novelnext Chapter 17: Regret
Chapter 17: Regret
"I'll call the police if you don't stop!" Emily Johnson shrieked, her dignity long gone. "I'll have every single one of you lunatics arrested!"
"What do any of you know? Ethan Foster loves me! We already have a child together, the proof of our love! The only reason I've endured this humiliation is to spare Sophia's feelings! Ethan and I were married long ago!"
Silence fell first.
Then came the deafening roar of outrage.
"Have you no shame? 'The one not loved is the other woman', what kind of twisted logic is that?"
"Miss Williams and Ethan Foster are legally bound. How dare you brag about being the homewrecker!"
"Call the police? They should arrest you first, you shameless witch! Lock up this murderer and make her pay for what she did to Miss Williams!"
No one could believe someone could be so brazen about being the other woman.
Furious hands yanked at Emily's hair.
"It hurts!" she sobbed, desperately trying to fight them off.
But the crowd's rage only grew, its intensity terrifying her into pleading.
"I was wrong! Please, let me go!"
"Do you realize this is assault? You'll go to jail for this!"
Amid the chaos, the pain in her abdomen sharpened into something unbearable. She shook her head, tears streaming, before blood gushed between her legs.
Emily curled into herself, screaming.
"My baby! My baby!"
"Get away from me! Someone help! Please!"
The onlookers backed off instantly, but Emily, half-mad with panic, crawled across the ground.
"Save me! Save my baby! That's my child, my child!"
Trembling, she reached a pair of polished dress shoes.
Her gaze crawled upward, and when she saw Ethan's face, hope flickered in her eyes.
"Ethan! Help me! It's our baby!"
On their anniversary, he had chosen her over Sophia. Didn't that prove he cared for this child?
"Take me away from here!" she begged.
But Ethan bent down slowly, his dark eyes bloodshot, his gaze so icy it felt like a blade pressed to her ribs.
"You were the one who pushed Sophia into the water that night at the gala."
Emily froze. Terror crashed over her in waves.
The murderous intent in his stare kept her from moving an inch closer. She scrambled backward like a cornered animal.
Yet he followed, his face twisted with fury.
"You pushed her in... It was you!"
Emily shook her head wildly. "No... It wasn't me..."
But the video evidence was undeniable.
Sobbing uncontrollably, she choked out, "I didn't mean to! I was just jealous, jealous that even though I carried your child, Sophia was still the one standing proudly by your side! But I never wanted her dead! Never!"
She regretted it now, every second of it.
At first, she had only envied Sophia for having Ethan, for being the sole recipient of his love.
Then, when their marriage grew strained, she had seized her chance, slipping into his room while he was drunk.
After that night, she had been elated, truly believing she could replace Sophia and claim that happiness for herself.
She had resolved to be the perfect woman in Ethan's shadow, even if it meant never stepping into the light.
But the moment she learned she was pregnant, that was no longer enough.
She refused to let her child be born a bastard.
She refused to keep hiding in the dark, watching Sophia's happiness like some wretched rat!
And every time Ethan chose her without hesitation, she began to believe she had already surpassed Sophia, that the only reason he still treated Sophia kindly was out of obligation.
If only... if only Sophia would disappear forever, then the title of Mrs. Foster would be hers by default!
But now, Emily truly regretted everything.
Ethan's heart belonged to Sophia alone. There was no room for her, not even a sliver.
His hand closed around her throat, his grip tightening with every passing second. Rage and hatred consumed him.
"You used this child to force my hand. You made me abandon Sophia at the gala to take you to the hospital."
"You vile, scheming, "
His fingers squeezed harder.
Emily's eyes bulged. She had no doubt he would strangle her to death right then and there.