Chapter 403

Chapter 403

When Emily heard Ava ask that question, she laughed in exasperation. "Are you seriously still hung up on who Robert really loves? What the hell is your brain even for? Don't you get it yet? A man like him can only love one person—himself."

"He beat you black and blue, and you're still not awake. You really are hopeless."

Hit where it hurt, Ava covered her face and started to cry. "You're right. I am hopeless. If I had even an ounce of sense, I wouldn't have let Robert play me for over twenty years—willingly being his nameless mistress! Fantasizing that one day I'd get to be Mrs. Baker."

Hearing "Mrs. Baker," Emily felt sick to her stomach. For all these years, Ava had used that title to provoke and disgust her.

She couldn't help the anger in her voice. "I told you—I never wanted to be Mrs. Baker. Robert was the one who refused to divorce me. Every time I brought it up, he'd give me the silent treatment, refuse to cooperate. I've asked for a divorce more times than I can count. He's the one who wouldn't agree, who kept dragging me along!"

"Later, I figured it out. I could live without the divorce—at least that way my children could inherit the Baker family estate. That's the only thing I, as their mother, could fight for. Of course I was going to fight for it. But you thought I couldn't let go of Robert? That I wanted to compete with you over that worthless man?"

"It's laughable."

Ava sobbed, mumbling over and over, "I was so stupid. I'm so stupid. I never should have believed Robert when he said you wouldn't divorce him..."

"I'm sorry. All these years, I made you suffer. I repent! I repent!"

After speaking, Ava began violently kowtowing to Emily.

Soon, a pool of blood appeared on the floor.

Seeing the blood, Emily felt nothing stir inside her. She simply let Ava continue.

Not until Ava's vision started to blur from the impact, unable to take it anymore, did she have to stop. She looked up at Emily, dizzy and disoriented.

Emily looked at Ava's blood-streaked face. "Don't look at me with those lost eyes. Did you really think I'd soften and stop you?"

Ava closed her eyes briefly, shook her head, trying to clear it. "Emily, I don't expect a few kowtows to make you forgive me, but what if..."

"What if I killed Robert?"

Ava swayed as she looked up at Emily.

Emily was mildly surprised. "Kill Robert? In your current state?"

"Yes. I'm planning to take him down with me. He's ruined my entire life. He made me do terrible things, led me down the wrong path, made me hate the wrong person. Emily, you don't hate me, but you must hate Robert, right?"

Emily fell silent.

"I'm sure you've thought about killing Robert too. But murder isn't easy to pull off. That's fine though—I have nothing left to lose. I can take him with me. I just hope that after I kill Robert, you'll be a little happier. And that your daughter will spare Alex. He's still a minor, after all. I'm begging you to give him a chance to turn his life around. Please don't take his life."

So Ava had come to repent, but ultimately, it was all to plead for Alex.

Emily's face remained completely impassive. "You can't kill Robert."

After all, Robert's safety was tied to James's—she couldn't let anything happen to James.

But Emily didn't take Ava's threat seriously either. Covered in injuries as she was, how could Ava possibly take Robert down with her?

If Ava went to Robert now, she'd just get another beating.

"Why not?"

Ava didn't understand. "Don't tell me that because he's the father of your two children, you don't want him dead?"

Ava thought she'd finally woken up, stopped being lovesick—but now Emily was the one losing her mind.

Emily realized Ava didn't know about James being kidnapped by Robert. She had no intention of explaining. After all, Ava wouldn't care about James's safety, just as she herself didn't care about Alex's.

No point in explaining.

"I'll do it." Ava was confident.

"I'm just asking you to promise me that Alice won't kill Alex."

"Alice never said she wanted Alex dead."

Emily spoke the truth.

Ava took it as agreement. "Good, good. I trust you. I'm just asking that later, for the sake of me killing Robert, you'll spare Alex's life."

"Let's talk when you've actually killed Robert."

Emily turned her face away.

Ava shakily got to her feet. "I will. Then I won't disturb you anymore. This might be the last time we see each other. I understand that you won't forgive me. I've done too many terrible things—I don't dare hope for your forgiveness. After I die, I'll probably go straight to hell to suffer."

Emily closed her eyes, not wanting to hear Ava's nonsense.

Ava turned and left.

Sawyer returned to Emily's side.

Although Emily didn't think Ava was currently capable of killing Robert, she still felt uneasy. What if Robert got hurt and something happened to James?

Exhausted, Emily said to Sawyer, "Sawyer, arrange for some people to watch Ava. I'm afraid she'll do something reckless and James will suffer for it."

"Okay."

...

Late at night.

Sophia was jolted awake by her phone ringing.

Her eyes flew open as she frantically grabbed for her phone on the nightstand. The moment she had it, she hung up and silenced it, then looked at Beck beside her, heart pounding.

Thank God. Beck had taken sleeping pills tonight and was out cold—the ringtone hadn't woken him. Otherwise, he'd already have slapped her across the face.

Who was calling her this late?

She'd forgotten to silence her phone. That sudden call had scared her half to death. Sophia carefully threw back the covers and got out of bed, taking her phone toward the bathroom. Once inside, she turned on the light and checked her call history. Seeing it was Erik, her anger flared.

That bastard couldn't sleep, so he had to harass her in the middle of the night?

Sophia furiously called back. The instant Erik answered, she exploded, "Are you insane? Calling me in the middle of the damn night—what for? Don't tell me it was a pocket dial!"

Erik's voice was flat. "Something happened."