Chapter 6

I didn' t look back. The moment that hospital door clicked shut behind me, the last vestige of the woman I was with Emmett died. Jeremiah was immediately alerted. My lawyer-brother, with his precise mind and unwavering loyalty, had already filed the real divorce papers with the court. The flimsy document Emmett had tricked me into signing was meaningless. I was free, financially secure for Alexis, and ready to fight.

My priority was Alexis. I rushed to her room, my heart pounding with a mixture of dread and fierce protectiveness. The air outside felt sharp and cold against my skin, a stark contrast to the oppressive heat of my rage.

As I approached Alexis's room, I heard it. A low, guttural growl, then a muffled cry. My blood ran cold. I flung the door open.

Gordon. Elisa' s son. The bully. He was standing over Alexis's bed, his sneering face close to hers, his hand gripping her limp arm. Her monitor was beeping erratically. He was shaking her.

"Wake up, you little faker!" he hissed, his face twisted in a childish but chilling malice. "You think you can get away with this? My mom almost lost her baby because of your crazy mother!"

A red haze descended. All the suppressed fear, all the carefully controlled anger, erupted. "Get away from her!" I screamed, lunging forward. I shoved him with all my might, sending him stumbling back.

He yelped, startled. "Hey! What the hell, you psycho?!" He rubbed his arm, glaring at me. "I'll tell my mom! I'll tell Emmett!"

"Tell them what?" My voice was a low snarl, my eyes fixed on his terrified face. "Tell them you were trying to hurt her again? Tell them you finally admit everything?" My gaze swept the room, landing on a heavy ceramic vase filled with wilting flowers. My hand reached for it, gripped the cold porcelain.

Gordon' s eyes widened, a flicker of genuine fear crossing his face as he saw the vase. He backed away, stumbling over his own feet, a whimper escaping his lips. "You're crazy! Get away from me!"

Just then, Emmett and Elisa burst into the room, alerted by the commotion. Elisa, pale and fragile, clung to Emmett's arm.

"Gordon! What happened?!" Elisa cried, her eyes darting between her son and me, still clutching the vase.

Gordon, ever the manipulator, immediately burst into tears, pointing a trembling finger at me. "Mom! She attacked me! She tried to hit me with that vase! She's trying to hurt Alexis too! She's crazy!"

"That's a lie!" I screamed, my voice cracking. "He was shaking Alexis! He was trying to hurt her!"

Elisa, her face a mask of saccharine concern, turned to Emmett. "Oh, Emmett, darling, look at her. She's completely unhinged. She's lashing out because of the miscarriage. She blames us." She then turned her tear-filled eyes to me. "Adelia, I understand you're heartbroken, but this isn't the way. You can't just attack my son."

"Your son pushed Alexis!" I yelled, my voice raw with desperation. "He admitted it just now! He said she deserved it!"

Emmett' s eyes, cold and hard, landed on me. He didn't even bother to hide the contempt. "Enough, Adelia. You're making a scene. You're hysterical." He didn't question Gordon, didn't look at Alexis's still form. He just saw me, the problem.

Before I could say another word, his fist connected with my jaw. A blinding flash of white light, an explosion of pain, and I crumpled to the floor, my head hitting the tile with a sickening crack. My ears rang, my vision swam, and the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. He had never hit me before. Not once. The shock was as profound as the pain.

"You pathetic, disgusting woman!" Emmett snarled, standing over me, his face contorted in a mask of pure rage. "You caused Elisa to lose our child, and now you attack her son? You are a menace! A danger to everyone around you!"

Elisa, stepping forward, placed a gentle hand on Emmett's arm, her voice a soft, venomous purr. "Emmett, darling, don't. She's not worth it. She's just... in so much pain. We need to be the bigger people." She glanced down at me, a triumphant smirk flashing in her eyes. It was gone in an instant, replaced by feigned pity. "Oh, Adelia, look at you. So lost. So broken. I almost feel sorry for you."

My head swam, but I looked up at Emmett, truly seeing him. The mask had finally fallen. There was no compassion, no humanity, no love left in his eyes for me. Only contempt and a chilling indifference. He was a monster, far worse than I had ever imagined.

My gaze drifted to Alexis, still and silent on the bed, her chest rising and falling imperceptibly. My world. My reason for living. A jolt of fierce, protective energy shot through me. I would not let him take her.

Her heart rate monitor blared, a sudden, frantic series of beeps shattering the tension. Alexis's breathing became shallow, ragged.

Emmett, startled by the sudden alarm, his face still flushed with anger, turned to Alexis. He walked slowly, deliberately, towards her bed. His eyes were cold, calculating.

A raw, primal fear gripped me. "Emmett! What are you doing?!" I cried, scrambling to my feet despite the throbbing pain. "Stay away from her!"

He ignored me, his hand reaching for the tangled tubes connected to Alexis. "This... this is costing too much," he muttered, his voice cold. "And she's causing too much trouble." His fingers hovered over her oxygen tube, the one keeping her breathing steady, keeping her alive.

"No! Emmett, no!" I shrieked, my voice tearing. I lunged forward, but my legs buckled. I fell to my knees, helpless, my body screaming in protest. "Please! Don't! She's your daughter! Your flesh and blood!"

He turned, his eyes piercing me with a chilling, dead gaze. "My daughter?" he scoffed, a cruel smirk twisting his lips. "She's a problem, Adelia. A constant, expensive problem. A reminder of your failure. And quite frankly, I'm not entirely convinced she even is my blood."

The words shattered the last fragile pieces of my heart. My own husband, questioning Alexis's parentage, just to justify his cruelty.

Alexis's breathing grew more labored, the monitor's alarm shrieking louder, a desperate cry for help. Her small body, so fragile, convulsed slightly.

I looked at Emmett, at his cold, unfeeling face, at Elisa, watching with a sickening, triumphant smirk. There was no appealing to their humanity. There was only one way.

"Please!" I sobbed, my voice broken, desperate. I crawled towards Emmett, dragging my aching body across the cold floor. "Please, I'll do anything! Anything you want! I'll never speak of it again! I'll disappear! Just... just don't hurt Alexis! Please, Emmett! I beg you!" I reached for his feet, grabbing his expensive shoes, my head bowed in total submission, my tears soaking his polished leather. The raw pain in my shoulder from my dislocated arm screamed at me, but I ignored it. I heard the fabric of my dress tear as my weight pulled on it.

"I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry! I apologize for everything! Please, just let her live! She's just a child!" My voice was a desperate, guttural plea, stripped of all pride, all dignity. "Please!"