Hello, Ex! I Finally Found My Worth! - Chapter 110

Chapter 110: Pretending

The quiet in the hospital room was a fragile thing, broken only by the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor.

Chris and Claire had just finished eating and didn’t know what to say or if to leave Alex with Emma in his condition.

He seemed like he could collapse anytime soon so they couldn’t leave him.

Emma lay so still, her pale face soft in the muted daylight filtering through the window.

Alex hadn’t moved from her side, his hand still cradling hers as if letting go would mean losing her all.

His gaze was locked on her face, searching for any sign of consciousness, any sign that she was coming back to him.

Ivy also stood nearby, equally silent, her eyes shifting between Emma and Alex, lost in her own thought.

Ivy’s brow furrowed as she stole a glance at Claire, then Alex. She could feel the tension crackling in the air—something unsaid, something deeper than just worry for Emma. But she didn’t ask. How could she? It was Emma who was her friend and not Claire.

A soft knock on the door shattered the quiet and everyone’s head turned to the door.

Emma’s breath caught in her throat. Though it was faint but Alex felt it. The slightest hitch, her body tensing just a fraction under his touch. His heart skipped and his heartbeat increased.

Was she waking up?

He shook his head when he saw that her eyelids remained closed, and that her breathing was steady.

He was just overly worried. He told himself as another knock came, this time, a little firmer.

Claire exchanged a glance with Chris, pressing her lips together as if she already knew who it was. She whispered, “It must be Margaret.”

Emma’s breathing hitched again, so subtle it could’ve been missed—but Alex didn’t miss it. His protective instincts flared as his jaw tightened.

Margaret.

His gaze dropped back to Emma’s face, noting the pale sheen of sweat now dampening her forehead, her fragile body flinching ever so slightly.

Is she hearing us?

And worse—Was it fear? Was it the Margaret’s name or was it because someone was knocking? Or was she having a nightmare about the kidnap?

Vanessa’s name burned through his mind. Had she said something about Margaret? Or had they made bad threats to her to make her so scared?

His hand instinctively tightened around hers, a silent promise that he wouldn’t let anyone hurt her. Not again.

Claire, oblivious to the thoughts circling Alex’s mind, repeated softly, “It must be Margaret.”

Alex’s head snapped up, his voice low but edged with steel. “Check who it is. If it’s her, don’t let her in.”

Claire blinked, caught off guard. “Alex, she’s—”

“I said no,” he cut her off, his eyes fierce, protective. “I don’t want to see her. Not here. Not now.”

Claire’s mouth opened as if to argue, her chest rising and falling with unspoken words. She wanted to defend Margaret. She needed Alex to see that people could change. That Margaret had changed. But she could see it—Alex wasn’t just angry. He was barely holding himself together, his entire focus on Emma.

Chris, watching the silent battle unfold, finally stepped forward and touched Claire’s elbow gently. His voice was quiet but firm. “Remember what I told you?”

Her gaze shifted to him, the warmth in his eyes grounding her for just a moment.

She exhaled sharply, nodding. She wanted peace between them, but pushing Alex now, while Emma was still unconscious, wasn’t the right move.

“Okay,” she whispered, defeated but understanding.

Without another word, Claire squared her shoulders and moved toward the door, Chris following closely behind her.

The door clicked shut behind them.

Alex remained in the silence, his thumb brushing lightly over Emma’s knuckles, heart heavy with unspoken thoughts.

But he couldn’t shake it—the way her body had tensed. The way her breath had caught.

What did Vanessa tell you, Emma? And what are you so scared of?

And more importantly—was Margaret a part of the reason she was scared?

Outside the hospital room, the air felt heavier than it should have been. Claire paused for a moment, her hand still lingering on the door handle as she faced Margaret.

The sight nearly broke her.

Margaret stood there, a mess of swollen eyes and tear-streaked cheeks, her trembling fingers clasped in front of her chest like she was barely holding herself together. She looked smaller somehow, fragile in a way Claire hadn’t seen before.

Forgetting all the tension between them, Claire softened. “Margaret…”

But Margaret didn’t wait to hear what Claire wanted to say. She rushed forward, her voice shaking. “Where’s Emma? Is she awake? Please tell me she’s awake.”

Claire hesitated, exchanging a brief glance with Chris. He nodded slightly, silently reminding her to stay calm.

