The atmosphere inside the car was thick with tension, suffocatingly silent save for the faint hum of the engine. Alex's knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel with an intensity that bordered on violence, his jaw clenched tightly in an effort to contain the storm of emotions raging within him. Glancing over at Emily, he noted her hunched form, her eyes closed as she rested her head against the cool glass of the passenger door.
Half an hour passed in this oppressive silence before they arrived at the Stratton's. Emily stirred from her half-dozing state, her eyes fluttering open to meet Alex's gaze. "go home and get some rest," he instructed, his voice clipped and devoid of its usual warmth.
Emily nodded, reaching for the seatbelt to unbuckle herself. However, before she could do so, Alex halted her with a single word. "Hold on."
Confusion flickered across her features as she turned to face him, only to find him leaning towards her, his movements deliberate and purposeful. A familiar sense of warmth enveloped her as he drew closer, his presence overwhelming in the confined space of the car. She could see the lines etched on his lips, the intensity of his gaze sending shivers down her spine.
Instinctively, Emily leaned back, a small gasp escaping her lips as she retreated from his proximity.
Alex froze, his expression momentarily clouded by confusion before a cold, icy mask settled over his features. "Are you avoiding me?" he questioned sharply, his tone laced with accusation. "What do you think I was gonna do? Kiss you?"
Caught off guard by his sudden change in demeanour Emily struggled to find her voice. "Then why were you getting so close?" she countered, her own confusion mingling with a hint of apprehension.
Alex offered a tight-lipped smirk in response, his gaze hardening as he straightened up and retreated to the driver's seat without offering an explanation. The air between them grew even heavier as they continued their journey in strained silence, each lost in their own thoughts and the unspoken tension that lingered between them.
The next day,
The morning light filtered softly through the curtains, casting a gentle glow over the room as Emily stirred awake. She reached out, expecting to find Alex's warmth beside her, but her hand met empty cold sheets instead. A pang of mixed feeling washed over her as she realized that he hadn't come home last night. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she lingered for a moment, lost in thought, before finally mustering the resolve to start her day.
As she made her way downstairs for breakfast, she passed by the closed study door. To her surprise, it swung open just as she approached, revealing Alex standing on the threshold. They locked eyes, both momentarily frozen in place, neither expecting to encounter the other there. The air between them crackled with tension, the unspoken weight of their strained relationship palpable.
Alex broke the silence first, his voice devoid of emotion. "Julian wants to get together for dinner tonight. Wanna come?" His words were clipped, his tone icy and impatient.
Emily felt a twinge of annoyance at his brusque manner, but she knew from years of experience that Alex had a tendency to be cold and distant after a fight. It was a pattern that had emerged since their childhood days, whenever they found themselves at odds with each other.
She couldn't help but reminisce about those childhood fights, the petty squabbles and misunderstandings that seemed so significant at the time. There were times when they would go days without speaking to each other, their stubbornness fuelling the rift between them. But inevitably, it was always Alex who would break the silence first.
Despite the flood of memories and the familiar ache in her chest, Emily hesitated. The tension between them was palpable, and she knew that ignoring him would only worsen the situation. Besides, she didn't want Grandma to worry if she found out they were fighting. With her keen intuition, Grandma probably already sensed something off between them, and Emily didn't want to add to her concerns.
She nodded slowly. "Sure," she replied, her voice quiet but firm. It wasn't the warmest response, but it was enough to signal her willingness to mend their fractured relationship, at least for the time being.
During the drive to work, Emily and Alex engaged in small talk about Grandma's recovery and condition, their conversation a delicate dance around the unspoken tension that lingered between them.
Once inside her office, Emily settled into her chair and reached for her phone, intending to check her messages. A notification caught her eye—a voice message from her best friend, Carla. Without much thought, she tapped to play the message, unaware that the sound would blare out from the speaker of her phone.
"What's your plan now? You can't just drag it on. You're pregnant, didn't Grandma notice it already?" Carla's voice echoed through the office, sending a jolt of panic coursing through Emily's veins. Frantically, she fumbled to silence her phone.
Outside her office door, Joyce froze in her tracks, her curiosity piqued by the unexpected sound. She hovered there for a moment, her shadow visible through the frosted glass door, before slipping away unnoticed by Emily.
Emily sat at her desk, her exhaustion palpable as she fought off a yawn. Hunger gnawed at her stomach, a reminder of the hours she had spent neglecting her unborn child's needs in favour of navigating the complexities of her personal life.
Just then, Joyce breezed into the office, a bright smile lighting up her face. In her hands, she carried two large bags overflowing with an array of food, a veritable feast laid out before them. "Emily," she exclaimed cheerfully, "I bought us some lunch!"
Emily blinked in surprise, taken aback by Joyce's sudden generosity. She watched with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion as Joyce began to unpack the bags, revealing a tantalizing assortment of dishes—soup, pasta, salad, sandwiches, wraps, cheesecake, cupcakes, and all kinds of pastries. It was an impressive spread.
A nagging thought tugged at the back of Emily's mind—could Joyce have overheard something? Had she somehow stumbled upon the truth about my pregnancy? The possibility sent a shiver down her spine, her mind racing with potential consequences.
Sensing Emily's unease, Joyce hastily began to offer explanations, her words tumbling out in a flurry of reassurances and excuses. "I just thought we could use a pick-me-up," she said hurriedly, her tone slightly too cheerful to be convincing. "And I couldn't decide what to get, so I got a little bit of everything. You know me, always indecisive!"
Emily forced a smile, though her suspicion lingered beneath the surface.