Chapter 4
"Daniel, you can stay in the guest room!"
Emily opened the door, then bent down to get the slippers. As she did, she froze.
This apartment—she had rented it secretly, without Alexander's knowledge.
On their first wedding anniversary, Alexander had gotten drunk and, remarkably, opened up to her about many things he'd never shared before.
He told her he'd never really experienced the warmth of family growing up and didn't know how to express his feelings properly.
He said his parents were always busy, and he actually hated their empty mansion, wanting instead a small, cozy place with someone he loved.
He mentioned liking warm, homey decor rather than the cold black, white, and gray color scheme of their current home.
Although Alexander returned to his usual coldness once sober, Emily had treasured every word from that night.
She'd signed a five-year lease on this 900-square-foot two-bedroom apartment, transforming it into the warm home he'd described, waiting for the right moment to show him.
She never imagined that moment would never come.
Ironically, her secret had now become her escape route.
Daniel peered inside and also paused in surprise. "Is this your place with your husband? Don't worry, Emily. I can find somewhere else to stay."
Daniel didn't know that Emily's husband was Alexander.
When Daniel went to prison, Emily was still a graduate student at Bellevue University. Who could have imagined that an orphan with no family connections would become the wife of the Foster Group's CEO?
He turned to leave, but Emily quickly grabbed his wrist.
Where would someone just released from prison get money for housing?
"Daniel, please stay. I'm filing for divorce anyway, so it doesn't matter. Besides, you're like a real brother to me."
Emily would never forget how Daniel had protected her when she first arrived at Dawn Children's Home, standing between her and the older kids who tried to bully her.
She remembered how a well-off couple had wanted to adopt just Daniel, but he insisted on bringing her along, resulting in both of them remaining at the home.
Without Daniel, Emily might not have grown up as healthy and strong as she had.
In her heart, Daniel truly was her brother.
After speaking, Emily handed him a pair of men's slippers.
"Have a seat, Daniel. There's food and drinks in the fridge—help yourself. I'll go make up your bed."
Watching Emily walk away, Daniel's narrow eyes filled with guilt.
Early the next morning, Emily arrived at the pharmaceutical research institute.
If she had a choice, she wouldn't have given in to Sophie.
But for Dawn Children's Home, she had no alternatives.
The receptionist at the entrance was a young woman with a pleasant, doll-like face.
When she heard Emily was looking for Sophie, her smile instantly vanished. "Dr. Laurent is in a meeting. Wait over there."
Emily hesitated but didn't argue. She walked to the sofa by the window and sat down.
With nothing else to do, she took out her phone to check if any of her job applications had received responses.
Since she'd asked Alexander for a divorce, continuing at the Foster Group was obviously impossible.
Everything in life required money—especially her medical treatment. She needed a job.
The air was permeated with a faint herbal scent that made Emily nostalgic.
Many people disliked that smell, but she loved it. All her professors had said Emily was born for pharmaceutical research.
Yet she had abandoned further studies to marry Alexander, switching to law—a field she knew nothing about.
Fortunately, Emily was intelligent. Within three years, she had earned her law license and established herself in the legal field.
She had sent resumes to several law firms and major companies, but received no responses, not even a single reply.
Emily frowned slightly, put her phone on standby, and reassured herself it was still early—perhaps responses would come by noon.
Time ticked by slowly. Every half hour, Emily approached the reception desk to ask when Sophie's meeting would end, but each time she was told to keep waiting.
During her final inquiry, the receptionist was visibly annoyed. "Dr. Laurent's meeting concerns the lives of thousands of people. No matter how urgent your business is, you'll have to wait!"
Emily's eyes reflected restrained frustration.
If not for the children's home, she wouldn't care about Sophie's reputation—the woman had brought the criticism on herself.
Returning to the sofa, Emily felt a wave of dizziness.
She took out a mirror and examined herself.
With makeup on, Emily's complexion looked decent, but the sweat beading on her forehead and around her nose betrayed her discomfort.
Emily took a deep breath and struggled to her feet.
She needed to get to the hospital immediately.
Just as she reached the door, the receptionist called out to her. "Hey, where are you going?"
Emily replied weakly, "I'm not feeling well. I need to leave."
The receptionist sneered. "I've never seen someone so insincere! Dr. Laurent is such an exceptional and distinguished woman—you can't wait a few hours without throwing a tantrum? Who do you think you are compared to Dr. Laurent in terms of education, ability, or appearance? I'm telling you, if you leave now, don't expect to see Dr. Laurent again!"
The repeated references to "Dr. Laurent" left Emily feeling bitter.
If she had stayed in academia, she might have been a doctor herself by now.
But life offered no do-overs.
Emily bit her lip and returned to the sofa.
The room was beginning to blur. Emily bit her tongue to stay conscious.
She approached the reception desk once more, her voice barely audible.
"Please... could you... ask..."
The receptionist looked up from her phone impatiently. "I told you to wait! Can't you understand simple instructions? Dr. Laurent is—hey! What's wrong with you? Faking illness won't work!"
Before the receptionist could finish, Emily collapsed heavily onto the floor.
The young woman panicked.
Though she had been bullying Emily using Sophie's name, she wasn't truly malicious—she'd been following someone else's instructions. Seeing Emily faint, she immediately called 911.
Just as the ambulance took Emily away, Sophie's name appeared in the trending topics again.
This time, the headline was equally explosive and designed to provoke public emotion:
#Reversed Roles! Homewrecker Sophie Laurent Causes The Legal Wife to Collapse!#
The accompanying photo showed Emily lying on the floor of the research institute, though her face was still blurred.
The post created an uproar. Angry female netizens flooded the research institute's official account, tagging Sophie's profile with insults.
Male internet users, meanwhile, compared Sophie's figure to the original wife's, concluding that Alexander was a lucky man.
When Emily regained consciousness, it was already afternoon.
A man in an impeccable suit sat beside her hospital bed, bathed in golden sunlight.
"Ale..."