The next day.
Emma sat in the living room watching TV when she heard Emily coming downstairs. She snapped back to reality and momentarily froze upon seeing Emily, then quickly regained her composure."Emma, I'm heading to work," Emily announced as she stood in the foyer changing her shoes, her face calm and unruffled.Derek had disappeared the previous night after she fell asleep, and there was no sign of him when she woke up. And the kids had already left for school.Approaching Emily with a smile, Emma inquired, "Don't you want breakfast? Last night..." Emma hesitated, then continued, "Did you sleep well?"Emily nodded lightly and replied, "Derek came back in the middle of the night yesterday. Did you know that?""I... I just knew that..." Emma averted her eyes and sighed, "Derek is a workaholic. When he's focused on work, he forgets everything. Emily, don't be upset with Derek for this, okay?"Emily stared at Emma for a moment, kindly smiled, an
