Emily and Derek were no longer an item. Pretty soon, he would be somebody's husband. Knowing that had nearly destroyed Emily, but the world had kept on moving. So Emily had no choice but to keep on moving too.
No job, no man, but she still had her mother, and that was what Emily was clinging to, to get her through the days.
Every morning after a night spent embroidering. Emily faked waking up around the time that her mother did. When her mom got out of the shower, she made sure to have breakfast ready.
The two of them actually having time to eat together before her mom was out the door going to work.
With her mom gone, Emily mostly stayed home. Either cleaning, and cooking, or working on her embroidering. Being very careful to ignore a particular finished piece...the heart that she had made for Derek.
The last time that Emily had touched it. It had been to put it, and the unfinished puzzle away.
