Chapter 7 Open This Door Right Now, Amelia
Amelia listened to the envious whispers of the crowd, her nails digging so deeply into her palms that she nearly broke skin.
Her eyes welled up with tears as she choked out, “Gabe, my birthday is tomorrow. Why are you setting these fireworks off today? Are they really for me?”
As the last firework faded, Gabriel turned his gaze from the sky and coolly glanced at her tear- streaked face. “Is that so? I must have remembered wrongly.”
Amelia couldn’t stop her sobs. Jealousy nearly consumed her. It was Emily’s birthday today!
Gabriel must have set off the fireworks for that damned woman.
What a pity that those two were currently having marital problems. So what if Gabriel had liked Emily in the past?
In the future, Gabriel would only belong to Amelia. She was the only one fit to be his wife!
Early the next morning, Emily wheeled her suitcase to the hospital’s meeting point. Their destination was a small village in the Trivetian region. They’d originally planned to take a flight there, but due to the amount of medical equipment and medication, they had to take a
bus instead.
The group filed on board one by one. Mallory tugged Emily into the seat beside her. “Mills, I was working overtime yesterday and didn’t get to give you your gift. This is a little something from me. I hope you like it.
Emily took the gift box and opened it. Inside was a delicate silver bracelet.
“The engraving says ‘peace and joy.‘ My mom says that women should have some silver accessories on them to ward off bad luck,” Mallory said.
Emily slipped the bracelet onto her wrist, where it gleamed against her skin. “Thank you. I
love it.”
“I knew it would look good on you!” Mallory exclaimed, then glanced out the bus window at the minivan. “Look, Gabriel and Amelia are in that vehicle.”
Amelia truly followed Gabriel around everywhere, sticking to him like a shadow.
Emily followed her gaze outside. The minivan’s window was down. She could vaguely see Gabriel with a laptop on his knees, working. Beside him, Amelia was delicately eating breakfast.
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Chapter 7 Open This Door Right Now, Amelia
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The sight stung. Emily tugged the curtain shut and leaned back. She wanted them out of sight and out of mind.
Soon, the bus jolted into motion, lurching down the uneven countryside roads. By midday, many people suffered from motion sickness. Emily was among them, too.
When the bus stopped at a service area, Emily stumbled into the restroom and was violently sick. Then, right as she stepped out, she ran into Amelia, whose makeup was still impeccably
intact.
“Dr. Sterling, are you alright?” Amelia feigned concern as she stepped closer and asked, “Was the bus ride uncomfortable? You look so pale from all that vomiting.”
Too drained to engage with her provocation, Emily wanted nothing more than to get back on the bus to rest. “Thanks for your concern,” she said, then turned to leave.
But Amelia wasn’t about to let her off so easily. “Dr. Sterling, I saw an older woman clutching her chest as I was getting off the minivan earlier on. It looked pretty serious. Could you please check on her?”
Emily frowned. Despite her reservations, her professional ethics wouldn’t allow her to ignore a potential patient. “Where is she now?”
“She’s in that lounge up ahead. I saw her
go
in.”
Following the direction Amelia pointed to, Emily spotted a lounge near the far corner of the service area. She walked over, pushed the door open, and called out, “Is there anyone here?”
There was no response. Emily wondered if the lady could have collapsed from a sudden cardiac
arrest.
Not daring to delay, Emily hurried inside to check. She had only taken a few steps when the door behind her slammed shut with a loud bang. She hurriedly spun around and tried to open it, but it wouldn’t budge. The door was locked.
“Open this door right now, Amelia!” she shouted.
By now, Emily understood perfectly. Amelia had no true talent beyond these cheap, underhanded tricks.
Mallory was right. Gabriel was truly blind to be taken in by someone like Amelia.
Outside, Amelia seethed with bitter jealousy. If it weren’t for Emily, she would already be Gabriel’s wife! She decided that Emily deserved to stay in there and reflect on her mistakes.
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After stopping at the service station for 15 minutes, the driver began a head count and was preparing to leave.
Mallory anxiously called out, “Hang on, Dr. Sterling isn’t back yet.”
The other doctors looked puzzled.
“That’s strange. I clearly saw her leave the restroom. How could she not be back yet after so long?”
“Well, these buses look identical. Could she have boarded the wrong one?”
“Let’s all get out and look for her. We don’t want the schedule to be delayed.”
They all spilled off the bus and began searching the parked vehicles. Mallory searched the service area’s restrooms and main lounge, but found no trace of Emily either. 1
The commotion drew Gabriel’s attention, and he noticed that something seemed amiss. He stepped out of his car and approached the anxious group of doctors. “What’s going on?”
One of the doctors said hastily, “Dr. Sterling’s gone missing, Mr. Holton. We’re looking for her.
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Gabriel’s expression darkened instantly. “This is a service area. How could she just disappear?”
Chapter 8 Emily Slapped Amelia
