Escape from Mr. Whitman (Emma and Theodore) novel Chapter 401

Theodore was left speechless, a hint of embarrassment coloring his face.

Dr. Hawkins turned back into the examination room, leaving Theodore to return to the waiting area.

It was nearly two hours before Emma emerged from the rehabilitation room.

When Theodore saw her step out, he rose to meet her. Somehow, after just a few days apart, even saying her name—“Emma”—felt like reaching across a lifetime.

Emma, for her part, had truly hoped never to see him again. Weren’t they supposed to be strangers from now on?

He could see the impatience in her eyes and managed a rueful smile. “You can’t even stand to look at me? Do you really hate me that much?”

Emma shook her head. “No. I don’t hate you.”

For a split second, hope flickered in Theodore’s gaze. But her next words sent him crashing back to earth.

“I’ve erased you from my life. If you didn’t show up, I wouldn’t even think of you.”

Now Theodore finally understood what it meant for forgetting to be even crueler than hate. He almost wished she did hate him—at least then, she’d remember him now and then.

Emma brushed past him and headed for the exit. He followed, matching his pace to hers, quietly falling into step beside her.

The walk from the Wellness Center to the front entrance was short—too short. There was barely enough time for a few words before it would all be over.

Once, he’d had a whole lifetime to walk with her and talk with her, but he’d taken it for granted.

He wanted to say, Emma, thank you for folding those paper cranes for my grandmother. Thank you for being with her at the end.

But he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

In the end, all he managed was, “Emma, where are you moving? Have you been planning this for a while?”

He finally recalled the books she’d been reading, the language tests she’d been studying for...

He’d even teased her about her practice scores—how smug he’d been. The memory burned with shame.

Emma didn’t answer. She owed him nothing.

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify