Escape from Mr. Whitman (Emma and Theodore) novel Chapter 42

“So, you want to buy a house?”

Gabriella blinked, then nodded, uncertain what Emma was getting at.

Emma let out a cold laugh. “Well, there’s one way to do it.”

“What is it?” Jonathan and Gabriella spoke in unison, their eyes suddenly alight with hope.

Emma picked up her purse, voice dripping with sarcasm. “Simple. I’ll divorce Theodore, and Jonathan’s girlfriend can marry him instead. Forget a house–she’ll have everything Theodore owns, and you can skip the middleman’s cut!”

The three faces across the table stared at her, stunned into silence.

Only Theodore, beside her, suddenly laughed out loud.

Emma hadn’t expected that. She’d thought her words would offend him, but when she looked up, she saw that Theodore was genuinely amused–he hadn’t even tried to hide his smile.

Either way, the meal was over for her. She pushed back her chair and headed for the

exit.

Her family was too shocked to stop her.

Whatever mess Theodore was about to clean up behind her, she didn’t care to find out. She pressed the elevator button and waited.

When the elevator arrived and the doors slid open, Theodore stepped out at the same moment. They both entered the lift together.

“What’s going on with you today? Why are you so angry?” Theodore asked, pressing the button for the parking garage.

Emma drew a deep breath. “Theodore, let me ask you something.”

He looked at her, startled. “Go ahead.”

“In your mind, how much is my leg worth?” She pointed down at her foot.

His eyes darkened. “Why would you ask that?”

Emma felt tears prickling at her eyes, her heart aching. “I want to know–just how much debt are you planning to pay off for my leg?”

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Theodore fell silent.

“I know you don’t like them,” she whispered. “I know why you say yes to everything they ask–it’s because of my leg, isn’t it? Is there a price ceiling for what you’ll pay? How long are you going to keep footing the bill for me?”

“Emma…”

The elevator doors slid open again. A stranger stood outside, hesitating when he saw Emma’s reddened eyes and Theodore standing close to her.

Theodore nodded, gently turned Emma’s shoulder, shielding her face from the stranger’s gaze.

The conversation was over for now.

The elevator descended to the underground parking. At some point, Theodore had wrapped his arms tightly around her, holding her close. Emma pressed against his chest, breathing in the scent of his shirt.

As soon as the elevator emptied, Emma pushed him away and strode out. Theodore followed, his gaze fixed on her retreating back.

Once they were in the car, Theodore started the engine but didn’t drive off right away. He sat in silence for a long moment before finally speaking.

“Emma,” he said softly, “I told you before. You don’t need to worry about any of this. Just be Mrs. Whitman and let me handle the rest. It’s nothing for me.‘

“Right,” Emma choked out, her voice hoarse. “It’s nothing to you. Money, houses, cars–they’re all easy for you. But to me, it feels like I sold you my leg, and you keep paying for it over and over. I hate this, Theodore. Even if you are paying for my leg, five years is more than enough. Let’s just end it here, okay? The transaction’s over, the debt’s paid. Let’s both move on…”

He said nothing, just put the car in gear and pulled away.

Music filled the silence–soft, haunting lyrics about a wedding night, a bride who couldn’t smile, a careless mistake that ruined a life, apologies that came too late. Every word struck deep, the pain swelling with each note, threatening to drown her.

Emma covered her face with her hands. Hot tears streamed down, soaking her palms.

“Theodore, why do you listen to this kind of song? Can’t we just… stop hurting each other?” Her voice broke as she sobbed.

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Chapter 43