Eleven Years All to the Wrong Man novel Chapter 55

Emma was not herself today. She seemed completely out of it.

Normally, after a chemotherapy session, patients needed to lie down for a while before slowly getting up. But today, she moved as if in a trance. The nurse hadn't even removed the device when Emma stood up from the bed and started to put on her shoes to leave.

The device was still attached to her waist, and her sudden movement threatened to tear at the wound. Fortunately, Nathan was quick on his feet, stepping forward and catching her just in time.

“Be careful.”

His deep voice echoed in her ear, and Emma finally snapped out of her daze. She looked up at him, her expression blank.

“Mr. Allen…”

She had barely whispered his name when tears unexpectedly welled up and slid down her cheeks, silently soaking into the collar of her shirt.

“You…”

Nathan, who had been about to scold her, froze the moment he saw her cry.

“Why… why are you crying?”

He hadn't even said anything to her yet.

Nathan looked completely flustered. The nurses who were packing up the equipment exchanged a knowing smile, quickly finished their work, and quietly left the room.

Emma didn’t speak. She just stood there stiffly, her face etched with sorrow.

The tears kept falling, large drops tracing paths down her cheeks and turning her eyes red.

Nathan truly didn't know what to do. It was the first time he’d seen a woman cry like this. In a stiff, awkward tone, he said, “Please don’t cry. You need to be strong. I… I won’t be so hard on you anymore. Just… be well. Please don’t cry…”

But as soon as he finished, Emma began to cry even harder.

Nathan remained silent, watching the woman in front of him alternate between apologizing and weeping. For once, he didn’t say anything more, only offered in a low voice, “It’s okay. Let it out. There’s no one else here.”

Hearing those words, Emma’s composure finally shattered. The tears she had been trying to hold back came like a flood, washing away all her previous pretenses.

Heavy teardrops splattered on the floor, impossible to stop.

Eventually, Emma’s sobs became so intense that she crumpled to the ground.

She buried her head between her knees, wrapped her arms around herself, and her hopeless, desperate cries echoed in the empty chemotherapy room for a long, long time.

Nathan had no idea what had happened to her, but watching her cry to the point of utter despair, he felt a flicker of curiosity about someone for the first time.

***

Evan sped toward the hospital, but before he could reach it, he was pulled over by the police for running multiple red lights.