Chapter 31

She knew that becoming a mom was a whole new Chapter. and it was gonna take all her love and effort to raise this little one. She was ready to tackle whatever came her way and swore to protect her baby no matter what.

"Melissa, you should feel it. He's right here. a living little being!"Emily gently placed Melissa's hand on her belly.

Melissa, feeling a bit nervous, slowly reached out and mumbled. "He didn't hear what I said earlier, did he? Um, hey there, baby. I'm Melissa. I was just saying those things for your mom's sake. You didn't hear anything, okay? To make it up to you. Ill reluctantly be your godmother. But you can't hold a grudge when you grow up. alright?"

She worried that her earlier talk about abortion might have stressed Emily out even more.

"Alright, it's a deal. I'll handle the crib, the formula... all of it!"Melissa promised sincerely.

"Thank you. Melissa." Emily knew her friend truly cared and felt grateful for her support right now.

Meanwhile, in the hospital's VIP room. Patrick lay on the big bed,eyes closed, looking pale and worn out.

Jennifer sat quietly by his side, her eyes full of worry and tenderness.

The doctor had just finished his rounds, telling Jennifer that Patrick only had a mild concussion and would wake up soon. But she was

still anxious, gently stroking Patrick's face with a loving touch,as if trying to make up for past neglect.

Suddenly, her phone rang. Jennifer answered quickly, "What did you find out?"

The voice on the other end was low, "Mrs. Rivera, we found out that on the day of the accident, Patrick's driving records show he was near the old employee dorms in the city. He was probably looking for someone. I checked the company roster, and only Emily's address is listed there. Also, we managed to recover some data from his broken phone. His last few calls were to Emily, but she never answered..."

"Emily! You're nothing but trouble!" Jennifer cursed angrily.

She didn't notice Patrick's fingers twitch slightly, his brow furrowing.

After a few days of rest in Silverbrook, Emily felt better and decided to head back to the city to cancel her apartment lease. She needed to save money for the future-formula, a crib, toys, everything cost money.

"Take good care of yourself. I'll visit whenever I can!" Emily reminded Melissa.

Melissa looked reluctant to part, "Emily, I have a gift for you! It's on the table by the door!"

"What gift? Why so mysterious?" Emily laughed as she was pushed inside.

When she came out with the gift box, she saw Melissa already in the

passenger seat. buckled up.

Emily smiled helplessly, "Melissa, I suspect you've been planning this for a while!"

Melissa played innocent.′′I′m just worried about you. You're carrying a baby now."

"What about your café?" Emily asked seriously as she got in the car.

"What else? I'll close it!" Melissa shrugged, acting all casual.

Emily felt a warm glow inside, knowing her friend really cared.

As the car cruised along, Emily asked, "What song do you wanna listen to? You can hook up to the Bluetooth."

Melissa quickly connected her phone and played Justin Timberlake's "Can't Stop The Feeling."

"Your taste in music is just like a friend's of mine!" Emily laughed,thinking about how Marlon always played this song in his car.

Melissa got serious, "What friend? Do I know him? Are you closer to him or me?"

Emily chuckled, "You don't know him. Of course I'm closer to you. I'Il introduce you someday."

With Melissa around, the trip back seemed to fly by.

After getting Melissa settled, Emily called her landlord, "Hi, this is the tenant from apartment 908. I won't be renewing my lease next

month. so I'm giving you a heads-up."

The landlord replied. "Actually, we were about to contact you. Mr.Rivera has sold the property, so we won't be able to offer you the apartment next month. We apologize for the inconvenience."

"Mr. Rivera?" Emily asked, curious. "Could it be Patrick?"

"I'm sorry. we can't disclose the buyer's information," the landlord apologized.

Hanging up. Emily muttered under her breath. "Bastard, can't wait to push me to the edge?"

But she still had stuff in the apartment and needed to pack before the property management's deadline.

As she stepped out, she ran into Jennifer.

Surprisingly. Jennifer didn't start yelling this time, catching Emily off guard. To Jennifer. Emily had always been the homewrecker and the reason Patrick stayed away.

"Let's find a place to talk." Jennifer said calmly.

"There's a small park nearby, or we could go to a café." Emily suggested.

"The park will do," Jennifer replied decisively.

The small park was bustling with people exercising and dancing.

They found a quiet spot in a pavilion and sat down.

"Patrick contacted you recently?" Jennifer asked sternly.

"Yes, I've already submitted my resignation," Emily responded firmly.

"So. you're leaving the Rivera Group?" Jennifer pressed.

"Yes." Emily replied, puzzled. Jennifer had always wanted her gone.so why seek her out now?

Jennifer fell silent, debating whether to tell Emily about Patrick's accident. She just wanted someone to talk to, and surprisingly, Emily was the first person who came to mnind.

Jennifer had initially thought Emily was after Patrick's money, but a private investigator revealed that Emily was the girl Jennifer had hit with her car seven years ago on a rainy night.

That night. Jennifer had been driving alone in poor visibility and knocked over a girl on a scooter. Afraid of the media and being blackmailed, she had given the girl a large sum of money at the hospital to keep quiet.

To her surprise, the girl returned most of the money the next day,only keeping what the hospital had deducted.