Something inside me snapped. But I couldn’t move. I just stood there. Frozen. Like a fool. Like an idiot. Watching my husband—my first love—kiss my sister while my son cheered them on.
This wasn’t real.This couldn’t be real. But it was.
It was all real.
Jason pulled away from Lily with a satisfied smirk. Then he turned to me, his eyes gleaming with cruel amusement.
"Now, be a good girl and sign the papers, Emma," he said, his tone mocking and gave me another copy.
Noah, still holding his toy, turned to me with pleading eyes. "Yeah, Mommy. Sign it. Sign it now, please!"
Happy?
They already looked happy.
Like a perfect family. Double betrayal. A knife straight through my heart.
I stumbled backward, my vision swimming with unshed tears.
“I—I need to be alone,” I choked out.
Without waiting for a response, I turned and rushed to my room, slamming the door behind me. And then I broke. I collapsed onto the floor, my body wracked with silent, gut-wrenching sobs.
I had lost everything. My husband. My son. My family.
Why? Why wasn’t I enough?
Why was I the one suffering while they got to be happy?
I curled into myself, the pain in my head throbbing violently, mixing with the unbearable ache in my heart. I didn’t know how long I lay there, drowning in despair, before I fumbled for my phone.
There was only one person left I could call. With shaking hands, I dialed. The line rang twice before a familiar, steady voice answered.
"Emma?"
A choked sob escaped me. "Ethan… please help me."
There was a sharp intake of breath on the other end.
"Emma, what happened?" His voice was tight with concern.
"Jason… Noah… they—" My throat tightened. "They don’t need me anymore. I have nothing left, Ethan. Nothing."
"Emma, listen to me," Ethan said firmly. "You have me. And I’m not going to let you go through this alone."
Tears spilled down my face.
"Come to me," he urged. "I’ll help you disappear. I’ll get you out of there."
A pause. Then his voice softened.
"And… there’s something else. I didn’t want to tell you over the phone, but you need to know."
I wiped my tears, trying to focus. "What is it?"
"Our hospital is running a clinical trial," Ethan said. "A new experimental treatment for brain cancer. It’s risky, but it’s your best chance."
I froze.
"You knew?" I whispered.
"I had a suspicion," he admitted. "I saw your medical records, Emma. I know you’ve been trying to fight this alone."
My chest ached.