Chapter 175
We were right. The day after Gregory's surgery, Alan sent people disguised as doctors, took Gregory down to the basement, and drove him away.
Vivian, who had gone to keep watch in the ward that night, disappeared along with Gregory.
When Oscar heard the news, he frowned slightly and stayed quiet for a long time.
I walked over and asked softly, "What are you going to do now?"
Oscar shook his head helplessly. "What can I do? Gregory's already been taken. There's nothing left to say."
I could see the conflict in him. He couldn't bear to just stand by and do nothing, but he also knew they had brought this on themselves. We had seen it coming—Alan might go to the hospital and take Gregory—but we didn't stop it. In a way, that was already a choice.
"So are we changing our original plan?" I asked with a smile.
He took a deep breath. "No. I have to respect their fate. It's not my place to manage their lives. I already went to Alan and asked him to let them go—that was more than enough. If he won't let them off the hook, that's between them. Their history runs too deep. Let's go."
I nodded at him. "Glad you get it. What goes around comes around—we shouldn't mess with their karma too much. Let's go."
We boarded the helicopter and watched the small, remote town slowly shrink away. Neither of us brought up those people again. All of Oscar's attention was on me.
"Are you comfortable?"
"Let me put a pillow under your legs so the blood doesn't pool there."
"Want some water? It's just the right temperature."
"Have some fruit. You barely touched breakfast—you need the vitamins."
Oscar's fussing was getting on my nerves. I finally couldn't take it anymore. "I don't want to eat. I don't want to drink anything."
"Then what do you want?" he asked casually.
"I want some quiet," I said, not bothering to hide my irritation.
He nodded quickly. "Okay, then get some sleep. I'll put the blanket over you. Do you need another pillow? The noise is a bit loud—will it keep you up?"
I didn't know whether to laugh or be annoyed. "Right now the only thing keeping me up is you. From this moment on, please be quiet. Can you do that?"
He made a quick shushing gesture, and just as my eyes were beginning to close, he whispered frantically, "I promise I'll shut up after this."
I looked at him. "This had better be important."
Oscar held up his phone and dropped a bombshell. "Michael and Nina might be engaged."
"What?" I sat bolt upright and grabbed his phone. It was a post Nina had shared on social media—a photo of two hands interlaced, showing off a massive diamond ring. The caption was simple: "We're engaged!"
I rubbed my eyes and looked again. It was definitely Nina's feed. The other hand had Michael's tattoo. So that's why she went back to Solstice with him—to get engaged?
I grabbed Oscar's phone and left a comment: "Blink twice if you've been kidnapped."
There was no way I could sleep now.
"Aren't they moving a little fast?" I looked at it again, still not quite believing it.
"Who just gets engaged out of nowhere like that? Even if they are engaged, she should come back first and introduce Michael to the family, right?" I looked at Oscar, half talking to him, half talking to myself.
"Michael didn't force her into this, did he? Why is the signal cutting in and out like this? Can we even make a call?"
Sensing my anxiety, Oscar tried to calm me down. "There's no right pace when it comes to feelings. Just rest for now. You can ask her when we get back. Maybe they really are meant for each other and just couldn't wait."
That wasn't exactly convincing, but I was on a plane and Nina was in Solstice. She had gotten engaged without any warning, and there was nothing I could say about it now.
I felt a little deflated. "How did I never notice Michael was so good at sweeping girls off their feet?"
Oscar smiled. "What if Nina is just a natural flirt?"
I stared at him. He quickly pressed his palms together with an apologetic grin. "Okay, okay, you're right. Michael's a jerk. We'll sort it out when we get back. Can you please rest now?"
I raised an eyebrow. "No. I can't sleep anymore." I picked up the apple next to me and took a big bite out of it, pretending it was Michael's head.
Oscar pressed his lips together, trying not to laugh. "If you can't sleep, just sit for a bit. We'll be home in a few hours."
I didn't sleep a wink on the plane. I spent the whole flight eating, drinking, and venting to Oscar about Michael. It wasn't until we landed that I realized something—the morning sickness that had been quietly creeping up on me right when we boarded had miraculously, stayed away the entire time.
We finally got home. I lay down on my own bed, not yet fully relaxed, when there was a knock at the door.
I was puzzled. Who could possibly show up the moment we walked in?
Oscar went to answer it. It was Isabella.
The second she saw me, her eyes went red—but her first words weren't about my bandaged leg or the visible scar on my face. She broke into tears and said, "Emma, you're finally back. I've been coming here every day looking for you. Please, go see your father. He's not going to make it."
Oscar stepped between us and frowned. "She just got back. She needs to rest. If you have something to deal with, go find your own kids. Why are you coming to her?"
Isabella sobbed. "Emma, we're your parents. How can you just watch us die?"
Oscar started to say something, but I stopped him. I asked, almost indifferently, "You're both still alive, aren't you? If Charles is really dying, why aren't you with him? Why are you camped outside my door every day?"
Isabella's eyes were red. "I know you resent us. This time I truly know I was wrong. I was foolish—I neglected my own child and poured everything into someone else's. This is our punishment now."
I raised an eyebrow and looked at her, growing impatient. "Don't you find it a little ridiculous to be saying this to me now?"
Seeing that I wasn't pressing further, Isabella rushed on. "Emma, Sophia—she had been working with the Martinez family all along. They teamed up and tricked us out of every last bit of money we had left, then disappeared. We only just saw her for what she really is."
That was mildly interesting, but I had no more interest in Isabella. "And?"
Isabella looked flustered when I didn't react. "We can't even afford a hotel anymore. Your father had a stroke. I have no money to get him treated. Emma, you can't just let him die. I'm not asking you to forgive us. Just—on account of us being your birth parents—give us a place to stay."