I thought I’d have time to breathe, to heal. But peace never lasts long in this family.
The door burst open, and my father stormed in, his voice like thunder. “What the hell is happening to you, Emerald?”
I tried to sit up, but pain shot through my leg. “Dad—”
“Did you just send the police to our house to arrest your stepsister?” he barked. His glare was heavy enough to crush me. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
“She tried to kill me,” I said, voice trembling but firm. “She pushed me down the stairs, Dad. I could have died.”
Amber appeared behind him, her arm in a sling, tears pooling in her eyes. “That’s not true! I was trying to talk to you, Emerald. You’re the one who slipped! You pushed yourself and now you’re framing me for it!”
I stared at her in disbelief. “You liar! You—”
“Enough!” my father shouted, cutting through both our voices. “Do you hear yourselves? This is a disgrace! Fighting like this in public, dragging our family’s name through the mud!”
“Dad, please—”
Before I could finish, his hand cracked across my cheek. The slap echoed in the quiet room, sharper than the machines around me.
“You will not shame this family again,” he said coldly. “Do you understand me?”
Tears filled my eyes, but my voice came out steady. “I want a divorce.”
He froze. For a second, he looked at me like I had cursed his bloodline. “What did you just say?”
“I said I want a divorce,” I repeated.
His eyes blazed. “Divorce? You think I will allow that in this family? Are you serious, Emerald? Do you want to ruin us completely?”
He raised his hand again, but before it could reach me, my mother rushed in and caught his arm. “Stop it!” she shouted. “She’s hurt! Can’t you see that? Stop hurting her!”
“She’s destroying everything we built!” my father snapped.
“She’s our daughter!” my mother cried, pulling me into her arms. “She’s not even healed yet. Please, just let me talk to her.”
He glared at both of us, his chest rising with restrained fury. “Fix this,” he said finally. “Make her apologize. I won’t allow our name to be tainted by a family scandal. And don’t you dare mention divorce again.”
When he left, the room fell silent except for the steady rhythm of the heart monitor. I couldn’t hold it anymore—I broke down.
“Mom…” I whispered through tears.