Chapter 13

“Cough, cough... cough cough cough—” At 4:30 in the morning, Emma woke up freezing on the couch. She grabbed a robe and rushed into the bathroom, clutching the sink as a rough wave of coughing tore through her. Her doctor had warned her—if she started coughing up blood, she needed to come in immediately. But for the past half a month, Clara had drained her completely. Emma hadn't had the time or energy to take care of herself. Thankfully, that woman was finally getting discharged today. “Ma’am! Are you alright?” Nanny Lee’s anxious voice called from outside the door. Emma quickly turned on the tap, cleaning up the mess before dragging herself to open the door. “I’m fine. It’s still early—go get some rest,” she said, her voice hoarse but steady. “Umm... there’s a phone call,” Nanny Lee added. The landline downstairs was ringing—someone insisted on an urgent matter. Turns out, both Emma’s and Ethan’ phones were off. Who calls a house phone at this hour unless it’s something serious? Emma didn’t hesitate and followed Nanny Lee downstairs. “Mr. Brown?” The moment she heard the familiar voice, Emma’s eyes went misty. He was her father’s old friend—Mr. Brown—had been Chief Operating Officer at Carter Corp for years. Smart and meticulous. Even when Ethan had reshuffled almost the entire management team overnight, Mr. Brown had stayed untouched. “Emma, is Ethan at home?” His tone was tight and no-nonsense. He quickly explained that he was currently in Country A with their partners, waiting on the ‘Dream Kiss’ licensing agreement. “I heard from Ethan that you already agreed to sign? Per the agreement, everything has to be wrapped up before noon on April 30th, Washington time. Otherwise, Carter Corp could face some serious legal consequences. Is Ethan around? Can he take the call?” “He’s…” Emma paused, “He’s in the shower. Mr. Brown, I got it. Just... give us a bit. We’ll get back to you soon.” She hung up. Then sat down on the couch, going quiet for a moment. Was Ethan already out of moves? If she didn’t say yes now, the company would definitely breach the contract. And Ethan... how would he explain this mess to the board? He was so proud—how could she just stand by and let him fall like this? Dragging her exhausted body upstairs to the study, Emma opened her laptop and started redrafting the agreement. Before stepping out, she glanced toward the family altar—her father’s photo quietly resting there. “Dad... I’m sorry,” her voice was soft, eyes stinging. “Maybe soon, I’ll be joining you and Mom. But let’s trust Ethan... he’ll take Carter Corp further than ever.” *** "Hey Nanny Lee, where’s Emma?" Ethan walked into the house just before six. The living room lights were on, but only Nanny Lee was there, busy scrubbing the floor. "She headed out early this morning," Nanny Lee replied without even looking up. "That early?" Ethan glanced at his watch. "Yep. Miss Mitchell needs her bagel from Old Street every morning, and Madam’s been going out around five every day to get it for her. Tch..." Nanny Lee gave a quiet snort, her tone laced with meaning. "Some folks really think they’re princesses, huh? Even without the life for it." She’d been working in this house for years. Even if she didn’t say much, she had eyes—and she’d felt bad for Emma for a long time. Ethan didn’t respond. He turned, about to leave. "Wait, sir!" Nanny Lee called out. "Someone rang earlier. Sounded like business—Emma called him Mr. Brown or something. Said it was something about the company. She left in such a rush she forgot her phone—" "Got it," Ethan nodded. "I’ll check the hospital." *** "Ethan said he’ll discharge you this afternoon. This is your last bagel. If you dump this one too, don’t expect more." Emma placed it on Clara’s nightstand, her voice calm like always. Clara was still fuming about the water incident from the night before. She leaned back in bed, clearly scheming up another way to needle Emma. But Emma had seen enough of her stunts to be unfazed. Clara wasn’t exactly creative with her tricks—like smashing things in the same direction every time. Emma just had to lean a bit, and they wouldn’t hit her. "You dodged again?" Clara snapped, kicking at the blanket in frustration. "Feeling smug, huh? Think once I’m discharged, you’re free? Lemme tell you—Ethan’s agreed to let me move back. If you can’t handle that, pack your stuff and get out!" "Funny, I actually wouldn’t mind leaving. But first, maybe talk him into signing that divorce paper?" Emma gave a slight chuckle and crouched to clean up the mess. Clara froze for a moment—after all these days, she had assumed Ethan would’ve wrapped that up by now. "That’s only ‘cause you still have your uses!" Clara barked. “You killed our baby—Ethan could rip you apart if he could. Stop kidding yourself. He doesn’t even want to touch your pathetic mess of a body, let alone care!” Emma, still crouched, tilted her face up slightly. "The doctor says even a mini postpartum recovery needs rest. Scream your lungs out all day if you want, just don’t bleed out, yeah?" "None of your damn business!" Clara shouted, kneeing straight into Emma’s stomach just as she was getting up.Emma was holding a tied-up garbage bag, both hands full, totally not expecting anything. She stumbled back a couple of steps—before crashing straight into Ethan, who had just walked in.