Chapter 75

Will was surprised when he saw Emma’s father’s room was empty.

​ “Excuse me,” he stopped a nurse that was walking by.

​ “Yes sir? Oh hello Mr. Stewart.”

​ “Hello. Where are my wife and my father-in-law?”

​ “Oh,” the nurse’s face went pale. “Mr. Wells was discharged earlier today and she… took him home.”

​ “Discharged? Why wasn’t I informed of this?”

​ “My apologies. We assumed you knew. After Miss Emma fainted…”

​ “Fainted?” Will yelled “What do you mean she fainted?”

​ “I’m sorry,” The nurse shrank away. “She fainted earlier and refused any medical follow up. She insisted she was fine. Shortly after that, she had her father discharged and said she was taking him home.”

​ Will ran back out of the hospital towards his car, not listening to the rest of the nurse’s explanation. He had to find Emma. He called and called and called but she didn’t answer.

​ “Dammit, Emma. Where are you?” he asked the sky. He kept calling. The calls continued to be unanswered. But he had no intentions of stopping. He would call her 100 times if he had to.

​ “What?” Emma finally answered.

​ “Where are you? Why did you leave the hospital without telling me?”

​ “You really didn’t listen to me. I told you I was leaving.”

​ “I told you that couldn’t go.”

​ “You said you wouldn’t grant me a divorce.”

​ “It’s the same thing!”

​ “We need some time apart. We’re heated, and upset…”

​ “You’re damn right I’m heated and upset! How are you so calm? And what’s this mess I hear about you fainting in the hospital?”

​ “I’m fine.”

​ “Where are you?” he repeated.

​ “I’m not going to tell you. Please Will, just let me live my life.” She hung up.

​ Emma let her head fall onto her new kitchen counter. It took everything in her to keep her emotions in check during that call. She took a few deep breaths before she straightened up. Night had fallen and Emmett was sound asleep. His medications made him very tired and ensured he would sleep through the night. But Emma scribbled him a quick note anyway. Just in case.

​ *Went for a walk. Be back late. Call me if you need me to come back. Love, Emma.*

​ She went downstairs and meandered in the park by the building. It was small and quiet. A few of her new neighbors milled about, nodding their heads in greeted as they passed her. Emma smiled back to be polite, but was breaking down inside. The cool night air helped to soothe her frazzled soul.

​ Her phone buzzed in her pocket. She feared it was Will, but was relieved when she saw it was a text from Spencer.

​ *Are you all settled in?*

​ *As much as we can be right now,* she answered back.

​ *Are you up to get a drink?*

​ *That would be nice.*

​ *There is a good spot close to you. I’m at the studio now. I’ll pick you up in a few minutes.*

​ *No that’s okay. If it’s close, I’ll walk. I need the air.*

​ *Are you sure?*

​ *Positive. I’ll meet you there.*

​ Spencer messaged her the name of the bar, and it was right down the street from her. A five-minute walk tops. As she walked towards the bar, her mind wandered in every direction except the one she wanted it to. All she wanted was to get William Stewart out of her mind, and he just wouldn’t leave. Would she be able to run from him forever? Eventually, they would have to hash this out.

​ Spencer was waiting for outside when she arrived.

​ “Are you all right? He asked when he saw her. “You look troubled.”

​ “I feel troubled,” Emma admitted. “I checked my dad out of the hospital, and moved us into the apartment without telling Will.”

​ “I thought he knew,” Spencer said as he escorted Emma inside.

​ “If he did, he’d never let me go.”

​ “Emma, I don’t know about this. If you two just sat down and talked, I’m sure you could reach a consensus that worked out for you both.”

​ “That’s the problem. Will and I can’t talk. We suck at talking.” The words fell out of Emma’s mouth without her permission. “Every time we try and have a discussion, it ends up in some crazy explosion. The only thing we are good at is…” Emma stopped herself before finishing that statement. *That* was none of Spencer’s business. “…we aren’t good at talking is what I’m trying to say.” She blushed.

​ “Emma…” Spencer cautioned. “This isn’t okay.”

​ “Please don’t. I really don’t need that, right now.”

​ “I’m sorry. Let me get you a drink.”

