"Sis, are you okay? Have they been treating you badly?"
Ella wasn’t naive.
She knew Mike and Jeff only had eyes for Emilly.
The only reason Emma had stayed by their side was because, at some point, they had treated her well.
But now, looking at her—tired, worn down, a shadow of her former self—Ella knew the truth.
Emma hadn’t been living well under Mike and Jeff’s control.
She had suffered.
The thought of it made Ella’s chest tighten, and in Emma’s arms, she sobbed uncontrollably.
At that moment, countless memories flooded Emma’s mind—years of being abandoned, of being forced into submission, of hoping, only to be let down.
Once, she had dreamed of a future with one of them.
But now, it was time to wake up.
“Ella,” Emma said softly, “do you want to leave with me?”
If she left alone, Mike and Jeff would surely retaliate against Ella.
She had to take her sister with her.
But before Ella could respond, the hospital room door swung open.
Mike and Jeff stepped inside.
“What are you two talking about?”
Ella sniffled and quickly tried to cover up the conversation.
“Mr. Ray, it’s nothing. I just haven’t seen my sister in so long. I got emotional.”
Mike narrowed his eyes.
“Really?”
His gaze shifted to Emma.
She stood beside Ella, her expression calm, unreadable.
Yet he was sure he had heard something about leaving.
Had he imagined it?
After a long pause, Mike let his guard down.
“Alright, time’s up. We should go.”
“Wait,” Emma said suddenly.
“I want to discharge Ella early.”
She had anticipated their suspicion.
That’s why she brought it up now—before they could think too much about it.
The timing was perfect.
As soon as the words left her mouth, Mike and Jeff tense.
“Why?”
Emma thought fast.
“Emilly hates the Knapp family. If she finds out you’ve been taking care of Ella behind her back, she’ll be furious.”
At the mention of Emilly, their expressions darkened.
Jeff hesitated only a moment before nodding.
“Fine. I’ll have someone take care of it now.”
Emma let out a quiet, bitter laugh.
Of course.
The moment Emilly was involved, no matter how small the risk, they acted immediately.
But that worked in her favor.
At least she didn’t have to fight them on this.
Once the discharge papers were signed, Emma left the hospital with Ella.
When they arrived home, she immediately sensed something was wrong.
The house was empty.
She entered the passcode on the door—
Invalid.
Her stomach dropped.
They had changed the code.
She tried again. And again.
Nothing.
Heart pounding, she grabbed her phone and called Mike.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Each time, the call went unanswered, the cold, mechanical voice of the operator ringing in her ears.
She switched to Jeff.
Same result.
Frustrated, she scrolled through social media—and there they were.
Both of them, were at the same party.
Emma’s jaw clenched.
She checked the location and immediately set off.
When she arrived, she found the private lounge door slightly ajar.
Laughter spilled from inside—loud, drunken voices, teasing, mocking.
“I heard Ella was discharged?” a woman’s voice sneered.
“Mike, you do remember that Emilly despises the Knapp family, don’t you? Yet you’ve been protecting Ella this whole time?”
There was a pause before the woman laughed again.
“Don’t tell me you’ve actually fallen for Emma?”
It was Emilly’s former best friend, her tone dripping with amusement.
Mike scoffed.
“Fallen for her? Don’t be ridiculous. She’s just a substitute.”
“Really?” someone else chimed in, their voice taunting.
“We won’t believe it unless you prove it. Stop Ella’s medication.”
The room erupted into cheers.
