Too Far for Longing

Chapter 11 I hate you

　　As soon as William pushed the door open and saw the big red scald on Luna's leg, his face turned dark in an instant.

　　He glared at Emily and grabbed her wrist, shoving her aside from Luna.

　　"We'll deal with this later," he snapped, then scooped Luna up in his arms and rushed her into the lounge.

　　Holding her gently, he asked in a low voice, "Are you okay?"

　　"Will, it hurts so bad… my leg…"

　　"Don't be scared, I'll get a doctor right away. For now, let's rinse it with cold water to ease the pain."

　　Emily stood there, her eyes stinging with tears as she watched him walk away without a second glance.

　　How long was this nightmare going to last?

　　Would giving up really make it end?

　　A moment later, she stepped into the lounge and saw William carefully applying ointment to Luna's burn.

　　Suppressing the churn in her chest, she tried to reason with him. "William, I came here today because I needed your help. Why would I do something so stupid as to hurt Luna and piss you off?"

　　Sobbing, Luna turned to Emily. "Emily, how can you say that? You know how much becoming a top ballerina means to me. Do you think I poured that soup on myself? I've always spoken up for you in front of William, but this is how you treat me?"

　　William's face grew colder with every word from Luna, and his tone was pure ice. "You think you're still in a position to ask me for help?"

　　Emily opened her mouth to explain about her mom's illness, but his words hit her so hard she couldn't get anything out.

　　It felt like her chest was being crushed, each breath more painful than the last.

　　Two bodyguards walked in. One of them held a large blue thermos.

　　William spoke up. "Is it boiling?"

　　"Yes, 100 degrees."

　　Boiling water.

　　Emily took two steps back, her voice trembling. "William, what are you doing?!"

　　He ignored her question and ordered, "Hold her down."

　　If she'd known it would come to this, Emily would've swallowed her pride and gone straight to Benjamin for help."William! Please, don't…"

　　Emily's voice cracked, trembling with desperation. Being a top ballerina had always been her dream.

　　She'd already wasted three years for this man. Giving up her whole life? She couldn't.

　　"William, I've danced for over twenty years… I've given everything to ballet…"

　　William held the cup, slowly closing the distance between them. Seeing the look in his eyes, Emily knew it was hopeless. Her composure finally snapped—she broke into uncontrollable sobs.

　　"Here's the same line back at you—say goodbye to your dream." His words were ice-cold, and then he tipped the cup.

　　"Ahh!"

　　Her scream cut through the air like a blade.

　　Emily bit down so hard on her lip blood trickled out. Her whole body was drenched in sweat as she curled up on the icy floor, soaked to the bone. Her hair stuck to her face, dripping wet like she'd just been pulled out of a pool.

　　Except for the burning sting in her leg, everything else faded into nothing.

　　Time ticked by. The doctor checked Luna's injury, applied ointment, and casually said it was just a mild burn. Nothing serious, no scarring.

　　A drop of sweat rolled into Emily's eye, the sting triggering a couple of silent tears.

　　She ignored everyone else in the room, her voice hoarse as she said, "William, I want a divorce."

　　That snapped William out of his rage. Reality hit, making him realize he may have gone too far.

　　He was just about to call a doctor to treat Emily when he heard her say that—and his face darkened instantly.

　　In three years, Emily had never once asked for a divorce. Lately, it came up every other day, and it drove William absolutely insane.

　　"Divorce? That'd be letting you off easy," he sneered. "No, I'm keeping you around—to drag this out."

　　The sharp pain wasn't letting up. Gritting her teeth, Emily pushed herself off the floor. Her eyes were red, her voice shaking as she shouted:

　　"William, you've already destroyed everything I had—what more do you want?!"

　　Her baby. Her dream. What else was he trying to take?

　　Her life?

　　Emily's body swayed, barely staying upright.

　　She'd had enough.

　　She owed William nothing. Nothing to Grace. Nothing to Luna.

　　And if all of this was because she once loved this man standing in front of her…

　　"William, I hate you."