"Are you cold?"
Julian's voice broke the silence, his concern evident as he reached out to touch Emily's cheek. Instinctively, Emily recoiled, leaving his hand suspended in the air.
"I'm fine," she assured him, her tone steady.
"Why didn't you explain what happened?" Julian inquired, his brow furrowing with worry.
"There's no need," Emily replied calmly. "Do you think he'll believe she fell by herself if I tell him?"
Julian sighed, understanding the complexities of the situation. "He's always cared about Olivia since we were kids. Maybe you're right. You don't owe anyone an explanation."
Julian extended his hand, gently petting the back of Emily's head. "Let's go grab a bite to eat. You haven't eaten much all night," he suggested, his voice laced with concern.
Emily remained silent for a moment, lost in her thoughts. "Don't forget, you still have me. We've grown up together too," Julian added softly, reminding Emily of their shared history.
With a nod, Julian urged Emily to stand up from the bench.
"I don't feel hungry, and..." Emily began, but Julian interrupted firmly. "I'll drive you home then," he insisted, leaving no room for argument.
During the half-hour journey back, Emily initially thought they wouldn't have much to discuss, but she soon found Julian more talkative than she remembered.
"How's your family? I heard your father expanded the business to Australia and New Zealand," she ventured, attempting to make small talk.
Julian nodded in confirmation. "Yes, he decided to take the business global, starting with Australia," he explained. "If I had known about your father's firm sooner, I would have done something. I heard about it too late. I'm sorry."
Emily was taken aback by Julian's apology. She hadn't anticipated any help from him. "It's alright. Everything was resolved," she reassured him.
But Julian's remorse lingered. "It matters to me. You were in trouble, and I didn't hear about it. Even worse, I didn't have the chance to help out," he admitted, reflecting on the missed opportunity.
As memories of Emily's past struggles resurfaced in Julian's mind, he added, "Anyway, if you need anything, just ask."
When they arrived at the Stratton's, Emily unbuckled her seatbelt and thanked Julian for the ride. "Drive home safely," she urged him.
Julian nodded in acknowledgment, watching as Emily exited the car and made her way to the front door. He returned her wave goodbye before she disappeared inside, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
Upon arriving home, Emily discovered that the elderly Mrs. Stratton had already retired to bed. Chatting briefly with Margaret about her grandmother's day, Emily speculated that Grandma's lack of worry might be attributed to her leaving for the dinner party with Alex. With Grandma asleep, Emily no longer fretted about concocting excuses for Alex's absence.
Just as she prepared to ascend the staircase, Emily was taken aback to find Alex standing at the bottom, his arms folded tightly across his chest, his gaze icy as it bore into her. Questions swirled in her mind—why was he home? Shouldn't he be at the hospital with Olivia?
Alex lifted his chin and lowered his gaze at her, his voice laced with tension as he queried, "Where did you go? Why didn't you pick up your phone?"
"Did you call?" Emily inquired, retrieving her phone from her purse. Upon realizing it was out of power, she shrugged nonchalantly. "It's dead."
Snatching her phone from her hand, Alex inspected it to confirm her claim, eliciting a smirk from Emily. There's no trust between them, she noted silently.
After verifying that Emily's phone was indeed dead and she hadn't ignored his calls intentionally, Alex's icy demeanour softened slightly, though his gaze remained fixed on her. "Where did you go? Why didn't you wait for me there?" he pressed, recounting how he had taken Olivia to the hospital before returning to the restaurant to find Emily gone. Assuming she had gone straight home, he had rushed back only to find her absent here as well.
In contrast to Alex's evident agitation, Emily remained composed as she explained, "I assumed you would stay with Olivia at the hospital to take care of her tonight."
At the mention of Olivia's name, a flicker of unease crossed Alex's face. "Her friend was there to take care of her."
Nodding in understanding, Emily replied, "Okay, I'll get ready for bed," and began to ascend the stairs, passing Alex.
However, before she could make her escape, Alex caught her wrist, and posed a pointed question: "Is there anything you want to explain?"
