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.

"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.