Dumping My Fiancé For His Uncle

As expected, Thea turned down the offer again. She couldn't bear to leave Joyce. Yet, as soon as she returned to their small apartment, Thea realized her worries had been unnecessary.

The place had already resumed its warm, familiar atmosphere. There was an additional presence at the dinner table. Since Joyce couldn't cook, it could only be Jamie.

Joyce was eating enthusiastically, her mouth shining with oil, and called out to Thea. "Thea, come try Officer Miller's cooking! It's so good. He's not just great at catching bad guys. He's amazing in the kitchen too..." Jamie was, without a doubt, the ideal homemaker. Joyce, hiding her feelings in her ravenous appetite, was attempting to conceal the blush on her cheeks by lowering her face over her plate. Thea immediately caught on.

"Looks pretty good," Thea said with a slight smile. "Officer Miller, Joyce is pretty straightforward, so I hope you won't mind her forwardness. Thank you for helping out."

Jamie looked at Joyce with a touch of fondness. "We're neighbors. It's only natural to lend a hand. Miss Maddox seems to enjoy my cooking, and that makes me happy."

His gaze never left Joyce. Clearly, there was a spark on both sides. Thea felt a pang of joy herself as she discreetly slipped back to her room, leaving the laughter and cheer outside to keep her company while she worked on her presentation.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, the doctor had hinted several times to Emmalie not to waste medical resources, yet she retaliated by using foundation to paint her face a ghastly shade of pale.

She was determined to fake symptoms of pain, knowing the doctors couldn't find any actual issues. When she received news that Thea was unharmed, Emmalie nearly threw her phone in a fit of rage.

'What is it about Thea? How is it that no one can seem to take her down?' she fumed internally.

At that moment, Ivy entered the room with a lunchbox in hand. Emmalie immediately switched expressions, collapsing onto the bed, her breathing shallow and labored.

"Emmalie..." Ivy's heart ached at the sight of her frail condition, the memories hitting painfully close to home.

'If only she hadn't been trafficked to that impoverished region all those years, maybe Emmalie would be as full of life as her siblings. All of this is Thea's fault,' Ivy thought with a pang of resentment.

Clenching her teeth, Ivy gently coaxed Emmalie to drink the soup, her voice soft but laced with bitterness. "I knew it. Of the four of you, Thea's the one with the coldest heart. Her bad temper is one thing, but this time you put yourself through so much for her, nearly destroying yourself, and she hasn't even visited the hospital once."

Hearing Ivy's words, Emmalie gave a faint cough, her pale face flushing unnaturally as she shook her head. "It's not Thea's fault. It's mine.

"If I were stronger, then you guys wouldn't have had to suffer through this hospital stay with me. Sometimes, I really envy Thea, not just her health, but the fact that she has Nicolas..."

There was a glint of regret in Emmalie's eyes, though she couldn't allow herself to truly feel it.

Ivy's heart twisted with sympathy. "Why would you envy her? She's living the life that rightfully belongs to you, Emmalie. With me here, I swear I'll make sure Thea gives back everything she took from you."

Ivy's embrace held a warmth only a mother could provide, and Emmalie almost gave in to it. But she reminded herself that she had come to the Rowland family with a purpose. She couldn't let her guard down.

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After Ivy left, a caregiver entered the room to clean up. Emmali listlessly spooning the chicken soup in front of her, couldn't stomach the thick layer of grease floating on top.

She was deep in thought, her gaze flashing. Suddenly, she spilled the entire bowl onto herself. Gone was the frail, timid girl she usually portrayed in front of the Rowland family.

With a vicious swipe, she slapped the caregiver. "Are you blind? How do you even work here? Do you have any idea how expensive my pure silk nightgown is?"

In recent years, she'd grown accustomed to the pampered life in the Rowland family. Her delicate skin was now far from its previously tanned state. Though the soup was barely warm, it still managed to bring a flush to her fair skin.

"Miss Rowland, I'm sorry." The caregiver seemed like a humble person, quickly dabbing at the mess on Emmalie's gown, her expression apologetic. As she worked, she slipped off her medical mask with her free hand.

The face in front of Emmalie bore an unmistakable resemblance, close enough to steal her breath.

"Emmalie," the voice was thick with mockery, slipping right into her ear, "have things been going too easy for you these past few years? So much so that you'd dare to lay a hand on your own mother?"

The shock silenced her. Emmalie clamped her hand over her mouth as she hissed. "Are you out of your mind? How could you show up here? Are you trying to get me exposed by the Rowland family?"

A chill swept over her, freezing her spine. Their eyes, so hauntingly similar, locked in a gaze of mutual, icy disdain. Emmalie almost wished she was hallucinating..

Sarah Spencer had vanished from Emmalie's life for years. Emmalie herself had practically buried those childhood memories, trying to erase every trace of that painful past.

"Let them discover me," Sarah said coolly. She shrugged off Emmalie's grip effortlessly, then dropped into the chair Ivy had just vacated.

She was used to rough work. She easily pushed Emmalie's hand away from her lips and sat on the stool that Ivy Rowland had just sat on.

"I went through all that trouble getting you into the Rowland family, thinking you'd actually do something useful for me," she sneered, "but look at you now. Living comfortably enough to forget your own mother. Why should I let you keep Emmalie's dignity and status intact?" There was an ominous edge in her tone. Emmalie's heart raced in panic. Ivy had just stepped out to get some hot water. If she came back and saw Sarah here, everything Emmalie had worked to build would come crashing down. That was unthinkable. Emmalie forced herself to remain calm, mustering every ounce of patience she had. "Mother, you gave me life. I could forget everything in this world, but I would never forget my gratitude to you."

Her words hit their mark. Sarah seemed pleased, though she tried to hide it.

"You've been buttering up Ivy for too long. Think you can use the same tricks on me?" Sarah scoffed, her skepticism cutting deep. "You really believe I'm as gullible as her? That I can't tell good from bad?"

Ivy and Sarah shared a resemblance, and that resemblance was the very reason Sarah had managed to place Emmalie with the Rowlands.

Emmalie's memories of her childhood were blurred, with only a few fragments left. She remembered that one day, Sarah had come home with a little girl she'd found somewhere.

Despite their struggling circumstances, not only did Sarah decide to keep the child, but she even gave her Emmalie's original name, declaring that from then on, the girl would be known as Emmalie. 12:33 Wed, Nov

"Winnie Spencer," Sarah said icily, "have you grown so comfortable that you've forgotten who you really are?"

Emmalie could never forget. Her real name was Winnie Spencer an illegitimate child unwanted by her own mother.

Emmalie had spent countless nights praying to the heavens, thinking, 'If only I were truly Emmalie, the beloved daughter of the Rowland family. How wonderful would that be?' But those wishes had been futile.

"So," Sarah's voice broke her reverie, her eyes cold and impatient. "How's the job I gave you coming along?"

Emmalie shook her head, her voice almost a whisper. "Ivy and Max act like they adore me, but they've never trusted me with anything related to the Rowland Group. Their guard is up tighter than ever. Mom, I really have done all I could."

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