Chapter 191

The next morning felt strange.

Not bad.

Not stressful.

Just…strange.

For the first time in months, Abigail woke up and didn’t immediately reach for her phone.

She didn’t check her messages.

She didn’t check her email.

She didn’t look for updates.

There weren’t any updates.

There didn’t need to be.

The investigation was over.

Professor Shields was gone.

The hearing was behind them.

The university had listened.

The truth had won.

And yet…

The adrenaline that had carried her through weeks of chaos still hadn’t completely left her body.

It was like her mind hadn’t gotten the message yet.

Like some part of her was still waiting for another phone call.

Another email.

Another problem.

Another fight.

Another emergency.

The room was quiet.

Soft morning sunlight spilled through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the penthouse, casting golden streaks across the hardwood floors and the oversized bed.

Abigail rolled onto her side.

Emma was still asleep beside her.

For a moment she simply watched her.

The peaceful expression.

The slow breathing.

The way one arm was stretched across the mattress toward her even while asleep.

A small smile tugged at Abigail’s lips.

This woman.

This stubborn, protective, reckless, loving woman.

The woman who had stepped between her and Professor Shields without hesitation.

The woman who had passed out in the hallway.

Twice.

The woman who had ended up in a hospital bed.

The woman who had sat through every meeting, every hearing, every conversation.

The woman who had never once made Abigail feel like she was carrying any of it alone.

The thought alone made Abigail’s chest tighten.

Because now that everything was over—

She could finally feel it.

All of it.

The fear.

The panic.

The stress.

The uncertainty.

The moments she thought she might lose something important.

The moments she thought Emma might lose something important.

The moments she thought everything could fall apart.

Emma stirred slightly.

Then slowly opened one eye.

Immediately catching Abigail staring.

“Why are you staring at me?”

Abigail laughed.

“You were asleep.”

“So?”

“You looked peaceful.”

Emma groaned dramatically.

“That’s creepy.”

“It is not.”

“It absolutely is.”

Abigail smiled.

Emma smiled back.

Then reached for her immediately.

Like she always did.

Half asleep.

Not even fully awake yet.

Still reaching for her.

Abigail happily moved closer.

Resting against her.

Emma wrapped both arms around her and pulled her into her chest.

Neither of them seemed interested in getting out of bed.

For once—

There was nowhere they had to be.

No classes.

No hearings.

No meetings.

No lawyers.

No investigations.

No hospitals.

Just them.

And that felt almost unbelievable.

Abigail closed her eyes.

Listening to Emma’s heartbeat.

The steady rhythm beneath her ear.

Grounding.

Comforting.

Safe.

For several minutes they simply stayed like that.

Holding each other.

Breathing.

Existing.

Recovering.

Unfortunately, that peace lasted approximately fifteen minutes.

The bedroom door opened.

Without knocking.

Ashley walked in carrying two coffees.

Megan followed behind her.

“Good morning.”

Emma immediately pulled a pillow over her face.

“No.”

Ashley pointed.

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

Megan laughed.

“She’s been awake for twenty minutes.”

“Traitor.”

Ashley sat the coffees down on the dresser.

“You both need food.”

“We’re fine.”

Ashley narrowed her eyes.

“That’s exactly what people say before they forget to eat.”

Emma reluctantly sat up.

“You sound like a parent.”

“I know.”

Ashley looked proud of herself.

Megan looked concerned.

Abigail couldn’t stop laughing.

The normalcy of it felt wonderful.

An hour later everyone had gathered in the penthouse living room.

The atmosphere felt different.

Lighter.

No investigations.

No emergency meetings.

No lawyers.

No hearings.

No phone calls from the dean.

Just breakfast.

Coffee.

Conversation.

Life.

Normal life.

Something they hadn’t had in a very long time.

The city skyline stretched beyond the windows.

Cars moved through the streets below.

Boats drifted across the water in the distance.

The world kept moving.

And for the first time in months, Abigail felt like she could move with it.

Instead of constantly fighting against it.

Emma was sitting beside Abigail on the couch when her aunt appeared from the guest room.

One look at Emma and she frowned.

“What?”

Emma immediately looked suspicious.

“What?”

“You look tired.”

Emma blinked.

“I am tired.”

Her aunt nodded.

“Good.”

Emma looked confused.

“What?”

“You should be.”

A pause.

“You’ve been running on adrenaline for weeks.”

Emma opened her mouth.

Her aunt pointed at her.

“No.”

Emma closed it again.

Ashley immediately started laughing.

Megan wasn’t far behind.

Abigail knew that look.

Emma was losing.

Badly.

Her aunt crossed her arms.

