The Wife He Tried To Erase Chapter 06
The basement had no windows. Only LED lights that stayed on 24 hours a day.
Emilia stood in front of the easel, her right hand trembling uncontrollably.
She tried to grip the brush, but it slipped from her fingers and clattered to the floor.
When she bent to pick it up, her vision suddenly darkened. She staggered and grabbed the easel to keep from falling.
“Emmy, you’re careless.”
A soft voice came from the stairway.
Valentina descended gracefully in a white cashmere dress and heels.
She walked up to Emilia. When her eyes lingered on the trembling hand, her smile deepened.
“Nicky said you’d help me with three paintings. That must be exhausting.”
She leaned closer and lowered her voice.
“I don’t really want to do this either, but Nicky feels bad for me. He said you’re already ruined anyway. Your hands might as well create something useful for me. Think of it as making up for your mistakes.”
Emilia ignored her. She bent down, picked up the brush, and used her left hand to clamp down on her right wrist, forcing it still.
Valentina didn’t mind. She sat down on a nearby chair and crossed her legs. “I’ve already picked the themes. They should all be romantic. Nicky loves that fairy tale feeling in my work.”
Each title was a blade driven straight into the softest part of Emilia’s heart.
They were the exact series she once painted for him. Even the names hadn’t changed.
“What? You don’t want to?” Valentina raised a brow.
“Should I go talk to Nicky again? I think your mother’s ventilator bill might be due—”
“I’ll paint,” Emilia cut her off. Her voice was frighteningly calm.
She squeezed blue paint onto the palette. Her hand shook so badly that pigment splattered everywhere.
Valentina smiled in satisfaction and sipped her coffee. “Take your time. I won’t bother you. Oh, right. Nicky said I’ll check progress every day. If it’s not good enough…”
She blinked sweetly. “You know what that means.”
Her heels faded up the stairs, and silence returned.
Emilia stared at the blank canvas. Then, she tugged faintly at the corner of her mouth.
She dipped the brush and made the first stroke.
It wasn’t blue, but a thick, blood-like crimson.
Her phone suddenly vibrated beside the palette.
With hands stained red, she grabbed it.
The screen flashed, “Mount Sinai Hospital, Critical Care.”
In that moment, it felt like all the blood drained from her body.
“Hello…”
“Ms. Barnett, please come immediately! Your mother just went into ventricular fibrillation. We’re resuscitating!” The nurse’s voice shook with panic.
The brush fell from her hand, and red paint splashed across her white dress.
“Resuscitating… Why? The doctor said she was stable this morning…”
“It’s the nurse… It’s because…” The voice broke, then dissolved into sobbing. “Mr. Gallagher sent someone to handle paperwork. They forced us to stop her imported medication and move her out of the ICU. She was shocked. The treatment stopped. Then suddenly…”
Emilia’s mind went blank.
“We did everything… Defibrillator three times… Ms. Barnett, I’m sorry. The patient… has no vital signs.”
Emilia didn’t even understand the words at first.
She stayed kneeling on the floor, still holding the phone.
The device slipped from her fingers. “Mom…”
Her lips moved, but no sound came.
It was just one more day. She could’ve taken Rachel and left Nicholas…
She had already agreed to his conditions. Why couldn’t he wait even half a day?
Emilia clutched her chest. The pain felt like thousands of needles stabbing her heart.
That night, she packed her things. She gave one last look at the painting that belonged to her.
Then, she sent a final message to the person on the other end.
“Come get me tomorrow.”