Episode 77

"**My Deepest Secret (part 8)**" is the seventy-seventh released episode of My Deepest Secret by Hanza Art. After the death of George Brenton, Emma moves in to live with her paternal aunt, Annabelle Wilson.

## Synopsis

The aftermath shows that George Brenton's death and how he abused Emma had spread across the city like wildfire. At a hospital, a nurse approaches the doctor in charge of Emma telling him that there's a young woman who claims to be Emma's aunt. This baffles the doctor since Emma did not mention any close relatives, but the nurse confirms that the young woman is indeed Emma's aunt, because she is the sister of the late George Brenton. The young woman's name is Annabelle Wilson. The doctor relents and he shows Annabelle into the ward where Emma has been kept. When asked about Emma's condition, the doctor replies that she is stable for now, but was really tense when the police came to interview her earlier today. According to the witness who found her, Emma was sprawled on the ground and unconcious next to her father's dead body. It was straightforwardly confirmed that George had died an accidental death, and Annabelle is horrified to learn that her brother had been abusing his own daughter. The doctor also informs Annabelle that they still cannot confirm the extent of the abuse, because most of Emma's memories has been repressed because of the trauma. Since Annabelle came to claim custody of Emma, the doctor highly advises her to bring her niece for regular therapy in order to rehabilitate her back to a normal life. However, Annabelle is hesitant since therapy sessions are expensive. Later that day, Annabelle is allowed to approach Emma. She reintroduces herself as her aunt and introduces her daughter, Leia who is Emma's cousin.

Once Emma is discharged from the hospital, Annabelle invites her to move in to live with her and her family. She arranges for Emma to share Leia's room, much to her daughter's chagrin. Later that evening, Annabelle argues with her husband who is agitated at the fact that she took Emma in without discussing it properly with him first. He had discovered that Emma's father was in serious debt from buying that big house, and because of that, they barely recieve anything from his inheritance. Annabelle defends Emma, claiming that adopting their niece is not about money. As they continue to argue, Leia retreats to her room and passes by Emma. Leia sarcastically thanks Emma for bringing more "trouble" to her family. Desperate to keep Emma, Annabelle manages to appease her husband by assuring him that she won't send Emma to therapy (due to being unable to afford it). She also suggests that they look after their niece until she becomes twenty, and she will arrange for her to move out once she's capable of living independently. Annabelle then says that her brother made a mistake. They had tried to warn him against marrying Linda, but he refused to listen by severing ties with them, only to end up getting abandoned just like that. She assumes that her brother was driven insane from the heartbreak and the stress which caused him to abuse Emma, but is determined to make things right in his stead. Her husband reluctantly relents and agrees to let Emma live with them, but *only* because she is her father's daughter. Unbeknownst to them, Emma has overheard their argument, which causes her to recall how her father told her that she is *not* biologically his daughter. This makes her wonder what would become of her if her relatives were to know this. She quietly admits that her father was right; without him, she's really all *alone*. Elios suddenly comes into her mind, prompting Emma to dash back to her shared room with Leia. Taking out the diary from the drawers, she checks the calender and realises that it is almost October 28th. Elios' birthday.

The next day, Elios leaves his house and starts making his way to school. Along the way, he runs into a shopkeeper who tells him about Emma and her father. When Elios asks who they are, the shopkeeper explains that Emma and her father moved into the large house at the edge of town last month. Just as he is about to tell Elios that Emma had been abused by her father, the shopkeeper's wife appears and stops him. The shopkeeper then ends the conversation by telling Elios to be nice to Emma if he ever crosses paths with her, because she had suffered a lot under her father's care. He also tells Elios that Emma is recognisable for her beautiful long blonde hair and that she is always wearing pretty dresses. Elios then continues his way to school but stops when he notices his shoelaces are loose. It is then when Emma appears. She stutters a good morning as she clutches her present to him behind her back. As she ponders on how should she give him the present, Elios asks her if he's met her before. Emma reveals that she attended the same school as him. Analysing her appearance, Elios recognises her as George Brenton's daughter. Emma becomes anxious as she quietly asks Elios if he knows about what happened, but he replies that he only heard of them today. This causes Emma to become paranoid as she imagines herself being jeered at by her classmates for allowing her father to die as revenge for abusing her, and how she lied to her aunt about being her father's daughter in order to live a comfortable life. She then imagines Elios calling her creepy and ordering her to stay away from him. Seeing Emma's expression, Elios asks her if she is alright but is interrupted when a worker accidentally bumps into him. When Elios looks up, Emma has vanished.