STAY WITH ME.

CHAPTER TWO.

I sat behind the wheel of my car, my eyes fixed on the dimly lit street in front of me, but my mind was miles away, caught in the past. I always knew- deep down that if push came to shove, my parents would side with Lily. Somehow though, the truth of it stung deeper now.

“why did i think this time would be different?” I muttered, bitterness lacing my voice. I have lost count of the times Lily’s needs, her whims, her every little accomplishments have overshadowed everything i managed to achieve. i can almost hear my mothers voice now, in this car.

“Oh Em, you don’t mind do you? Lily’s just delicate”

The phrase echoing in my head, as familiar as the rhythm of my heartbeat. delicate. every scraped knee. every bad grade, every tantrum- lily has always been treated like something breakable. I closed my eyes and saw myself as a child, bright eyed and hopeful, clutching a report card filled with high marks. “Look, Dad!” I said thrusting it towards him in pride.

Dad barely looked up, distracted by what he was doing. “Good job Emma. could you help lily with her homework? she’s struggling a bit”

I could only nod, the disappointment filling me up like a sponge absorbing water. it was a small moment but one that had been repeated a hundred different ways over the years. i don’t even know when the realization hit me- that i would never be the center of my parents world.

sometimes i wonder if things would have been very different if Susan were really my mom. My real mother died while giving birth to me, leaving dad to take care of me alone. He was so heartbroken before he met susan and she brought the light back into his life. She used to make me feel so cared for and loved but when lily was born, the warmth shifted. she was never mean but she became so distant, pouring her energy and affection into lily.

And dad? he simply went along with it, either too blind to see it or to afraid to break the peace. anything to keep to peace. i thought bitterly

My phone buzzed for what felt like the hundredth time that night, drawing me out of my thoughts. it was jake again. i picked up the phone, stared at it for a moment and then switched it off. it was starting to sink in, this harsh truth, nobody truly cared about me and maybe it was time to stopped caring too.

I started the car, pulling away from the curb without much thought to where I was headed. I only knew I couldn’t go home, and there was nowhere else I wanted to be. The neon glow of a hotel sign flickered up ahead, casting an eerie red against the night sky. It wasn’t much, but it was somewhere. Somewhere I could be alone.

I parked and headed into the lobby, hoping the clerk wouldn’t look too closely at the tired woman with smudged mascara and a crumpled expression. The quiet hum of the reception area felt like a comfort I hadn’t realized I needed.

“Checking in?” the receptionist asked, her polite smile a balm to my strained nerves.

“Yes,” I said, managing a nod. “Just for a night.” I didn’t know how long I would stay, but “just for a night” felt easier to say.

After a brief exchange, I took the keycard she handed me and headed to my room. I closed the door, finally alone in a way that felt as comforting as it did terrifying. The room was stark, with its cold, generic decor, but at least here, there were no memories, no reminders, and no questions. Just silence.

I dropped my bag on the floor and sank into the stiff hotel bed, staring at the ceiling. The events of the day tumbled through my mind - Jake and Lily’s betrayal, my parents’ painful dismissal, and Jake’s insistent calls. All of it felt too much to bear, and yet, here I was, on my own, with no one to turn to and nowhere else to go.

The silence in the room was a gift and a curse, amplifying every raw nerve still pulsing from the betrayal, the fragile grip i had on my emotions gave way and in that sterile and cold room, i finally surrendered. a silent tear slipped down my cheek, then the sobs came- deep, ugly and gut wrenching. and i didn’t try to hold them back.

**********************************************

The next morning, I woke up to a room filled with muted, gray light. My eyes burned, and my head throbbed- a dull, persistent ache that seemed to echo every emotion I’d buried deep last night. It took a second to remember where I was, the unfamiliar hotel sheets and stale air reminding me that, no, this wasn’t my bed. And no, this wasn’t a bad dream. The truth pressed down, heavy as lead.

A quick glance at my phone jolted me upright- I’d overslept. Far past my alarm, past any hope of a seamless arrival at work. For a moment, I just sat there, still in yesterday’s clothes, feeling the weight of everything. I didn’t have the luxury to linger; the hospital was waiting, and I needed to at least look like I had it together.

I stumbled into the tiny bathroom, splashing cold water over my face, watching the mascara smudge beneath my eyes until I looked more like a ghost than a person. I scraped my hair back into a ponytail, slathered on concealer that barely hid the dark circles, and slipped into my scrubs. There wasn’t enough time to eat. I barely had time to breathe.

The drive to work felt surreal, each mile bringing me closer to a place where I was expected to be strong, calm, composed. A part of me resented it- resented the facade I’d have to wear for the next eight hours while everything inside me screamed. But I knew that, at least here, I could keep busy, could throw myself into the work, could put off facing the mess that my life had become.

I slipped into the hospital through a side entrance, avoiding the usual chatter at the nurses’ station. But I’d barely taken three steps before Megan, one of the nurses, caught my arm.

“Emma, where have you been?” Her voice was hushed, laced with concern. “Jake was here this morning, looking for you.”

I froze, feeling the world tilt slightly. “He came here? To the hospital?”

She nodded, her brow furrowing. “He seemed worried. We didn’t tell him anything, just said you hadn’t shown up yet. But Emma, are you okay? You never miss a shift.”

The weight of her gaze was suffocating. I could feel the other nurses, overhearing, casting glances my way. They probably all wondered the same thing: why would her husband come searching for her? Why wasn’t she with him after their anniversary?

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I lied, forcing a smile that felt foreign on my lips. “Just had a rough morning. But I’m here now.”

Megan’s concern softened, but it didn’t disappear entirely. “Alright, but if you need anything-“

I nodded quickly, turning away before anyone could ask more questions. Inside, though, a mix of anger and exhaustion churned. Jake had shown up here, of all places, parading his concern for all to see. It felt like a betrayal, adding insult to everything he’d already done. But I couldn’t focus on that now. I had patients to see, tasks to complete, a job that required every ounce of my attention.

Still, the nagging thought of him lingered, the way he’d inserted himself into my world, even here. With every minute, every interaction, the frustration built until it was nearly unbearable. By the time my shift ended, I knew I couldn’t keep putting it off. The thoughts I’d shoved down- I want a divorce; I want out- pressed so hard against my chest I could barely breathe. I needed to do something. Now.

In the break room, I pulled out my phone, glancing around to make sure I was alone, and began scrolling through local divorce attorneys. It felt surreal, reading through profiles and client testimonials as if I was choosing something trivial, like a mechanic or a realtor. But there was no mistaking the weight of it. This was real. This was a choice that would change everything.

Karen Wells’ profile caught my eye- a family law attorney with a reputation for handling difficult cases with empathy and discretion. That last word hooked me; the thought of this unraveling quietly, without more spectacle, felt like a lifeline. I scribbled her number on a scrap of paper and tucked it into my bag.