The scene in front of me blended with a flood of memories—countless moments of flattery and forced smiles.
I suddenly felt utterly exhausted.
It was almost laughable.
I walked to Emily’s room and whispered, “Emily’s asleep now. I don’t want to wake her.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll move out tomorrow.”
I gently pushed open the door and lay down beside her.
She opened her eyes, sleepy and confused. “Mom, are you crying?”
Her small voice trembled as she asked, “Mom, does Daddy not want us anymore?”
I couldn’t hold back the tears any longer and covered my mouth.
But Emily hugged my neck tightly, her small voice fierce, “Mom, don’t cry. I still have Emily. Emily will always be with you.”
I held her close, voice breaking, “Mom loves you. Go to sleep, baby.”
But the next morning, Emily was drenched in sweat.
I touched her forehead—she had a high fever.
The doctor warned that with her weak heart, a fever could be dangerous.
I rushed her to the hospital.
As I was about to pay at the clinic, I saw Charles arrive, accompanied by Sophie.
In my hurry, I accidentally bumped into Sophie.
Without hesitation, Charles shoved me away. His palm hit me hard enough to stagger back.
“You knew Sophie was pregnant, and you wanted her to have a miscarriage?”
Pregnant? My eyes darted to Sophie’s abdomen.
When I was in agony in the delivery room, he never sent a single message.
But now, he stood protectively by Sophie’s side, eyes filled with a tension and concern I had never seen directed at me.
“Sophie, don’t be angry.” Sophie quickly grabbed his arm. When she turned, her eyes were full of apology. “Grace, he’s just too nervous right now. Don’t take it personally. By the way, why did you come to the hospital?”
“My daughter is sick.” My throat tightened, and my voice barely escaped between clenched teeth.
Charles sneered, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “Why are you pretending?”
“Why would I joke about my child’s life?” I tightened my grip on the payment slip in my hand.
“Aren’t you a repeat offender?” His eyes were icy knives. “You used dirty tricks to force me into marriage.”
Sophie quickly stepped forward, trying to smooth things over. “Sophie, stop.”
She turned to me with a fake smile. “I heard Emily’s birthday is next week. How about we celebrate it together? Maybe it’s time Emily officially acknowledges his ancestry.”