Chapter 12 I'd Rather Die Than Change
Emily couldn't get a word out.
The mic stayed silent. Hubert squinted at the call screen, puzzled. "Emily?"
"Thanks for everything," Emily finally said, "Really, thank you."
"Why so formal all of a sudden?" Hubert felt uneasy. "About what I said at the police station today, I'm really sorry," he apologized. "Don't let it get to you."
"I know." Emily's voice carried a bit of tiredness. "About Mia, can you be her lawyer?"
"Of course," Hubert replied. "I've had Mia's cooking and crashed at her place. Even if you didn't ask, I'd still represent her! Get some rest; Mia will be fine. I'll have a good talk with Ethan."
Hubert could hear the exhaustion in her voice, and it made him feel guilty and worried. "Get some rest. I'll hang up now."
After the call, Emily tried twice but couldn't stand up. She had to grip the cold bench to get to her feet. The rain had soaked her hair, making it stick to her face. She tucked it behind her ear and wiped the rain off. She stared at the dark, long cobblestone path in the hospital garden for a bit before slowly walking out.
The next day, at 8:30 AM.
Emily was jolted awake by her phone ringing non-stop.
She unplugged the charger and picked up. It was an unfamiliar number.
Last night, Emily had been out in the hospital garden, braving the cold wind and rain. This morning, she felt congested and dizzy. She thought she might have caught a cold. She touched her forehead. Luckily, no fever.
When Emily answered, the person on the other end introduced themselves as staff from the "Long Lost Family" show.
The production team wanted Emily to be a guest. They also hoped she could share some info about her and Kevin's biological mother.
Emily rubbed her fingers together, thinking it over.
The "Long Lost Family" show had high ratings. If she went on, it would definitely cause a stir, which didn't fit her desire for a quiet life. But right now, the trending topic online was about Amy being pushed down the stairs by Mia and Ethan protecting her.
Mia was getting insulted and cyberbullied. If people found out about Mia's connection to Emily, they'd probably think, just like Ethan and Liam, that Mia hurt Amy because of her. Mia's peaceful life would be wrecked. So, Emily needed the show to clarify and release the full airport video to prove Mia's encounter with Amy was an accident.
Her own influence was limited, but if Emily could use the show's reach, it could make a bigger impact with less effort.
More importantly, if Emily didn't go, the Thompson Family might use the show to trash Linda in front of a huge audience. They might guilt-trip her nominal grandfather, an elderly professor.
The show's staff hadn't heard Emily's voice for a while and gently prompted, "Ms. Thompson?"
Emily spoke slowly, "I'll go on your show, but I have two conditions."
The young woman from the production team was thrilled Emily agreed. "Please, go ahead."
Emily said, "First, I need the show to clarify on Twitter that Mia came to Maple Valley for the show, and her flight schedule was arranged by you guys. This will prove she couldn't have targeted Amy. Also, I want you to get the airport to release the full video of Amy being pushed. Given the current buzz, clarifying this will also boost your show's viewership."
"That's no problem. We just had a meeting about this, and we definitely plan to clarify the facts. We'll also contact the airport," the staff member agreed easily. "What's the second condition?"
"Don't bother Ms. Watson," Emily said.
"Okay, you can rest assured," the staff member replied.
In fact, the production team had already contacted Ms. Watson before reaching out to Emily, but she had refused to appear on the show.
Emily got up and washed up briefly; her phone rang again. It was a call from Amy.
"Emily." Amy's voice came through the phone. "I heard from Melissa that you came to the hospital to see me last night."
"Are you feeling better?" Emily asked.
"I'm fine. Melissa said the person who accidentally pushed me wasn't a fan but your relative," Amy said.
"She was my foster mother before I went to the Grant family," Emily admitted Mia's identity and explained, "At the airport, she saw Ethan and just wanted to get close to talk to him. She didn't mean to push you; someone pushed her on purpose."
"I know, I saw the airport video. Emily, I didn't call to shirk responsibility," Amy's voice was calm. "I wanted to ask, have you and Ethan really divorced?"
"Yes," Emily answered calmly.
Amy seemed surprised by Emily's straightforward answer and was silent for a few seconds. She sighed lightly, sounding somewhat regretful.
"Emily, hearing that you two are divorced, I should feel relieved and happy. After all, when I was with Ethan before, it felt like I was intruding on your marriage. Now that you're really divorced, I should be the happiest," Amy said.
"But Emily, I don't feel any relief. You know, I've always loved Ethan and wanted to be with him. But I'm also afraid that one day Ethan will regain his memory and remember your past relationship. After all, you two were deeply in love back then. Everyone around you, including me, witnessed that love. I'm so afraid he'll regret it, regret divorcing you, regret being with me, and even hate me."
Emily couldn't listen any longer; she was at a loss for words.
Did Amy forget she was the one involved? Amy was using her, Ethan's ex, as a listener and asking for Emily to clear up her doubts? Was the current victor in love really taking such a high stance?
Emily forced herself to be patient. "Amy, first of all, I'm not your boyfriend, so I don't know how to provide you with a sense of security and happiness. Secondly, I'm already divorced. Once I decide to give up on something, I won't change my mind, even if it kills me."
"I've completely given up on Ethan. I will never regret giving him up. You can be completely at ease about that," Emily clarified.
Hearing this, Amy finally felt relieved.
Regardless of whether Ethan regained his memory in the future, Emily would never forgive him. There would never be a day when they got back together.