking after me, but also helping me get ready for my host contest," Sophie said, sounding almost bored.

"Emmy, I even told Alex that this contest isn't a big deal to me. I asked him to come see you first, but he said you're just not as important to him as my contest is," Sophie added, her voice laced with fake concern and a hint of smugness.

Emily had already made up her mind to let Alexander go, so nothing Sophie said could get under her skin anymore.

She lowered her eyes, for she couldn't care less about Sophie.

But to Sophie, that cold indifference looked like heartbreak, which only made her smirk grow wider.

"Alex will be mine in the end. You already know why he got close to you. So if you've got any sense left, you'll step aside," Sophie taunted, her voice full of arrogance.