ISABELLA.There is nothing money can't solve. Absolutely nothing.I smile to myself as I watch John walk into the courtroom.Rather than just releasing a press statement, I decided it was best to get Emma out of that place as soon as possible. I wanted John all for myself, and I knew it was impossible, as long as she was still in there.So, I made a quick call, and got him an impromptu meeting.Of course, Kaitlyn knew better than to pass a guilty verdict, but I didn't want John to know that. It was exciting to find him preparing his speech for the judge. Given that he was informed only thirty minutes beforehand, he better have solid proof.I had gotten Kaitlyn to post bail for Emma. An exorbitant amount I knew she wouldn't be able to afford. That way, she would have to return to me, and she would owe her freedom to me.It was a solid plan. Why bother being the villain when you can turn the narrative by playing the role of the good guy?I remained seated in my car, listening through th
EMMA.“Thirty grand,” I whispered out, feeling the weight of the amount on my tongue. “Where am I supposed to find thirty thousand dollars?” I asked out again.Where in hell was I supposed to find that amount of money? It was just the same as spending the rest of my life in jail.I pushed the paper away, trying to avoid it.“What do we do?” I asked, wiping my face.Technically speaking, I was supposed to be excited that I wouldn't be spending the rest of my life here, but then, the cost was just excessive. How was I supposed to pay all that?No one would even be able to lend me such an amount.“Emma, we know the amount demanded is high-”“It's not just high!” I bursted out, “it's ridiculous! Horrible even! Thirty thousand dollars. If I had thirty grand, would I be here?”I turned to find Laura's brows knitted, but John still typed away endlessly.“What are we to do?” I asked, again.I could feel my heart hammering in my chest. I knew I wouldn't be able to pay for the bail, and wishing
EMMA.I never thought this day would come. As the weeks went by, I had slowly grown to accept the fact that I would be here permanently. When the bail came in, I knew for sure there was no way out.As much as I had asked John to seek help from Isabella, I had my doubts. Would she really want her arch nemesis out in public? Was she really ready to risk me seeing her husband?I hissed at the thought of Alex. She definitely had nothing to bother about. If there was anything this entire ordeal had taught me, it was the fact that Alex only knew how to make promises. He would never defend, nor protect me.I was foolish to have believed his lies. I should've known better. What was I even thinking? If he truly cared, he would have made us official,“He filed for a divorce,” a voice whispered in my head,I pushed it back immediately,How many years did it take for him to decide he wanted the divorce? And after that, how much longer did it take for him to get her to sign the papers? He never d
EMMA.Okay! Breathe… I needed to breathe. I need to calm down.I stood, fixated by the door, watching to see if everyone would stare at me. Of course they did, I was the stellar client they could've made a fortune from, but didn't.“Come in,” he urged, motioning towards me.I looked at Laura who nodded encouragingly. I knew she thought I was panicking because of the board.I wish I was.Despite Laura's approval, I still couldn't get myself to move. He was in here. In a black suit, watching me intently.Did he recognize me? I watched his facial expressions. He looked…confused, but there wasn't an iota of recognition on his face.“Ms…” he started to call out my name, but then paused to check the paper, “Ms Emma Martinez,” I let him call it out, “please sit with us,”I walked up to the table, dragging my feet on the floor. How was he here? Why was he here? Why couldn't he just be a normal one night stand like the others? Why did we have to cross paths again?I looked around to find the
EMMA On our ride home, I considered bringing Liam up again. I didn't want her to know I was affiliated to him in some way, but I had to know about him. Moreover, I had had sex with the man.“So, what's it like working for Liam Anderson?” I started the conversation slowly,She continued driving, but a smile crept up her face. “You’re asking about Liam again. You have a crush on him, don't you?” She asked,“No,” I denied immediately.“Emma, it's alright to admit you have a crush on my boss. Everyone does.”“Do you?” I teased,“I used to, but I knew I was better than that.”“Better than that, how?”“Liam Anderson is a great boss, and probably a great human, but he would be a horrible boyfriend. He is always partying, always with different girls. Everyday, a new magazine releases a clip of him with someone else. It's obvious he's not looking for something serious, and he wouldn't want to commit to it. I, on the other hand, am done with games, and have no intention of settling for such st
EMMA.I stood from the chair immediately. When last did I actually get my period?I touched my fingers, trying to make the calculations, but it fell off.I wiped my face with my hands. God, I couldn't be pregnant. I just couldn't. There couldn't be a worse time on earth for this to happen to me.No.I touched my chest, trying to calm down. I wasn't pregnant, because if I was…No.I couldn't be pregnant, and that was it. I didn't want to consider the possibility of Alex being a father to my child, or worse, Liam. It would be even more dramatic.I touched my neck, closing my eyes. Liam was in fact the last man I had had sex with. But then, he used protection, I think. No, he definitely did. He had to be wiser than that.Heck, I could have been pregnant, even before the one night stand I had with him.I groaned hard, trying to push off everything. I had been so drunk that night, everything was fucking blur. I didn't even know how I approached him, and made those moves. Fuck, it was a mi
