Amber appeared behind him, her arm in a sling, tears pooling in her eyes. “That’s not true! I was trying to talk to you, Emerald. You’re the one who slipped! You pushed yourself and now you’re framing me for it!”
I stared at her in disbelief. “You liar! You—”
“Enough!” my father shouted, cutting through both our voices. “Do you hear yourselves? This is a disgrace! Fighting like this in public, dragging our family’s name through the mud!”
“Dad, please—”
Before I could finish, his hand cracked across my cheek. The slap echoed in the quiet room, sharper than the machines around me.
“You will not shame this family again,” he said coldly. “Do you understand me?”
Tears filled my eyes, but my voice came out steady. “I want a divorce.”
He froze. For a second, he looked at me like I had cursed his bloodline. “What did you just say?”
“I said I want a divorce,” I repeated.
His eyes blazed. “Divorce? You think I will allow that in this family? Are you serious, Emerald? Do you want to ruin us completely?”
He raised his hand again, but before it could reach me, my mother rushed in and caught his arm. “Stop it!” she shouted. “She’s hurt! Can’t you see that? Stop hurting her!”