Without hesitation, Emma stomped hard on Quinn’s foot.

A sharp scream tore through the air.

Taking advantage of the moment, she yanked the door handle and hurled herself out of the car.

The violent impact sent her rolling across the rough pavement, her headgear flying off from the force of friction.

Jagged stones scraped against her skin, tearing open fresh wounds on her cheek.

Blood trickled down her forehead as she gasped for breath, her wrists burning from the tight rope digging into her skin.

Gritting her teeth, she struggled to break free.

Despite the searing pain, she forced herself onto unsteady feet and stumbled toward the city lights in the distance.

She had no idea how long she had been walking.

At some point, she managed to hail a taxi.

When she finally arrived home, barely conscious, the nanny’s horrified gasp filled the air.

"Miss Knapp! I’ll call the gentlemen right away!"

Emma’s trembling fingers shot out, gripping the nanny’s wrist.

She shook her head violently.

The memory of the boutique played in her mind, and a cold chill crawled up her spine.

She was exhausted.

Drained.

Terrified.

Without another word, she dragged her battered body to her room and disappeared into the bathroom.

Standing before the mirror, she stared at the bloodied woman reflecting back at her.

Silently, she reached for the medicine box.

As she poured saline over her wounds, a sharp sting shot through her nerves, but she barely flinched.

By the time she was done, dawn had already crept in.

The house was eerily quiet.

Mike and Jeff hadn’t come home all night.

Only three days remained before Emilly’s return.

Time was slipping away too quickly.

She leaned against the cold wall, her gaze falling on the framed photos covering it.

Snapshots of the three of them.

Smiling.

Happy.

A lie.

Slowly, Emma pushed herself up and tore the pictures down one by one.

When the last one hit the floor, she scooped them all up and tossed them into the trash.

Things that didn’t matter didn’t deserve to remain.

That night, she slept deeply.

For the first time in a long while, she let go.

The noise woke her.

As her eyes fluttered open, she found Mike and Jeff standing at the edge of her bed.

Their faces were clouded with anger.

Before she could sit up, Mike hurled his phone at her, the device landing hard on the mattress beside her.

"Take a good look at what you’ve done!" he snapped.

Emma’s gaze dropped to the screen.

A news article flashed before her.

Quinn was in the hospital.

The Payton family had issued a statement, demanding that whoever had harmed their son come forward, kneel, and beg for forgiveness.

She studied the article for a long time.

Mike’s impatience flared. Just as he was about to lash out again, Emma finally spoke.

"Okay."

His brows furrowed. "What?"

"I’ll apologize," she said simply.

Then, she pulled the blanket over herself, retreating into silence.

The room was warm, but the chill inside her felt unbearable.

A bitter smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

Her reaction unsettled them.

If she had fought back, screamed, or argued, it would have made sense.

But her quiet compliance left Mike and Jeff uneasy.

Jeff cleared his throat and spoke, his voice unusually soft.

"Didn’t you say you wanted to watch the shooting stars?"

Emma blinked.

"Let’s go tonight," he continued. "We pushed back our schedules."

She had mentioned it once. A long time ago.

It had been one of her wishes.

Something that wasn’t tied to Emilly.

For the first time, she had felt seen—like she mattered.

They had never agreed before.

But now, suddenly, they did.

She knew what it was.

A last-minute attempt to ease their guilt.

Crocodile tears.

It didn’t matter anymore.

"Only three days left," she murmured.

Jeff frowned. "What?"

"Nothing," she said, shaking her head.

Everything was ready.

That afternoon, Mike and Jeff took her to Payton estate.

For the first time since the Knapp family’s downfall, she stepped onto its grounds.

Inside, Quinn lounged on the sofa, his posture lazy yet exuding arrogance.

As Emma entered, his lips curled into a smirk.

As if to say, What’s the point of running? You’ll still come back and suffer at my hands.

Emma didn’t spare Quinn a single glance.

She stepped forward, bowed at a perfect ninety-degree angle, and said, “I’m sorry.”

The room fell into stunned silence.

No one expected her to be so direct.

“That’s it?” Quinn sneered. “I’m waiting for you to kneel and apologize properly!”

Mike’s expression darkened. No matter what, Emma was his person. For Quinn to demand this—wasn’t he humiliating him too?

Just as he was about to speak, Emma suddenly dropped to her knees with a loud thud.

“I’m sorry.”

Laughter erupted.

“Hahahaha! Damn, you’re so pathetic. Are you this desperate to stay with them? So obedient, so spineless!” Quinn’s mockery was sharp, his amusement evident.

The atmosphere turned tense.

Emma remained unfazed.

She lifted her head, her face was void of emotion. “Can I leave now?”

Quinn scoffed. “Hah! Go, go, get out of sight! No wonder they don’t love you. You’re nothing like Emilly!”

If she had any dignity left, she wouldn’t have agreed to be a substitute in the first place.

Emma thought so, but she kept the words to herself.

From beginning to end, Mike and Jeff remained silent.

She used to be gentle, yet never someone who bowed easily.

But lately… she had changed.

The realization unsettled them, and left them confused.

Still, they said nothing.

Maybe they were just overthinking it.

After leaving Payton estate, Mike wordlessly set the GPS and drove.

His destination?

The mountain Emma had always wanted to visit.

This was the place she had longed for the most.

As a child, her adoptive mother had been frail and sickly.

She once heard of a mountain in Boston where shooting stars appeared every night.

And if you made a wish, it would come true.

She had wished for her mother’s health to improve.

Recently, snow had blanketed the path.

The road was steep, treacherous.

