Chapter 9
Instinctively, I covered my head and screamed.
Michael Bennett’s gentle smile and our daughter’s babbling flashed through my mind.
What a humiliating way this would be-to die at the hands of Emily Brooks, a madwoman. How I wished I had never met Daniel Hughes in this life.
But the searing pain I expected never came.
Shaking, I opened my eyes to see Daniel pinning down a frenzied Emily.
Blood streamed from his forehead, his body swaying, yet he still roared:
“Sophia, run! Call the police!”
“I can’t hold her much longer!”
Emily cackled hysterically.
‘Let me go! I’ll kill this bitch! Let’s see how she can keep seducing you then!”
Daniel’s eyes blazed with fury.
‘If you touch her, I’ll bury your whole family with you!”
The police arrived quickly and restrained Emily.
Daniel lay in the ambulance, his face covered in blood, when suddenly he grabbed my hand.
His eyes held a storm of emotions I didn’t care to unravel.
Without hesitation, I pulled my hand away.
A tear slipped from the corner of his eye, his voice breaking.
Sophia, I regret it. I’ve regretted it all along.”
pressed my lips together, offering no reply.
He shut his eyes, clinging to self-deception.
‘It’s alright. You’re just shaken, you need time. I’ll wait-until you remember my love, remember Our past.”
Before he could finish, his hand went limp, and he fell unconscious.
watched the ambulance speed away.
Then I collapsed into Michael’s arms, trembling with fear, tears soaking his shirt.
‘Honey, I almost… I almost never would’ve seen you and the baby again.”
Daniel regained consciousness the next day.
Somehow, he got my number and began bombarding my phone.
When I ignored his calls, he sent endless texts-messages piling up into the hundreds if I didn’t
check.
I couldn’t take it anymore and blocked him.
But he switched to another number, sending:
“Sophia, I’m fine, just a concussion. Don’t worry about me.”
“Can you come see me? I’m in Seattle General Hospital, third floor, ICU.”
“While unconscious, I dreamed of you. You were holding our daughter, and I was holding you… I never wanted to wake up.”
“Emily won’t bother you again. I’ve hired a lawyer to get her heavily sentenced.”
“Once she’s out, I’ll send her overseas. She’ll never come back.”
I stopped reading after that.
The following day, I took a few days off work.
Our little family went to the beach to unwind.
Now I sat on a swing, the ocean breeze brushing my face, savoring the peace I’d missed for so
ong.
Michael slipped his hand into mine, his palm damp with nervous sweat.
Baby, let’s move to Bayshore City. The hospital’s opening a new branch there, and they want me is director.”
I’m still shaken by what happened. If something really happened to you, what would become of ne and our daughter?”
Vhen he finished, I nodded softly.
Alright. We’ll go together.”
n truth, the place didn’t matter.
As long as I was with the ones I loved, anywhere was home.
But on my first day back at work after vacatión, Daniel was waiting outside the office.
His head was wrapped in a bloodstained bandage, his cheek bruised and swollen, his entire ppearance haggard.
hat “charismatic” image my classmates admired was gone without a trace.
Despite clutching a massive bouquet, passersby only smirked at him.
de looked like nothing more than a pitiful clown pretending at romance.
And when he saw me, he suddenly dropped to one knee, holding the flowers high.
