ANNAAs I stepped into the large hall, I was in awe. I had to clamp my mouth shut, to prevent myself from gawking at the designs. This was supposed to be the dinning? I silently wondered what the office would look like. I looked around, noticing every carving, every design, every turn. It was truly a work of art.“Card?” The butler present asked. I pulled out my invitation card, and handed it over. He scanned it, then returned it back to me. I smiled as he paved the way for me. I walked in.The view was even more beautiful from the inside. “Wow!” I exclaimed.“Isn’t it the most beautiful sight?” A feminine voice came from behind me. I turned around to find a beautiful blonde in a red dress. Her lips spread into a bright smile. It was a wonder her thick red lipstick hadn't stained her teeth.“I'm Laura,” she greeted, as she extended her arm. “Emma Martinez.” I replied, taking her hand. She was drop dead gorgeous.“You're from Locus Architects Ltd,” she suggested with a hint of doubt.
ISABELLAI thought that minor argument was the last one for the night, but obviously, I was mistaken. “Stop the car,” Alex said to the driver, barely five minutes after we had exchanged words.“Now, sir?” The driver asked. I could understand his disbelief. It was almost midnight.“Stop the fucking car.” He demanded with more enthusiasm. The driver quickly screeched the car to a halt.I watched as the other cars stopped. It was night time, so we were the only ones on the road. Alex picked up his jacket, and pushed the door open.“Where are you going?” I asked, with a strained voice. I was exhausted.“Take her home,” he ordered the driver, clearly ignoring me. I watched as he walked into one of our other cars.I hissed, as I wrapped my arms around my chest. Everyday, his attitude worsened. He despised me even more.The car Alex had stepped into separated itself from the rest of us, and I watched as it took another route. He was definitely not heading home, but I knew where he would be-
EMMAThroughout the entire party, John introduced me to everyone he knew, and had access to. I met the entire partners in his firm, his assistant, his colleagues. The list was endless. Occasionally, he would massage my hand with his thumb. “Are you alright?” he would occasionally ask, and I would nod. I grew to realize that most of his colleagues were married, and even a few were expectant. He, Laura and about two others were His tone only changed when Laura walked up to us. She smiled, as she sat directly next to him. I felt his body stiffen.Laura carried the conversation easily, as they argued about politics, human rights, and the likes. I was left out, but not offended. I liked to listen to elites speak about their interests.Occasionally one of his colleagues would ask for my opinion, and I would try my best to give an appropriate answer.All seemed to be going well until Laura and John got into an argument. Unfortunately, it was a topic I had no experience in, so I silently wa
ISABELLA.I barely slept last night. Not after what I had seen at Alex's hotel room. I even tried to lay my head there, maybe the scent or feel of his presence would make me feel less horrible. It didn't.I walked into my office, silently hoping I didn't look as horrible as I felt. I wiped my eyes, as soon as I pushed my shades off.My assistant walked towards me, and I glared at her. I wasn't in the mood to work. I just wanted to see my husband. Why wouldn't anyone get that?“Good morning, ma'am.” She greeted me.“What do you want?” I barked. Did she want to use me to get to my husband too? Did she want to ruin my mood even further?She flinched at my question.“Are you deaf?” I sized her up with my eyes. “I wanted to help you with your bag,” she muttered in a low tone.I glared even harder. “My bag isn't heavy. As lazy as you think I am, I can actually lift a bag myself.” “Ma'am, I don't think you're lazy. I just wanted to help.” She replied, with a croaking voice. I could see te
EMMAI was heading to my desk when I heard the door to Isabella's office slam so hard. Alex stomped out, viciously annoyed. Anna and I exchanged quick glances.“What happened?” I whispered.Our floor was out of bounds for most workers, so only a few had the privilege of seeing the drama.Anna shrugged. She didn't know, and didn't care either.I dropped the files on her desk. “Watch this, I'm coming.” I said to her,I could see the resentment in her eyes, as she shook her head, but I ignored it and trailed him.His long legs were an advantage as he walked to the office paces ahead of me. I wasn't sure he knew I was behind him, but I kept a reasonable distance. Alex had never been one to show emotions, so his reaction meant Isabella had pushed a button, and I had to make sure he was fine. I cared about him too much to let the anger get the best of him.I wasn't cheating on John, right? I was only checking on my boss, as any normal employee would do. Except that I had spent the night wit
ISABELLA.He had to be joking. This had to be a fucking joke. I shut my eyes, trying to push back everything. I was probably dreaming, that had to be it. I must have slept off, and ended up dreaming about everything, because Alex wasn't asking for a divorce. He wouldn't dare.“Isa,” he called my name, confirming the reality of everything. I wanted to smack him right across the face.“Alex, no.” I refused. I didn't want to hear any of it. I couldn't stand it.“Isa, we've tried our best. It just isn't working out.”“We've tried our best? No, the fuck we've not! You haven't! You've never put in a single effort to actually make this marriage work. You never wanted me.”“Then why don't you want out of it?” He charged. For the first time, I noticed his eyes were bloodshot. I watched as he took a deep breath, then regained composure. “Isa, I don't want to hurt you.” I scoffed at that.“You've already hurt me. You're hurting me right now.”“Can't you see this isn't working? Staying together
