The One He Loved Was Never Me Chapter 04
I laughed. Laughed until tears streamed down my face.
He hadn’t mentioned the flower. Not once.
I uncapped the pen and signed my name in one decisive stroke.
“Okay,” I said.
He paused. “Where are you? I think I hear a number being called.”
I hung up.
Then I lay down on the operating table of my own volition.
When I opened my eyes again, it felt like I’d lived an entire lifetime.
A dull ache still wrung my lower abdomen. Under the pitying gazes of the medical staff, I walked out of the procedure room alone.
The bandage on my leg seeped with blood. The wound in my chest—maybe that one would heal too. Eventually.
Passing through the emergency wing, I caught two nurses at the station whispering.
“That family is unbelievable—spoiling her rotten! The girl had a cut less than half an inch long on her finger, and all four of them showed up demanding she be admitted.”
“Right? Another few minutes and it would’ve closed on its own. Did you see the guy, though? Tall, gorgeous, handfeeding her fruit the entire time. Made me jealous, honestly.”
I looked up instinctively.
Through the halfopen glass doors of the emergency ward, I saw my parents gathered like devoted attendants around Megan’s bed—and Ethan, all tender attention, leaning down to feed her blueberries.
I stood frozen. Ice spread through my entire body.
My mother happened to see me as she was closing the door. She glared. “What took you so long? You can’t even be bothered to check the group chat! Heartless! Didn’t you know your sister was hurt?”
My father waved me over. “Perfect timing. Megan wants congee from that place in Beverly Hills. Go pick some up for her.”
Megan tugged weakly at her blanket. “But that shop is like twentyfive miles from here… Wouldn’t that be too much trouble for my sister? I don’t have to eat it…”
“Emily has always been thoughtful. Taking care of you is the least she should do.” Ethan gently squeezed Megan’s hand, then looked up at me, an edge of warning in his voice. “And don’t pull what you did yesterday—making a federal case out of a flowerpot.”
I lowered my gaze, let it pass over my flat stomach, and smiled softly.
“I won’t.”
After all, the last thing tethering me here had just been severed.
He nodded, satisfied, and stood to walk me out with his arm around my shoulders. “I’ll call you an Uber to that place. Remember—no ginger. Megan doesn’t like it.”
“Okay.”
Seeing my cold expression, he sighed and pinched my cheek. “I know these past few days have been rough on you. Once Megan’s better, I’ll make it up to you properly, okay?”
“Okay.”
I climbed calmly into the back seat of the Uber.
The instant the door closed, a strange pang seized Ethan’s chest. He reached out and gripped the door frame, staring straight at me.
“Emily, come back soon.”
This time I didn’t answer.
I just smiled, and pressed the button to raise the window.
As the car pulled away, I watched his figure grow smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror. Then, word by word, I spoke to the driver:
“Change of plans. Take me to the airport, please.”