Chapter 2 - She's Dead!

"Oh my God! "A car hit someone!" A woman on the pavement shouted as she searched for her phone in her jeans pocket from a distance away. 

Once she could pull the phone from her jeans pocket, she immediately turned on the camera and began recording.

Many passersby interrupted their stroll when they heard the woman shouting in a panic and turned to look at the young woman hit by the car. 

Without anyone attempting to assist or check to see if she was still breathing, everyone started to huddle around the body…– No one even thought of calling for help. 

Instead, they were all holding their phones and recording videos to share on social media. It was a sorry sight.

Emily was flung far away, and when she fell, her body rolled several times before coming to a complete halt, as witnessed by all of them. 

However, instead of rushing to call for help, they took a video for content on their social media account.

"Call 911, please! I need help," Emily pleaded, lying helpless on the ground. Tears and blood mixed as she gasped for air.

With the buzzing sounds around her helpless body, no one heard her plead as they continued to record that she succumbed to unconsciousness.

Someone forced his way through, simultaneously asking someone to call 911. In a fit of rushing to the scene, he forgot to take his cell phone with him.

When he got to the location where Emily was lying on the ground, drowning in blood, he went down to check if she was still breathing. He took a comforting breath and checked her pulse. 

"Thank God she's still alive," he mumbles quietly, considering his alternatives.

He looked around and asked if someone had managed to call 911. He finally sighed in relief only after hearing that someone had. 

The man stayed by her side until the ambulance came and took her to the nearby hospital. 

After ensuring that she was safe after many hours of surgery, he then disappeared out of sight as if he was never there. 

***

Moore residence:

Meanwhile, her Uncle Eric Moore, speaking to his subordinate, asks, "Are you sure she's dead? Have you made certain of that? I can't let her survive since she's old enough to inherit her parents' business. I worked just as hard, if not harder, for M. Group only to have it handed to her. I would never let it happen. Over my dead body." 

Eric Moore, Emily's father's half-brother and the new CEO of M. Group, stated with a malicious glare in his eyes as he spoke with his subordinates.

"Yes, Sir! We confirmed that, recorded a video, and shared it on social media to let everyone know." The subordinate's face was etched with a malicious grin as he triumphantly responded.

"Good! Take care of Old Mrs. Moore and notify her about the death of her loving grandchild. Hahaha! Let us see whether she still wants to live after that."

Eric Moore was thrilled that he had finally gotten rid of Emily, so he contacted his daughter Rhea and his wife Grace to celebrate.

***

Emily was in the hospital when she woke up, her body hurting and wounded. 

"Where am I? What happened?" She mumbles incoherently. 

She was confused; she couldn't remember what happened until she noticed her Nanny, Mrs. Hernandez, beside her bed. Her face was filled with tears, and worry was in her eyes.

"Emily! Thank God you're awake," she murmured. "I'm glad someone got to you in time. You had been out for a week; I thought you would never wake up." 

Emily blinked, her mind still jumbled. "Someone came to… saved me? A whole week?"

Mrs. Hernandez gave a nod. "Yes, Thank God!" 

"W-who..." Emily was going to say something, but the doctor entered the room before she could take in what Nanny Hernandez had said. 

The doctor had a clipboard and a severe look on his face. "Miss," the doctor said in a serious yet professional tone.

"I'm afraid we have some difficult news. We've conducted many tests while you're in a coma and found that you have cancer in an advanced stage." He hesitated for a moment.

"You could only survive for five years if you don't get treatment right away."

The words, like a freight train, struck Emily. She was overwhelmed by the diagnosis, causing her heart to sink. 

The doctor's comments weighed heavily on the air, making the room seem tiny. Emily found it difficult to concentrate on the antiseptic environment or the repetitive beeping of the medical equipment surrounding her.

'Chemotherapy Therapy.' 'A couple more years.' Though she could not force herself to understand the words, they churned around in her head.

Again, The doctor said, calm but detached, "So, if you undergo treatment consistently, there's a chance it could prolong your life span and give you a few more years." You can choose to go on or not."

The magnitude of the issue weighed down on her, stifling her thoughts with a thick blanket. She tried to pay attention and comprehend, but her mind was uncooperative. Too much of the truth felt oppressive and overpowering.

When the doctor asked if she wanted to start treatment, she shook her head almost reflexively, tears welling up in her eyes and blurring her vision. The inquiry seemed too genuine, too immediate, and invasive.

