<h4>Chapter 752: 752-Emmet Was Framed Terribly</h4>
<strong>Hnie:</strong>
I was so nervous. I sat anxiously in their shared office after cing the pregnancy test on the table.
"I’m so excited," Maximus said, but after getting a harsh look from Kaye and Emmet, he settled down.
"As long as she’s okay with it, we’ll be happy. If she’s not, then remember, it’s her body, not ours," Emmet said firmly, staring into Maximus’s eyes.
I had overheard them once before, while I was in the bathroom. Norman, Emmet, and Kaye were actually scolding Maximus for being too excited. They said it might pressure me into feeling like I had to be happy just for their sake, especially Maximus’s.
"But fine. You know what? I’ll tell you why I’m so happy. Because there’s good news, or maybe not," Maximus said, cing his hands on his waist.
"Remember I had been researching Emmet." As soon as Maximus said that, I looked at Emmet, who frowned and narrowed his eyes.
"I didn’t know you were so impressed with me," he said.
"Actually, yeah. You’re my brother, the jerk who always helped me but stayed in the shadows, making it seem like you didn’t care." It was nice to see the brothers being more open with each other than before.
"What did you find out?" I asked Maximus. Since he said it was good news, I wanted to know quickly.
"Remember I said I was collecting footage from the bars where Emmet was found?" Maximus started pulling out his phone.
"Wait, what are you talking about? You were researching me? Investigating me?" Emmet asked, still confused.
Norman gestured for him to stand back.
"It’s for your own good. We thought maybe you were innocent, that maybe your curse didn’t cause everything," ss Norman said, I saw Emmet look even more lost. He ran his hands through his hair, clearly confused.
"What is this?" I asked Maximus as he turned the footage toward me.
And then we saw it. Two warriors were dragging an unconscious Emmet into the bar. They ced him in the exact seat where he waster found and poured alcohol around him. They even forced him to drink a few sips before leaving, making it look like he had been drinking the whole time.
And not just that, they left Azura’s pictures around him, along with her bracelet and everything. I felt like my whole world had copsed.
"Wait! I didn’t do that?" Emmet said, pointing at the footage.
"Well, there’s more. This was from the night you were supposed to marry Hnie. I don’t know how they found you, but this is why you didn’t make it to the wedding," Kaye said.
Emmet started to tear up.
"So I didn’t miss the wedding? Fuck it," he groaned, stepping away.
I felt horrible. He had been punished for something he never did. Someone had been manipting him all along. And all he got from me were angry stares. None of us stepped up to defend him.
"And that’s not all. Remember the night you supposedly pushed Hnie into the well?" Maximus said. At that, we all stared at him even more intensely.
Emmet sighed, cing his hands on his waist, his neck stretched upward and eyes closed.
"Please tell me I didn’t do that," he almost pleaded.
"You didn’t," Maximus said, making Emmet snap his head toward him. He held up more footage.
It was the same two guards, again dragging Emmet.
"You didn’t just push her and go off to drink," Maximus exined, shocking all of us again.
"But then why did I write those things?" Emmet asked. I could tell this was the first time he was relying on someone else’s information. Usually, he was the one who did the research, acted like the professor, gave lectures, but I guess this topic was too sensitive.
I slowly looked down, feeling embarrassed. Even though he was still processing everything and had just found out he was innocent, he gently pulled me closer, wrapped his arm around me, and rested my head on his chest. I instantly hugged him, hiding my face in his coat.
"Tell me," he insisted, but his voice was much softer now.
"Because you heard the Zharns whispering in your ears." As soon as Maximus exined that, I lifted my head slightly and looked into Emmet’s eyes. He quickly nced down, then looked back at me. He lowered his face and kissed my forehead before turning his attention back to his brothers.
"Zharns? How do you know that?" he asked.
"Look at this," Maximus said.
I turned and watched the footage. Emmet was walking out of the woods, stepping from behind the trees toward the academy. We could see several Zharns surrounding him in a circle, and he looked like he was sleepwalking.
Emmet stared at it for a few seconds. At the same time, I let go of the hug. I watched the clip too, feeling like we had all let Emmet down. He was always there for us. Whenever something happened, we knew Emmet would show up and help, even before we asked. But when he was in trouble, we didn’t even notice. We just let it happen. Even though he told us so many times that he didn’t remember. Instead of realizing something might be wrong, since he was only supposed to forget temporarily, we didn’t help him.
"I’m so sorry, Emmet," I said quickly. "I had no idea."
"I wish we hadn’t been going through so much and had focused on you," Maximus said, reminding us that things were so overwhelming, there was no way we could’ve thought through everything.
"It’s okay. I’m not ming anyone, except the person who literally nned it all against me," Emmet added, confirming it again and again. But I guess the guilt was so heavy on my chest, I couldn’t do anything but apologize again.
"Emmet, I remember I hurt you so much when I used you. But then Azura came through and took your side. You must hate me so much for it, don’t you?" I said, feeling so low right now.
And I was so d that while we were doing nothing for Emmet, Maximus went ahead and did his own research, the kind that actually turned out to be useful. As I watched Emmet’s face, I noticed he pouted just a little and nodded.
"Well, that’s true. Azura did take my side."
The moment he said that, confirming what I had feared, my lips started to quiver.
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