Capítulo 4: I Hope You Find Happiness

Emma stood frozen, the neatly stapled stack of divorce papers trembling in her hands.

The words Jake had just uttered rang in her ears like a cruel echo, impossible to comprehend.

Divorce? Now? After everything they had been through together? After the news she had just shared?

Her heart pounded as she stared down at the papers, unable to make sense of the black ink that spelled out the end of her marriage. How could he be so cold? How could he so easily turn his back on everything they had built together?

"A divorce? But why? We love each other, don't...."

"For crying out loud, Emma, stop being so stupid and naive. Even you know that's a lie. I don't love you," Jake cut in irritably before she could finish and Emma shook her head.

"That's a lie. We love each other. We've always done otherwise why are we married..."

"We are still married because you fancy yourself happy with me. I'm not happy with you...."

"But I used to make you happy. What changed, Jake? We can work through this, I promise," Emma pleaded, the desperation in her voice.

"There's nothing to work through. I'm no longer in love with you. Your face, your actions, everything about you irks me. I don't want to keep pretending, it's tiring." he replied coldly. "Sign the papers, Emma."

No, this can't be happening. Jake was the love of her life. He was the only man she had ever loved. He couldn't be treating her this way. Perhaps she did something. If she apologized, she could get him to forgive her and they could return to the way they used to be.

Emma thought as she dropped the papers on the floor and held onto Jake's hand. "I know you're saying all of this because you're probably mad at me. I might have offended you. But Jake, I'm sorry. Forgive me, please. I can't separate from you. I'll die..."

"Then go die," Jake said, shoving Emma off him, causing her to land on the ground with her stomach.

Emma felt a sharp pain in her abdomen and for a moment, the world around her blurred. She clasped her stomach tightly and when she felt wet in between her legs, panic surged through her.

Her heart skipped a beat when she looked down and saw that she was bleeding. "I'm bleeding," she cried but Jake merely watched her with disdain in his eyes.

"Just get up and sign the papers. I want to be free from you....."

"Jake, please. I'm bleeding. I need to go to the hospital or else I'll lose the baby." Emma's voice was tinged with desperation and fear as she crawled to where Jake stood and held his leg.

Jake bent down, his eyes hardening as he looked at Emma's tear-streaked face. "You can lose the baby for all I care. I don't want it anyway but if you are a good girl and sign the papers, I might consider taking you to the hospital and the child might be saved. So, what is it going to be? Sign the papers and stand a chance of arriving at the hospital early to save your child or stay her crying and end up losing the child?"

Tears streamed down Emma's face as she looked at Jake. He was entirely different from what she used to know. Jake used to adore her but this man in front of her didn't care whether she lived or died.

It would be a shame to her if she lost her child just to remain married to this heartless man. The pain was becoming unbearable and she needed to arrive at the hospital fast if she hoped to save her child.

She thought as she shakily took the pen Jake was offering her and signed the documents.

She managed to hang on as she signed and as soon as she finished, her vision blurred and she collapsed.

After being unable to sleep for most of the night because of her throbbing pain and had finally fallen asleep in the early hours of the morning, Emma woke the next morning to the pale light filtering through the hospital blinds.

Her body ached, not just from the physical pain but from the void in her heart that seemed to grow larger with every passing second.

The events of the previous day flooded her mind, overwhelming her like a relentless tide. The divorce papers, Jake's cruel words, the loss of her baby was all too much to bear.

As she lay there, trying to muster the strength to face the day even though now she didn't know where to go if she were to be discharged at noon like the doctor had told her, she turned to the TV where she was hearing some muffled noises.

The TV in the corner of the room was on, the volume low but loud enough to draw her focus. She reached for the remote with a shaky hand, turning up the volume, wanting to draw solace from whatever was happening.

The screen flickered with images of a press conference. At first, Emma couldn't understand why it was on until she saw him. Her husband, or was ex-husband, Jake Thompson, standing in front of a throng of reporters.

Her heart clenched at the sight of him, looking so composed, and unaffected by the situation of things with them. How could he be so calm when her entire world was crumbling? Did he even love her at all? How could he had moved on so fast?

She mused and blinked back the tears threatening to fall as she tried to focus on the television so she could know why he was there in the first place.

"Mr. Thompson, can you tell us why you filed for divorce from your wife, Emma?" she heard a reporter say and her heart skipped several beats.

How had her divorce become public knowledge? Why was everyone talking about it? What was she going to do now? She had been hoping to go talk to Jake's aunt but now, how was she going to do that?

Her breath caught in her throat as she watched, wanting to hear what he had to say, her heart beating rapidly now. She hadn't expected him to address their personal matters publicly.

She thought whatever respect was left between them would keep him from airing their dirty laundry. But as she watched, she realized she was wrong. Terribly wrong.

Jake's expression was a mask of cold indifference as he spoke. "What could I do? Emma cheated on me and got pregnant with another man's child. She was secretly trying to abort the baby, but I caught her. I couldn't stay married to someone who betrayed me so completely."

Hearing the words from Jake's mouth, Emma felt like the ground had disappeared beneath her and like she was falling, spiraling into a pit of despair.

Was she dreaming? How could he say such things? Lies, all of them. How could he make her lose her child, divorce her and then go out to spew lies about her?

She had never been unfaithful. The child she lost was his, and the thought of aborting it had never crossed her mind. But the world didn't know that, and now they never would.

They would all now see her as an evil person, a shameless adulteress that got pregnant by another man when she was clearly married. Jake had turned her into a villain, someone she couldn't be, not in this life or next. What was she going to do?

The reporters pressed on, eager for more. "How do you feel about the situation now?" one asked.

Jake glanced at the camera, his eyes cold. "I'm heartbroken by her betrayal, but I still did what I could. Even after discovering her infidelity, I took her to the hospital. Emma, wherever you are now, I hope you find happiness with your lover and please don't betray him like you did me."

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