Chapter 5

For a moment, Emily froze before she quickly caught herself and said, "A friend wants a divorce." Then, she turned to the phone and gently added, "I'll come visit in a few days, Penelope." With that, she hung up. Noah frowned, but never for a second did it cross his mind that she'd be talking about herself, so he didn't bother overthinking her words. He just tossed out a cold remark before disappearing into his study. "Don't embarrass me with stunts like tonight again." His suit brushed her wrist as he passed, stirring up a fleeting chill. … The next morning, Emily woke up to a cold pillow by her side. When she turned on her phone, the first thing that popped up was Bella's new post. In the picture, Noah was cutting steak for her with his head bent low and a soft, gentle look in his eyes. Emily calmly scrolled past it without feeling a single ripple in her chest. She started methodically packing her belongings, not caring if Noah came home or not. Then came a jarring call, shattering that peace. It was from Mirabel Turner, who cried out, "Emily, your mom flew in to see you, but there was a car crash after leaving the airport! She's in emergency surgery at your local hospital! The doctors said it's bad, so come quickly!" When Emily arrived at the hospital, her mom, Eleanor Whitmore, lay pale on the hospital bed of the ER. The attending doctor pulled off his mask with a grim look. "The patient has a shattered femur and an intracranial hemorrhage. We need to operate immediately. Please pay a deposit of at least a million dollars." At the payment desk, Emily's hands were shaking as she tapped on her banking app. She and Noah were too far apart in wealth. So all these years, she'd never used Noah's money, for fear that he'd think she was just another gold digger. Now, her face went pale as she stared at the pitiful balance in her account. To Noah, a million dollars was loose change. But to her, it was a matter of life and death. She bit her lips and asked, "Could you please start the surgery first? I'll figure something out to get the rest of the money…" The cashier didn't even look up. "According to hospital policy, the surgery will not start as long as there's no payment." So, Emily had no choice but to stand in the hallway, dialing Noah's number over and over. There was no answer for the first call, and all calls after that. It wasn't until the seventh try that the line finally clicked on, and Bella's sweet voice sounded through the speaker. "Hello, Noah's in the shower… Can I help you?" Water rushed softly in the background. Emily's grip on her phone tightened so much that her knuckles paled. "Put him on the phone. My mom—" "I'm sorry, Emily," Bella said, cutting her off. "Noah said he's taking me on holiday for a few days and handed everything to George. Just talk to him if there's anything urgent." With that, she ended the call. Emily stood frozen in the hallway, feeling a chill run down her spine. She had no choice but to grab a cab to Lockridge Group, and just as she headed for the elevator, the receptionist stopped her. "You can't enter without an appointment, Mrs. Lockridge." "It's urgent!" Emily whispered, her voice cracking. The receptionist scanned her pale face and reluctantly dialed the CEO's office number. Moments later, George Stewart came down. After learning about the purpose of Emily's trip, he stood two steps above her, staring down at her with a smile that never quite reached his eyes. "Mrs. Lockridge, transferring company funds requires proper procedure. First, you'll submit a request form before it goes through Finance, Auditing, and the Vice CEO's office for approval." "How long does it take?" Emily asked in a trembling voice. George shrugged and replied, "A week or maybe longer since our CFO is on leave…" Emily's hand tightened on her bag strap until her nails dug deep into her palm. She knew exactly why they had the guts to treat her this way, because everyone at Lockridge Group knew Noah had married her just for show. If Bella stood here today, George would be bowing and nodding as he got everything settled. This was the truth of elite society. She'd stepped into the upper crust but never into Noah's heart, so all she got was humiliation. Left with no choice, she had to stand at the tall windows and fill out the form line by line. Just as she was almost done, her phone buzzed in her pocket. One glance at the headline lighting up the screen, and her heart felt suffocatingly clenched by a pair of invisible hands. Today's top entertainment headline read "CEO of Lockridge Group Drops One Billion Dollars on Rare Pink Diamond for Mystery Lover." In the picture, Noah leaned close and fastened a priceless necklace around Bella's neck. With his head lowered, the way he looked at her was soft and utterly devoted, a look Emily had never received. Pain stabbed through her chest as she bit her lip so hard she tasted blood. It seemed that while she, his wife, had been begging his subordinate for a measly million, he'd been splurging on a diamond for his beloved. "Oh, Emily… What a pathetic joke you've become," she murmured.