Chapter 5

A young hotel employee stood outside the door with a polite smile. “Good evening, ma'am. I apologize for disturbing you. We wanted to ask if you would like to order dinner for the evening.”

Emily looked at him for a moment before shaking her head. “No, thank you. I'm not hungry.”

Before the employee could respond, Kathy's voice came from behind her.

“That is nonsense.”

Emily turned around and saw Kathy standing near the sofa with her arms folded.

“Aunt Kathy…”

“You are pregnant, and you are telling me you don't want to eat?”

Emily sighed softly. “I really don't have an appetite.”

“That does not mean you should skip your meal.”

Kathy walked toward the door and looked at the hotel employee.

“Please bring dinner. Something light. Soup, fruits, and anything healthy.”

The employee nodded politely. “Of course, ma'am.”

After he left, Emily closed the door and turned to Kathy. “You didn't have to do that.”

Kathy gave her a serious look. “Yes, I did.”

Emily smiled faintly. “You are treating me like a child.”

“No. I am treating you like someone who needs to be taken care of.”

Those words made Emily quiet. She had spent years taking care of everyone else. She had worried about making Xavier happy, pleasing his family, and protecting the business agreement between the Carters and Sterlings. But no one had ever asked if she was happy. Kathy walked back to the sofa and sat down.

“You have always been too strong for your own good.”

Emily looked down. “I had to be.”

“You shouldn't have had to be.”

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The silence was comfortable. It was different from the silence in the Sterling mansion, where every quiet moment felt like she was walking on broken glass.

Finally, Emily spoke. “I am leaving Ranch City tomorrow.”

Kathy looked at her. “Are you sure?”

Emily nodded. “There is nothing left for me here.”

She placed a hand over her stomach. “I need to start over somewhere else. Somewhere my child won't grow up surrounded by people who see us as a burden.”

Kathy's eyes softened. Kathy understood Emily.

Emily wasn't leaving because she stopped loving him overnight. She was leaving because she finally understood that love could not survive where there was no respect. The food arrived shortly after. Kathy watched carefully as Emily ate.

“You don't have to watch me like that,” Emily said.

“I do.”

Emily smiled slightly. “You are impossible.”

“And you need someone impossible in your life.”

For the first time that day, Emily laughed softly. It was small, but it was real. After dinner, Kathy helped arrange the remaining items Emily had brought from the mansion. Everything she needed for the journey ahead was packed neatly. Emily looked at the luggage near the door. Tomorrow, she would leave behind the name that had defined her for five years.

Mrs. Sterling.

She would no longer be the wife who was blamed for not giving the Sterling family an heir. She would simply be Emily Carter. She was a woman starting again. Later that night, the hotel room became quiet. Kathy slept on the sofa while Emily rested on the bed.

She placed her hand over her stomach. There was still a strange feeling inside her. Happiness mixed with fear. She had wanted to tell Xavier. She really had. But now, she couldn't imagine handing such precious news to a man who had looked at her with indifference while another woman stood beside him.

Her child deserved to be loved, not treated as a replacement for something he thought he had lost. Emily closed her eyes. She would figure everything out. She always did. Hours passed.

Then suddenly, a sharp pain woke her from her sleep. Emily opened her eyes immediately.

For a few seconds, she remained still, trying to understand what had happened. Then another wave of pain came, this time stronger than the last. Her breathing changed. She slowly sat up and pressed a hand against her stomach.

“No.”

Fear crossed her face. She wasn't supposed to feel this kind of pain, not now, not when she had barely begun planning her future.

“Aunt Kathy.” Her voice was quiet, but Kathy woke immediately.

“What happened?”

Emily looked at her. “I don't know.”

Another pain came, forcing her to hold onto the edge of the bed. Kathy's expression changed. She rushed toward her.

“Emily.”

“I'm fine,” Emily tried to say.

But even she knew the words sounded unconvincing. Kathy grabbed her phone.

“We're going to the hospital.”

“I don't want to cause trouble…”

“Emily.” Kathy's voice became firm.

“This is not trouble. This is your child.”

That was enough to silence her. Within minutes, Kathy had helped her get dressed and called for transportation. The journey to the hospital felt longer than it actually was. Emily sat quietly in the back seat, one hand resting protectively over her stomach.

She hated feeling afraid. She had faced Xavier, his mother, and an entire marriage falling apart in one day without letting herself break. But now, with her child involved, fear found a way through. Kathy noticed her expression.

“Everything will be fine.” Kathy assured her.

Emily nodded, though she couldn't stop worrying. When they arrived at the hospital, doctors immediately attended to her. Questions were asked. Tests were done. Emily lay on the hospital bed staring at the ceiling while she waited for answers.

The minutes felt endless. Finally, a doctor entered the room with a smile.

“Mrs. Carter.”

Emily immediately looked up. “How is my baby?”

The doctor glanced at the file in his hand.

“The baby is fine.”

Emily released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

“But…”

Her chest tightened. “But what?”

The doctor smiled. “There is something you should know.”

Kathy stepped closer. “What is it, doctor?”

The doctor looked between them. “Congratulations. You are carrying twins.”

For a moment, the room became completely silent. Emily stared at him.

“Twins?”

The doctor nodded.

“Yes. Two babies.”

Emily looked toward the ultrasound screen.

She had two children she would protect with everything she had. Tears filled her eyes, but this time they were not tears of heartbreak. They were tears of disbelief. She had lost a husband. She had lost a marriage. But she had gained something far more precious, her children.