My Great Escape Led Me to You (Emily Blair) novel Chapter 138

Staring down a mob of angry, thuggish-looking people, Sophia Clark and her family had lost the bravado they'd shown when confronting Emily Blair. Now, their faces paled, lips trembling as they struggled to speak.

On the hospital bed, a middle-aged man hurriedly shoved his fried chicken drumstick into someone else's hands, quickly wiping the grease from his mouth with the back of his hand. Without missing a beat, he flopped back onto the bed, clutching his chest and gasping for breath.

“Oh, it hurts—someone get a doctor! Oh, the pain!”

Everyone in the room could tell his act was laughably unconvincing. But Sophia and her family clung to it like a lifeline, immediately shifting the blame onto Emily Blair, Elizabeth Wilson, and the bystanders.

Sophia was especially furious, her eyes burning with resentment—she looked like she could grind her teeth to dust.

“This is all your fault! My dad’s having an attack right now! Get out of here!”

A wave of laughter rolled through the crowd. “What, do you think we’re idiots?”

“This is a gastroenterology ward. I saw your dad’s chart—he’s here for stomach problems. Why’s he clutching his chest and moaning? If his chest hurts, he should be in cardiology, not here!”

“At least try to make your little act believable. You’re just making fools of yourselves.”

The middle-aged man froze in embarrassment, quickly sliding his hand from his chest down to his stomach, then, after ensuring he was in the clear, resumed his exaggerated wailing.

Sophia clenched her jaw. “Dad!”

Laughter erupted again, sharp and unkind, stinging Sophia’s face like a barrage of slaps. She turned a blotchy shade of red and purple, caught between fury and humiliation.

With the troublemakers gone, Emily stepped forward with Elizabeth and bowed deeply to the crowd.

“Thank you, all of you. Really, if it weren’t for your help, we wouldn’t have known what to do.”

The aunt at the front waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t mention it. Anyone would have stepped in—we just couldn’t stand to watch them bully you girls.”

“You’re good kids,” she added warmly. “Take care of your grandmother, work hard in school, and make her proud.”

Elizabeth nodded earnestly, though worry still lingered in her eyes, shadowing her features.

After securing her grandmother’s bed, Elizabeth helped her settle in, while Emily went out to buy fruit as a small token of gratitude for those who had stood up for them.