Dying to Love You

Chapter 5 Begging on Broken Knees

　　"Emily, wake the hell up!"

　　No clue how long she'd been out, but the yelling and the rough shaking snapped her back to consciousness.

　　Her whole body ached like hell. She struggled to open her eyes, blinded by a harsh white light. It took a while before she could make out that the person shaking her was actually James.

　　As soon as she opened her eyes, James let out a cold chuckle and released her. "Quit the act. Doc said there's nothing wrong with you. Now listen up, I've got something to say."

　　Emily looked at him weakly. James stood over her, eyes full of disgust. "A woman as nasty as you shouldn't even be getting a second chance. But Grace's kind-hearted, feels sorry for your pitiful orphan self and decided to forgive you. You're lucky—she's not sending you back to prison."

　　That made her eyes light up—did that mean she wouldn't have to go back to that hellhole?

　　But James scoffed right away, bursting her bubble. "Just ‘cause Grace forgave you doesn't wipe away what you did. You're gonna go apologize to her. On your knees. Do that, and maybe I'll let this slide."

　　"I didn't hurt her! I swear I didn't!" If she really had, maybe she'd deserve to grovel. But she didn't do it.

　　"Cut the crap. This is your last shot. Don't wanna admit it? Fine. But don't come crying to me later."

　　Emily knew exactly what that meant—refuse, and he'd dump her back in that godawful place.

　　She'd rather die than go back there. Begging? Apologizing? Whatever. She had no choice.

　　Closing her eyes for a moment, she asked, "Mr. Mitchell, if I say sorry... will you finally stop doing this to me?"

　　"As long as you mean it, sure. I'll let it go."

　　"Okay. I'll do it. I'll apologize right now."

　　She tried to get up, still hurting bad. James had kicked her so hard she was sure something inside was busted. Just shifting a bit felt like being jabbed with knives. James just stood there, looking at her like dirt. She gritted her teeth and forced herself off the bed, but after a few steps, her legs gave out and she collapsed.

　　Her forehead slammed into the ground—blood trickled down, but James didn't budge. Just looked at her with that same annoyed sneer. "Emily, knock off the drama. The doctor said there's nothing wrong with you. That sad sack look ain't gonna change anything—I still want you to say sorry."

　　Yeah, her head hurt like hell, but that was nothing compared to what she felt inside.

　　She finally realized where she stood in James's eyes.

　　Not even worth as much as a damn dog.

　　She remembered when one of Grace's dogs got hurt—James actually rushed it to the vet. But now, here she was, covered in injuries, and he didn't even blink.

　　That difference between being loved and not... tore her apart.

　　She pushed against the floor, trying to get back on her feet, but her limbs wouldn't cooperate. Her whole body was limp.

　　James just hugged his arms and stared down at her, eyes like ice. That look alone made her skin crawl.

　　Terrified he'd change his mind if she didn't act fast, she gave up on standing and started crawling on the floor instead.

　　Her messed-up, bloody face dragging along the tiles—it made James frown in disgust. Muttering curses, he turned and walked out of the room.

　　A few minutes later, a doctor and nurse came in to bandage her up and carefully lifted her back onto the bed.

　　Before leaving, the nurse gave her a message: "Mr. Mitchell said, since your condition's a bit unstable, you can apologize another day."