Their Queen's Back - Chapter 62: Chapter 62

Hearing Ethan's voice, Rachel turned her face away and quickly wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
Ethan walked in and saw her evasive posture. A pang of heartache welled up in him. "Rachel," he said softly, "I made breakfast—all your favorites. Eat something before you go back to sleep, or your stomach will act up."
Hearing Ethan's words, Rachel froze for a second. 'He made breakfast?'
"He didn't go to work today? And he even made breakfast for me? What on earth is Ethan up to?" Rachel wondered, feeling both confused and suspicious.
Rachel shook her head and said quietly, "I'm not hungry. Just leave. I want to sleep."
Ethan watched her retreating figure, his hand frozen in mid-air. "Have we really grown this distant?" he wondered.
Ethan sighed softly. "Alright, but don't forget to eat something."
Ethan turned and left. Rachel didn't stop him. Only when the door clicked shut did the tears she'd been holding back burst forth like a torrential downpour, each drop striking the bedsheet with relentless force.
"Ethan, I'll let you go. I choose to walk away," Rachel thought to herself.
Rachel thought to herself, "You win."
Ethan arrived at the company restless and distracted, his face dark and grim enough to keep everyone at bay. His subordinates were all on edge, whispering among themselves, "Did Mr. Moore have another fight with his wife?"
Ethan's assistant informed him that Skye had turned down his request for a meeting. He wasn't surprised—he'd expected as much.
Ethan thought to himself, "I knew Skye wouldn't agree to see me so easily."
One of the colleagues whispered, "Sierra, Mr. Moore seems to be in a bad mood today. Why don't you take this coffee in instead?"
Sierra exclaimed, "Oh? Is Mr. Moore in a foul mood? Did Mrs. Moore come by this morning? Give it to me—I'll go see him."
Skye drove Emily to the amusement park. Looking at the lively scene ahead, the little cowlick on Emily's head bounced with excitement, and she couldn't hide her beaming smile.
Emily crossed her arms and huffed, "Ugh, this place looks so lame. I'm only here for you—wouldn't come otherwise."
Emily crossed her arms over her chest with a huff and marched boldly inside—but as she reached the entrance, she cast a furtive glance back to check if Skye was following, trying to look indifferent even as she clearly cared.
Skye came up behind her, donning a mask and a cap—it was better to keep her features hidden. But her commanding aura was too strong, making her seem out of place in the crowd. Many people, seeing her cold, aloof demeanor with a sharp edge, instinctively gave her a wide berth.
Lauren kept scanning the area, always vigilant for any safety concerns.
"Why not try the paddle boat race? First place wins a Strawberry Bear plushie!" Skye suggested.
Skye remembered how Emily used to love that Strawberry Bear plushie as a child—she would always hide it away in her room.
Emily pouted and huffed, "So lame! As if I'd go."
Skye failed to notice the fleeting shadow of fear that flickered in Emily's eyes.
She was afraid of water.
When she was around eight or nine, someone pushed her into a swimming pool. Ever since that day, she's been terrified of water.
Even in shallow water, she'd be paralyzed with fear—the dark shadow from her past forever looming overhead.
The fear rooted in her childhood clung to her like a dark, demonic mist—constantly swirling in her mind and binding her hands and feet, never letting her go.
Rolling up her sleeves excitedly, Lauren said, "Skye, don't you love that Strawberry Bear plushie? Let me do it! It's just a small competition—I'll win it for you!"
At this, Emily hastily shoved her small bag into Lauren's arms, tilting her chin up, her eyes full of disdain.
"Actually, this paddle boat race looks pretty fun—I'm gonna give it a try! You? Seriously? Didn't you see the sign? No participants over 16. You're way past the age limit, yet you still want to butt in? Hmph."
Emily thrust her small bag into Lauren's arms, trying to look fierce, but to Lauren, she just looked like an adorably grumpy little kitten.
She narrowed her proud, peach-blossom eyes at her, tilting her chin up just to see her face. With her petite frame, she looked like a stubborn little turnip standing in front of her.
The absolute cutest part of her outfit was definitely her shoes—each adorned with little bunny designs that suited her perfectly. She wore blue overalls over a cat-printed T-shirt, completing the adorable look.
With a delicate sniff, Emily marched off under the blazing sun to sign up.
