Hello, Ex! I Finally Found My Worth! - Chapter 186

Chapter 186: Birthday At The Hospital
The soft scratching of Emma’s pencil against her sketchpad filled the quiet room. She sat cross-legged on the bed, leaning over the paper, her brows furrowed in concentration as she carefully shaded the folds of a dress design she had been working on for the past hour.

The afternoon sunlight streamed through the curtains, casting a warm glow across the room. It was almost 5 PM—Alex would be home soon. She thought and a small smile tugged at her lips.

It was her birthday and he had promised to come home early today so he could take her out for dinner or just stay in and watch a movie together if she didn’t feel like going out.

She glanced at the bed to look at the dress she had picked out for their dinner date since that was what she wanted.

Her sitting across from the love of her life, and listening to him talk to her in his usual soft and romantic tone.

Maybe she could suggest they pretend to be Xander and Beauty today since she really wanted that side of him again. She missed how he teased her that day and just made her feel like the most beautiful woman alive when her life had been nothing but messed up.

Thinking about how he had made her life change so much in just three months, Emma smiled. Alex was indeed her soul mate, the one destined and created just for her.

She couldn’t help being grateful that Jake had made her go through all that pain since it meant she’d get to meet her person. The one that made her whole. The one that fulfilled all her dreams without even asking her what they were.

Her phone buzzed beside her, snapping her out of her thoughts and she chuckled slightly before glancing at the screen of her phone.

The smile vanished from her face and a certain kind of sadness replaced it when she saw it was Ivy calling her.

Emma sighed, her fingers hovering over the phone before she picked it up.

For the past week, Ivy had been distant, clearly struggling after Hunter’s release and Chloe’s conviction.

No matter how much Hunter begged her for another chance, Ivy refused to give in. Although she understood why, but it didn’t stop her from wishing Ivy would let go of the pain she was carrying.

Despite knowing that Hunter had approached Ivy with bad intentions, she also knew Hunter had kept her happy. If they had not found out the truth, then Ivy would’ve remained happy too.

Though they knew the truth now, she still knew Hunter loved Ivy. He hasn’t been himself since after everything especially coupled with the betrayal of his best friend and hating his dad only to realize he had always loved him.

It hadn’t been fair on Hunter. He needed Ivy and even though Ivy knew it too, she had refused it. Hurting not just herself but also Hunter and everyone around her.

Maybe this was the call Emma had been waiting for. Maybe Ivy was calling because she was finally ready to talk about it and forgive Hunter. Emma thought.

Taking a deep breath, she accepted the call.

“Hey, Ivy.”

“What are you doing?” Ivy’s voice came through, rushed and tense.

Emma frowned immediately she heard Ivy’s voice and the tension it carried. “Just working on some designs. What’s up?”

Ivy’s next words made her world stop.

“Emma, you need to leave whatever you’re doing. Alex is in the hospital.”

The air left her lungs immediately after she heard the words. For a second, her mind refused to process what she had just heard.

Her fingers tightened around the phone, her grip so strong that her knuckles turned white. Her stomach dropped and for a moment her vision blurred.

Her pulse pounded in her ears so loudly she almost didn’t hear herself whisper—

“What?”

“I’m almost at your place,” Ivy said urgently. “Get ready. We need to go.”

No. No, this had to be a mistake.

Alex was fine. He had been fine this morning. He had kissed her before leaving for work, his usual smile on his face, telling her he’d be home soon and promising her a birthday she wouldn’t forget.

He wasn’t supposed to be in a hospital. Not today, not ever. What had happened to him? How come?

Her breathing grew shallow, her chest tightening painfully.

“What… what are you saying?” Her voice trembled. “Is it… my Alex? It’s some other Alex, right? Tell me it’s some other Alex.”

“Yes, Emma. It’s your Alex and it’s bad.”

Her heart stopped. Bad? She mused, as her throat closed up.

Her world tilted, like everything had been yanked out from under her.

“What hospital? How do you know? Why didn’t anyone call me? How is he?” The questions tumbled from her lips, frantic, desperate.

