Chapter 6 John Williams

"Emily, even if you're the Johnsons' real daughter, so what? Mia and Aiden love me now and always will. You're nothing! Everything in the Johnson family will be mine someday!"

"Mommy, Mia's mean to me. Why haven't you come back to see me? I miss you so much!"

"Emily, Olivia should be my wife. Sign this agreement now!"

In Emily's dream, faces flashed by one after another, even Michael looked at her with disdain.

"No, Michael, don't!" Emily shouted.

"Wake up, Emily. You were having a nightmare." In her panic, Emily felt someone gently stroking her hair.

Emily jolted awake from the nightmare, her forehead slick with cold sweat, disoriented and unsure of her surroundings. She looked around; the place seemed somewhat familiar.

'I remember being at Ava's grave, so how did I end up here?' Emily vaguely recalled that before she fainted, someone seemed to appear in her line of sight, and she had no memory of what happened afterward. Now, she found herself lying on a clean bed, still in her clothes, wrapped in a warm blanket. 'Did I trouble someone?'

Thinking about it, Emily hurriedly tried to get up, but then she heard someone walking in from the doorway. "Emily, you're awake."

Looking up, Emily met a pair of clear eyes. "John, what are you doing here?"

It was John Williams, her best friend since childhood. The Williams Villa was right next to the Johnsons', and they were very close as kids, going to school together every day. But after Emily got married, she rarely saw him because she had to take care of James, who was in a coma. Later, John went abroad to study, and she couldn't see him off, which was a regret that lingered in her heart.

John had been gone for six years without returning, and Emily thought he had settled abroad and wouldn't come back. She didn't expect him to return now.

"I came back for a seminar and decided to stay at home for a couple of days." John walked towards her against the light, his eyes filled with gentleness. He approached the bed, picked up some ointment, and began to apply it to the small wounds on Emily's arm. "Not happy to see me back?"

"Of course I am." Emily showed a delighted smile, naturally happy that John was back. "John, you haven't been back for so many years. Your parents often talk about you. It's really great to see you."

John paused while applying the ointment and smiled. When he looked up again, he suppressed his emotions and looked at Emily with a hint of pity. Emily's petite figure was curled up, her face pale. The once lively and charming face was now overly gaunt.

How did she end up like this in the years he was gone? John wondered, wanting to reach out and touch her fragile face but restrained himself. "It's good that you're awake. You had a fever this morning. If you hadn't woken up, I would have taken you to the hospital. You're old enough to know better, but you still can't take care of yourself."

"John, I'll be more careful next time." Emily pouted and shook John's arm. "How long did I sleep?"

The sky outside was still dark, and the rain seemed to have been falling since last night, pattering against the window. Emily felt a bit disoriented.

"Not too long. It's four in the afternoon now." John paused. "Did you have a nightmare?"

Recalling the scenes in her dream, Emily bit her lip, not wanting to talk about those awful things. "It's okay, John."

"No matter what happens, I'm here for you, Emily." John looked at Emily, feeling a pang of sadness. "Isn't today your birthday? I went to pay respects to Ava this morning and found you lying there alone with a fever. What happened?"

Thinking about everything that went down at the Smith Family yesterday, Emily's eyes reddened. She was divorced now. The Smith Mansion wasn't her home anymore, and she didn't know if she could stay at the Johnson Family. It seemed like only John remembered her birthday.

John got up, brought over a bowl of warm porridge, and picked up a spoon to feed Emily. Emily turned away. "John, I'm grown up now; I can do it myself."

John didn't insist and handed her the bowl. "Emily, you'll always be a little girl when you are around me, no matter how old you get. If you're unhappy, you can always talk to me. I'll protect you."

Hearing this, Emily trembled. All these years, she had devoted herself to taking care of James, and no one had ever asked if she was happy. But now, it was John, who wasn't even related to her, saying he would protect her.

Emily couldn't hold back anymore. Tears fell into the porridge bowl in front of her, and she threw herself into John's arms, sobbing.

"John, James and I got divorced. He likes someone else. I can't stay with him anymore." Emily cried in his arms like a wounded animal.

John stiffened for a moment, then reached out to stroke her hair. "It's okay, Emily. Don't cry. You're so good, so kind and gentle. You've given so much time and love to James. He's just a big fool. If he doesn't like you anymore, you won't see him again. You're such a wonderful girl; he doesn't deserve you. I'll support you, okay?"

John patiently comforted Emily until she finally smiled through her tears. "John, if you do that, your future wife will be unhappy. I don't want you to argue with your wife because of me."

Emily finally stopped crying. John breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't help but laugh at her words. "I'm fully committed to my medical career. I don't even have a girlfriend. Don't worry about that."

"How could someone as excellent as you not have a girlfriend? You must be setting the bar pretty high." Emily teased.

"My standards aren't high." John put away the porridge bowl and looked at Emily seriously. "I've liked someone for a long time, but she doesn't know it."

Emily looked up in surprise, her expression exaggerated. "Who makes you secretly love her for many years? Tell me!"

John interrupted her, his eyes gentle. "It's not the right time yet. I'll work hard to make her see."

"Okay, okay. Then you must work hard, John. Hurry up and get a girlfriend. Your parents are really anxious."

"Don't worry. You'll be the first to know when it happens."

Emily touched her head, feeling her fever had gone down. She jumped out of bed, ready to leave. "John, I feel much better now. Thank you for taking care of me. I need to go home and let my family know what happened. Don't worry. Even if I leave the Smith Family, I can take care of myself."

John nodded and handed her a coat. "You've grown up and have your own thoughts now. You're not the little girl who used to cling to me. Do whatever you want to do. I'll always be here for you."

Emily left the Williams Villa.

In the empty room, John sat alone on the sofa, feeling inexplicably lost. In front of him was the birthday gift he hadn't had a chance to give her.

'Emily, why won't you believe that I really want to support you?' John thought.