Chapter 13
Emily’s POV
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Maya’s sobs echoed off the walls of Louis’s
office, a pitiful soundtrack to her manipulations. I
watched her through narrowed eyes, my stomach
churning with disgust.
“I just want to do what’s right,” she wailed,
cradling her belly dramatically. “Emily, please, stop
blaming me for everything. I’m not the enemy here!”
I had heard enough. “Oh, spare me the
theatrics,” I snapped, my voice cold. “You’ve been
the enemy since the moment you wormed your way
into my life pretending to be my friend.”
Louis glanced between us, clearly
uncomfortable, but when he moved to speak, Maya
beat him to it.
“I was just trying to help,” she whispered, her
voice trembling. “I never wanted this to happen.”
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voice trembling. “I never wanted this to happen.”
Her lies grated against my already frayed
nerves. I had to get out before I said–or did- something I couldn’t take back. Spinning on my heel,
I marched toward the door.
“Emily, wait!” Louis’s voice followed me, but I
didn’t stop.
Behind me, I heard the faint rustling of fabric
and Maya’s voice, soft and urgent. “Louis, let me go
after her. I’ll calm her down. She’s so upset–she
might hurt herself.”
I laughed bitterly as I stepped into the hallway.
The idea of Maya playing the peacekeeper was so
absurd it felt like a cruel joke.
Moments later, I heard hurried footsteps. Maya’s
voice, suddenly devoid of its usual sweetness, called
out to me.
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“Emily, stop.”
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I turned to face her, my fists clenched. “What
now, Maya? Come to stab me in the back again?”
She dropped the act completely, her face
twisting into a cruel smirk. “You’re pathetic, you
know that? Clinging to a man who doesn’t even love
you anymore.”
Her words struck a nerve, but I refused to let her
see how much they hurt. “Go back to your charade,
Maya. I’m not interested in playing your games.”
She stepped closer, grabbing my wrist with
surprising force. Before I could pull away, she
dragged my hand to her rounded belly.
“Feel that?” she taunted, her eyes glittering with
malice. “That’s Louis’s child. And unlike you, I’m
giving him what he really wants–a family. Lucy
already adores this baby. Louis’s entire family is
going to love it. We’ll have more children, Emily. Lots and lots of them. One big, happy family.”
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The audacity of her words ignited a fire in my
chest. I yanked my hand away, my voice trembling
with fury. “You’re delusional if you think you can
replace me.”
Maya leaned in, her voice dropping to a whisper.
“Oh, but I already have,” she murmured. “Do you
want to know what Louis said to me that night? How
he craved me, how much he wanted me? He couldn’t
keep his hands off me, Emily. It was… intense.”
Her words dripped with venom, each one
designed to cut deep. She recounted intimate
details, her tone sultry, her eyes gleaming with
triumph. My hands trembled at my sides, my vision
blurring with rage.
“You’re lying,” I said through gritted teeth.
She chuckled, a low, mocking sound. “Believe
whatever helps you sleep at night, darling. But your
ten–year marriage? It means nothing now. Louis
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doesn’t feel anything for you anymore.”
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That was the last straw. My hand shot out
before I could stop myself, the slap echoing in the
hallway like a gunshot. Maya’s head snapped to the
side, her hand flying to her cheek.
“You shut your mouth!” I shouted, my voice raw.
Maya’s eyes widened in shock, but the tears
came quickly, spilling over as she cried out. “You’re
crazy, Emily!” she wailed, lunging at me.
We grappled, a flurry of clawing hands and
raised voices. Maya’s nails scratched at my arms,
and I shoved her back, desperate to free myself. She
stumbled, pausing just long enough to glare at me
with pure hatred.
And then she began moving backward, her
steps slow and deliberate, her gaze locked on mine.
Something wasn’t right.
“Maua “Lenid muusian trambling “Stan
”
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“Maya,” I said, my voice trembling. “Stop.”
But she didn’t.
“Maya, stop!” I shouted, panic rising in my chest.
Too late. Her heel caught on the edge of the top
stair, and she tumbled backward, her arms flailing
as she fell.
was
The sound of her body hitting the steps
sickening, a series of dull thuds that echoed in the
silent hallway.
“Maya!” I screamed, rushing forward, my hands
outstretched as if I could somehow undo what had
just happened.
By the time I reached the top of the stairs, Mayal
was sprawled at the bottom, motionless. Her
coworkers, drawn by the commotion, appeared
almost instantly. Two of them hurried to her side,
while another stood frozen, staring up at me with
wide scouring nuan
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wide, accusing eyes.
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“It wasn’t me,” I whispered, my voice shaking.
“It wasn’t me!”
But as the shock turned to fear, I realized how
damning the scene must look: my outstretched
hands, my wild eyes, and Maya lying crumpled at the
bottom of the stairs.
“It wasn’t me,” I repeated, backing away. “She-
she fell. I didn’t push her.”
The coworker didn’t move, didn’t speak, just
stared at me like I was some kind of monster.
Maya let out a faint groan, her hand twitching
slightly. The sight filled me with a strange mix of
relief and dread.
One of her colleagues turned to me, his
expression hard. “What happened here?”
I opened my mouth to answer, but no words
Chapter 13
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I opened my mouth to answer, but no words
came out. My mind was spinning, my body
trembling.
“It wasn’t me,” I whispered again, more to
myself than to him.
But even as I said it, I wasn’t sure anyone would
believe me. Not Louis. Not Maya’s coworkers. And
certainly not myself.