​ Spencer ordered them drinks, and Emma downed hers pretty quickly. She didn’t speak much after the drinks started flowing. She kept shooting the back, trying to erase the last few days from her memory.

​ “Emma, I know you’re hurting right now,” Spencer tried to comfort her. “But things will get better with time. It won’t feel like that now, but it will. I’ll be here for you in any way you need.”

​ “We had like… one good day,” Emma slurred. “The funny part is that we joked about how one of us would ruin it. We joked about it,” Emma cried and laughed at the same time. “We’re just no good together. We don’t work.”

​ Spencer didn’t know what to say. Emma was in pain, and there seemed to nothing he could do about it. He hated Will for reducing her to this. He wanted to protect her no matter what. Perhaps, when things had cooled down, and Emma was all right again, he would pursue in earnest. But right now, she wasn’t ready.

​ “Let me take you home,” he said to her.

​ “Home,” Emma mumbled. “I wanna go home.”

​ Meanwhile, Will had run to his office, using every resource he could to try and find Emma.

​ “Mr. Stewart, Miss Grace Cunning has called several times…” his secretary tried to tell him.

​ “I don’t care. I need to fine Emma. Get the security division on the phone. And see if you can use any of your old contacts. I have to find her. Tonight.”

​ “Yes sir.”

​ Will paced back and forth in his office, waiting for anyone to get back to him.

​ “Excuse me, ma’am!” he heard the receptionist calling out. “You can’t go back there.”

​ “This is my son’s company! I can go wherever I want!”

​ Will rolled his eyes.

​ “Let her come,” Will announced. Julia marched into his office. Her face was twisted into its signature sour expression. “What do you want?”

​ “That’s not a proper way to greet your mother.”

​ “My mother? When I see her, I’ll be sure to give her a proper greeting,” Will snapped. “What do you want?”

​ “I thought I raised you better than that!” Julia put a hand to her chest, in a feigned affront.

​ “You didn’t raise me. I’m already tired of this. Tell me why you’re here, or leave.”

​ “Someday you’ll thank me.”

​ “Get out,” Will pointed for her to leave.

​ “I know something about your precious wife that you should know,” Julia blurted out. “Now that she’s disappeared, these things make more sense.”

​ “How do you know she’s gone?”

​ “I’m your mother,” she said with a haughty tone. “I make sure to keep tabs on you.”

​ “I… actually hate that. So, what do you know?”

​ “Your grandfather left her a trust fund before he died. It was a secret just between them. He promised it to her after he died. He also gave her your grandmother’s ring. I was looking for it, and couldn’t find, so I know that she has it.”

​ “And?”

​ “Don’t you see? I was right about her the whole time. Now that she has Conrad’s money, she doesn’t need you anymore. That’s why she’s disappeared. It was all part of her plan. She’s nothing but a little gold-digging whore.”

​ “That’s enough!”

​ “I’m just trying to look out for you.”

​ “Oh, now? Now that I’m a grown man, you want to look out for me? Great timing, Julia,” Will hissed.

​ “You’re going to take her side over mine? We’re family!”

​ “Shut up! You’re talking about how Emma only wants my money, but that’s exactly what you’re here for. You don’t have Pop’s money anymore and now you want mine. Get out.”

​ “William…”

​ “Get. The fuck. Out!” Will screamed. Julia frowned and walked out.

​ “You’ll see. I’m right,” she said before she left. Will fell into a chair, and put his head in his hands. His mind was spinning with information he didn’t want. He didn’t know who to believe anymore. Nothing made sense, and he didn’t know who was on side anymore. It seemed like everyone was lying to him, using him for something.

​ “Why did you go, Pop?” Will said. “I need you right now.”

​ Will refused to leave the office until someone had found Emma. He refused to see or speak to anyone until she was located. The sun had set and risen, and he was still slumped over in a chair in his office.

​ “Mr. Stewart,” the receptionist ran in. “We’ve found her!”

​ “Where?” Will jumped out of the chair, snatching up his car keys.

​ “We’ve sent the address to your phone. Please, let me get you a driver.”

​ “No. I have to go myself.”

​ Will ran out of the office. The only words in his mind were, *Emma, why did you leave me?*
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