Chapter 107
When they finally reached the bedroom, Emma hesitated. With an awkward stiffness, she handed Brianna the carefully wrapped gift she’d brought. The paper crinkled softly.
Emma’s fingers lingered for just a moment longer than they should have before she took a step back, ready to walk away from the ache that gnawed at her heart.
She turned toward the door, her body taut with a need to flee, to breathe, to get away from this house filled with so many shattered memories. But before she could make that first step, Brianna’s frail hand shot out and wrapped itself around her wrist, her grip surprisingly strong.
Emma froze, her back straightening. Slowly, she turned her head, her face expressionless, her eyes guarded. She was afraid to let her emotions show, afraid they would betray just how deeply tonight had wounded her.
Brianna’s voice trembled, heavy with regret. “Emma… I’m sorry
The sincerity in those three words pierced through Emma’s defenses like an arrow. She let out a bitter awkward laugh. “You have nothing to apologize for, mother.”
Brianna’s fingers tightened around her wrist, her eyes with unshed tears. “I know you still love my son. And I promise you, I will do everything in my power to make him see what he has been too blind to realize.”
For a microsecond, Emma’s eyes flickered with pain. Her voice was barely a whisper, as her sadness nestled deep in her bones. “You’re wrong, Mother. My feelings for Alexander are long forgotten. Long dead. We’re no better than strangers now… and it will remain that way.”
She gently pulled her wrist free from Brianna’s grasp. Her eyes met Brianna’s one final time, a soft yet firm resolve in her gaze. “Welcome home mother. I’ll be on my way now.”
Without waiting for a response, Emma turned and walked out of the room, each step was with an immense effort.
Her heart pounded, beating out a hollow ache through her chest. The walls seemed to close in on her, suffocating with memories and regrets she couldn’t escape.
When she finally reached the cool night air outside, she inhaled deeply.
She hurried to her car, her fingers trembling as she reached for the door handle. She needed to leave, to escape before the pain overwhelmed her completely.
But just as she had opened the door, the sound of hurried footsteps reached her ears. She stopped, tense, and then turned to see Vivian coming towards her.
Vivian’s face was flushed, her eyes darting nervously as she slowed down, fidgeting under Emma’s watchful gaze.
She finally stopped a few feet away, her posture stiff, discomfort etched into every line of her body. Her voice was uncertain, wavering on the edge of vulnerability. “Emma… I know we don’t exactly like each other. And I’m not thinking that that will change overnight. But… thank you. Thank you for what you did for my mother. I know how hard this must have been for you.”
She took a shaky breath and added, her tone softer, “I’d… like to see you come around more. For her. Goodnight.”
away, her steps quick and decisive, as if she feared that lingering any Before Emma could form a response, Vivian turned longer would undo her courage. The door clicked shut behind her, leaving Emma alone in the quiet darkness.
Emma’s hands clenched around her car door, her eyes stinging as tears she’d been holding back finally threatened to fall. The evening’s weight bore down on her but she tried to play it off.
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11:08 Wed, Dec 18
Chapter 107
ΑΑΑΑΑ
Alexander’s foot pressed harder on the accelerator.
The car sliced through the darkness, headlights blazing in the dark
Anger coursed through his veins.
The anger that burned in his chest felt like it might consume him entirely.
His fingers tightened on the steering wheel. His knuckles whiten to the bone. His heart raced wildly, erratically inside his chest with anger.
He had warned Annie; he had made it very clear when he told her not to show up.
Yet she had defied him in the most insulting manner he could ever have envisioned.
She had brazenly crossed a line she knew was not to be crossed.
He felt the slap of betrayal, and being humiliated was an understatement. The tires screeched against the tarred road, but Alexander’s mind was elsewhere.
Emma’s face flashed in his mind. Though he had looked in her direction for just probably a second before he sprang into action, grabbing Annie’s wrist, he could not help but notice how Emma has held herself together all through the altercation. And the pain in her eyes gutted him.
“I did what I did for our child’s sake,” Annie’s voice broke through his thoughts, trembling and small. She was twisting her fingers together nervously.
Alexander’s jaw clenched so tightly it ached.
His eyes remained fixed on the road ahead, his voice low and dangerous. “You dare go against my warning, Annie?”
Her sobs filled the space between them. “I’m sorry,” she choked out, her tears streaming down her face.
He turned his head slightly, his gaze slicing through her with cold, razor–sharp intensity.
His eyes glinted with anger, the shadow of disgust visible in them. “No, you’re not,” he spat out, each word like a dagger. “You knew exactly what you were doing when you drove into that house.”
Annie’s hands flew to her stomach protectively, her fingers trembling. Hot tears fell, mixing with her eye liner.
Alexander’s eyes followed her gesture.
A sigh of frustration escaped his lips.
It was a sight that should have softened something inside of him stirring a feeling of connection, of tenderness. Yet, all that he felt was a hollow emptiness. There seemed to be a distance between him and the baby.
This was his duty, he reminded himself with bitterness. He had been raised to do his duty, to stand by his decisions, come what may
The car swerved into his driveway, the tires squealing slightly as he braked hard.
