Chapter 97 097
EMILY
I didn’t leave Zara’s room.
Not even after we got home.
Not even when Morgan told me I should rest.
I stayed right there, sitting at the edge of the bed, watching her sleep like it was the only thing keeping the world steady.
The room was quiet.
Too quiet.
The kind of quiet that made every small sound feel louder than it should.
Zara shifted slightly under the blanket, her tiny hand curling near her face.
I leaned forward instantly.
My breath caught.
But she didn’t wake.
She just sighed softly and settled again.
I exhaled, slow and shaky.
My fingers brushed lightly over her hair.
Still here.
Still mine.
A soft knock came from the door.
I stiffened.
For a second, my heart jumped straight into my throat.
Then—
“Emily?”
Morgan.
I let out a breath.
“Come in.”
The door opened slowly, carefully, like she didn’t want to disturb anything inside the room.
Her eyes went straight to Zara first.
Then to me.
“You’re still in here.”
I didn’t answer right away.
I just looked back at Zara.
“I can’t leave her,” I said quietly.
Morgan stepped inside and closed the door behind her.
“She’s sleeping, Em.”
“I know.”
My voice came out softer this time.
“But what if she wakes up and I’m not here?”
Morgan didn’t respond immediately.
She just walked closer.
Slow.
Quietly.
“I made something for you,” she said after a moment. “You should eat.”
I shook my head.
“I’m not hungry.”
“You haven’t eaten all day.”
“I said I’m not hungry.”
The words came out sharper than I intended.
Morgan didn’t take it personally.
She never did.
Instead, she sat down beside me.
Close enough that our shoulders touched.
Then she pulled me into a hug.
I didn’t resist.
Didn’t even think about it.
I just leaned into her.
And for a second—
Everything cracked.
“Look at me,” I muttered against her shoulder, a weak laugh slipping out. “I’m a mess.”
Morgan let out a quiet breath.
“We’re both messes.”
That made me laugh.
A real one this time.
Small, but real.
When I pulled back, I wiped quickly at my face.
“I don’t know what I’m doing,” I admitted. “I don’t know what happens next.”
Morgan studied me for a moment.
Like she was choosing her words carefully.
“Can I say something?”
I nodded.
“Take Zara,” she said gently. “And leave.”
I blinked at her.
“What?”
“Just for a few days,” she added quickly. “A week, maybe. Somewhere quiet. Somewhere no one knows you.”
My chest tightened.
“I can’t just leave.”
“Yes, you can.”
“No, I—” I stopped, shaking my head. “Morgan, everything is here. My life is here.”
“And everything that almost took her is here too.”
That hit.
Hard.
I looked back at Zara.
At how small she looked in the bed.
At how peaceful she looked now.
Nothing like the chaos from earlier.
“The best thing you can do right now,” Morgan continued softly, “is to breathe. And you can’t do that here. Not with everything going on.”
I swallowed.
“And what about everything else?” I asked. “The bakery? Work? Everything?”
“I’ll handle it.”
I looked at her again.
“You don’t have to—”
“I want to,” she cut in. “Eddie’s already taking care of the bakery. I’ll keep things running.”
A pause.
“Eddie even asked about you,” she added. “She wanted to come see you. I told her to stay and make sure the bakery doesn’t fall apart.”
Despite everything, a small smile tugged at my lips.
“That sounds like her.”
Morgan smiled faintly.
“So let me handle things here,” she said. “You just focus on Zara and yourself. You’ve been through so much.”
I hesitated.
“How?” I asked quietly. “How do I just… leave?”
Morgan opened her mouth to respond…. and then the doorbell rang.
The sound cut through the house.
Sharp.
Loud.
Wrong.
My entire body went still.
Morgan’s head turned toward the door.
“I’ll get it—”
“No.”
The word came out fast.
Too fast.
I grabbed her wrist before she could stand.
My heart was already racing.
“It’s her,” I whispered. “It’s Cecilia.”
Morgan frowned slightly.
“You don’t know that.”
“I do.”
I didn’t.
Not really.
But it felt like her.
Like something unfinished had followed me home.
Morgan gently pulled her hand free.
“Let me check.”
I shook my head.
“Morgan—”
“I’ll be right back,” she said, her voice calm but firm.
She stood up.
And I stood with her.
“I’m coming with you.”
“Emily—”
“I said I’m coming.”
She didn’t argue after that.
We moved toward the door together.
Each step felt heavier than the last.
The house creaked softly around us.
The silence stretched.
The doorbell didn’t ring again.
That somehow made it worse.
Morgan reached the door first.
She glanced back at me.
Then slowly opened it.
Just a crack.
I held my breath.
Morgan leaned slightly, trying to see who was outside.
And then—
“Oh.”
That was all she said.
Just one word.
But it wasn’t the reaction I expected.
Not anger.
Not tension.
Something else.
Confusion, maybe.
She opened the door wider.
And I stepped forward.
My heart was already pounding.
But the moment I saw who was standing there—
I froze.
“…How did you get my address?”
My voice came out quieter than I meant it to.
My mom stood on the doorstep.
Her expression softened the second she saw me.
Like she’d been waiting for this exact moment.
“I just…” she started, then stopped, like she didn’t know how to explain it properly.
Her eyes searched mine.
“I couldn’t sleep,” she said finally. “Not with so much distance between us.”
Something in my chest shifted.
“I just got you back,” she added softly. “I didn’t want to be away from you.”
The words settled between us.
I didn’t know what to say.
Didn’t know how to react.
Part of me was still catching up.
Still trying to understand how everything had changed so quickly.
Behind me, I could feel Morgan watching.
Waiting.
Giving me space.
My mom took a small step forward.
Then stopped herself.
Like she didn’t want to cross a line.
“Can I come in?” she asked gently.
I hesitated.
Just for a second.
Then I stepped aside.
“Yeah… okay.”