Emily shivered and said, "Let me think about it," as though the words were too hard to handle. "It's too much for my brain to process right now."

She was unable to accept this. She was unwilling to confront it. It was all too much to think about fighting her disease one more time and putting her family through further suffering and uncertainty.

Yes, she wanted to live, but not in this way, not with the treatment's unending cycles of optimism and pessimism.

And while her tears flowed silently, she felt a determination solidify within her that she was unaware had developed during the calm.

The words were scarcely audible but loaded with finality, "I will accept my fate," as she mumbled. "I'm not going to do the chemotherapy."

Though it had been decided upon instantly, it seemed to have been sitting in her heart for days, just waiting to be said.

She could no longer fight. She had had enough of fighting. Shaking, Emily closed her eyes, her mind racing with a disorganized blend of acceptance and terror.

How would her beloved Grandmother feel about this? Would she be able to comprehend?

As Emily delved deeper into her thoughts, the doctor's words became less audible.

The weight of her choice fell on her, and she felt distant, almost as if she were floating outside of herself.

And all of a sudden, there was darkness.

Her body started to shut down, and the devices around her began to beeping faster. Emily's weak body shook momentarily before her entire world vanished into nothing.

As nurses and physicians hurried to her side with determined gestures, a wave of terror swept the room.

Emily, though, was blind to them. She was unable to hear them. She had vanished, plunging into the icy depths of slumber. She went into a coma...

***

Between life and death, Emily lay in a coma, supported only by machines and the slight hope of those who continued to show concern for her. 

A month went by in eerie silence, with only the faint buzz of monitors and the infrequent shuffling of nurses going in and out, filling the hospital room.

However, the unexpected news soon arrived, shattering the shaky calm around her circumstances.

During a regular check-up, the doctor discovered that Emily was pregnant.

No one was prepared for the turn of events. The disclosure weighed heavily on the atmosphere, adding to the complexity of an already complex issue.

The physicians were baffled and unsure what to do with such sensitive information, especially Emily's health. Ignoring the approaching storm as she lay there.

The first people to know were Mr. and Mrs. Hernandez, Emily's faithful Butler and Nanny, a couple responsible for looking after her. As soon as the doctor broke the news, their features became pale with astonishment.

Their concerns extended beyond the pregnancy itself—they were also concerned about the child's paternity.

Who may the father be? Emily went into a coma after getting into an accident for a month. Nobody was aware of what had happened before that period.

Grasping her husband's arm, Mrs. Hernandez said in a tremulous voice, "We can't tell Jake." He doesn't have to know," she said, "Not right now. "

Mr. Hernandez gave a nod of approval. The unpredictability surrounding the child's paternity and Emily's pregnancy difficulties might lead to even more turmoil.

The couple was afraid of possible backlash, inquiries, and controversy and was unprepared to deal with them.

When they saw the doctor, they pleaded with him to keep the pregnancy a secret.

Mr. Hernandez murmured, his voice hardly audible above a whisper, "Please, although Jake Lewis is covering her medical expenses and legal guardian, he has his own life. He is not required to know. We'll take care of it."

The physician paused. The Hernandezes insisted on knowing this information even though hiding it from her legal guardian was wrong.

"I won't tell Mr. Lewis as long as he doesn't ask," the physician stated.

However, remember that things can get trickier as time goes on. Thus, the secret remained hidden below several layers of dread and silence.

Jake Lewis, who had his reason to help Emily, had decided to send her overseas for treatment after discovering she was in a coma some months prior, making sure she got the best care available.

He paid for her therapy for five long years without cutting any corners, yet he was unable to keep his emotions connected to her destiny.

He eventually ended all his connections with Emily Moore and started over, putting Emily's memories far into the past and concentrating on the here and now.

Jake was unaware that the woman was pregnant. Aside from the money transactions supporting her care, he didn't ask for any updates. In his perspective, Emily had faded into oblivion, a chapter he had closed on his life.

However, Emily's life progressed covertly while being in a coma. The child she carried inside of her developed as a silent witness to the secrets of her past, a secret that she would soon be unable to conceal.

Holding on to their vow and bearing the consequences of their choice, the Hernandezes kept a close eye on her, hoping the truth would stay hidden.

But the inevitable was becoming near as time passed. Secrets inevitably come to light, especially ones as significant as Emily's pregnancy.

And when they did, it would rock everyone and everything related to her...~~~

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