ISABELLA.To the best of my knowledge, Emma was out of town, and that was all I needed. With her gone, Alex was more focused, and making more money. His net worth had tremendously increased, making him top one in his career. He was the face of magazines, and blogs after successfully bagging one of the biggest contracts in the city. That was my man. My Alex.I touched my glass, watching as the liquid flowed within it.El was still busy narrating how her day went, but I couldn't get myself to focus. She was boring, and uninteresting.I wanted to talk about myself.I hissed when she mentioned her fiance-no, boyfriend- that had never treated her right.“And he even closed the door for me!” She exclaimed,I raised a brow. “That's the bare minimum. Any man is supposed to do that,” I said to her with all honesty,Her face bent into a frown, but then I watched as she shoved me off, and the light returned to her eyes,“Isa, you're not getting the point. He never used to be a gentleman, he's c
ISABELLA“Give me a minute,” I said to El quickly, so I could pick up the phone call.Taking a deep breath, I slid to the green button.“I thought you would never pick up,” his voice came out in a low tombre, followed by a silly, laugh.“What do you want, Michael?” I asked, trying to suppress the burning sensation in my chest. I wanted to reach through the phone, and strangle.“You look really pretty today,” he commented,I raised a brow,“Your brown skirt makes you look like the perfect definition of a good wife, and mother. If only that were true,”I looked through the glass, trying to find him, “where are you?” I asked,It was no surprise that the bastard was trailing me.“Oh, honey, don't bother about it. You'll never find me .”I hissed at his remark, mostly because it was true.“What do you want from me, Michael?” I asked, again.“I just called to say hi.”“You have never called to say hi. You want something.”“Isa darling, you always think so lowly of me,”“Get to the point, Mi
EMMA.I stared into the empty space, watching the grass filled lawn. Kristy looked around, carefully taking in the arena.All the vibe , soft joy, and excitement had faded, and now it was time for business.I took a deep breath. The entire street was silent. I repeated that again. If anything were to happen, everyone in the neighborhood would know.Our voices would be loud.I shut my eyes, recalling how my mother used to slam pans as she shouted at us.The neighbors would come out, listening as she threatened to cut us off, and send us into the streets if we didn't behave.Why didn't Zara remember that?I clearly did. I recalled how a neighbor approached us, asking why we always defended our mother whenever the cops came to save us, and we would recite what she taught us, “she is our mother. We cannot survive without our mother.”Bullshit. Our mother had been ready to choose a man over us. Our mother threw tantrums because the man she wanted didn't want her in return.Our mother wa
EMMA.Kristy drove swiftly through the roads, with cool music playing in the background.We had driven off the part of town with numerous buildings, and we were currently passing through a number of line trees. I watched how beautiful nature could be.The silence and soft waves coming from the trees. It was beautiful to see.“How are you feeling?” Kristy asked, pulling my attention.I turned to face her, “I'm good. How about you?”“I'm alright.” She replied, with a deep heave.“Do you want to switch?” I asked,I knew I would eventually have to take the wheel for a while, but I didn't think it would be so soon.“No. It would just be helpful to have someone to talk to.”“Oh-” I sat up straight, “what's up?”“I'm just curious about your plans. I wasn't eavesdropping or anything, but Laura mentioned the possibility of you not returning. I thought this was just a short visit to see your sister. Are you really leaving us?”I took a deep breath, “I honestly don't know how it'll play out for
ISABELLA Slowly, my eyelids pushed open. I looked around, noticing that Alex and I had somehow ended up falling asleep on the balcony. We were laying on a spread chair, and I was on him.I wiped my eyes gently, clearing my view. How had we ended up here?I remembered us talking, and then I said a lot of things that had been needed. He said the things on his mind too. We eventually cuddled, and fell asleep.I remained in the same position. I could hear his heart beating gently.I loved the way we were. Just silence and peace. We hadn't even had sex in over a week but I felt this was the closest we had been.I heard him grunt, and shuffle, so I lifted my weight off him.He opened his eyes gently.“You're awake,” I said to him.As I watched his lashes move repeatedly, my heart swell with joy. Was this what it felt like to be in love?He grinned gently as he saw my face. “Good morning,” he greeted.He reached out, touching my face.“You look so pretty today,” I grinned at his complimen
