Chapter 3: The Story Emily Told
That night, in a quiet hotel room far from the hospital, Emily finally told me everything.
She had been trying to leave Ethan for months.
Every time she packed a bag, someone from the Prescott family appeared.
Every time she spoke to a lawyer, the lawyer suddenly became unavailable.
Every time she tried to reach me, her phone “accidentally” lost service.
The physical abuse had started after she told Ethan she was pregnant.
He didn’t want the baby.
Margaret didn’t want the baby.
They told her she was ruining Ethan’s future and the family name.
When she refused to have an abortion, they locked her in the guest house on their estate.
For six days.
No phone.
No way out.
Only Ethan and Brandon coming in to “talk sense into her.”
The bruises were from the last time she tried to escape.
Emily cried in my arms until she had no tears left.
I held her and stroked her hair the way I used to when she was small.
May you like
Then I made her a promise.
“No one will ever hurt you again,” I said. “Not while I’m breathing.”
