After everything youve done , you should be ashamed . She continued , her voice growing louder with each passing second . If I had known you were so ungrateful , I would never have saved you first and let my daughter stay underwater for so long and get asthma ! You ungrateful- Thats enough , Isabel ! Emma cut her off . She didnt show any sign of guilt her stepmother expected , instead , her eyes narrowed as she threw her stepmother a fierce look . Since your daughter got asthma , Ive given in to her in everything . But everything has a limit , she retorted , her voice hard . Am I supposed to hand over my husband now too ? Moreover , if she hadnt insisted on swimming in that lake , none of this would have happened in the first place ! Everywhere became tense as Isabel stared at Emma in shock . She was surprised that Emma was no longer obedient to her as before and even had the audacity to refute her . Isabels face twisted in anger as she raised her hand , ready to slap Emma . Before the slap.could land , David stepped forward , grabbing her wrist . His eyes burned with fury as he pulled Emma behind him protectively . Enough ! You will not lay a hand on her , David said coldly . Even if Emma did something wrong , its not your place to discipline her , let alone hit her in my presence . Shes my wife , and I wont tolerate anyone disrespecting her . Emma felt a pang of gratitude as David stood between her and her stepmother , shielding her 1/3 +25 BONUS The Rift Deepens from harm . Yet , as she looked at him , the hurt from earlier still lingered in her heart . She couldnt let herself be moved not after everything that had happened . Isabel , intimidated by Davids commanding presence , hesitated but quickly masked her fear in order not to lose her respect . She turned to Emmas father , who had been silently sitting nearby , tears streaming down her face . Are you just going to sit there and let her talk to me like that ? Discipline your daughter ! Her father remained silent for what felt like an eternity before finally letting out a weary sigh . He looked at Emma and spoke firmly . Emma , apologize to Allison . Lets end this here and move on . He then turned to Allison and added , Im sure we can let this go once Emma apologizes . Theres no need to drag it further . However , neither Emma nor Isabel was satisfied with his decision . Emmas expression hardened , and she declared , Im not wrong ; so why should I apologize ? Isabels face darkened with anger as she turned to her husband . Youre so biased toward your daughter ! she snapped . This whole mess is her fault , yet youre not correcting her ? Arent you going to handle this properly ? The room quickly descended into a heated argument , voices rising in frustration , accusations thrown from every corner . Henry , who had been sitting quietly next to Allison , suddenly began to cry , his small face scrunched in fear as the noise around him overwhelmed him . His wails cut through the chaos , forcing everyone to pause . Please , Allison finally spoke softly . I was injured accidentally . It has nothing to do with Emma . Emma scoffed when she heard Allisons pretentious words . She was clearly unimpressed , and even felt irritated by Allisons fake attempt to garner pity to herself . She continued , I hope everyone can stop arguing , please . Henry is scared and I dont want him to stay in this kind of environment . Could any of you take him outside ? No one spoke for a brief moment as they stared at themselves before Isabel finally spoke up . Allie , your father has an important meeting at the company . And If I leave , who will take care of you ? I dont trust anyone else to look after you but me . Now , only David and Emma remained . Even though Emma couldnt stand Allison , she knew Henry was innocent in all this . Moreover , she didnt want David to have any involvement with Allisons child , so she stepped forward and said , Ill take him . The room suddenly felt heavy with an awkward silence as no one expected Emma volunteering to take Henry . Davids eyes widened slightly in surprise , his lips parting as if to speak but no 2/3 +25 BOTUS The Rift Deepens words came . Isabel mumbled something under her breath , her words barely audible , and shot Emma a look of contempt as she took Henry in her arms and started to walk out . Without wasting time , David followed her out . They stepped out together , the atmosphere tense between them . David glanced at Emma holding Henry and spoke up . Ill stay with you and Henry , just to make sure everythings safe . Emmas eyes narrowed as she looked at him , a wave of anger rising inside her . Seeing how much David seemed to care for Allisons child only made her more furious . No , she snapped , her voice sharp . What happened today isnt over . The way you handled things really hurt me , David . I dont want to see you right now , she declared , and walked away with Henry .