Chapter 5
"Busy? You mean busy traveling, hiking, and telling Veronica bedtime stories?" I shot back.
Bitterness spread through my chest, and my heart clenched with agony.
Rowan was taken aback. After a pause, he spoke again, guilt creeping into his voice. "Veronica is my patient. Everything I do is for her recovery. A doctor always puts the patient first. Can you stop treating this like a competition?"
I scoffed. "Don't worry. I'll see you at the courthouse tomorrow. After the divorce, do whatever you want. We'll never see each other again."
Having said that, I ended the call and blocked his number again.
…
Early the next morning, Adeline and I arrived at the courthouse, only to see someone unexpected. It was Veronica.
She wore a white dress, and I recognized it instantly. It was the one Rowan had bought her. After all, she had posted photos of it on social media to show it off.
Before Adeline or I could get a single word in, Veronica's eyes glistened with tears. Her throat tightened, and her expression faltered. It was hard not to feel sorry for her.
Then, she walked up to us. Her voice was heavy with grievance as she said, "I'm sorry. I didn't know things would come to this.
"I have no one to rely on in this world, and they're the only ones who show me kindness. But don't worry. I won't come between you guys. I even told them to apologize. I just didn't expect them to ignore me."
Her words sounded sincere on the surface, yet every sentence she spoke carried a subtle hint of triumph.
By then, Adeline was shaking with fury. She tried to speak again and again, but I stopped her each time.
Then, I turned to Veronica and replied, "It's fine. We'll be divorced soon. After that, do whatever you want. Even if you all move in together, we won't say a single word."
With that, I turned to leave, unwilling to waste my breath on her.
Out of nowhere, Veronica grabbed my wrist.
Instinctively, I tried to shake her off. But before I could do anything, she released her grip.
Veronica fell heavily to the floor. Her bag went flying, and her knees scraped raw against the ground.
I froze for a moment, still trying to process what had just happened.
Just then, an angry shout rang out. "Emilia! What do you think you're doing?"
In the next instant, someone shoved me hard in the shoulder. If Adeline hadn't grabbed me in time, my head would have slammed straight into the pillar beside me.
When I returned to my senses, I saw Rowan holding Veronica in his arms, soothing her gently.
"Emilia, apologize to her!" he demanded, his voice edged with anger as his expression darkened.
Almost immediately, his gaze fell on my stomach. Panic flashed across his face, and his voice shook uncontrollably as he asked, "Emilia… w-where's our baby?"
At that moment, Elliot arrived. His first instinct was to look at Veronica, sprawled on the floor.
Just as he was about to snap, he saw Adeline and me. Then, he froze.
A moment later, he grabbed Adeline by the shoulders.
"Addie, your stomach… Where's our baby?" Elliot asked, trembling all over.
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