ISABELLA.For the first time in years, I pulled out a blunt, and lighted it.Looking down through the windows, I watched as most people were gathered at a cubicle, partying, while the others stood nearby.They seemed happy, and…content. The exact opposite of what I felt.I took in a deep breath, before moving the cigarette to my mouth.A deep sip, and I pulled it out.How did I end up in such a life?I had imagined so many ways my life would turn out, but never did I think, despite all my hard work, that I would end up unsatisfied, sad, and tired.I had worked for this. I had worked for the money, for my home and for my husband. Now, I had lost almost everything.My daughter seemed like a distant relative who had no relationship whatsoever with my husband. Even I couldn't have a stable relationship with my husband. The memory of Emma still lingered in my marriage, and when it wasn't lingering, I was still bothered who he might be sharing his bed with.Emma wasn't entirely the problem,
ISABELLA “Who are you?” I asked, clenching my jaw.“It’s great you've finally decided to hold a conversation with me.”“That's not the answer to my question.”“My name is of no importance. You'll most likely never see me again.”“Good. Now, fuck off.”He chuckled. “You've always been a fiesty woman, Isa.”“Fuck. Off.” I spat even harder.The knowledge of Alex purposely leaving me out here was beyond heart breaking.“I have a lot more things to say to you.”“I have no intention of hearing it.”“My first question is, why him?”“Why what?” I asked, annoyed that he ignored my replies.“Why Alex? What's so special about him? He publicly disgraced you with a cheating scandal, he's currently ignoring you at your marital vacation? So, why him? What's so good about him?”“None of your fucking business.”“No, Isa. Don't be stubborn.”Who the hell did he think he was? “Leave.” I quickly said to him,“I believe that, by now, we would have accepted the fact that I'm not leaving anytime soon. You
EMMA.“So, now that Liam has given you the much needed permission to do whatever you want to do, what's the next plan?” She asked, breaking the silence.“I'll communicate with Kristy, and see if she'll be available to go with me in two days time.”“That's a solid plan. Is there anything else you need?” She asked,I could tell she was implying something from her tone, but I couldn't tell what it was.“Not really. Is there anything I should need?”“I think so,” she replied,“And that is?”“Give me a minute. I'd rather show you.”I sat quietly as she walked up stairs. She arrived a few minutes later with a pink gift bag in hand.There was a wide grin spread on her face.“What's that?” I asked, still in doubt.With all Laura had done for me, if she offered me another gift, I might just break down in tears.“I got a little something for you,” she said, still holding the bag.I felt the tears building up in my eyes.“I knew you would need it, and I didn't want you to be bothered. Here, take
EMMA.His words left me dumbstruck. My lips parted, but the words croaked in. I clamped my lips shut, pushing down the thousands of thoughts in my head.I thought he had forgotten me. I wished he had forgotten me!Why did he remember me?“You remember me?” I managed to croak out,His grin grew sly, and sheepish.“Now, onto business,” he said, ignoring my question. I blinked repeatedly, trying to recall if that had actually happened or if I was hallucinating. I had read somewhere that people often hallucinated once they had survived a traumatic experience, and it was safe to say my experience was traumatic. Was I losing my mind?I closed my eyes, then opened it. He was still sitting right before me, so that conversation had to have happened.I wasn't hallucinating. I couldn't be hallucinating “Oh my God,” I muttered out, understanding the implication of things.If I wasn't hallucinating, then he did remember me, and if he remembered me…“Are you alright?” His voice came in a thick,
EMMA.Laura arrived at four minutes after seven pm. I had just rounded up my third movie of the day. I had watched one, and was halfway through the second when the girls finally came. We talked for hours, and they finally left.I Ioved their presence, but them risking their spouses for me wasn't worth it. I wasn't comfortable knowing they were endangering their marriage.“I'm home,” Laura announced, as she walked in.“Welcome,” I replied, turning to face her.“Thank you,” she replied, pulling off her red bottoms. I watched as they both ended up on different sides of the room.If there was one thing I had grown to notice about Laura, it was how disorganized she was. No one was perfect-that I knew-but I had somehow concluded that she was. Aside that, she seemed to have her life I order. Moreover, it explained how she kept up with her social, and work life. Arranging her personal life wasn't needed at the top of the chart to me. She was on track.I watched as she dropped her handbag rec
EMMA.About eight weeks had gone by since I left that dungeon, and I still had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. It felt like the weeks I spent there had quadrupled, and taken even more months or years because it felt like the system had cut me out. Everything was the same, but different. I couldn't explain it. Everything looked the same, but felt different. I no longer felt like a young woman in her prime. I felt like an ex convict, and although I knew I was not actually convicted, it didn't make me feel any better. I had spent months in there fighting for my life. My brain, and thinking patterns had been altered.I took a deep breath, staring at the blank television. I was still too lazy to approach the sockets, and maybe it was better this way. I hated the noise that came from the TV, knowing fully well that I wouldn't be able to focus even when it was turned on. I was already too bothered about stuff.I was still deep in thought when I heard the doorbell ring.I gently wal