Chapter 6

EMMA'S POV

They. Are. Together.

And me? I’m here. On the floor.  I sat there, feeling like a total mess, my knees digging into the cold floor, the ache in my stomach still gnawing at me.

My hands hung limply in my lap as Ava’s sobs echoed through the room. Honestly, it was worse than nails on a chalkboard.

"Do you need to go to the hospital?" Sebastian asked, voice laced with worry. But he still hadn’t even bothered to check on me, not once.

Ava shook her head violently, tears streaming down her flushed cheeks as she cried, “I’m fine, I’m fine,” over and over again. You could barely hear her over her consistent hiccups as she sobbed. 

I didn’t move. I didn’t say a word. I just sat there, my eyes blank, staring at the mess of scattered art supplies around me. 

It wasn’t until Sebastian turned to me that I felt how angry he was. Was he mad at me? Of course, he was. “Emma,” he said, his tone cold like he was preparing to scold me, “how could you be so inconsiderate?”  

I flinched, but I didn’t look at him.  

Gloria, of course, was quick to add, her voice loud. “She’s done nothing wrong, Emma! Nothing! And you had the guts to push her. How dare you?” Gloria’s words stabbed at me, and I could feel her glare even though I wasn't looking at her.  

Sebastian wasn’t finished. “You don’t hurt a pregnant woman, no matter what happens. She is a pregnant woman, for heaven's sake,” he added. I could hear the disappointment and judgement in his voice, and it hurt me.

My head snapped up at that, the words bubbling up inside me before I could stop them. I wanted to scream it, to throw it in their faces that I was pregnant too.

“I…” I started.

But the words never came.  

“You what?” He asked with a frown.

The words caught in my throat, choking me, and all I could manage was to lower my head, whispering, “It’s nothing.”  

Nothing. It really was nothing. Nothing I said would make him believe me or stand up for me.

I turned away from them, my chest pounding as tears welled up in my eyes, fingers trembling as I began gathering my scattered supplies. 

My paintings were scattered around, and I moved to get Matthew’s painting, sandwiching it between the sheets, but not before tears slipped from my cheeks and splattered onto the sheet, smudging the charcoal lines.  

“Who is that?” Sebastian asked coldly.

I froze, my hands hovering over the painting. 

He took a step closer, his eyes narrowing at the portrait. “Who’s in that painting?”  

Panic surged through me, but I swallowed it down. I reminded myself of the way he misunderstood me, the way he always assumed the worst. My heart hardened, and I looked back at him with a very cold stare. 

“It’s someone important,” I said, my voice icy.

His brows furrowed, his expression darkening further. He didn’t like my answer, of course, he didn’t. “Important?” he pressed, his tone accusatory.  

I could feel the anger rising in my chest. I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palms as I snapped, “If you can invite your friends to live here so freely, why can’t I have my friends too?”  

The room went dead quiet, like someone hit the mute button.

Sebastian opened his mouth, like he was about to say something, but then just… nothing. His jaw was tight, hands balled into fists, and his eyes were locked on me like he was trying to figure out if I was serious. After what felt like forever, he sighed, his breath sharp, and muttered, “Apologize to Ava.”

Apologize? Please. As if I'd even think about it. Like I’m going to say sorry to her—for what? Being the one still here while she plays her little act? 

“No,” I said, my voice firm. I was definitely not going to apologize to Ava, never. I wasn't at fault so I wasn't going to. Even though I respected and loved Sebastian, I wasn't going to do it.

His eyes narrowed. “Emma,”  

“I said no,” I repeated, cutting him off. “I will not apologize.”  

“It's fine Sebastian. She didn't do anything wrong, it was just a mistake.” Ava said softly, making me snap my head towards her. She really was a good actress. Scoffing, I bit my lip and stared hard at the ground.

“You are so sweet and kind, Ava, unlike someone.” Gloria added, “Sebastian, like Ava has said, it's fine. We'll let this go.” Let this go? They will let this go? I looked up at Sebastian, hoping he would see through them and help me but he didn't.

His gaze lingered on me, cold, before he turned away. He moved to Ava’s side, his movements gentle as he placed a hand on her arm, guiding her toward the stairs. “You need to rest,” he said softly.  

Gloria was at Ava’s side in an instant, fussing over her like a mother hen as they made their way out of the room.  

Sebastian stopped at the doorway, glancing back at me. His eyes held something I couldn’t quite place, anger, disappointment, maybe even pity.  

“You’re too headstrong, Emma,” he said finally, his voice low. “I’m very disappointed in you.” My eyes moved to Ava's who smiled back at me.

“Ow, can we go Seb?” She asked and scrunched her face like she was in pain. This two-faced….

And then, before I could reply, he was gone, leaving me sitting alone in the living room.