Rosetta hurried to scrub the oil off the stairs, tossing the dirty towel into the trash on her way down.
She rushed to the foyer, only to be confronted by a scene that stopped her cold—Emma Windsor sprawled on the floor, surrounded by a spreading pool of blood, crimson seeping relentlessly outward.
A tremor ran through Rosetta’s whole body, stronger than before.
Emma’s lips trembled, her voice barely more than a gasp as the pain made it almost impossible to speak. She struggled for what felt like ages before she finally managed to call out, “Mom…”
“Emma!” In that instant, Rosetta’s resolve melted. She reached out, desperate to gather her adopted daughter into her arms.
But Baillie Windsor barked sharply, “Mom, don’t go near her! The blood–she has HIV! You can’t touch her!”
Emma curled in on herself, clutching her barely–there baby bump. Staring at the blood spreading beneath her, she let out a low, desperate moan. “Mom… help me, help my baby… please, call an ambulance… I’m begging you-
Rosetta’s face twisted with conflicted emotions. She hesitated, silent and
unmoving.
Baillie spoke up, his voice cold. “Emma, you always thought you were clever, didn’t you? So how come you don’t get what’s going on today?”
At his words, Emma’s pain–stricken face froze in shock.
A relentless buzzing filled her ears. Her mind felt like it had been plunged into thick, suffocating fog.
She stared at her family–her former family–searching their faces for a trace of concern or regret. Instead, she saw only indifference, even satisfaction. In their eyes, she finally understood: this entire setup was meant for her.
There was no Ivy Windsor.
Just Emma.
“I see… I get it now. You lied to me, all of you. You never told Ivy to come back. You just wanted to lure me here… Or maybe… maybe Ivy put you up to this. Of course. You’re the real family–blood ties and all. You’re the only real family here…” Her
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whole body felt numb with cold. Her words, barely more than whispers, tumbled out in a broken, chanting rhythm.
Emma understood everything at last. But it was too late.
The blood kept pouring out. The pain was so intense she could no longer even try to sit up
In the vast, echoing silence of Windsor Mansion, the only people left were the three Windsors. The household staff had long since vanished.
If Rosetta and Baillie wouldn’t act, there was no one left to help her.
Now, with Rosetta and Baillie standing by, Emma realized she was on her own. She gave up on pleading with them–she would have to save herself.
With trembling hands, Emma reached into her pocket for her phone. But before she could even unlock the screen, Baillie lunged forward and kicked it out of her grasp.
That wasn’t enough for him.
He stomped over to where the phone landed and ground it under his heel, smashing the screen until it was warped and shattered.
Emma stared, paralyzed with shock, her whole body shaking uncontrollably.
But only for a moment. In the next, she forced herself upright, desperate to make it to the front door.
She’d barely unstoppable.
ten to her feet before the blood surged between her legs, hot and
“I’m bleeding out… The baby… I’m losing the baby-” Her face drained of color, the room spun around her, and her words came sluggishly, as if from underwater. Rosetta, afraid things had gone too far, glanced at her son and pleaded, “Can we call an ambulance now? The baby’s gone. She’s not going to make it.”
They’d only wanted to make sure Emma lost the baby. That way, she’d be sent back to prison, unable to stir up trouble or hurt Ivy again.
What happened next… who could say?
Maybe Emma, with her bad luck and illness, wouldn’t live to see the outside again.
Baillie didn’t want to take it any further. He had no intention of ending up in prison himself.
So, when Rosetta confirmed the baby was lost, he finally pulled out his phone and
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called for an ambulance.
Fifteen minutes later, the ambulance arrived at Windsor Mansion.
By then, Emma had already slipped into unconsciousness from blood loss.
“She’s HIV positive. Be careful,” Rosetta said quickly as the medics loaded Emma onto a stretcher, her tone almost considerate.
The paramedics paused, but they were already wearing protective gear. Without missing a beat, one of them called, “Family, come with us.”