“I’ll explain when we get there,” Ivy said. “Just get ready.”

Emma barely heard her. Her mind was spiraling. Her hands felt cold and her entire body felt numb.

Alex. Her Alex, in a hospital possibly struggling for his life?

No, this couldn’t be happening.

What if… what if he was—

No. No. She couldn’t even think it. She shouldn’t even think that at all. Not for a second.

Her heart pounded so hard it hurt. She needed to get to him and now.

She forced her body to move, stumbling off the bed so fast that her sketchpad slipped from her lap and fell to the floor. She barely noticed as all she could think about was getting to her husband.

Her hands trembled as she yanked open the closet, but she couldn’t focus.

What was she even looking for?

Her mind was screaming at her to hurry, but she felt like she was moving in slow motion, like she was trapped in a nightmare she couldn’t wake up from.

Forgetting what she had gone to look for in the closet, she grabbed her phone and ran toward the door, her pulse thudding in her ears.

Only when the cold air hit her skin did she realize that she was still in her shorts and sleeveless shirt and that was what she had probably gone to change by opening her closet.

But she didn’t care. She couldn’t care. All that mattered was getting to Alex.

She sprinted down the stairs, her heartbeat erratic, her thoughts chaotic.

Her hands shook as she fumbled with the doorknob, yanking it open so hard it nearly slammed against the wall.

She barely noticed Ivy’s car pulling up in front of the house.

She barely noticed anything. All she could think was—

Please, let him be okay. She couldn’t afford for anything to happen to him.

Emma barely registered the slam of the car door as Ivy stepped out. She was still trapped in a whirlwind of panic, her heart racing with the same question over and over again.

Was Alex okay?

Ivy’s voice broke through her storming thoughts.

“Emma, what are you wearing?”

Emma blinked at her, confused for a second. She looked down at herself—shorts and a sleeveless top, the same clothes she had been wearing at home when she got the call.

Emma clenched her fists. “Ivy, I don’t care! I just want to go see my husband!”

Ivy sighed and placed a firm hand on Emma’s shoulder. “I know, Em, I know. But you don’t know who you might run into at the hospital. What if one of Alex’s business partners is there? Or worse, the media? You don’t want to show up looking like you just rolled out of bed and it’s also your birthday, don’t forget that.”

Emma groaned, frustration bubbling inside her. “I don’t care about any of that, Ivy! I just—” She stopped, her voice shaking. “I just want to get to him.”

Ivy softened but didn’t back down. “I get that. But take one minute to change, okay? Just one. Alex won’t like to wake up to see you like this in an hospital.”

Emma pressed her lips together. The last thing she wanted was to waste time picking an outfit when Alex could be lying in a hospital bed somewhere, in pain, needing her.

But Ivy wasn’t going to let her go like this. And truly, Alex might not like to see her this way.

With a deep breath, she muttered, “Fine. One minute.”

They hurried back inside, and Emma yanked open her closet, grabbing the first thing her hand landed on—a simple pair of jeans and a T-shirt.

But Ivy had other ideas.

Before Emma could react, Ivy pulled out a dress—a classic yet casual gown that wasn’t too long or too short, with soft fabric that hugged gently at the waist. It was something Emma would normally wear to a nice dinner, not to a hospital.

Emma frowned. “No way. I can’t wear that.”

Ivy gave her a pointed look. “Why not? It’s casual enough. And you’ll look put together without trying too hard. It’s still your birthday. Just consider doing it at the hospital since I know Alex would be okay. It’s just a minor accident.”

Emma huffed, crossing her arms. “It’s too much for a hospital visit and I don’t know about minor when I haven’t seen him.”

“Emma, please, just trust me, and put it on. The sooner you do, the sooner we leave.”

Emma groaned. She didn’t have the patience to argue. So, with a frustrated sigh, she snatched the dress from Ivy’s hands and changed into it.

Ivy grinned triumphantly. “See? You look good.”

Emma didn’t care how she looked. She just wanted to go.

Without another word, they rushed back to the car, and Ivy started driving.