Chapter 5 Belated Fragility and Warmth
Grace's voice wavered. "I didn't..."
Emily pulled up the security footage on her phone and held it out. "Officer, here's the evidence."
The police officer watched the footage, made a backup copy, and turned to Grace. "You need to come with us."
Grace clutched Samuel's hand, panic flooding her eyes. "Samuel, I'm scared."
"Don't be scared." Samuel shot Emily a vicious glare, his tone firm. "I promise you'll be fine. This'll all be over soon."
The police took Grace away. The three Johnson brothers, worried sick, followed them out.
The noisy hospital room fell silent in an instant.
Joseph leaned against the wall and spoke up. "Emily, you're the Johnson family's long-lost biological daughter. Yet somehow, compared to Grace, you're the one who seems like the outsider."
Emily lay back down on the hospital bed, staring at the ceiling. Her voice was soft. "I think so too."
She turned her head toward Joseph, her tone gentle. "Thank you for today, Dr. Miller."
"No need to thank me. Taking care of my patients is part of the job." Joseph stepped closer and reached out to lightly touch her cheek. His fingertips met dampness. "Are you crying, or are you laughing?"
Emily froze, then immediately lowered her gaze.
She'd gritted her teeth and endured all that horrible mess just now, but Joseph's simple show of concern shattered her composure in an instant.
Tears spilled down uncontrollably. She couldn't stop them.
Joseph watched her eyes redden and felt completely at a loss. "Why... why are you crying?"
"I'm fine." Emily raised her hand to wipe the tears away, but they only came faster.
Joseph snapped out of it and grabbed a few tissues from the table nearby. "Don't use your hands. They're not clean."
"Th—thank you." Emily tried to smile, but her mouth refused to cooperate.
Joseph let out a helpless sigh and pulled out another tissue, folding it into a lopsided bow.
The design was clumsy, completely off-kilter.
"Does it look good?" Joseph held the tissue bow out to her.
Emily looked at the ridiculous shape and said quietly, "It looks good. Thank you. You fold bows the same way I do—they always turn out ugly."
"Ugly?" Joseph raised an eyebrow slightly.
Emily smiled awkwardly. The sadness in her heart lightened a bit, and the tears finally stopped.
Joseph softened his expression and said quietly, "I've got a joke for you."
Emily looked up at him, listening.
"What do you call a bear with no teeth?" Joseph asked with a perfectly straight face.
"A riddle? I have no idea." Emily shook her head.
"A gummy bear."
Silence hung for more than ten seconds before Emily suddenly burst out laughing. "That's such a terrible dad joke."
"It worked if it made you smile." Joseph breathed a quiet sigh of relief, his tone turning serious. "You have a fractured lower leg. You'll need at least a hundred days to recover."
"Wait, how long do I have to stay in the hospital?" Emily asked.
"Your injuries are pretty serious. You'll need to stay for about a month." Joseph straightened up, his tone gentle as he added, "Smile more. Nothing's more important than your own happiness."
"I understand. Thank you, Dr. Miller." Emily smiled faintly.
After Joseph left, Emily finally settled down to rest.
When she woke, it was already dusk. The hospital room was cold and empty. No one had come to see her the entire time.
She should've been used to this by now.
A hunger pang gnawed at her. She was about to order takeout when her phone buzzed. The caller ID showed the police department.
"Ms. Johnson, we've reviewed the full situation. It's confirmed that Grace deliberately pushed you. However, the Johnson family would like to settle this privately and is willing to cover all your hospital expenses."
Emily's gaze turned cold. "What else are they asking for?"
"The Johnson family is willing to cover all your treatment costs, recovery expenses, and provide additional compensation."
Emily spoke bluntly. "Fine. I want three hundred thousand dollars in compensation, plus two full-time caregivers."
"No problem. Mr. Johnson has stated that as long as you agree to sign the settlement, all conditions can be met."
Emily checked her bank balance on a whim. She didn't have any savings left.
Pointless stubbornness had no value. Getting something concrete out of this was what mattered.
Both parties hammered out the settlement: Grace would cover all of Emily's medical bills, lost wages, nutrition, and other related costs, plus an additional three hundred thousand dollars for physical injury and emotional distress.
When the Johnson family learned the outcome, their faces soured.
"Emily definitely did this on purpose," David said, growing angrier the more he thought about it. "I watched that surveillance footage over and over—you can't even tell if Grace pushed her or if she just fell on her own."
Mark's expression darkened. "She's purely after the money."
"She obviously didn't want to sell those gifts, but she wanted to scam us for cash, so she threw herself down the stairs and framed Grace." Samuel slammed his hand on the table. "That woman's too calculating."
Grace's eyes reddened as she put on a wounded act. "Samuel, forget it. I was partly at fault too."
"Emily's a jinx," David said, trying to comfort her. "Don't be upset, Grace. Money can smooth this over. I booked tickets to the beach—let's leave today and clear our heads."
"Thank you, David." Grace answered obediently.
A week into her hospital stay, Emily stumbled across Grace's Instagram.
In the photo, Grace stood on the beach in a breezy outfit, the three Johnson brothers at her side.
The caption was simple: [Thanks to my brothers for keeping me company.]
Emily found it grating and immediately blocked Grace's account.
"What are you looking at?" Joseph walked into the hospital room carrying a stack of materials and handed them to her. "Study materials I found for you."
"Thank you." Emily set down her phone.
Joseph glanced at her screen. "Whose Instagram were you looking at?"
"No one important." Emily looked down and flipped through the materials.
Just then, her phone buzzed again—an unknown number that had called several times in a row.
Emily answered.
"Emily, guess where I am?" Grace's sickeningly sweet voice came through, unbearably grating.
Emily's tone was cold. "Get to the point."
"I'm at the beach. My brothers are all here with me." Grace's tone was bubbly. "The beach is so beautiful. They're grilling for me, playing volleyball with me—it's so much fun. Next time I'll bring you along."
Mark's voice came through on the other end. "Grace, who are you talking to?"
"It's Emily."
"Why are you calling her? Bad luck." David's voice cut through.
"David, don't say that." Grace pretended to mediate. "Emily can't help it. She spent so many years in that orphanage—she picked up bad habits. She'll get better with time."
"Stop chatting. Come eat the barbecue. I grilled it for you." Samuel's voice urged her over.
Emily listened to their conversation, sarcasm lacing her tone. "Having a great time, aren't you?"
"Emily, what did you say?" Grace froze instantly.
"Calling me just to show off how your family dotes on you—what's the point?" Emily's tone was ice-cold. "Only flies swarm trash."
With that, she hung up.
Grace had been on speaker. The three Johnson brothers heard every word.
David flew into a rage. "Is Emily out of her mind? She called us flies and called Grace trash."
Mark's expression darkened to its limit. "She's just trying to get attention. Ignore her."