Each step was risky—one misstep, and you could slip.

Mike and Jeff hesitated, wanting to turn back multiple times.

But when they saw the unwavering determination in Emma’s eyes, they swallowed their words.

Finally, they reached the summit.

The night sky stretched above them, a sea of twinkling stars.

Emma gazed upward, anticipation glimmering in her eyes.

Suddenly, a gust of wind howled through the mountain.

Then, the rain came.

Mike quickly reached for her, attempting to guide her into the tent.

But before she could move, her foot slipped.

She fell hard.

A jagged branch tore a long gash along her ankle, sending searing pain through her body.

“My foot…”

Mike and Jeff immediately realized she was hurt.

They pulled her into the tent, their faces tense.

Without hesitation, they called for help.

Just then, Mike’s phone rang.

It was the boutique manager.

“Mr. Ray, the dress you custom-ordered for Miss Emilly is missing. Can you come back?”

Mike barely hesitated.

“I’ll be right there.”

The moment the call ended, he turned to Jeff.

“Let’s go.”

Emma’s stomach twisted.

“Wait for me—” she started, but Jeff simply glanced back.

By now, the rain had intensified.

If they didn’t descend immediately, they’d be stranded at the peak.

But Emma was injured.

Bringing her down would slow them down significantly.

Jeff made the decision.

“You stay here. We’ll be back soon.”

Without another word, they disappeared into the woods.

Emma’s face turned pale.

Even if they returned quickly, it would take at least an hour.

She knew what that meant.

If she stayed, she might not make it.

Her fingers clenched into fists.

Biting down on her lip, she gritted her teeth and forced herself to move.

One step at a time, she dragged her injured leg down the mountain.

The rain poured relentlessly, blurring Emma’s vision as she tried to find her way down the mountain.

Suddenly, she missed a step.

Her foot slipped.

She fell hard, her body crashing against a tree.

Pain exploded through her, and before she could react, darkness consumed her.

The sharp scent of disinfectant pulled her back to consciousness.

Emma’s eyelids fluttered open.

The sterile white ceiling greeted her.

The moment she realized where she was, she reached for her phone.

“Book me a flight to Canada.”

She couldn't stay here any longer!

Just then, the hospital room door swung open.

Mike and Jeff walked in.

“What flight? Where are you going?”

Emma’s fingers tightened around her phone.

She hung up the call immediately and forced a smile.

“I’ve been feeling down lately. Thought I’d take a trip to clear my head.”

She tilted her head slightly, her tone light.

“Why? Do you want to come with me?”

It was a question, but Mike heard something else entirely.

He and Jeff had stayed in Boston for one reason—waiting for Emilly’s return.

And now, she was coming back soon.

How could he possibly leave Emma?

But something about this didn’t sit right.

Emma never talked about traveling.

She was either at home or at work.

Why was she suddenly planning a trip?

Mike’s brows furrowed.

Was she upset because they had abandoned her on the mountain yesterday?

That thought made his expression darken.

“When did we say you could leave?” His voice was sharp. “Cancel the ticket.”

Jeff chimed in, his tone equally firm.

“Emma, what did you promise us before? You said you’d stay with us forever.”

Back then, after agreeing to be Emilly’s substitute, Emma had followed them around shamelessly, vowing to replace her and never leave.

But now that Emilly was returning…

Did that promise still mean anything?

Of course not.

Emma wasn’t foolish enough to tell them that.

Right now, her priority was dispelling their suspicions.

Lowering her gaze, she moved her fingers quickly, canceling the ticket before flashing a small smile.

“It’s done,” she said. “The ticket is canceled.”

The tension in the room eased.

Both men smiled.

Jeff placed a bag of fresh fruit on the bedside table and sat down beside her, trying to sound appeasing.

“Alright, Mike and I were wrong yesterday. We shouldn’t have left you alone on that mountain.”

His tone softened.

“Don’t be mad. How about I take you to see Ella?”

Emma’s posture straightened instantly.

Surprise flickered in her eyes.

“You’re not lying to me?”

Since the Knapp family’s downfall, her parents had taken their own lives.

The only family she had left was Ella Knapp, her younger sister.

But Ella had always been in fragile health, confined to a hospital under the watch of Mike and Jeff.

Emma hadn’t seen her in a long time.

She knew this was a manipulation tactic—one hit, then a sweet reward.

Still, she desperately wanted to see Ella.

And Mike and Jeff kept their word.

As soon as Emma was discharged from the hospital, they took her straight to see her sister.

The moment she stepped into the hospital room, her heart clenched.

“Ella, why have you lost so much weight?”

Ella had been born with a congenital heart condition.

Her health had always been fragile.

Emma had assumed Mike and Jeff would take good care of her.

But now, looking at her, she realized she had been terribly wrong.

Ella looked even more frail—her skin paler, her frame thinner.

She was lying on the hospital bed, struggling to sit up.

“Sis,” Ella said softly, her voice laced with worry.

“I should be the one asking you. Why haven’t you come to see me for so long?”

Her brows furrowed.

“The creditors… have they been coming after you again?”

She had always known how much weight Emma carried on her shoulders.

When the Knapp family was thriving, Emma had nowhere to be found.

But when everything crumbled, when their family name became synonymous with disgrace, Emma was the one left standing.

Bearing it all.

Alone.

Emma swallowed the lump in her throat.

She couldn’t let Ella worry.

She shook her head.

But Ella’s sharp eyes caught something—bruises.

Faint blue and purple marks peeking through her sleeves.

Her breath hitched.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

“Sis…”

Her voice trembled.

In the next second, she threw herself into Emma’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably.