Chapter 5 - The Fourteen-Dollar DecisionEmma waited until David went upstairs to shower.
Then she texted Rachel from the emergency phone.
He knows. I found proof. I need to leave today.
Rachel answered immediately.
Go somewhere public. I’m contacting Detective Ortiz.
Emma packed only what she could carry: identification, one change of clothes, the flash drive, the insurance documents, and copies of the investigator’s reports.
She hid everything inside the lining of her brown leather bag.
When David returned downstairs, he was wearing a fresh shirt and an expression of calm control.
“We’re going to the supermarket,” he said.
Emma stared at him.
“I thought you were ordering groceries.”
“I changed my mind.”
She understood why.
David did not want her alone.
During the drive, he kept one hand on the steering wheel and the other near his phone.
“You’ve been under stress,” he said. “After the baby arrives, we’ll find a doctor who can help you.”
“I don’t need a doctor.”
“You broke into my office and invented accusations.”
“I saw the emails.”
David’s hand tightened around the wheel.
“You misunderstood them.”
“What does ‘before the child is born’ mean?”
The car drifted slightly toward the next lane before David corrected it.
“Stop talking.”
Emma looked out the window.
The supermarket was crowded. Families pushed carts between rows of summer produce. Children begged for candy near the bakery.
Public, Emma thought.
Cameras.
Witnesses.
She saw Wyatt standing near customer service, speaking with a security officer.
Emma considered approaching him immediately, but David remained close enough to grab her.
He guided the cart through the store, selecting only items he approved.
At the baby aisle, Emma stopped.
Rows of tiny clothes and blankets filled the shelves.
She touched a soft blue blanket printed with small white stars.
Their daughter still had nothing waiting for her.
Emma placed it in the cart.
David removed it.
“We don’t need that.”
“It’s fourteen dollars.”
“I said no.”
Emma picked it up again.
The act was small, but it was the first decision she had made without asking his permission in years.
“I’m buying it.”
David leaned close.
“Put it back.”
“No.”
His eyes narrowed.
Emma walked toward the checkout lanes.
She chose the lane nearest Wyatt.
Her plan was simple: place the bag on the counter, tell the cashier to call security, and keep David surrounded by witnesses until Rachel and the police arrived.
But the cashier scanned the groceries before Emma could speak.
Then she reached for the blanket.
David saw the price appear on the screen.
Fourteen dollars.
Something inside him broke.
He grabbed Emma’s arm.
“You’re wasting my money on this useless junk?”
The cashier’s eyes widened.
Emma tried to pull away.
David shoved her.
The counter struck her stomach.
Pain exploded through her body, and the world tilted toward the floor.
May you like
As she collapsed, one thought remained clear.
He had finally shown everyone who he truly was.
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