Emma’s POVIt was now Sunday, so it was time for me to head back home. As I packed up the last of my toiletries, my mind wandered back to the events of the past few days. The emotional rollercoaster I'd been on since my trip to the cabin with Liam, followed by the heart-wrenching conversation with Tony, left me feeling both drained and oddly liberated.I zipped up my bag and took one last look around the hotel room that had been my sanctuary for the night. After leaving Tony's apartment yesterday evening, I couldn't bear the thought of going back to the home I shared with Liam. Although Liam and I were in a good place, it just felt unfair to me to immediately run back into his arms after what had just gone down with Tony. So, I needed time to process everything, and to gather my thoughts before facing him.As I wheeled my suitcase towards the door, my phone buzzed with a text from Sammy - ‘Hey, girl. What’s going on over there? Call me when you can’I smiled, grateful for her constant
Emma’s POV“What do you mean I’m getting married, dad?” I question my dad, tears running down my face fast and hard. I haven’t ugly cried like this in years but right now, I didn’t care how ugly I looked. All I cared to understand was what my dad meant by I was to get married in two months.“I realize how sudden and unexpected this news comes, sweetie, but it’s what needs to be done,” he replies me, taking gentle strides towards me.I step back. Usually I like the comfort of being in my father’s arms, but not today. Maybe not ever again. Not with what he’s saying to me right now. “This is so unfair!” I shriek really loudly as I begin to pace round the living room where my mum, dad and I stood as they broke the news to me.At this point I was livid. I don’t think I’d ever been this angry before in my life, and especially towards my parents, but today I was. I was upset, confused, and especially furious at them.“How could you let this happen, mum?” I stopped pacing and faced my mum wit
Emma’s POVIt was him. Liam Henderson. My soon-to-be husband.He was the one on the other end of the phone call.“Hello, Liam,” I said in a sharp voice to show my distaste for the fact he just called me ‘love’. Usually, I like pet names. But him calling me ‘love’ in this instance irritated me to my core.“What do you want?” I asked. At this point, my parents had stepped out of the living room to give me some privacy to talk to him.“Is that any way to talk to your future husband, Emma?” He asked with such a deep, dominant voice that made my body tingle for a second.“Anyway,” he continued without giving me a chance to answer his question. “I want you to come to my office tomorrow. We have things to discuss concerning this marriage.”I was shocked. I was taken aback.There was no way he just spoke to me like that. Who does this man think he is?“I have things to do tomorrow. I can’t make it,” I replied sassily, making sure he was able to sense the attitude I was trying to pass across.
Liam’s POVIt’s been a few weeks since my dad mentioned that I had to get married to Emma Livingston.I was honestly fine with the idea of getting married, it’s not like it was going to stop me from doing the things I do on a regular. I just had to be more careful.What I didn’t understand was why my father thought it necessary to use this marriage as a debt collection method. It was crazy.“Dad, this marriage is unnecessary. He owes us money. He should pay,” I said to my father with my arms folded across my chest, sitting across from him in his home office.“We don’t need that money. You, on the other hand, need a wife. You’re beginning to attract a lot of public attention and it’s not positive. You know this and it needs to be fixed. I won’t allow your terrible public image to become an actual threat to this business,” he says pointedly.One thing about my father is that he’s always going to look out for the company first. It’s how he’s always been. He grew up poor and struggled to
Emma’s POVThe words sounded so venomous to me. Like they were filled with hate and spite.Is this man okay? I thought to myself, trying to comprehend why he was having such an attitude with me. We’ve never spoken before for Christ’s sake. So why on earth was he talking to me like we were fighting? Like I was a slave and he’s my master.There wasn’t anything that didn’t go through my head for the next couple of seconds as I tried to gather words to explain why I was late.Yes, I acknowledged the fact that I was late. But he should have acknowledged and appreciated the fact that I showed up.“Sit down,” he gestures towards the chair I was sitting on before for me to take a seat again.He walks past me to take a seat opposite me and watches me as I sit down. I don’t look at him, but I feel his eyes on me, watching my every move.“Hello, Liam,” I say to him, finally meeting his eyes. Of course, his gaze was already fixated on me.“Hello, Emma. You look lovely today,” he replied to me wit
Emma’s POVOne month down, one more month to go.It's a month until my arranged wedding, and I’m anything but calm.Considering Liam’s parents are doing this for the public eye, a lot has been going on concerning the preparations. According to his father, ‘nothing must go wrong’.Honestly, I’m surprised his parents are involving me in the planning at all. Considering the circumstances surrounding this wedding, I thought I was just expected to show up to the venue in my white dress and repeat ‘I do’ after the priest then move into Liam’s place.To be fair, it’s Liam’s mum that has been carrying me along in everything. She’s a sweet person and, for some reason, she treats me like her own daughter. I guess it’s because she doesn’t have a daughter of her own.Her face literally lights up when discussing the wedding plans with me, and it does make me smile, even though I’m not in the least bit excited about getting married to her son.It’s been three weeks since Liam last spoke to me. Every
Emma’s POV“I’m so sorry,” I repeated, stepping back a bit.He doesn’t look like the type to hit a lady, but I wasn’t taking any chances.He looked pissed, very pissed, and I honestly couldn’t blame him. I had just made him pour coffee all over what looked like a four-thousand-dollar suit.“What the fuck is wrong with you?” he growled at me, his eyes piercing into mine. “Are you blind?” he continued his questioning. “Weren’t you taught not to use your phone while walking?”That last question hurt a little. He was speaking to me like I was a kid, raising his voice a little higher after each word, and it made me feel so little and helpless.Yes, I was wrong to have bumped into him and drenched him in coffee, but he had no right to be speaking to me in such a manner.“I said I was sorry,” I retorted.Snapping at him was unintentional but it was needed.He seemed taken aback by my response but growled back. That’s right, he growled at me like a dog. Honestly, I found the whole situation f
Emma’s POV“Is anything the matter, dear?” Mrs. Henderson asked, looking concerned at my reaction.I quickly comported myself and told her everything was fine.“No wonder a lot of cooking was going on in the kitchen. I was beginning to think you all ate for a hundred in this household,” I said with a laugh to shift the conversation from the fact that I had to attend this dinner with Liam.“Oh don’t be silly, Emma. We’re not animals,” she replied, laughing. “Considering the plans for this dinner are last minute, do you have something to wear or would you rather my stylist got you something?” she asked, bringing us back to the conversation I was avoiding.It was a last-minute thing, but I did have something to wear, fortunately for me.“I have a dress at home I could wear, thank you,” I offered her a smile.“You’re welcome, darling. Also, feel free to invite a guest of your choice. I reached out to your parents, but they said they couldn’t make it,” she said. “Something about them not b