Chapter 81: Nightmare

Ava had thought about kicking Sophia out, but by then, James had already started to become aware of things.

She didn't want James to lose both his parents. Especially after seeing how well Sophia and James got along, Ava softened and decided to let Sophia stay.

Sophia was really good to James.

She treated James like her own kid, and even though James sometimes found Sophia's personality annoying, he was a good son and mostly listened to her.

Emily took a deep breath, shocked to learn about James's background.

At the bottom of the box were two DNA test reports. One was between James and Owen, and the other between James and Sophia.

Emily didn't know why Ava kept these test reports, but she figured Ava had her reasons.

Emily put the photo she had pieced together back into the box, said goodbye to Grace, and headed back to the Johnson Manor.

The whole way, Emily was torn about whether to tell James about his background. After a lot of thinking, she decided not to.

In the middle of the night, Emily got a message from Harper asking her to arrange a flight because she wanted to go abroad.

Knowing Harper didn't want to be found, Emily asked Robert to set up a private jet.

That night, Emily kept having nightmares.

She had known about her background since she was a kid because her adoptive parents, Gregory Williams and Aria Clark, had never hidden it from her.

But back then, she was powerless and too weak to fight back; she could only endure the pain to survive.

She dreamed of the days she spent at Gregory's house.

One day, she came home from school, and the strong smell of alcohol in the house made her aware of the danger. She wanted to run but was grabbed by Gregory, who yanked her back and threw her onto the couch.

She was only ten years old then. She struggled hard, screaming for help, but no one could save her.

The only person who could save her, Aria, was lying on the ground with her head covered in blood.

"Get away! Don't touch me!" Emily screamed until her voice was hoarse, but it was no use.

Her clothes were almost torn off when Gregory suddenly collapsed to the ground, blood flowing from the back of his head.

It was Aria who had knocked Gregory out with a glass bottle.

"Run! Run away!" Aria shouted at Emily, giving Emily the last of her money, "Run as far as you can and never come back."

Emily took the money, her face full of fear. Without thinking much, she grabbed the money, draped Aria's coat over herself, and ran out, wanting to escape from that house.

She didn't know how long she ran before she stopped, panting heavily. She sat on the ground, her mind in a mess.

She then realized that she had left, but Aria was still there.

Aria would be beaten to death by Gregory.

Emily's eyes widened in horror, and she hurried back home.

When she got back, the police were already there.

A neighbor had called the police after hearing the commotion next door and, upon opening the door, saw Gregory beating Aria madly.

Unfortunately, the police came too late. Aria had already been beaten to death.

Gregory was taken away, and Emily, expressionless, arranged Aria's funeral.

Because she couldn't afford a burial plot, Emily buried the ashes under the jujube tree in the yard, so it felt like Aria was always with her.

She had thought that with Aria dead, Gregory, as a murderer, would go to jail.

However, it was ironic that Gregory used money and his connections from his previous human trafficking activities to avoid jail and was released.

When Gregory saw Emily at home, his eyes lit up with excitement.

But Gregory knew it wasn't the right time to try anything with Emily again; if she reported him, he might actually end up in jail.

From that moment on, Emily started plotting her revenge against Gregory.

She realized she had a knack for remembering things, so she began teaching herself medicine. After reading a ton of medical books she bought, she found she really liked it.

Eventually, she started poisoning Gregory slowly with chronic toxins.

She didn't want him to die quickly; that wouldn't be enough to make up for the suffering she and Aria had endured.

As time went on, Gregory's health got worse, and he couldn't beat her anymore.

But that didn't stop his other twisted thoughts. One night, when he sneaked into her room to assault her, Emily coldly asked, "Do you even have the ability to do that anymore?"

It was then that Gregory realized he had long been impotent, which shattered him.

When Emily became an adult, he thought of selling her.

Emily had already planned his demise, but then Ava showed up.

Emily left with Ava, and Gregory ended up in prison—not by her doing, but it was still a good outcome.

Emily smiled at Ava, who was holding her hand, but Ava's face morphed into Gregory's.

In an instant, all of Emily's years of fear and trauma surged up, and she shouted, "Get out!"

With that shout, Emily woke up from her nightmare.

She wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, breathing heavily.

Emily looked around, confirming she was lying in her warm bed and not in that dark room in Gregory's house.

Her heartbeat gradually calmed, but the unease in her heart hadn't completely gone away.

She reached out to touch the bedside lamp, gently pressing it, and the soft light filled the room.

She sat up, leaned against the headboard, and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

This nightmare had disturbed her peace more than once.

Ever since she left Gregory's house, whenever she was feeling overwhelmed or emotionally unstable, the nightmare haunted her like a shadow.

She looked out the window; the night was dark and dotted with stars.

"Emily, are you okay?" Mia's voice suddenly came from the door.

Emily was puzzled but cleared her throat and said, "Yes. Come in."

Mia rushed to the bedside, looking at Emily with concern, and the next second, she hugged her tightly. "Are you okay? I just had a nightmare and woke up to hear you shouting."

Emily was silent. Did she react that strongly in her nightmare this time?

She smiled at Mia, "Mom, I'm fine. You just had a nightmare."

She brushed Mia off, not wanting her to worry too much.

But when Mia felt Emily's cold sweat, she knew Emily had also had a nightmare, and her heart ached for a moment.

She couldn't help but hold Emily tighter.

"Tonight, can I sleep with you?" Mia asked, her eyes full of concern.

Emily couldn't refuse, so she nodded.

Mia climbed into bed and held Emily in her arms.

When Emily was little, she didn't have much chance to hold her, and later, when she grew up, it wasn't appropriate to hold her much.

"This is our first time sleeping together," Mia said gently.

"Yeah," Emily snuggled into Mia's arms, feeling her scent. It felt so real; this shouldn't be a dream, right?

Emily had just had a nightmare and was a bit dazed, doubting the reality of the moment.

Mia looked at Emily's wide eyes and couldn't help but laugh. She patted Emily's head. "Good girl, sleep. I'm here."

Emily nodded, whispering, "So it's not a dream."

Hearing this, Mia felt a pang of sorrow. Emily actually thought it was a dream.

It was her as a mother who had been absent from her life for too long.