“When is the last time you actually rested?”

Emma hesitated.

That was all the answer anyone needed.

“Oh my God,” Ashley said.

“Exactly,” her aunt replied.

Emma looked at Abigail for help.

Abigail betrayed her immediately.

“She’s right.”

Emma stared.

“You too?”

“You passed out.”

“That was one time.”

The entire room looked at her.

Emma sighed.

“Okay. Twice.”

“Exactly.”

Ashley pointed dramatically.

“Twice is not a reassuring number.”

By unanimous decision, Emma was placed under unofficial house arrest.

She hated it immediately.

Ashley loved it immediately.

Megan found the entire situation hilarious.

Abigail thought it was necessary.

Emma thought everyone was dramatic.

Nobody cared what Emma thought.

Every time she stood up to do something, somebody stopped her.

It became a game.

A very entertaining game for everyone except Emma.

By lunchtime she had been told to sit down six different times.

Ashley kept count.

Emma threatened to revoke her friendship.

Ashley said it was worth it.

Around lunchtime the penthouse finally grew quiet.

Ashley and Megan had gone out to grab food.

Abigail’s aunt had taken a business call.

For the first time all day, Emma and Abigail were alone.

Actually alone.

The silence settled comfortably between them.

Emma sat beside her on the couch.

One arm stretched across the back cushions.

Abigail curled up against her.

The sunlight poured through the windows.

The city shimmered beyond the glass.

Everything felt calm.

Peaceful.

Finally Emma spoke.

Softly.

“I thought I was going to lose my job.”

Abigail looked up immediately.

Emma wasn’t smiling anymore.

The honesty in her voice caught her off guard.

Emma stared out the window.

“I didn’t tell you.”

A pause.

“But I did.”

Abigail listened carefully.

“I knew I did the right thing.”

Emma swallowed.

“But there were moments…”

Another pause.

“…where I thought maybe I had ruined everything.”

The confession hit harder than Abigail expected.

Because Emma had spent weeks being strong.

Confident.

Protective.

Unshakable.

Hearing this side of it felt different.

Real.

Human.

Abigail reached for her hand immediately.

Emma squeezed it.

“I was terrified for you.”

Abigail felt tears building before she even realized it.

Emma continued.

“I wasn’t scared of Shields.”

A shake of her head.

“I was scared something would happen to you.”

The tears came anyway.

Because she understood.

Because she felt exactly the same.

“I thought I lost you.”

The words slipped out before Abigail could stop them.

Emma immediately looked down.

“What?”

“The hallway.”

Abigail’s voice cracked.

“The hospital.”

Emma’s expression softened instantly.

Abigail shook her head.

“You passed out.”

A pause.

Then another.

“You passed out and wouldn’t wake up.”

The memory flooded back.

The panic.

The ambulance.

The hospital.

The fear.

The feeling that nothing else mattered except hearing Emma’s voice again.

Abigail looked away.

“I was terrified.”

Emma’s heart broke a little.

Because she could hear it.

Still.

Even now.

Days later.

The room grew quiet.

Very quiet.

Because this wasn’t about the investigation anymore.

This wasn’t about Shields.

This wasn’t about hearings.

This was about them.

The cost of everything that happened.

The fear they never really had time to process.

Until now.

Emma immediately pulled Abigail closer.

Holding her tightly.

One hand resting against the back of her head.

“I know.”

Abigail buried her face against her shoulder.

For several moments neither of them said anything.

No fixing.

No solving.

No distractions.

Just honesty.

Just healing.

Just two people finally admitting how scared they had both been.

Eventually Abigail laughed softly through her tears.

Emma looked down.

“What?”

“You threw a punch.”

Emma groaned immediately.

“Are we really talking about this again?”

Abigail laughed harder.

“Yes.”

“You were pregnant.”

“I am pregnant.”

“Exactly.”

Emma covered her face.

“You make one questionable decision…”

“One?”

Emma pointed.

“Okay. Fine.”

That finally broke the tension.

The room filled with laughter again.

Gentle.

Warm.

Easy.

The kind that felt good.

The kind that came after surviving something difficult.

The kind that reminded them they were still here.

Still together.

Still standing.

As the afternoon sun poured into the penthouse and Emma rested beside her, Abigail realized something.

For the first time in months—

They weren’t talking about what happened.

They were talking about what almost happened.

Which meant something important.

The investigation wasn’t controlling their lives anymore.

Professor Shields wasn’t controlling their lives anymore.

Fear wasn’t controlling their lives anymore.

They were finally moving forward.

Not surviving.

Not reacting.

Not fighting.

Living.

And for the first time since this entire nightmare began—

That felt possible.