Stolen Identity: Mute Heiress

Chapter 323: Let Him Face Them

Emily lay on her bed for a long moment after her call with Mari. The room was quiet and the only sound she heard was her heart beating fast inside her chest as she thought of Mari’s suggestion.

She took a deep breath and sat up slowly. Her chest felt tight. Her thoughts felt heavy. She pressed a hand to her forehead.

Her room was dark except for the soft yellow lamp beside her bed. She had turned it off so that her siblings would think she was asleep and wouldn’t come in to disturb her.

As she lay there, she remembered all that had happened six years ago.

Emily sat on the cold floor of the bathroom in the hostel room she shared with Mari.

Two pregnancy test sticks lay on the floor beside her. Both had the same positive signs.

Her knees were pulled up to her chest as she stared at them without blinking.

Her chest felt like it was caving in. Her eyes burned with hot tears that fell down her cheeks and her throat closed tight.

"No... no..." she whispered, her voice small and broken. "God, please... no..."

She was still hurting from Callan. She was still trying to breathe after the way he had torn her heart.

And now she had to put up with this too?

She put a hand over her mouth as a small sob escaped. She didn’t want this. Not like this. Not alone.

A knock came at the bathroom door.

"Em?" Mari’s voice was soft but worried. "Em, why aren’t you coming out? You’ve been in there a long time. What does the result say?"

Emily couldn’t answer. She tried, but her voice wouldn’t come out.

Mari pushed the door open slowly. When she saw Emily on the floor, her face changed.

Emily looked up at her with red, tear-filled eyes and pointed at the test sticks but couldn’t speak.

Mari’s eyes widened when she looked down at the test sticks.

"Emily! Oh my God!"

Then she knelt down and wrapped her arms around Emily.

Emily broke. Her whole body shook as she cried into Mari’s shoulder.

"I can’t..." she choked. "I can’t do this, Mari. I can’t... I just can’t..."

Mari held her tighter and whispered, "I know. I know, Em. It’s okay. It’s okay. I’m here."

"He doesn’t even love me," she cried. "He doesn’t care. He hurt me and then left me with this. Why?"

Mari stroked her hair softly.

"He doesn’t deserve you," she said. "He’s a jerk. The worst kind. And you don’t have to keep this, Emily."

Emily cried harder. "But I love babies. I never imagined I’d ever have to get rid of one," she whispered in a shaky voice.

Mari pulled away just a little and wiped her cheeks. "We will do what we have to do, Em. We are putting you first. Not Cal the jerk, and definitely not a fetus I don’t give a fuck about unless, of course, you choose to keep it, then I’d try to give a fuck. You are my best friend and we will do only what is right for you. You are not ready to be a mother. You are not in any state emotionally for this. You’ve barely even eaten or done anything aside from moping for the last three weeks since you came back from seeing Callan. And I know you don’t want to be a single mother either."

Emily said nothing, she only kept crying.

"We’ll fix it," Mari promised softly. "And if you are unsure, we can just talk to your mum or mine. They always know what to do."

Emily nodded slowly, even though she felt like her whole world was crumbling.

After they returned to the bed, Mari picked up Emily’s phone and dialed Emily’s mother’s number.

Sharon answered at once. "Hey, sweetheart. How are you feeling today? I hope you’re much better now."

Emily burst into tears again. "Mum..." she whispered, "I... I’m pregnant."

For a moment, her mother’s end of the line went silent, then her mother’s voice came back, soft and calm.

"Oh, Emily... my baby..."

Emily sniffed hard. "I don’t know what to do," she cried. "I’m not okay. I’m not ready. I’m hurting too much."

Her mother listened calmly, then breathed softly and said, "Have you told him yet?"

"No! I don’t want to ever talk to him again," she cried.

"Okay, sweetheart. I understand. You don’t have to keep it. We will take care of it. I’ll look up reputable clinics closest to you, then I’ll book an appointment. Is Mari there with you?"

"Yes, I’m here," Mari said, since the phone was on speaker.

"Mari dear, make sure you stay with her, okay? And go with her to the clinic. She’d need you there," Sharon said, and Mari assured her she’d been with Emily every moment.

Four days later, it was done, and Emily felt even more broken and empty. She battled silently with the pain and guilt for weeks.

Until now, neither Mari nor her mother had ever brought it up.

Emily wiped a tear that had slipped down her cheek at the memories.

She stood up and began pacing the room back and forth. Her socks made soft sounds against the floor.

Her mind brought back the words Callan had said to her earlier about wanting a real chance.

Her heart had jumped when he said that. She had felt warm inside. She had felt really happy. Happier than she wanted him to see.

But now, her stomach was twisted with worry and doubts.

She whispered to herself, "Can’t I just keep it a secret forever?"

She didn’t want to talk about it to him. She didn’t want to relive the pain and bitterness that had filled her back then.

How she managed to still love Callan despite how she’d felt back then would always be a mystery to her.

Finally, she walked to her bed and picked up her phone, wanting to talk to her mother and see if she shared Mari’s opinion.

She dialed her mother’s line. The phone rang twice before the call connected.

"How are you doing, sweetheart?" Sharon’s soft voice came through, warm and familiar.

Emily closed her eyes and sat on the edge of her bed. "Mum," she whispered in a cracked voice, "I need to talk to you."

Sharon’s tone softened at once with worry. "What is it? Did something happen between you and Callan again? Are you okay?"

"Yes. Yes, I’m fine," Emily assured her quickly. "I just... I need your opinion."

"Sure. Talk to me," Sharon said gently. "Tell me whatever it is."

Emily took a deep breath, then all the words came out. She told her mother everything.

"Do you think I should give him another chance? Do you think I should tell him about the pregnancy?"

When she finished talking, there was a long, soft silence on the phone.

Then Sharon spoke, voice steady and warm. "Emily."

"Yes, Mum..."

"How did you feel," Sharon asked slowly, "when Callan told you he wanted another chance with you?"

"I felt happy," she whispered. "Really happy. Although I didn’t show it because I didn’t want him to know. But inside I felt like I had waited for that moment for a long time."

Sharon breathed out softly. "That means you still love him, Emily. And you want to be with him."

Emily’s heart beat faster. "Yes, Mom. I do."

"Then if you want that kind of future," Sharon continued, "then you need truth. Both ways."

"So you also think I should tell him?"

"Yes," Sharon said. "But not right away. First, you need to know how serious he is."

"How?" Emily asked.

"Ask him to seek the consent of both your parents," Sharon said. "If he truly wants to be with you, he will do it. If he is scared of their opinion, then let him face it. Let him show you he is ready."

Emily nodded.

"And that way," Sharon went on gently, "he won’t mess with your emotions again. Not when he knows your parents are involved and all eyes are on you both."

Emily nodded slowly. "That makes sense."

"Then," her mother added softly, "when he has proven himself, you can open up to him about the pregnancy. You tell him the truth, so the secret does not stay between you and eat at your heart. You might not know it now, but if you keep it a secret when you both get together, resentment will slowly crop up later and eat at you."

Emily swallowed. "But he’s been through a lot, Mum. What if he breaks down?"

"Then let him break down. He should. You broke down six years ago, didn’t you? You carried all the pain alone. He is a man, Emily. You cannot protect him from his own feelings. Let him face them. That is the consequence of his actions. You shouldn’t bear it alone."

"Okay, Mum," Emily whispered. "I’ll do it. I’ll do everything you said."

Sharon exhaled, sounding relieved. "Good. Although I wished you’d move on with someone else, seeing how much you still love him despite everything, I’m happy he’s finally come to his senses. But I hope you don’t love him more than you love yourself, Emily."