Chapter 4
Emily returned to Sophie's bedroom and began packing up Sophie's belongings.
Everything here was filled with Sophie's presence. Emily was determined to take it all with her.
Her gaze fell on the photo album sitting on the table. She walked over and flipped it open.
Inside were photos of the three of them as a family.
There was Edward, holding Sophie in one arm and Emily's hand in the other, standing beneath an open sky. On the shore, Emily and Sophie laughed and chased each other, while Edward watched them from a short distance away, something soft in his eyes.
In every photo, the three of them wore matching smiles. Their happiness almost spilled right out of the pictures.
But now, those happy times were never coming back.
Emily pulled out all the photos, ripped Edward's image out of each one, and tossed the scraps in the trash, leaving just her and Sophie in every picture.
Halfway through packing, an acrid smell suddenly filled the room.
Emily frowned, and the moment she opened the door, the stench got even worse.
She had barely taken a few steps when a sudden wave of dizziness nearly knocked her off her feet. Emily stumbled, just managing to steady herself against the wall.
Emily's mind snapped into focus, cutting through the haze in an instant.
Gas leak!
She grabbed a wet towel, covered her mouth and nose, and pushed herself to make it downstairs.
As soon as she reached the living room, Emily saw Olivia lying unconscious on the couch.
The dizziness in Emily's head intensified, and her legs buckled beneath her. She crumpled to the floor.
Emily tried to reach for her phone to dial emergency services, but her vision blurred as her eyelids began to close.
Just as her eyes were about to close, the door swung open.
Emily bit down hard on her tongue, desperate to stay awake, reaching out for Edward.
"Edward... save... me..." she managed to choke out.
"Olivia!"
Edward rushed straight to Olivia and lifted her into his arms without hesitation.
"Hang in there. I'll get you to the hospital!" he said urgently.
He moved quickly, completely ignoring Emily, who was reaching out to him for help just a short distance away.
Emily lay sprawled on the cold floor, watching as the man who once swore he'd protect her forever walked away, cradling another woman in his arms. Her eyes drifted shut.
*****
When Emily woke up, her head was still foggy.
"Emily, thank God you're finally awake," Edward said.
As soon as Emily opened her eyes, Edward immediately took her hand and pressed a gentle kiss to it.
"Do you have any idea how terrified I was when I saw you passed out? My heart nearly stopped. I'm just so glad you're okay," he said.
Edward, the ruthless tycoon in the business world, now had a tremor in his voice, and his palms were damp with sweat.
Anyone would think he was head over heels for her.
But Emily just turned her head away, refusing to meet his eyes.
She would never forget that when she was on the verge of death, Edward only had eyes for Olivia. He didn't even notice Emily passed out on the freezing floor.
Edward suddenly felt a wave of anxiety. He'd never seen Emily so distant before.
"Emily, I just didn't realize you'd fainted too. That's why I helped Olivia first," he said.
She'd passed out less than a few feet away from Olivia.
Was he so focused on Olivia that he didn't even notice her, or did he just not care?
Emily pulled her hand back and closed her eyes, too tired to deal with him anymore.
Her body was still weak from just waking up; she had no energy left to chase after the truth.
When she didn't respond, Edward hesitated, searching for the right words.
"Olivia's still not back on her feet, and Lucas just got out of surgery. He's still in bed. I..." He let the words hang in the air.
But after all these years together, Emily didn't need him to say more. She knew exactly what he was getting at.
How ridiculous.
Edward stood right there, but his thoughts were already with Olivia and Lucas.
"Go," Emily said.
Anyway, she didn't care anymore.
Edward fixed his gaze on Emily's calm face for what felt like ages, only relaxing when he realized she was keeping her eyes shut the whole time.
"I'll be back soon. Just get some rest," he said softly.
But his version of "soon" ended up being seven days straight with no sign of him anywhere.
The day Emily was discharged from the hospital, she checked herself out alone.
As she walked past a hospital room, a familiar voice inside made her freeze.
"Lucas, you need to cling to your dad, okay? Our whole life depends on you," Olivia urged.
"But Mommy, he's not my dad..." Lucas mumbled.
Emily's heart clenched painfully.
Lucas just said that Edward wasn't his father?
She held her breath and quietly started recording on her phone.
Olivia, exasperated, dropped her usual aloof act and started lecturing Lucas, her disappointment clear as day.
"So what? If Edward thinks you're his kid, then you're his kid, end of story," Olivia said harshly.
"You really want to go back to the days when we were scraping by, counting every dollar just to get through the week? I'm not going back to that life," she added.
Just then, a nurse walked by Emily with a curious glance and asked, "Ma'am, is there something I can help you with?"
When the voices inside suddenly stopped, Emily quickly shook her head, stashed her phone, and made a quick exit.
After getting discharged, Emily was about to head home.
But as she reached the hospital room door, two bodyguards blocked her path.
"Ma'am, Mr. Bennett needs to see you," one of them said.
Emily frowned.
Edward hadn't shown his face in seven days. What could he possibly want with her now?
She took out her phone to text him, but a bodyguard snatched it away before she could do anything.
"Mr. Bennett said you have to come right now. You'll know the reason when you get there," the bodyguard said bluntly.
With one on each side, the two bodyguards all but dragged her off.
It wasn't until she saw the familiar hospital room door that Emily realized they'd brought her straight to Olivia and Lucas' room.
As soon as she stepped inside, Olivia landed a heavy slap right across Emily's face.
Edward stood next to Olivia, his gaze cold and detached as he watched everything happen.
Olivia's eyes were bloodshot, her voice sharp and almost hysterical.
"Mrs. Bennett, Lucas and I have absolutely no interest in the Bennett family! I just want Lucas to grow up safe and sound. Why won't you leave him alone?" Olivia shouted.