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"It's true!" Linda chimed in. "She slipped. We saw it."
"She's evil—killed her own child to frame us!"
The room fell silent.
David's voice was strained. "Emma, why were you at their house?"
He still doubted me.
I looked up, tears flowing. "Why don't you believe me?"
"You know they hate me, yet you trust them over me."
I trembled, playing vulnerable.
David hugged me, apologizing.
Linda raged, "Stop faking! You're the vicious one!"
I almost laughed. She was the queen of framing people.
Wiping tears, I played the edited recording—Chloe's voice:
"That brat shouldn't exist."
David's breathing hardened.
Chloe had overstepped—he'd hired her to make me jealous, but she'd schemed for more.
Chloe blurted, "That's not me! She edited it!"
"Besides, I only hit her face, not her stomach!"
Idiot. Linda looked ready to strangle her.
After a pause, David snarled, "So you did hit her."
I lost count of his slaps. Linda wailed.
Robert, ever greedy, held her back, scared of losing David's money.
When David called HR to fire Chloe, she fainted.
Linda attacked him, scratching and biting.
"You monster! I'll kill you!"
David kicked her away, glaring.
"Monster? Without my money, your family would be nothing."
"Chloe's fired. And I'm cutting ties with your factory."
Robert panicked. "But we've stockpiled inventory for you! Canceling now ruins us!"
David laughed coldly. "Blame your daughter. Greed has consequences."
"Remember the contract? You can't sell those goods to anyone else. Try it, and you'll owe me tenfold."
Robert collapsed, stunned.
He'd signed a lopsided deal to curry favor—now his stock was worthless.
David had controlled them all along.
After leaving the hospital, I insisted on staying with Mom.
Before leaving, I said, "David, any changes to the divorce papers?"
He stared silently.
I pressed, "Or sign the divorce now. Let the courts handle assets."
He frowned. "Emma, we can be happy without a baby."
"Or if you want one, after you recover—"
