Chapter 5 Rumors

Emelie returned to the house she was renting to pack her bags. "Emelie, you're finally back? I was about to search every hospital in town for you tomorrow if you hadn't shown up today." "Well, everything's fine now," Emelie replied. Emelie's roommate, Mona Hardy, who was also her college dorm mate, had lived together with Emelie for six or seven years. Their relationship had always been good. Throughout her hospitalization, Mona had been the only one genuinely concerned for her. Yet, Emelie had not disclosed the full truth to her, merely mentioning she had fallen ill and refusing visits. Mona slipped into her slippers and approached Emelie's room, only to find her squatting on the floor, folding clothes. "Preparing for another business trip? You've just recovered from your illness, and now a business trip? Is your health up for it? William, that jerk, why does he always have to push you so hard?" Mona was aware of the strain in Emelie's relationship with William and had never approved of him. Emelie didn't know how long she would be away, so she told Mona the truth."I've been assigned to a project in Vinetown. Mona, I'll extend the lease for another quarter. "If I can't return in three months, you might need to find someone else to share the rent with, just let me know, and I'll come back to take the rest of my stuff." Mona was startled. "What? Why so sudden?" Emelie replied, "It's just a shift in position, happens all the time." It would be normal for anyone else, but with Emelie's relationship with William, how could she be sent away? Mona wasn't fooled as she asked, "Did you have a fight with William?" However, Emelie didn't really want to discuss it. As she stood up to get something, a piece of paper accidentally fell from her pocket. She was about to pick it up when Mona snatched it up first and unfolded it. It was a report from her D&C surgery. Mona was stunned and paused. Silently, she lifted her gaze from the report to Emelie. She noted that the dates matched the days of Emelie's unexplained absence. Mona quickly connected the dots. "Were you hospitalized because of an abortion? The child must have been William's. Did he make you abort the child and then drove you away? Damn him, how could he treat you like this? I'm going to find him and settle this right now!" Despite Mona's soft and sweet name, she possessed a core of steely determination. Unlike others, she wouldn't hesitate to directly confront William. Emelie quickly held her back. "Mona! He doesn't know about this! It was an accident, an unintentional miscarriage." Mona frowned. "You didn't tell him?" Emelie pursed her lips and replied, "There's no need for him to know." "What… What are you thinking?" Mona said. Emelie took back the abortion report, tore it up, and threw it in the trash bin. "I didn't think much, just felt that he didn't need to know." Mona struggled to understand Emelie's decision, feeling a deep sense of injustice on her behalf. Emelie went to the bathroom to pack her belongings. Mona gritted her her teeth as she picked up pieces of the torn report from the trash bin, saving them just in case. … That evening, Emelie took a flight to Vinetown. In the following month, aside from routine updates to the headquarters, Emelie remained disconnected from William. However, she did receive occasional office gossip from the two secretaries, who were friendly toward her. For instance, William went beyond merely mentoring Daphne at work as he also took a personal interest in her well-being. On one occasion, he returned to the office to drive Daphne back home when it heavily rained, despite having already left. This act of kindness fueled speculations among their colleagues, with rumors suggesting that Daphne might be Mr. Middleton's mistress. Upon learning of the rumor, William took swift action, resulting in the termination of the individual responsible for its spread. Thus, a new rumor emerged at the headquarters, asserting Mr. Middleton favored Daphne above others. Emelie vaguely remembered when she first started dating William, he also taught her how to work hands-on, and similar rumors circulated within the company. Back then, his indifference to the rumors had been palpable. Over the years, Emelie secured her position at Cloudex Corporation through her own work capability, dispelling those scandals. She thought William was heartless and unloving towards everyone. But apparently, he does stand up for people—just not her. Emelie instinctively touched her abdomen. More than a month had passed, but no one knew what had been lost, aside from her. Two months later, as the Vinetown project neared completion, her colleagues hinted that Mr. Middleton would pass through Vinetown to inspect the branch office. They advised her to seize the opportunity to seek a transfer back to the headquarters.