Chapter 8 - The Husband Who Came Begging
Michael found me two days later.
He arrived at the hospital under the pretense of being a grieving husband seeking confirmation that his wife had been declared dead.
Adrian's security team intercepted him before he reached the ward.
I watched from behind the glass as Michael argued with the guards.
His face looked pale and exhausted.
When he finally saw me, he stopped moving.
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then he pressed his palms against the glass.
“Emily.”
I stepped closer, keeping the security door between us.
He began to cry.
“I thought you were dead.”
“You pushed me off a cliff.”
His mouth opened, then closed.
“I didn't mean—”
“Don't.”
He looked at my stomach.
“Is the baby okay?”
The question almost made me laugh.
“You don't get to pretend you're a father now.”
“Emily, please. I was desperate. I owed money. They threatened me.”
“Who?”
“Victor. He said if I didn't cooperate, he'd destroy us both.”
“You chose to destroy me first.”
Michael lowered his head.
“I know.”
“No, you don't.”
I took a breath.
“You knew I was pregnant. You knew I trusted you. You knew I was afraid of heights. And you took me to that mountain anyway.”
He covered his face.
For one brief moment, I saw the man I had once loved.
Then I remembered the words he had spoken above the cliff.
For fifty million dollars, she'd better be.
The memory erased every trace of pity.
Michael began offering explanations.
Ashley had encouraged him. His debts had grown beyond control. Victor had promised to make everything disappear if Michael helped recover my father's records.
He said he had planned to scare me into giving up the key.
He said the shove had been a mistake.
But the insurance documents, the staged funeral, and the conversations about the payout told a different story.
“You didn't call for help,” I said. “You left me there.”
His eyes filled with tears.
“I panicked.”
“You walked away.”
Adrian appeared beside me.
“That's enough.”
Michael glared at him.
“You have no right to interfere in my marriage.”
Adrian's voice remained quiet.
“She stopped being your possession when you tried to kill her.”
Security officers entered the room with federal agents.
Michael's face drained of color.
One agent read him his rights and placed him under arrest on suspicion of attempted murder, insurance fraud, conspiracy, and financial crimes.
As they led him away, he turned toward me.
“Emily! Tell them you know I loved you!”
I looked at the man who had tried to erase my existence.
“I know you wanted the money more.”
The doors closed behind him.
I thought I would feel triumphant.
Instead, I felt grief.
Not because I wanted him back, but because I finally had to bury the future I once believed we would share.
Adrian stayed beside me without speaking.
Eventually, I whispered, “I don't know how to begin again.”
May you like
He answered simply.
“One day at a time.”
