Chapter 3
When Emily woke up, she found herself in a hospital room filled with the sharp smell of disinfectant. She raised her hand a little, and the pain on the back of it made her frown instinctively.
A nurse came in to change her dressing, but gave her a dirty look. Before Emily could figure out what was going on, her phone started ringing.
It was her best friend, Sophie Lane.
"Emily, big trouble. Your oh-so-great husband is covering for his precious niece and dumping all the dirt on you," Sophie said.
Emily quickly unlocked her phone and opened Twitter, only to see her name blowing up at the very top of the trending topics.
[After losing her baby, Emily Johnson spiraled into depression and tried to end it all. Thankfully, Claire Goodman was there to save her.]
Everyone in the comments was singing Claire's praises.
[Word is, Emily threw herself down the stairs to set Claire up. Claire only grabbed her to stop her.]
[Emily's had three miscarriages in a year and still can't keep a baby. What a loser. She even had the nerve to attempt suicide. If I were Philip, I would have left her a long time ago.]
[Seriously pathetic. She can't have kids or keep her man, so she tries to pin it all on his niece, Claire. That's pure evil.]
That day, the embassy was bustling with people, and many of them were filming everything. Philip worried that someone might post a video online that would damage Claire's reputation, so he took the initiative and controlled the narrative himself.
Emily's grip on her phone tightened. As she was about to turn it off, a news notification popped up.
[Philip Goodman drops millions on a necklace to cheer Claire Goodman up and smooth things over.]
Emily quickly opened Claire's Twitter.
Claire had posted a new update.
It read: [Philip is the best. He says I deserve all the most beautiful things in the world.]
The photo showed Philip putting the necklace on Claire, his face full of tender affection.
Emily stared at Philip on her screen, feeling like the five years she'd given him were nothing but a cruel joke.
Then Emily picked up her phone and dialed Sophie, her hands trembling with anger.
"Do whatever it takes to find anyone who caught me and Claire struggling that day on camera," Emily said.
That night, the video of Claire deliberately pushing Emily down the stairs went viral and shot straight to number one on the trending charts.
Philip stormed into the hospital room, his face dark with anger, as Emily was about to get some rest.
"What are you playing at, Emily? Are you out to destroy Claire or what?" Philip snapped.
Emily let out a cold scoff as she looked at his furious face.
"Did you ever think about ruining me when you let them smear me like that?" she shot back.
Philip's eyes darted away, unable to meet hers.
"Claire didn't mean it. Why are you so hung up on this? She's still a kid," he snapped.
Emily let out a cold, mocking laugh.
"A fully grown woman in her twenties is still a kid?" she shot back.
Philip's face went ghostly pale.
"What's that supposed to mean? Since when did you get so unreasonable and disgusting?" he snapped.
"Not reporting her to the police was already me showing mercy, but you people keep coming after me again and again. So don't blame me if I hit back," Emily said.
Emily's eyes hardened, her expression turning steely.
Philip was taken aback for a moment, and then his gaze turned cold.
"Claire was wrong this time, and she knows it. I've already punished her," he said.
"Punish her? So your idea of punishment is dropping millions on a necklace to make her feel better? Is that your version of punishment, or are you handing her a trophy for shoving me down the stairs?" Emily snapped.
While I was bleeding out and stuck in the hospital for three days, Philip spent every minute with Claire instead. He jetted off abroad to buy her a million-dollar necklace and put a smile on her face.
And after all these years of marriage, I never got a decent ring out of him.
"So what do you want from me? Fine, I'll hang around for a few days after you get out to call it even. But if you touch Claire, you'll regret it," Philip threatened.
Philip looked at Emily as if he were doing her a favor.
Emily let out a bitter, hollow laugh.
"Don't bother," she said, her voice flat and cold.
She didn't need anything from him, not now, not ever.
Over the next few days, Philip would drop by every day, but he never lasted more than ten minutes before Claire found some excuse to pull him away. Emily could only watch as he left, her heart growing colder each time.
Even on the day Emily was discharged, Philip had arrived at the hospital when, right on cue, Claire called up with another emergency. This time, she claimed she'd cut her hand.