EMMA. Two weeks had gone by since the incident with Isabella, and Alex. In those two weeks, Isabella hadn't stepped foot into this building. I, on the other hand, avoided Alex like a plague. There was a strange level of hurt he had released that day, and that made me realize I couldn't keep up with this emotional stress. I was getting too attached to him, and he didn't even know what he wanted.Anna walked in, seizing my attention. “Transcorp has asked to postpone the meeting.” She informed me.“Why?” I asked, confused.“They said an emergency came up.”“Have they rescheduled?”“Not yet, but they've promised to get back to me.”“That's good.” She walked out. I returned my attention to the work at hand. I was typing furiously when I heard my phone ring. I picked it up to find a strange number calling.“Emma Martinez,” I said, as soon as I picked up.“Hey, girly” the other voice came through. It sounded familiar. I could have sworn I knew the person at the other side of the line.My
EMMA.I didn't want to believe what I just heard. “Four years?” I asked, in confirmation. I dropped the drink in my hand.Laura beamed, and for the first time, I noticed the dark hint to her smile. I touched my stomach gently. “Yes, four years,” she affirmed. I knew she wanted me to be fully aware of her stand.I closed my eyes for a few seconds. It all made sense now. Why John disliked her, why he didn't want me interacting with her. “I need to leave.” I said, as I reached out for my bag.Laura's smile faded. “We have a lot to talk about. Why are you leaving?”“I'm leaving because I want to.” I affirmed. I picked up my bag, and rose from my seat.“Maybe next time?”I shook my head, “No. Never.”“Aw, I had a lot to say to you. There are some things you need to know about the man you're playing with,” I eyed her suspiciously. I had somehow found myself in the net of the jealous ex.“Whatever information you have can be sent to my mail. My assistant will filter it, and get back to me
EMMAAs I approached Isabella, she eventually paused then turned around. I watched as she crossed her arms across her chest, “what do you want?” She asked ,with a sneer.“I want to talk,”She chuckled. “You want to talk. After years of ruining my marriage, you want us to talk? What do you want to talk about?” She spat,I pleaded an arm forward. “Please, just calm down. I have left Alex, haven't I?” She hissed, “We know you only left my husband because you found another site to dig your gold.” I sighed, “you have every right to be mad at me, and to have awful thoughts about me.” I continued, she only glared harder, “I just want you to know that I am sorry. I truly am. I have wronged you in many different ways-”“And you'll do it again.” She cut in.I sighed deeply, “no, I won't. I won't do it again, because I'm sorry. I have left Alex.”“Oh, no no no. You can have him. Gone are the days when I wanted him. You can fucking have him. I'm done with him.”I sighed, “fine. For what it's wo
EMMA I stared at him in shock. He couldn't be serious, could he?“What do you mean?” I asked, confused.“I already knew.” He repeated,He had a sly smile on his lips. I was too stunned to speak. Could this be a dream? A crazy dream. I blinked twice.How could my mother tell him, and not tell me.He saw the confusion on my face, and began to speak, “I know you're confused, but let me explain. Your mother and I already talked about you before you arrived at manhattan.” He explained, “she always complained about you and Alex and how she wished you would always leave him. When I met you at first, I didn't know you were her daughter, but as time passed, I found out.”“Why didn't you say anything?”“You said you weren't ready to talk about it and I didn't want to force you.”I don't know what to say, “I-I…if you knew, why did you still stay with me?”“I met, and studied you. I realized you were more than just a silly affair. Emma, your affair went viral, there's barely anyone who doesn't
ISABELLAI watched as Chris's face bent into a frown. I expected him to stand up to Alex, and claim his position, but either he was too chicken or just knew his place, so he stepped back. Alex stood before me, and I ensured I had anything but the slightest of smiles on my face.I watched as he skimmed me from head to toe. “You look…stunning,” he said,I couldn't remember the last time he had looked at me like that, or even looked at me at all.“Are we going to dance, or will you keep gawking at me?” I asked, raising a brow.He took a step back, “let's dance,” he said, stretching forth his hands. I took it, and followed him to the dance floor.The song chosen was a slow, and soulful one. We danced rhythmically, with his hands on my waist, and mine on his shoulders.I took a whiff of bus perfume, and my knees weakened. Alex never played with scent, and that was one of his most attractive attributes. The dance continued, and I silently searched for El through the crowds. It was hard t
