Chapter 73

As soon as Dr. Harold had cleared me to leave the hospital, Emily and I finally headed to her place. The moment the door clicked shut behind us, I was instantly crowded by a furious-looking Emily who yanked us over toward the couch.

She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. “Alright, spill it,” she hissed between her teeth. “You know damn well that I don’t believe a single word of what you told that doctor. As your best friend, I demand to know the real story about your so-called ‘accident’.”

I sat back against the cushions and let out a long breath.

“Just promise me that you won’t make a big deal about it. Okay?”

I watched the corner of her right eye begin to twitch in annoyance as she furrowed her brows. “Yeah, we’ll see about that,” she said tightly.

I bit the corner of my lip in heavy contemplation. It was one thing to keep the truth from my doctor, which even then was preying on my conscience, but I knew well enough that Emily wasn’t going to be as passive about it.

In fact, there was probably a higher chance of her losing her shit and marching off to James’ house and threatening him and Evenlyn within an inch of their lives.

“Alright, alright...It happened literally ten minutes after we planned that I would spend a few days here,” I started. “I went to my room to pack my bag, James saw what I was doing and demanded to know where I was going.”

“And the two of you still haven’t squared away the whole thing about Evelyn being there?” she inquired briefly.

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. “Oh please, I’ve officially given up on that ordeal. James has refused to even let me say what’s on my mind lately, so—whatever. I was well-prepared to leave. But as I was leaving the bedroom, I noticed Evelyn had been hovering near the door.”

Emily’s eyes narrowed in anger. “What the hell? Was she eavesdropping on you two?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “I guess. I don’t really care. Anyway, things became strange as I was trying to leave. Evelyn kept making these backward comments about me leaving and saying how ‘it was for the best’...”

“Then what?” she prompted.

“Something she said made me turn around. And when I did, Evelyn had pushed her hands out and shoved me down the stairs,” I said quietly.

Emily let out a seething growl that sent goosebumps racing down my spine and over my arms. But, other than that, I felt rather unfazed by her sudden outburst.

“That bitch!!” she shouted bitterly. “Wait...Why are you smiling?”

It hadn’t occurred to me that amid Emily’s minor breakdown, my features had relaxed and the corner of my mouth had curved upward into a slight smile. It was because I was reminiscing about my own wolf.

“After I fell, James tried to help me. I was so, so upset and angry at the two of them. I couldn’t stand the sight of either of them. Worst of all, I was terrified for the safety and well-being of my baby—babies that my wolf ended up making another brief appearance,” I explained.

Emily was wondrously shocked. “Your wolf...It came out again?”

I nodded my head and shifted in my seat. “Yes. Like I said, I think it was because of the fear.”

I still couldn’t believe I was expecting twins. Just having one baby worried me at times, but now two felt somewhat impossible. I wasn’t sure how I was going to approach any of this to James.

Then again, just the mere thought of him made my insides flare up with anger and my heart fill with anguish.

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

I let out a loud huff and reached for my phone. I already had a decent feeling that I knew who it was. James. According to my screen, the man had been trying to get in touch with me since I left the house. Well, I wasn’t in any mood to speak with him anyway.

As much as it hurt me to admit, I didn’t think things were going to work out with James anymore. It was heartbreaking and a reality check that I needed to consider.

A sudden loud bang on the door caused Emily and I to jolt in our spots. She swiftly got up to answer the door. A familiar voice filled the doorway, causing my stomach to churn in knots.

“I know she’s here, please. I need to talk with Mia,” James said softly.

Emily’s voice came off stern and unforgiving. “Yeah, but the real question is: does she even want to see you, let alone speak to you?”

“Please, I need to see her.”

“Emily,” I called out. “It’s okay. He and I need to talk about a few things.”

She gave me a look of hesitation before pulling back to give us some privacy. James crowded the doorway but never came into the apartment. His features were drawn in sympathy and sorrow—a look I never anticipated to see on him.

“I don’t even know where to start...Can you at least tell me if you’re alright?” he asked.

“Physically or emotionally?” I muttered.

“Both.”

I folded my arms over my chest and kept my gaze lowered.“Well, I actually went to see Dr. Harold after I left the house. I needed to make sure everything was okay with the pregnancy.”

“What did he say?”

“Surprisingly, there was no internal bleeding and nothing appeared to be torn...”

He noticed that I paused. “What is it?” he asks.

“Dr. Harold said that...I’m actually expecting twins.”

I briefly raised my eyes up to find a multitude of emotions flooding James’ face.

“Now, if we’re speaking on emotional terms, I’m afraid that’s a bit more complicated.”

“Mia, I understand how you must fe—”

“No! James, you haven’t the slightest idea how I feel. Your ex-wife intentionally pushed me down the stairs and put the lives of my babies in danger. I’ve had to live in that godforsaken house like a ghost and treated like a stranger for days. Every time I tried speaking to you, you merely pushed me away and treated me with contempt.”

A heavy silence fell between us. The tension was thick enough for someone to choke. James kept his gaze locked on the ground.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “What does this mean for us?”

I refused to let the tears fall from my eyes in front of him. “It pains me to say it...But I really can’t see us working out anymore.”