After Emily successfully signed up and as the next round was about to begin, Skye gently placed her hand on Emily's head and murmured, "If you're not enjoying this, you don't have to join. There are plenty of other activities we can try."
Emily pouted and brushed Skye's hand off her head.
Her hand felt cool, not warm.
Yet her touch was gentle as she stroked Emily's hair, sending waves of comfort through her and lifting her spirits.
But with the competition about to begin, Emily had no choice but to remove Skye's hand.
"Who says I don't like it? I'm going! You guys just wait for me at the finish line," Emily retorted, then dashed off before anyone could respond.
Lauren was gradually coming to understand Emily—a classic tsundere, always saying the opposite of what she meant, with just a hint of temper that never really got out of hand.
Skye and Lauren made their way to the finish line—a short distance away, with each round taking less than ten minutes.
Emily froze for a second as she caught sight of the flowing water ahead, her body instinctively tensing up. But then she clenched her fists, forcing herself to look past her fear, and locked her eyes on the Strawberry Bear at the finish line.
"It's just a Strawberry Bear plushie," Emily thought to herself.
"Piece of cake."
"Not that I care or anything," she muttered under her breath.
"It's not like I actually care about this race," Emily thought. "I just think paddle boating is kind of fun. And I'm definitely going to win first place."
Taking a deep breath, Emily steeled herself and stepped onto the little boat.
"On your marks, get set, go!" At the signal, all the little boats surged forward simultaneously.
Emily strained at the oars, forcing herself to row faster.
Amidst the shouts of encouragement all around her, every stroke of the oar sent a sharp sting through Emily's chest. The gnawing fear coiled tighter around her heart, and her face gradually drained of color.
When she looked up and saw Skye waiting at the finish line, she gritted her teeth and doubled her efforts.
"Nothing to be afraid of," Emily told herself, trying to steady her nerves.
Just as Emily was about to reach the finish line, her boat was suddenly rammed and flipped over. She plunged straight into the water. Panic seized her—a suffocating terror closed in as water flooded her mouth, eyes, and nose.
"Water!"
"Water! Water!"
Panic drove her to thrash wildly in the water. The water barely reached her shoulders—standing up would have been easy, but her limbs locked in terror, refusing to obey.
Just as Emily was about to lose consciousness and open her mouth for air, a strong arm wrapped tightly around her waist, yanking her up from the depths. Skye pulled her into a firm embrace, gently patting her back as she cradled the trembling girl against her chest.
"Emily, Emily!" Skye called out anxiously.
Hearing Skye's voice.
Emily's long lashes fluttered faintly before her eyes slowly opened.
"Sis!" Emily whimpered, then flung herself into Skye's arms, shivering uncontrollably.
A wave of bitterness surged in Skye's chest, her eyes filled with pain and guilt. "She's terrified of water!"
"I had no idea."
Guilt surged through her like floodwaters up to her waist, drowning every fiber of her being.
"Don't be scared," he said gently. "I've got you. I'll get you out."
Skye wrapped an arm around Emily's waist and pulled her close. As Emily caught a whiff of Skye's familiar scent, the terror in her heart began to fade, little by little. She opened her eyes, looking up at Skye with wide-eyed relief.
Pressed against Skye's chest, Emily could feel the steady, powerful thump of her heartbeat—each pulse dissolving all her fears.
Emily just kept gazing blankly at Skye until he gently settled her onto a chair and asked her with deep concern.
"Emily, are you hurt anywhere? Let me know if you feel uncomfortable."
Emily snapped out of it, feeling slightly embarrassed, and shook her head. "Did I just call her 'sis'? It was so noisy—she probably didn't hear me, right?"
No way she heard me...
Emily's emotions were all over the place. Sometimes she just felt so weird—like she was strange in a thousand different ways.
She hoped she would hear her, yet at the same time, she wished she wouldn't.
Conflicting emotions tangled together like a ball of threads.
"I'm... I'm fine," Emily murmured, forcing a small smile.
Skye gently pinched Emily's cheek, her voice filled with anxious concern. "Why didn't you tell me you're afraid of water? And you still insisted on going boating?"
Emily pouted, her eyes reddening and her nose stinging with unshed tears. She felt utterly wronged.
When Skye saw Lauren return with the Strawberry Bear plushie, everything suddenly made sense. A lump formed in her throat, heavy and suffocating, as guilt and sorrow tightened her chest.