Without a second thought, Philip ditched Emily and rushed off to be with Claire.
When Emily got home, she walked in to find Philip fussing over Claire, carefully putting a Band-Aid on a tiny scratch on her finger.
"Philip, my hand hurts so much," Claire whined.
She deliberately wrapped her arms around Philip's waist, acting all sweet and clingy.
Emily could see Philip's expression shift, and he gently pushed Claire away.
"Claire, you're not a little kid anymore. You can't keep hugging me like this," he said.
Claire looked a little disappointed, but she refused to let go of him.
"Why can't I hug you anymore? When I was little, you used to hold me while I slept, and every night you'd warm my feet for me. Have you forgotten all that?" she pouted.
Philip's breath caught in his throat, and he swallowed hard.
As he was about to say something, he suddenly noticed Emily standing in the doorway, and he looked embarrassed.
"You're back," he said, his voice a little awkward.
Emily nodded and headed straight to her room. As she closed the door, she caught Claire's mocking voice drifting in from the hallway.
Claire sneered, "Philip, I told you she was faking it. She's fine, but she had to stay in the hospital forever to get your sympathy and attention. Don't fall for her tricks."
"Philip, you have to promise you'll only ever be good to me, and I'll be the only one in your heart," Claire whined.
"Of course, I know. I'll only ever be good to you, Claire," Philip replied.
Philip's words cut into Emily's heart like a knife.
Emily closed the door, locking everyone out and locking her heart away, once and for all.
Just then, Emily's phone rang.
"Emily, I've got everything set up for you overseas. All you need to do is come over," Frank said.
Emily glanced at the calendar.
"Alright, my visa should be ready in a few days," she replied.
"So, how are you planning to deal with things between you and Philip?" Frank asked, his voice cautious.
"I'm done with him. I'm getting a divorce," Emily replied without hesitation.
"As soon as the divorce is done, I'll come join you," she added.
As she finished speaking, the door swung open, and a cold, commanding voice cut through the silence.
"Where do you think you're going?" Philip demanded.
His face was like stone, not a hint of warmth in his eyes.
"You're taking Claire overseas for her birthday, right? Well, I'm about to make a real move myself," Emily replied.
Philip's face went ice cold.
"Are you trying to tag along with us now?" he snapped.
"Not happening. I promised Claire it'd be the two of us. If you show up, she'll lose it," he said.
"Yeah, I said I'd spend more time with you, but don't think you can use that against me," he added.
Emily found Philip's reaction downright laughable, the irony almost making her scoff.
She hadn't said a word, but he was already desperate to shut her out.
"You're imagining things. I never had any intention of tagging along with you and Claire," she replied.
Hearing that, Philip relaxed a little.
"My parents want us home for dinner tonight. Keep quiet and don't stir things up with Claire," Philip said.
Emily didn't say a word, letting her nails bite into her palm as she held back everything she wanted to say.
That evening, when they got back to the Goodman residence, Philip's mother, Emma Goodman, kept piling food onto Emily's plate.
"Since this whole thing was an accident, you and Philip need to try for another baby soon. Philip's father and I are waiting to be grandparents," Emma said.
When Emily didn't respond, Emma turned to Claire.
"Claire, you're an adult now. It's not right for you to keep living with Philip. Maybe it's time you found your own place," she said.
With a soft clink, Claire's fork slipped from her hand and hit the floor.
Tears streaming down her face, she looked up at Philip, her eyes filled with hurt and sadness.
"Philip, you don't want me anymore, do you?" she choked out, her voice trembling.
Before Philip could get a word out, Claire bolted out of the room.
"If you don't want me, I'll leave," she called out as she ran.
Philip couldn't hold back his anger anymore. He shot to his feet, his face twisted with fury.
"Emily, if you keep trying to get Emma to kick Claire out, I swear I won't let you get away with it. Don't forget you're the one who doesn't belong in this family," he snapped.
With that, Philip stormed out after Claire.
Emily stared at Philip's retreating figure, feeling as if a cold, invisible hand was crushing her heart, making it impossible to breathe.