Escape from Mr. Whitman (Emma and Theodore) novel Chapter 86

She looked back at them, too, her smile calm and composed, utterly unruffled.

Gradually, the laughter faded. Theodore stopped first, then the others quieted down

one by one.

She met Theodore’s eyes and, still smiling, asked, “Do you think it’s funny?”

Theodore’s gaze darkened.

Emma kept her smile, her voice even. “Is it that amusing to laugh at your wife along with everyone else?”

For a moment, Theodore didn’t answer.

“Emma…” Cecilia’s eyes were rimmed with red as she tried to jump in.

Is she about to start her performance again?

Emma had no interest in watching, nor any obligation to play along. She slipped on her headphones, shutting out the entire group.

Whatever pitiful act Cecilia put on for Theodore after that, Emma couldn’t care less.

She wished she’d never met any of them.

From this point on, she was determined–this trip marked the end of any association with these people.

When the plane landed, she went to collect her luggage.

Cecilia, putting on a show of being “one of the guys,” yanked open the overhead bin and called out in a conspicuously loud voice, “Theo, help Emma with her bag–she’s

not up for it!”

Emma: …Excuse me?

Theodore, who’d just been about to grab Cecilia’s suitcase, paused, then changed course and opened the compartment for Emma instead.

Emma almost laughed out loud. So, he was only helping her out of deference to Cecilia?

Theodore frowned. “What’s so funny?” He clearly didn’t like her expression.

Her smile only deepened. “I was just thinking…should I thank Cici for her thoughtfulness?”

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As soon as Cecilia was mentioned, everyone’s attention shifted straight to Emma, eyes wary, as if a woman with a limp could pose any threat to Cecilia at all.

Cecilia hurriedly protested, “No, no need to thank me, Emma…”

Emma didn’t even acknowledge her, locking her gaze on Theodore. She smiled, “Should I be grateful to Cici for lending me my husband for a minute to carry my bag?”

“Emma!” Theodore’s face changed instantly.

And not just his–Jared and Hanley looked about ready to explode. Jared even clenched his fist.

Were they going to hit her now?

Cecilia’s eyes brimmed with fresh tears, her breath hitching in a soft, wounded sob.

Honestly, Emma wondered what she’d supposedly done to “bully” Cecilia this time.

“Excuse me, I don’t have any luggage. But thank you anyway, Mr. Whitman.” Emma let her smile fade, brushed past Theodore, and headed for the exit.

Behind her, Cecilia’s voice trembled, “Theo, I really meant well…”

“I know.” That was Theodore.

Almost on top of his words came Jared’s sharp voice: “Theo, what is your wife good for besides picking on Cici? Cici, you’re just too soft!”

Cecilia–soft? Now that was the joke of the century.

Emma took a cab home from the airport on her own. She knew Theodore’s company would have sent a car for him, but so what? Was there ever a seat in that car for her?

She’d long since stopped expecting a place in their world.

It was a circle she’d never belong to, not in this lifetime.

Back home, she napped for two hours. When she woke, there was a text: her visa for the tour abroad with Ms. Brown had been approved, and her passport would be arriving in the next couple of days.

The sour taste of the morning’s flight was almost entirely replaced by excitement.

Everything was progressing quietly, smoothly. For the first time in ages, life felt like it was moving forward with hope.

She changed, called a ride, and went to see the veteran doctor’s student for a

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meridian therapy session.

Would it help? She had no idea. But then, she’d spent five years learning foreign languages and music theory, things that had once seemed useless too. You never knew when something unexpected might finally matter.