ISABELLA A knock pounded on my door. I knew it could be no one else but him.“Come in,” I said, applying the final touches to my makeup. I knew he wasn't aware that I had changed my mind and would be attending.I listened as the door opened, and he stepped in.“You're coming,” he simply stated,“Yes.” I replied, dropping my lipstick. I stared at my reflection in the mirror, “do you have a problem with that?” I asked, facing him.“No,” he replied, but I could clearly hear the tension in his voice.“What? You don't like that I'll be able to see you stalking her?” I wanted to ask, but I suppressed it. Talking about Emma had gotten me nowhere. It was time to play fair.I picked up my bag. “Can we go now?” I asked,I watched as his eyes fell on my legs. My dress wasn't exactly short, but it held my curves accentuating my look. The dress had an open back, and thin arms, giving way for me to show off my toned skin. My hair was down to my shoulders, and I had red lipstick on.I watched as h
EMMA.The burial was done soon enough, and I wanted nothing more than to return home. New York just felt like the place where all bad things happened to me. I didn't want to return here.I silently remembered Kate and Faith. Both had been unable to make it for the burial, and although I wanted to be infuriated, I knew I couldn't blame them. Faith was in the last month of her trimester, and her husband had informed me she was due at any date. I couldn't risk her losing the baby due to a heart attack from such a news, so we kept it away from her.Kate on the other hand had relocated out of the country with her husband. I was wise enough to know the expenses for returning back were too much. She could repay her respects later on.God, how did we get separated so soon? I always thought we would all grow old together. I sighed. Truly, Kristina had left all she owned in my care, and I didn't know what to do with it. I wasn't sure I wanted to sell the house just yet, but I didn't know what
EMMAAfter days of trial and error, we had finally been able to get Kristina laid to rest. I had thought that by now, I would have left the denial stage, but that was a lie. I was still in denial as much as ever. My mind just couldn't grasp her not being alive and with me. It made no sense.I crossed my arms across my chest as the priest read from the bible. I looked around. Not even one of her family members had made an attempt at attending. Samuel had offered to invite his family to stand in, and luckily, they all did. I was eternally grateful for that.I looked around. The only person that wasn't seated was Samuel's mother. She had excused herself minutes ago.I sniffed, trying to push back the tears that had been formed in my eyes.What would happen to our dreams of growing old together? They were all just…gone! Just like that! Everything we had budgeted.Samuel held my hands tight. He hasn't known Kristina for the longest time, but even he knew how kind of a person she was. If o
EMMA.Okay. This resemblance was beyond extraordinary. I stared at her for a long time trying to decipher if I could spot any difference between her and Kristina. Finally, I closed my eyes.If I hadn't seen Kristina's body rotting on that floor, I would have been so confused she was the one.“Any problem, ma'am?” She asked,I shook my head.Samuel helped me place an order. I sat still, not knowing what to say or do.“Hey,” Samuel said, bowing his head to meet mine.Tears had piled up in my eyes. I wanted feedback from the cops. I wanted to know what had happened to my best friend. “Have you heard anything?” I asked,He picked up his phone, and scrolled through, “nothing yet,” he said, dropping his phone.I sighed. “They're not taking this seriously enough! They need to do better!” I screamed,He touched my back, “darling, I'll ensure that they work faster and put this at the top of their books.”“Thank you,” I thanked him.I was drained. “I want to go home. I'm tired.” I said,and by
EMMA Zara had retained her dorm from last semester. It was a Saturday, and I knew she had no class. I hadn't been good enough of an elder sister to know if she had a job. I sighed. I really needed to change. There was a lot of things I had slacked on.“I'll be out in a few minutes,” I said to Samuel,“Take your time. I'll be working from here.” He replied, bringing out his tablet.I walked out of the car, and headed into her hostel. They were girls everywhere. I looked around, trying to see if I could recognize anyone. My eyes were clouded with tears.“Block C1 room 5,” the words rang in my head, as I continued walking. I looked at the doors trying to determine what block I was on. I silently hoped the room number I had memorized was accurate.After a few minutes of walking, I finally arrived at the said room. I could hear some voices from inside. It sounded like the tv was on. I knocked.“Come in,” Zara's voice replied.I pushed the door open, and she screamed as soon as she saw me.
EMMAI couldn't move. I blinked, but I couldn't move. Samuel dropped the phone on the table, and turned to face me.I opened my mouth to speak, but words wouldn't leave them.“I-”Jesus Christ. He wrapped his arms around me. I still didn't move. My eyes were fixated on it. I couldn't see anything else.Samuel's hand crawled up my head, and he touched my head gently. “I need to move closer,” I said, still in a state of doubt. He moved out of the way, giving me the space I needed. Although, I could see what was before me, I felt like I needed to move closer.This had to be some sort of prank. This couldn't be true.I bent down, and although the stench grew stronger, I ignored it.“She can't be dead,” I whispered.I wanted to feel the tears crawling up my eyes, but I didn't. They refused to fall.“She can't be dead,” I repeated, “she can't be dead and decaying!” I screamed. “No! Kristina is not dead! She can't die! She wouldn't do this to me! She can't do this to me! We are in this l