I wiped my tears, voice trembling. “Maybe it’s better this way.”
My mother’s eyes widened. “Emerald—”
“No, Mom,” I said softly. “It hurts, but… I can’t cry for it anymore. I have nothing left to lose.” I met her eyes, steady now. “But I will make them pay. All of them.”
She brushed my hair from my face, her touch trembling. “I talked to your brother,” she said after a moment. “He’s waiting. He’ll help us.”
“Us?”
She smiled faintly through her tears. “Yes. I’m coming with you. I’m leaving your father.”
For a moment, I didn’t believe her. My mother—who had endured years of silence and humiliation—finally choosing herself.
“He’s been with that woman for years,” she continued quietly. “I told him I won’t live like that anymore. Let him have her. I’m done pretending.”
The words hit me harder than I expected. I felt the tears return, but this time, they were warm—not from pain, but relief. “Thank you, Mom,” I whispered, clutching her hand. “For finally choosing yourself.”
She smiled sadly. “No, Emerald. For once, I’m choosing you.”
For a while, we sat in silence, just holding hands. The hum of the machines and the faint rhythm of my heartbeat were the only sounds in the room.