I Faked My Death, But He Never Let Go

Chapter 6

Calista jolted all over, as if she'd been dumped into an ice bath. Her entire body went numb, stiff as a board.

It took her ages to snap out of her daze. Her voice trembled as she asked, "Uncle Emrys... are you kicking me out?"

Emrys neither confirmed nor denied it.

"I'm getting married soon. It's not appropriate for you to keep living here," he said.

That plain, matter-of-fact line drained every last trace of color from Calista's face.

Emrys's soft, warm voice drifted to her ears again. "There's a new apartment downtown. I've already put it under your name. Move there tomorrow," he said.

With that, he turned and headed upstairs.

Calista didn't have an ounce of courage left to beg him to let her stay.

She stood rooted to the spot alone, a thousand tiny, sharp stabs of pain spreading through her chest until she could barely breathe.

Emrys had issued an explicit eviction notice. She had no right to overstay her welcome and had even less dignity to linger here.

She tried to talk herself into accepting it, but her eyes still burned hot, again and again.

She stumbled back to her room in a daze.

Standing in the doorway, she stared at the decor and furnishings that were identical to the ones in her old family home at the Ellery Villa, and memories came flooding back out of nowhere.

Back then, her family had gone bankrupt out of the blue. Creditors had swarmed the house and cleaned out every last thing the Ellery family owned.

All her beloved jewelry and cherished gifts were gone, not a single one left.

Her mother, Odette Ellery, had fled abroad and cut off all contact, while Gideon had been crushed by the blow. He'd fallen seriously ill and slipped into a coma, leaving Calista with nothing but mountains of debt weighing down on her shoulders like a boulder.

That day, she'd huddled against the wall of the Ellery Villa, disheveled and homeless.

Through the misty drizzle, Emrys had walked slowly toward her holding a black umbrella, as if he'd walked straight out of a ray of sunshine.

He'd crouched down in front of her, pulled out a handkerchief, and gently wiped the rain and tears off her face.

"Don't cry, Calista. Come home with me," he said softly.

That night had been bone-chillingly cold, but his hand had been so big, so warm.

When she'd arrived at the Calder Villa, she'd found out that Emrys had bought back all her old belongings, and had even gone out of his way to arrange this room to be an exact copy of the one she'd had in the Ellery Villa.

And yet that same man was now kicking her out...

Helplessness washed over her from head to toe, and she broke down into loud, racking sobs.

In this second chance at life, her relationship with Emrys had been like sand in her palm. The harder she tried to hold onto it, the faster it slipped through her fingers, until there was nothing left to grab.

She stood in that room the entire night.

The next day, the movers showed up. They loaded up all her things, wiping away every last trace of the years she'd spent living in this house.

Sitting in the car, Calista watched the familiar scenery slip past the window and couldn't stop herself from looking back.

Emrys was still standing by the side of the road.

But he was too far away. She couldn't make out the expression on his face, couldn't tell if he was reluctant to see her go or just relieved to have her out of the house.

The thought made her gaze dimmer and dimmer, until all the light had nearly drained from her eyes.

Suddenly, her phone rang.

She answered it and heard a nurse's voice on the other end of the line. "Miss Ellery, your father has woken up," the nurse said.

'Dad... he's awake?!'

A bright spark flared in Calista's previously dull eyes. She clamped down on the surging excitement and rushed to the hospital right away.

Inside the ward, her dad lay on the hospital bed, hooked up to all sorts of monitors, wires snaking around him and tubes stuck in his arms, so gaunt he looked barely recognizable.

Calista practically threw herself at the side of the bed, clutching his hand as hot tears spilled over. "Dad..." she sobbed.

Her dad looked up at his daughter, tears glistening in his cloudy eyes. His throat worked a few times like he was trying to speak, but no words would come out.

Calista forced back the quaver in her voice. "Dad, don't worry. We'll pay off all the debts really soon, and the Ellery family will get back on our feet, I promise," she said.

Her dad squeezed her hand tight in response.

The heavy, suffocating tension hanging over the ward finally melted away, shifting into a soft, warm quiet.

Just then, Emrys showed up, having heard the news.

Calista was just about to tug him over to the bed to introduce him to her dad and let them chat.

But the second her dad laid eyes on Emrys, he flew into a sudden, frantic panic.

His eyes flew wide open, and his entire body went rigid as if he'd been hit by a bolt of electricity.

Next to him, the ECG monitor spiked wildly, beeping nonstop in a shrill, urgent warning.