My Cheating Mate (Emma and Jeremy) novel Chapter 44

Chapter 44

My Cheating Mate

Emma pov

The hospital room was quiet except for the steady rhythm of Jeremy’s breathing and the soft beep of monitors. I’d pulled my chair as close to his bed as possible, my hand loosely holding his while he slept off the anesthesia and pain medication.

Four in the morning, according to the clock on the wall. I should go home, get some real sleep in an actual bed. But every time ! tried to convince myself to leave, I remembered the feeling of his blood soaking through my clothes, the sound of Vanessa’s laughter, the terror of thinking I might lose him.

So I stayed.

My phone buzzed quietly. A text from Aria: “Saw the news about the trial. Is he okay? Are YOU okay?”

I typed back one-handed, not wanting to let go of Jeremy: “He’s stable. Had emergency surgery. I’m… I don’t know what I am.” Her response came immediately: “I’m coming to the hospital.”

“It’s 4 AM.”

2

“I don’t care. You shouldn’t be alone right now.”

Twenty minutes later, Aria appeared in the doorway with two cups of coffee and a bag from the 24-hour diner. She took one look at me–still covered in dried blood, eyes red from crying, hair a mess and set everything down to pull me into a hog

“You look like hell,” she said gently.

“Feel like it too.” I accepted the coffee gratefully. “Thanks for coming.”

“That’s what best friends do.” She pulled up another chair, studying Jeremy’s sleeping form. “So he really collapsed in the middle of testifying?”

“Reopened his surgical wounds. Internal bleeding. He knew he wasn’t healed enough to be there, but he insisted on testifying anyway.” I took a sip of coffee, the warmth helping settle my nerves. “He almost died, Aria. Again. Because he was too stubborn

to wait.”

“Sounds like someone else I know,” Aria said pointedly. “Someone who took a silver blade meant for him even though she had every reason to let it hit.”

“That was different. That was instinct.”

“Was it? Or was it love?” She leaned forward. “Em, you’ve been by his side for weeks. You hold his hand. You read to him. You’re here at four in the morning covered in his blood instead of at home sleeping. When does instinct become choice?”

I was quiet for a long moment, watching Jeremy’s chest rise and fall. “I’m terrified,” I admitted finally. “Of loving him again. Of trusting him. Of being that vulnerable with someone who’s already destroyed me once.”

“That’s completely valid.”

“But I think-“I paused, trying to find the words. “I think I’m more terrified of not giving him another chance. Of walking away and spending the rest of my life wondering what if. What if he really had changed? What if we could have built something real?”

“So you’ve decided to try again?”

“I don’t know if it’s a decision so much as an acceptance.” I squeezed Jeremy’s hand gently. “I never stopped loving him, Aria. Not really. I was just so hurt and angry that I couldn’t see past it. But watching him testify, watching him take responsibility for My voice cracked. “I can’t keep pretending I don’t care. Can’t keep running from what I everything, watching him nearly die-” feel.”

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“Ukay,” Aria said slowly. “But Em, loving him and being in a relationship with him are two different things. You can love him and still protect yourself. Still require him to earn back your trust.”

“I know. And that’s the part that scares me most. Because I don’t know how to do that. Don’t know what ‘earning back trust even looks like after something like this.” I looked at her helplessly. “How do you come back from betrayal this deep?”

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