Alex was on the verge of revealing that he had seen Julian drive Emily home, but he hesitated, assuming Emily would offer an explanation herself. Emily, however, interpreted Alex's silence as a prompt for her to clarify the events surrounding Olivia's fall.
"What did she tell you?" Emily probed, locking eyes with Alex, her tone expectant.
Caught off guard by Emily's question, Alex's mind still lingered on Julian's involvement. After a moment's pause, he grasped the implication. "You meant Olivia?" he clarified, finally understanding Emily's inquiry.
"Who else?" Emily retorted inwardly, sensing Alex's unease. "If I tell you I didn't push her and she faked the fall herself, would you believe it?" Emily challenged, her gaze piercing.
Alex, sensing Emily's shift in attitude, frowned, puzzled by her recent behaviour. Without directly addressing her question, he responded, "I knew."
Emily looked at him incredulously. "You knew she faked the fall, but you still let them blame it on me?" she exclaimed, feeling like a pawn in a senseless game.
Alex felt a pang of regret at Emily's accusation, sensing the erosion of trust between them. He tightened his grip on Emily's wrist, attempting to explain, "She had quite a few stitches on her forehead, and the doctor said it might leave a scar permanently. I needed to calm her down first."
"Stitches and scars? Even if she were dead, it's none of my business," Emily snapped, her anger palpable as she shook off Alex's hand. "If you need to calm her down, go to the hospital. Don't play the blaming game with me. I'm done here."
With that, Emily stormed off upstairs, leaving Alex standing there, feeling the weight of her words like a heavy burden. He could feel the tension pulsing in his temples as he followed Emily upstairs.
Emily stormed into the bathroom, seeking solace by the sink as she splashed cold water on her face in an attempt to quell her rising emotions. To her surprise, Alex followed her upstairs, prompting her to lift her head and glare at him angrily through the mirror. "Get out," she demanded sharply.
Undeterred, Alex stepped closer, his voice calm as he attempted to explain. "I can explain," he began.
Emily cut him off with a bitter laugh. "I don't want to hear anything from you. Get out now, and I need to shower," she insisted, her tone laced with frustration.
"I understand how you feel, and I promise..." Alex tried to interject, but Emily interrupted him once more, her icy gaze unwavering.
"Why are you still here? I told you to get out!" she reiterated, her patience wearing thin.
Alex's expression darkened, and after a moment of tense silence, he turned around and left the room, closing the door behind him. Alone once more, Emily sighed heavily, her anger dissipating into a wave of exhaustion. Leaning against the shower wall, she closed her eyes, feeling a wave of nausea wash over her. She couldn't shake the nagging worry that her emotional turmoil might be affecting the baby growing inside her. Placing a hand protectively over her belly, she made a silent vow to regain control of her emotions.
After her shower, Emily hurriedly retreated to bed, hoping to find solace in sleep.
In the hospital room,
Olivia's eyes were swollen from tears as she struggled to contain her emotions. The doctor's words about potential scarring had sent her into a spiral of despair. What had begun as a calculated ploy to frame Emily had spiralled out of control, leading her to a harrowing descent down the unforgiving staircase. Intent on staging a minor fall next to Emily, Olivia had grossly miscalculated the layout of the stairs. The sharp edges had caught her off guard, and before she knew it, she was tumbling down, pain shooting across her forehead as she landed.
With trembling hands, she gingerly touched the wound, recoiling at the sight of blood staining her skin. It was then that the full magnitude of her actions dawned upon her, and a surge of anger gripped her heart. How dare Emily be the cause of her suffering? The injustice of it all fuelled the flames of resentment burning within her.
But even as she harbored resentment towards Emily, Olivia couldn't escape the bitter truth that she was the architect of her own downfall. The realization gnawed at her, festering like a wound that refused to heal. Frustration bubbled up inside her, a tempest of emotions raging within.
As her friends attempted to calm her down, their words of comfort fell on deaf ears, drowned out by her inner turmoil. Olivia lashed out, hurling objects around the room in a fit of fury. The sound of shattering glass reverberated through the air, a stark reminder of the havoc she had caused.
In the midst of the chaos, a figure appeared in the doorway.