A Friend.

Emily's pov.

I sat in the room, still hugging the spot where the needle pierced my arm like it was the thing that betrayed me. My blood—taken to prove a lie. I didn’t know how long I’d been staring at the wall.

I might have escaped this one, but only time would tell once the results came back. I didn’t know how long the test would take, but I needed to figure out something—with or without Sammy.

Kelvin was gone. Peter, too. And the doctor, thank God. But their presence still lingered like thick smoke.

He hadn’t looked at me once with concern. Not when I said I didn’t feel well. Not when I flinched at the needle. Not even a flicker of worry crossed his face. Just... cold calculation.

I don’t know what I expected. Maybe a softening. Maybe something—anything—that showed he cared even a little about the woman he believed was carrying his child. How heartless could he be? Because Kelvin didn’t love Elena.

Not even close. He didn’t even like her.

And standing here, in this stranger’s clothes, playing the role of a woman everyone hated, I was starting to understand why she ran. In fact... I was starting to wonder why she hadn’t done it sooner. If I were truly Elena, I wouldn’t have come back either.

This house was a prison with chandeliers. It looked good on the outside, but the inside was made of hatred and hearts of stone. And to make it worse, he didn’t speak—he interrogated. He didn’t care—he calculated. And to him, I wasn’t a person. I was a problem to be solved. A vessel to be watched. I already felt like running myself. One more night in this haunted house, and I might lose my mind.

The door flared open, and for a second, I feared it was him again. But it wasn’t.

It was a woman. Pretty, flashy, tall. Wearing enough perfume to drown in. Long lashes. Loud heels. Lip gloss like glass. And an exaggerated amount of cleavage on display.

She walked in like she owned the place, and when she saw me, she froze for just a second—then smiled wide.

“Babe!” she squealed.

I blinked. Babe?

She hugged me before I could stop her, long nails digging lightly into my back.

“I can’t believe you’re actually here. I was so worried about you I couldn’t sleep.” Dramatic. “You look... well. Just, erm.... Anyway, forget it,” she said with a laugh that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

Peter, standing by the door, cleared his throat.

“Miss Jade. She just finished her medical exam. The doctor has instructed her to rest.” We both looked toward Peter’s direction.

“Hello? Ruuuude.” She rolled her eyes, ignoring Peter.

She turned to me, flapping her lashes. “Oh, poor baby,” she cooed, fake concern dripping from her lips. “You must be exhausted.” Well, duh.

She turned and fake-smiled sweetly at Peter, realizing he wasn’t leaving. “Don’t worry, we’ll just chat a bit. Girl stuff.” She whispered in my ear, “Your bodyguard Peter is obviously obsessed with you.”

Peter didn’t hear what she said, but he gave me a brief glance before he left. The moment he did, Jade’s face changed in a blink. Gone was the soft expression. In its place? Smug satisfaction, followed by a sorry look. What now?

“Elena, I know you’re still upset with me and that’s why I came—to say sorry. I swear I won’t do it again. You know I don’t apologize to anyone, but for you, I could do it.” Firstly, who are you? She flipped her lashes, her hands pleading, giving me a look she must have thought was cute.

“I... think you should sit first.” I fell short of words. She must be Elena’s friend. What was she asking for forgiveness for?

“Say you forgive me first.” She looked at me with hope. I had no choice but to forgive her—I didn’t even know if I was in the position to do that. What must she have done to Elena? How bad could it be? Besides, she looked sweet... other than annoyingly loud.

She squealed and hugged me for forgiving her like she’d just accomplished something. Then she plopped onto the bed beside me, kicked off her heels, and let out a dramatic sigh.

“I swear,” she said, digging through her designer bag, “if I spend one more day pretending I care about Kelvin’s security staff or your bodyguard, I’ll literally vomit.” She looked at me with a smirk. “You’ve really got him wrapped again, huh? I mean—first class drama queen comeback. Period! Well done, babes.”

I looked at her, puzzled. Do I say thank you to this?

“Come on, don’t look at me like that. I mean, you finally made him get you the house. As always—putting him in his place. The moment I came into the house, I was stunned. Your picture frame—large and evident—telling people who owns the house. OMG, congratulations, babe.” She gave a quick giggle. Something envious flashed across her face.

“Thank you... sorry, you said ‘putting him in his place’—” I paused, not sure if it was the right thing to ask. “What do you mean by that?”

She adjusted her cleavage. “We both know Kelvin doesn’t love you like he used to.” She said that part like she wanted it to sink into my brain. “He’s trying to make your life miserable with that baggage.” She pointed to my tummy. “But I trust you to be ten steps ahead of him. No house, no baby.” she laughed like it was the funniest thing she had said throughout.

What I could draw from this was that this marriage was not a peaceful one. Kelvin was possibly abusive, and Elena... Elena was just trying to survive a man who was willing to fustrate her in every way possible.