When Derek returned to the room, Emily lay quietly on the bed, appearing to be asleep.
Derek climbed into bed and held her close from behind, gently patting her back. Emily turned around and hugged him tightly.
In the darkness, Emily's emotions intensified a little.
Each time she lost control, Derek reassured her that everything would be okay and work out.
But would it truly be okay?
Recent events made her even question the normalcy of her own mental state.
She had almost harmed her own son. How did it come to this?
"Emily, you're just stressed out. Everything will be fine," Derek said gently. "Let's go on a trip in a few days, relax, and unwind. A change of scenery will definitely help you get better."
Emily nestled into his arms and fell silent.
She could almost kill her own son.
Could she also harm Derek one day?
She wasn't the same Emily she used to be a long time ago. She could no longer blindly find comfort in her children and Derek.
"Derek," Emily pushed away from his chest.
Derek, anticipating something, tightened his arms around her and interrupted, "Emily, don't say anything. Go to sleep. Just sleep in my arms. When you wake up, everything will be fine."
The next day, Emily was awakened by Derek's soft voice. "Emily, I have breakfast ready. Get up and eat."
"I have no appetite," Emily smiled bitterly.
"Come on, I've made your favorite food." Derek continued to coax gently.
"Okay."
Derek handed her slippers and led her downstairs.
As she exited her room, she bumped into Aaron, who had just woken up and walked out of his room.
Both Emily and Aaron froze for a moment. Emily quickly regained her senses and took a step towards Aaron, about to say something.
But the next second, Aaron cringed, a flash of fear in his eyes, and turned away, returning to his room and closing the door.
Thinking about yesterday, when Aaron woke up, he indeed saw his favorite mommy raising a knife to him, almost killing him. It was a scene that would surely cast a lingering shadow over Aaron for the rest of his life.
Emily lowered her head as remorse and guilt swept over her. She didn't even know how to face Aaron in the future...
"Derek, I'll just eat alone; you go comfort Aaron instead of me."
Derek wrapped his arms around her and softly said, "He has Ian and Chris with him. He'll be fine."
At this moment, Derek was more concerned about Emily's psychological condition than his own child.
After all, as a mother, Emily had almost hurt her own son, and that kind of pain and difficulty was beyond his imagination. The only thing he could do was to be there with her.
Emily didn't say anything else and lowered her head to start eating.
She had just taken a sip of milk when she felt a sudden wave of nausea. She pushed back her chair and rushed toward the bathroom.
Derek's eyes narrowed as he followed her, "The housekeeper said you threw up yesterday too. Is there any wrong with you stomach?"
Emily flopped down on the toilet and dry heaved a few times; nothing came out. She really hadn't eaten anything today either...
She stood up feebly, "Maybe..."
Derek picked her up and put her on the couch in the living room, "Sit here, I'll get you a glass of water."
"Don't rush." Emily pursed her lips, "Derek, go stay with Aaron; I want to be alone."
"I'll stay with you; I won't talk or bother you. Don't try to get me away."
Derek sat on the seat opposite her, a touch of hurt hidden in the depths of his deep gaze.
Looking at Derek's worried gaze, Emily lowered her head, "Derek, I'll just go out for a walk. I don't want to stay home."
"I'll accompany you." Derek stood up, he put on his jacket first and then wrapped it tightly around Emily, "Let's go."
"Derek, just let me go out and be alone, please...," Emily bit her bottom lip, "I just want to be alone, just me."
"Go ahead, and I'll follow you. I promise not to make any noise to disturb you," Derek pleaded humbly.
"Derek, please don't do this; it's hard for me. I feel so overwhelmed I can hardly breathe." Emily clutched her collar. "I'll come back when I've calmed down. Let me walk alone, okay?"
She longed to find a place with no one else, just herself in solitude. She needed to contemplate what to do next.
Derek gazed at her furrowed brow, then sighed, his voice low and soft. "Okay, Emily, I'll wait for you to come back."
Emily stood on her tiptoes and gave him a peck on the lips. "Derek, thank you for being so tolerant. Don't worry; I'll be back soon."
She turned around, took a step to the door, and pulled it open. The late winter and early spring night air was chilly. As soon as the door opened, a cold wind swept in, tousling Emily's long dark hair.
She pulled the hood of her down jacket up, covering her head. After changing her shoes, she walked out. Derek followed her to the villa's door.
Derek's voice was dull and low. "Emily, are you sure you don't want me to stay with you?"
"Go stay with Aaron; he needs you more than I do." Emily touched Derek's face. "I'll be back soon."
She turned, her back looking slimmer in the cold wind. Derek stood in the doorway, watching her figure gradually fade into the night's darkness. A sudden uneasy feeling rose in his heart.
When Emily's figure disappeared into the intersection, Derek quickly grabbed his jacket and left the door.
Buzz...
Derek's cell phone vibrated.
He stood on the road, and his deep eyes unable to see the bottom. He realized he had been standing there for a long time; his neck was a bit stiff. He slowly picked up the phone and put it to his ear.
"Daddy, where are you and Mommy?"
"Being good at home and waiting for us to come back."
Derek hung up the phone. He really wasn't at ease with Emily being alone, so he came out to look for her. Despite searching every road in the neighborhood, he couldn't find her.
She must have found a secluded place to hide, he thought. She wanted to be quiet, so he let her be quiet.
So he stood on the road home, waiting for him from morning to noon, but Emily's figure still didn't appear. A sense of foreboding grew in his heart, as if a huge gash had been made in it, and a cold winter wind swept through his body, chilling him.
Derek looked out again, and in the distance, people kept coming and going on the street, but he never saw Emily. He took a deep breath and dialed the phone, saying, "Send me all the security camera footage within ten miles of the villa to my mailbox."
Instead of going home, he went straight to the office, turning on several computers to monitor the cameras simultaneously.
He finally spotted Emily's slender figure when a bus stopped in front of her. She boarded the bus with an indifferent face.
Derek pursed his lips, and his fingers moved swiftly over the keyboard. Soon, he hacked into the bus surveillance system and traced Emily along the route to her destination. The bus stopped in the suburbs, and he saw Emily disembark, walking aimlessly down the road.
Derek observed her progress along the road until Emily's figure slowly moved out of the security camera's range.
Just then, his assistant's voice broke in, "Mr. Scott, the end of this road leads to an abandoned, dilapidated building, so there are no cameras installed nearby..."
Derek's eyes darkened. "Are there any other cameras in the neighborhood?"
Derek's cold and intense gaze made the assistant break into a cold sweat. "I'll go and check," he stammered.
As Derek continued to watch the slender figure on the screen, he couldn't help but raise his hand slowly. "Emily, you won't leave me. Emily, the kids are waiting for you to come home..."