Chapter 24- New Beginnings

At the hospital, Emilia slowly opened her eyes as she took in her surroundings. She was in a hospital room, surrounded by beeping machines and sterile white walls. She tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through her head and she fell back to the pillow. The last thing she could remember was falling at the airport with her stomach hitting the hard floor. Her baby! She quickly reached out to touch her tummy, a sense of panic rising up inside her. Something was wrong. Just then, a nurse walked into the room with a sympathetic look on her face. "Good morning, Emilia. How are you feeling?" Emilia tried to speak, but her voice was hoarse. "W-what happened? Where's my baby?" The nurse's expression turned somber. "I'm so sorry, Emilia but you lost your baby." Emilia's eyes widened in horror as she felt a scream building up inside her. "NO! NOOOO! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!" she wailed, her body shaking with sobs. The nurse tried to calm her down, but Emilia was beyond consolation. She had lost her baby, the one thing that had given her hope and purpose. As she lay in bed, crying uncontrollably, the TV in the corner of the room flickered to life. Emilia's eyes were drawn to the screen, where a news anchor was talking about a breaking news story. "...and in a shocking turn of events, Alexander Ross, the wealthy businessman, has been arrested for embezzlement and fraud. He is currently being held without bail." Emilia's eyes narrowed as she watched the news report. Alex had been arrested. She felt a sense of satisfaction, knowing that he would finally face justice for his crimes and for dumping her. But then, the news anchor dropped another bombshell. "...and in a related story, Victoria Johnson, the stepwife of Mr Johnson and Miss Emilia's mother, has died after being involved in a car accident. She was attempting to escape from police custody when she was hit by a truck." Emilia's eyes widened in shock as she processed the news. Her mother was dead. No, no, no. This couldn’t be happening to her. She couldnt everyone she loved in a day. Emilia felt a mix of emotions: sadness, anger, and frustration. It was all Emily's fault. Yes, it was all Emilys fault. As she lay in bed, trying to process everything that had happened, Emilia knew that she had to get out of there. She had to escape, had to get away from the hospital and the police and the media and come back for revenge. With a newfound determination, Emilia threw off the covers and got out of bed. She was weak and dizzy, but she didn't care. She had to keep moving. She made her way to the door, her heart pounding in her chest. She knew that she wouldn't be able to escape for long, but she had to try. As she reached the door, Emilia flung it open and made a run for it. She sprinted down the hallway, her bare feet pounding on the cold floor. But as she turned a corner, Emilia didn't see the police officer standing in front of her. She ran right into him, and he grabbed her, holding her in place. Emilia struggled and kicked, but the officer was too strong. He held her down, pinning her to the floor. As Emilia looked up at the officer, she saw the sadness in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Emilia," he said. "But you're not going anywhere." And with that, Emilia's world went black. She had lost everything: her baby, her mother, her freedom and the man she loved. She had nothing left to lose. The officer stood up, holding Emilia in his arms. He looked down at her, his expression somber. "It's over," he said. "It's finally over." Emily sat in the living room with her father and Justin, watching the news report on TV. The anchor was talking about Alex's arrest and Victoria's death. Emily felt a mix of emotions as she watched the report. She had never wanted Victoria to die, despite everything she had done. Yes, she wanted them to pay but not with death but it was beyond her control now. She looked over at her father and Justin, who were both watching the report with somber expressions. Her father put a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. "It's over, Emily," he said. "It's finally over." Justin nodded in agreement. "No evil goes unpunished, Emily. Alex and Victoria got what was coming to them." Emily took a deep breath, trying to process everything that had happened. It was all too much for her to handle. She felt like she was going to break down at any moment. Suddenly, she felt a wave of nausea wash over her. She jumped up from the couch and ran to the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet before she threw up. Her father and Justin followed her into the bathroom, looking worried. "Emily, are you okay?" her father asked. Emily nodded, still feeling queasy. "I...I think so." Justin handed her a glass of water. "Here, drink this." Emily took a sip of the water, feeling a bit better. But it didn’t help, instead, she started to feel dizzy and lightheaded. Her father caught her as she swayed. "Emily, what's wrong?" Justin looked concerned. "We should probably get her to a doctor." Emily's father nodded. "Yes, let's get her checked out. Get the car ready." At the hospital, the doctor examined Emily and then delivered some unexpected news. "Emily, you're pregnant." Emily's eyes widened in shock. She hadn't expected this. She didn't know how to feel. She was pregnant with Alex’s child. Her father and Justin were overjoyed, but Emily was still trying to process the news. She was going to be a mother. She felt sad, she wished was there, she wished he hadn’t lied, she wished what happened was all a dream. As she lay in the hospital bed, Emily made a vow to herself. She would never allow her son to walk in the path of his father, Alex. She would raise him to be a good person, to be kind and compassionate. She looked over at her father and Justin, who were both smiling at her. "I'm going to do it," she said. "I'm going to raise my son to be a good person." Her father nodded. "I know you will, Emily. You're going to be a great mother." Justin smiled. "And we'll be here to support you every step of the way." Emily smiled back at them, feeling a sense of hope and determination. She was ready to start this new chapter in her life.