Back To Reality
1144 Words
Emma woke up the next morning with a heavy heart. The sun pushed through the thin curtains of her tiny apartment, lighting up the room in soft yellow. But there was no warmth in it, not for her. Not today.
She sat up slowly, her hand resting on her stomach. The memory of those two pink lines was still fresh in her mind. It didn’t feel real, but the ache in her chest told her it was.
I can’t stay here, Emma thought. The city, the streets, the people, everything reminded her of Nathaniel. His voice, his eyes, the way he had made her feel like she mattered for one night, only to disappear like she meant nothing.
She stood up and walked to the small window. Down below, the city was alive. People moving like nothing had changed. But for Emma, everything had.
She grabbed her phone and checked her messages. None from him. Not that she expected one. It had been weeks since that night. Weeks of silence. Weeks of pretending she was fine when her heart was breaking a little more every day.
Her fingers hovered over her friend’s contact Maya. She wanted to tell her, to let it all out. But she knew what Maya would say. Go to him. Tell him the truth.
Emma couldn’t. She wasn’t strong enough for that.
With a deep breath, she made a decision. She was leaving. Not just the city, the whole country. She didn’t know where yet, but anywhere far away sounded good.
She pulled out her old laptop and searched for plane tickets. Her eyes stopped at one word.
Paris.
A place where no one knew her. A place she could disappear.
The ticket wasn’t cheap, but she had just enough saved from her tips and late-night shifts. It would be tight, but she didn’t care. She was leaving tonight.
She packed what little she owned into a worn-out suitcase. A few clothes, her mother’s necklace, and the ultrasound appointment card she hadn’t yet canceled. Her heart ached as she stared at it.
“I’m sorry, little one,” she whispered. “But we need to go.”
She scribbled a quick note for Maya.
I’m sorry I didn’t say goodbye. I have to leave. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be okay. Take care of yourself. I’ll miss you.
— Emma
No explanations. No details. It was better this way.
The diner was busy when Emma walked in for the last time. The bell above the door jingled as usual, and the smell of coffee and grease filled the air. She held her head high, even though her stomach twisted with nerves.
“Hey, girl,” Maya called from behind the counter, flashing her a warm smile. “You look pale. Everything okay?”
Emma forced a smile. “Just a rough night.”
Maya’s smile faded. “You sure? You’ve been off for days.”
“I’m fine,” Emma lied. “Really.”
Maya studied her for a second, then nodded. “Okay… but you know I’m here if you need to talk, right?”
“I know.” Emma’s voice cracked a little. She quickly grabbed an apron and ducked behind a table before Maya could say more.
As she worked, snippets of conversation floated through the air. A pair of women sitting at a booth nearby were whispering about someone, their voices low but sharp.
“I heard Nathaniel Blackwell’s back in town,” one of them said.
Emma’s hands froze mid-wipe.
“Yeah,” the other woman replied. “And guess what? He’s looking for someone. Nobody knows who. Some girl, apparently. Must be serious. That man never chases anyone.”
Emma’s heart pounded so loud, she was sure the whole diner could hear it. She forced herself to move, to keep cleaning, to act normal.
“He’s looking for me?” She thought to herself.
A cold sweat broke out across her back. She couldn’t let him find her. Not now. Not like this.
“I hear it’s a supermodel he fell in love with” one of the ladies said unsure of who it might be
“Oh-“ Emma thought to herself. “Of course, why would he look for me? I’m just an ordinary waitress he had a one night stand with.”
She finished her shift without another word. Every tick of the clock made her more anxious. When her last table left, she untied her apron, grabbed her bag, and rushed out the back door without saying goodbye.
The cool air hit her face as she stepped into the alley behind the diner. She glanced around, half-expecting to see him there, waiting. But the alley was empty.
She took a deep breath and started walking.
At the airport, Emma felt like a ghost. She moved through the crowds, clutching her passport and boarding pass like they were the only things keeping her together. The place was loud, full of people rushing to their own destinations, their own stories.
But Emma wasn’t running toward something. She was running away.
Her stomach twisted again, and she leaned against a wall to steady herself.
“You okay, miss?” a kind older woman asked.
Emma managed a weak smile. “Yeah… just tired.”
The woman patted her arm and walked on. Emma tightened her grip on her bag.
“Boarding for Flight 452 to Paris.”
Her flight.
She took one last look at the airport entrance, half-expecting Nathaniel to burst through, calling her name.
But no one came.
With trembling hands, Emma walked through the gate.
Back in the city, Nathaniel Blackwell stood in his office, staring out at the night sky. His hazel eyes were hard, his jaw tight. His assistant, Daniel, stood behind him.
“We’ve checked every hospital, every apartment under her name,” Daniel said carefully. “No sign of her.”
Nathaniel’s voice was cold. “Then check again. Check every bar, every diner. She didn’t just disappear.”
Daniel hesitated. “There’s… a chance she left the country.”
Nathaniel turned, his gaze sharp. “Then find out where.”
Daniel nodded quickly and left the room.
Nathaniel rubbed a hand over his face, frustration burning in his chest. He had waited too long. Let her slip away. And now, when he finally realized what she meant to him, she was gone.
But he wasn’t giving up.
Not now.
“I’ll find you, Emma,” he whispered to the empty room. “No matter where you run.”
And across the ocean, in a small apartment in Paris, Emma Carter stared out at a city of lights. A new city. A new life.
She placed a gentle hand on her stomach and whispered, “We’re safe now.”
But fate wasn’t done with them yet.
- Writer
