Chapter 6

Messages from Jessica kept rolling in. Jessica: "Oh, right. Take a look at this. Here's my ultrasound report. I'm pregnant." Emily zoomed in on the picture Jessica sent and saw the results for herself. The last line confirmed a gestational age of eight weeks, as well as a heightened risk of miscarriage. Jessica: "We kept doing it on the rooftop yesterday. We tried out all sorts of positions, too. Maybe we went at it too hard, so that's why my pregnancy became a little unstable. It's all his fault, you know. He said it's so boring doing it with you when all you do is lie on the bed like a statue. That's why he wants to try all the exciting stuff with me." Jessica: "The doctor said that regardless of whether I get an abortion or undergo treatment to stabilize the pregnancy, I'll need the father's signature. I had no choice but to call him over. After all, between gastritis and the life of his baby, I'm sure the baby's more important. You'd agree with me on that, right?" Emily took a cab from the hospital to a law firm. "Hi there. I'd like to retain your services to prepare a divorce agreement." She didn't ask for anything in the divorce settlement, and the lawyer, Marcus Sawyer, was an efficient one. In just half an hour, she received the finalized version of the divorce agreement. "You won't need his signature," Marcus informed her. "As long as you two are separated for two years, the divorce agreement will automatically take effect." Just as Emily left the law firm with the divorce agreement, she got a call from Samuel. "Where are you, Emmy? I looked all over the hospital, but I couldn't find you anywhere." "I kept waiting for you, but you never showed up, so I decided to head home first," Emily replied. "I see. All that matters is you're home safe. I'm so sorry, Emmy, but something came up at the office. I had to check on it myself. I'll be leaving on a business trip for the next few days. Take good care of yourself, okay? I promise I'll drop everything at work and spend time with you next week." Emily let out a heavy sigh. A lie told a thousand times would surely lose all credibility. His words no longer got any sort of reaction from her. "Alright. Go ahead." "You've been so thoughtful lately, Emmy. Be good. When I come back, I'll bring you some freesias." "Thoughtful, huh?" Emily repeated. "Samuel, do you like it when a woman is coy and clingy? When she pesters you and demands your attention? You're bored with me because I'm too thoughtful, right?" Startled, Samuel replied, "Certainly not. I love you the most. No matter what you're like, that's what I like the most about a woman." "Will you fall in love with another woman, Samuel?" "Never." "If you ever have a change of heart, I'll leave you for good." Snorting, Samuel said, "You can try your best to run. I'll have all the airports and public transportation locked down. As long as your name is Emily Anderson, I'll see to it that you can't ever leave me." Alas, Emily Anderson was no longer the name on her passport. She was now Aria Skye. Emily repeated herself one more time for emphasis. "I'm being serious. I can leave you, and I have my ways of ensuring that you'll never find me." However, Samuel simply chuckled and played along with her. "Alright then. You can go ahead and run. I'll give you a three-day head start before coming after you. I told you. As long as you're Emily Anderson, it doesn't matter where you go. I'll definitely find you. You can't escape from me." She couldn't escape from him, huh? Emily chuckled. It was time to test that out.