Chapter 22 CHAPTER 22

Chapter 22 CHAPTER 22
EMILIA

“This won’t do,” Rosa added when she noticed my palm was bleeding again. “We need to get you to the hospital… For all we know, there might still be particles of the glass in there.”

I smiled lightly. I was so lucky to have met someone like Rosa in the course of my miserable life.

“I’m okay,” I said, even though my left hand felt numb.

“No, Emilia… you’re not.”

Rosa wasn’t listening and stumbled out of the kitchen. Katalina, Agnes, and Lucy weren’t present now, and that gave me an opportunity to breathe without hearing the word ‘sorry’, or how much they hated Michelle, or how I didn’t deserve any of this.

I didn’t know how Rosa did it or what strings she pulled, but she returned with a man whose attire gave him away as a doctor. And I was right.

“There she is,” Rosa said, gesturing toward me.

The doctor was swift, pulling my hand slowly toward him.

“Don’t worry, he’s Doctor Kelvin,” Rosa said when I tried to pull back.

“Hi, dear. I want to take a look at your wound,” Kelvin said. “Is that okay?” He beamed a smile, a crooked smile line forming around his eyes.

Kelvin had brown eyes and nice facial features. He was good-looking and seemed to be around Andrea’s age. He appeared trustworthy, so I let him.

A message popped up on his phone, and he smiled, shaking his head before returning it to the box he brought.

He examined my palm before giving me a drug to take, he began what he wanted to do. And for some reason, I felt no pain as he started. I didn’t even know he was done...

“You are good to go now…” He smiled. “Ensure you avoid using the hand for anything hard for a while, and take your drugs religiously, okay?”

I nodded like a child who was good at taking instructions. He closed the box, returned to Rosa, giving her some tablets and telling her some things I couldn’t hear.



I woke up later that evening to find myself in my room. I didn’t realise I had fallen asleep. That must have been the side effects of the drugs Doctor Kelvin gave me.

But then… how did I get to my room?

There was no one there to give me answers, so I stayed still, turning on the lamp light. I sighted a bottle of water by the bedside, and a small smile crawled onto my lips. That must have been Rosa’s doing.

I made a mental note to thank her when morning came, but for now, I needed to get to the kitchen. I doubted I could wait that long, as my stomach made a rumbling noise.

My head hurt slightly as I tried to get down, but I didn’t mind as I started walking. The hall was cold and silent as I tiptoed, trying not to make a sound.

I reached the kitchen in no time. I opened the fridge slowly as I tried to look for food. Finally! I sighted a cake in the fridge and some cookies. I opted for the cake, cutting a piece of it as I ate.

I didn’t stop to think about who the cake might be meant for or for what. And now I had taken a large piece of it.

“What the hell!” A voice cut through the air, startling me into dropping the piece of cake I was holding.

My breath caught in my throat as I tried not to move. He walked toward me in slow, easy steps.

His eyes were dead cold as he scanned me. “Don’t tell me you touched the cake that was in the fridge?”

“I… I,” I started, but words failed me. “I was hungry.”

“Are you that dumb that a cake is what you’d go for after sustaining an injury?” he asked, his voice softening.

I couldn’t tell if he was mad that I had eaten the cake or if he cared about my health. But I knew the latter was not an option.

“I’m sorry about the cake. I didn’t mean to.”

He didn’t respond directly and just picked up my hand, brushing his fingers over it. “Does it still hurt?”

I pulled my hand back quickly. Andrea had to be a sick psychopath. Wasn’t he there when his fiancée pressed her heel over my palm? He didn’t seem the least concerned then… so why was he now?

“I’m fine,” I answered quickly, turning away. It was a bad idea coming here in the first place.

“Emilia,” he said, pulling me back slowly. “You don’t get to walk out on me while I’m talking.”

I almost laughed, but his serious expression made me change my mind.

“It no longer hurts…” I said sharply, his eyes pulling me in.

“Can I go now?”

A small smile curled up on his face. “Not so fast, wifey. Who’s going to replace the cake you just ate?”

My eyes snapped to him. “B… but—”

“Is the cake going to replace itself?” he asked, leaning in.

‘You son of a bitch,’ I said within.

“You aren’t possibly saying I should make another cake, right? The doctor said I shouldn’t use my hand for—”

“You should have thought about that before eating something you didn’t keep.”

He turned his attention to the clock on his wrist. “Well, you have four hours until my fiancée wakes up. I need our anniversary cake ready before then.”

The pain that had left my palm returned, my heart hammering against my chest. Andrea didn’t seem the least disturbed as he pulled out a chair for himself and sat, watching me.

“Get to work already,” he said, side-glancing at his watch. “You have three hours and fifty-eight minutes left.”

‘Cake.’ I huffed.

A cake was my speciality, the only dish I could make with my eyes closed, but not with the condition of one of my palms...

“Move,” his voice echoed.

My heart dropped as I walked away quickly toward the section of the kitchen that had the flour, sugar, and eggs. I struggled to move some items, as it was only one of my hands that functioned properly.

I yelped in pain as I dragged a little bag of flour, but he said nothing, making no move to help.

The hardest part was beating the sugar and butter batter. I couldn’t even find the mixer. Everything was working against me.

“We don’t plan on eating sweat,” Andrea added, watching as I beat the batter.

My right arm was going numb as well, but I couldn’t stop. This was what I got for trying to satisfy my craving.

The cake stayed in the oven for a while as I mixed the icing sugar and whatever colour I could find.

All the while… I cursed silently as I continued.



It was already morning when I was done. I sighed, looking at the cake after pulling it out of the oven. It was definitely not my best creation.

But… it had worked.

Rosa was the first to make it into the kitchen, and she was shocked when she saw me, glancing at Andrea who was seated on a chair.

“Good morning, sir,” she said, before turning her eyes to me. Her eyes pleading with mine for an explanation.

“Ah,” Andrea exclaimed, uncrossing his legs as he stood up from the chair. “Glad you are here,” he added.

“Order a cake, same piece as was delivered yesterday… It should be here in an hour’s time.”

Rosa bowed as he walked out. The icing spatula I was holding fell to the floor.

Don’t tell me that demon just made me work for nothing…?