“She’s… still unconscious,” Claire said gently. “But the doctors said she’s stable now. She’ll be fine.”

Margaret’s breath hitched, and suddenly, fresh sobs tore from her throat. She covered her face with trembling hands, shoulders shaking as she cried harder than before.

“It’s my fault. It’s all my fault,” she choked out.

Claire reached forward instinctively, placing a comforting hand on her arm. “Hey… No, you—”

“Yes, it is.” Margaret shook her head violently, brushing away the tears but only smudging them further across her cheeks. “If I hadn’t been so bitter… If I hadn’t let Vanessa into our lives—this wouldn’t have happened. I—I just wanted to free my son. I didn’t want to hurt anyone. Not Emma. Not my family.”

Her voice cracked on the word family and Claire sighed.

Margaret’s eyes lifted, wide and desperate now as if she had just remembered something. “Where’s Alex? I need to see him. I need to apologize. To both of them. Please, Claire, let me explain. I have to.”

Claire swallowed hard, glancing at Chris again. His expression was calm but guarded, silently letting her decide how to handle it.

She inhaled shakily. “Margaret… Alex is with Emma right now. He—he’s not ready to see you.”

Margaret nodded before shaking her head. “I understand but I don’t care if he’s not ready. I can’t live with this guilt. I need to tell him now. I need to free myself of this burden.”

“Margaret, wait—”

But before Claire could stop her, Margaret had already pushed past, the door swinging open with a soft creak.

Alex was still seated by Emma’s side, head bowed, whispering something soft only Emma could hear. His hand remained curled protectively around hers, his thumb tracing gentle circles on her skin.

When Margaret stumbled into the room, Alex’s head snapped up.

His eyes grew dark, stormy and hardened in an instant.

“What are you doing here?” His voice was sharp, cutting through the quiet like a blade.

Margaret’s sobs broke free again. She didn’t stop. She crossed the room, falling to her knees at his feet with a kind of desperation that made even Claire’s chest tighten.

“Alex, please… please listen to me.” Her voice trembled. “I’m sorry. I never wanted this. I didn’t know Vanessa would—”

“You didn’t know?” Alex’s voice turned cold, bitter. He pulled his hand away from Emma’s, standing, towering over Margaret where she knelt. “You let that woman near Emma all for what? What if Emma had died, Margaret? Would you be sorry then? Or is it only because we caught her in time?”

Margaret shook her head furiously, tears spilling as she clutched the hem of his sleeve. “Please… I was blind, I know that now. I was selfish and bitter, and I made terrible choices, but I never meant for it to end like this. I swear it on my life.”

Alex’s jaw tightened, his hands curling into fists at his sides. His heart ached with so much fury and pain that he felt like he couldn’t breathe.

He had almost lost everything.

His voice dropped, rough with emotion. “I’m not interested in your excuses. Just go. Get out.”

Margaret flinched as if he’d physically struck her, her breath catching in her throat.

For a long, heart-wrenching moment, the only sound was the quiet hum of the machines.

Finally, Margaret nodded, her voice breaking. “I… I understand.”

She stood slowly, brokenly, her head bowed as she backed away toward the door.

Claire, heart aching, followed after her. She turned back once, as if silently begging Alex to reconsider, but his face was stone—guarded, and unyielding.

Chris shot Alex a lingering glance before stepping out to follow Claire, his phone buzzing in his pocket.

“I’ll be right back,” he murmured, answering the call as the door clicked shut behind them.

After the three had left the room was unbearably silent once more, leaving Ivy, Alex and Emma who was struggling within her not to open her eyes.

Ivy, still standing near the door, shifted uncomfortably. She had witnessed plenty of emotional storms before but nothing like this. She felt out of place, unsure if she should even speak.

Her gaze shifted back to Emma and that’s when her eyes caught something unusual.

The faintest glimmer. A tear sliding slowly down the curve of Emma’s cheek.

Ivy’s eyes widened. This can’t be. She thought as she glanced sharply at Alex.

The look on his face told her all she needed to know. He had seen it too.

The tension cracked just enough for a choked breath of relief to escape Alex’s lips. He knelt back down beside her, brushing a thumb gently across her damp cheek.

A soft, relieved chuckle left him as he whispered, “Are you…pretending to be unconscious right now?”