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
ISABELLATwo hours later, I was in bed with John, sweat dripping all over our skins. His lips gently pressed on my forehead. I smiled gently.“You're so beautiful,” he complimented for what felt like the thirtieth time,I grinned even harder, “thank you,”“I don't think you get told enough. Every woman needs to be told at least thirty times daily how beautiful she is,”I laughed hard at that, “no one can give thirty compliments in a day.”“Who says so? I definitely can,”“You can try,” “I already did.”I pushed myself off his chest, taking a clearook at his face.“You've given someone thirty compliments in a day?”“Not thirty compliments in a day. I've given compliments thirty times in a day, it could be repeated,”“Oh,” I paused, “so you've complimented one person thirty times in a day?”“I'm about to,”I grinned at that, “what do you mean?” I teased,“It's easy to figure out,” he teased back,“Hm,” I placed a finger on my chin, “I can't quite place my finger on it,”“Try harder, p
EMMA.“I'm genuinely tired of talking about how unfair life is, can we please change the mood?” Kristy smiled gently at me, “anything for you. What do you want to talk about?”“The hot waiter from last night,”Kristy's smile faltered slightly.“What's wrong?”“Oh, nothing. I never called.”“Why?”“Why should I call? I'll be here for a short while, and I'm not ready for anything serious. Moreover, do I want to be whoring around? It's not who I am.”“You lost the paper, didn't you?” I asked, slyly.Kristina loved to flirt, nothing could change that.She burst out laughing, “yes, I did.” She confirmed, “I had brought it out, and was about to call when I heard something about a girl drowning herself, and us having to evacuate the premises. I had left there to find you, and when I couldn't, I panicked and I can't even remember where I dropped the paper. It's gone now, and so is my delicious man.” Her face bent into a frown,“Aw. Sorry. Maybe you'll meet him again somewhere. You know, silv
EMMA.Kristina's words might have not completely changed my mind from the aspect of death, but it did give me a new perspective. “Emma, I am always here for you. I have always been and I forever will be. Nothing will ever change that,”“I know,” I admitted.Deep down, I knew that Kristina would always be there, come rain or sunshine, she would never leave me, but that was the problem.I was a burden.“If you know that, why would you consider making such a horrible decision? Why would you knowingly hurt yourself? You're better than this.”“No, I'm not. I am most definitely not. I am a burden. I am a problem everyone keeps trying to solve. All I do is bring worry, and pain. Look at it now, I've brought on a new worry for you. You were not supposed to spend more than two days here, but I already know you're considering taking a week off just so you can take care of me because I’m a burden. All I do is bring issues, and problems. I don't do anything good. I can't make any good decisions.
EMMAI couldn't believe I ended up on the floor. I laid still, unable to move. All my joints were hurting, and my muscles felt like jelly.I groaned as I felt an inner pain on my waist.I closed my eyes, trying to push back tears.These days, it felt like all I did was cry. Every little thing caused my eyes to be teary, and I hated it. I hated being weak. I hate being vulnerable. I hated being unable to help myself.“Fuck this shit!” I cursed out in frustration, wiping my eyes.I was still thinking of a way to get myself either the water or a way to my bed when I heard the door open. I craned my neck to find Kristina at the door.As soon as she saw me, her eyes widened and she gasped. Literally everything in her hands fell to the floor, and she rushed towards me.“Emma! Are you okay?” She asked, touching my body.I groaned as she touched this idea that hurt. “My eyes are open, so I'm definitely fine.”“You're on the floor!” She exclaimed.As she saw the wounds on my hands, she gasped l
EMMA.The warmth of the sun gently pulled me up from my deep sleep. I opened my eyes gently, still in doubt that I could move.I tried moving a finger, and to my surprise, it actually moved!It moved!I wasn't hallucinating.I smiled gently. Just as I was about to turn to check who was beside me, I heard a little mumble.I needed no one to tell me it was a man. What man was beside my bed?In curiosity, I turned around and to my surprise, the sheriff was there.He was in a black t-shirt, and jeans. He laid lazily on the couch, and if my presumptions were right, he had slept here overnight.How did he know I was here?I was still trying to compile everything when he stirred awake.As soon as he noticed I was awake too, he sprung up.His shirt was ruffled on his chest, and the arms hugged his huge muscles.He rubbed at his darkened eyes gently before speaking to me.“How are you?” He asked, gently.I wanted to reply, but I was still too awestruck to speak.How did he end up here? How di
EMMA.The soft, slow, yet strong push of the wind, moved me gently towards the water.My eyes were still closed as I heard, and felt the splash.I closed my eyes refusing to give into the kick of opening my eyes.Soon enough, I felt the water flow into my nose, and that was when I got back to my senses.I flapped my hands in the water, trying to find a way to stay atop but the pull of the water kept trying to pull me in. The water which had seemed calm was suddenly ready to swallow me. I grew on alert immediately.I opened my mouth, trying to get some air, but salty water flowed right in.Right there, fear set in. I flapped repeatedly, trying to stay above.I didn't want to die. What was I thinking?Why did I jump?Why did I take that step?Tears built up in my eyes as I tried my best to stay above the water.“I don't want to die,” I kept repeating to myself. I really didn't want to die.I looked around, trying to find a way out, but I was lost. I was in a large lake, and no one would
EMMA.Soon enough, our food arrived and Kristina was brave enough to ask the waiter for his number.First, he had smiled politely as he rejected the offer.I wasn't the least bit surprised. I knew it had to be against some sort of rule for them to give out their numbers or identities. There would be compromise.“He'll be back,” Kristy said as he walked out.I chuckled silently as I dug into my meal. It was truly amazing how much she believed in her beauty and energy.Of course, a lot of good looking people knew what they were but hers was divine. It was lovely.Hours later, we had somehow finished all our meals and were ready to leave. Luckily, Kevin returned to pick up the bill.She paid, and he handed us a receipt.As he walked away, I watched Kristina smile into the receipt.“Why are you smiling?”“Nothing,” she replied, tucking the paper into her jeans.“Kristina!” I exclaimed in a low tone,“I told you he'll be back.”“Girl…”She pursed her lips, smiling broadly.“Girl, you're go
EMMA.“So, you're worried there's a chance someone will recognize you?” Kristy asked,“Of course. It'll be a shame.”“No it won't.”“Do you know what you're saying? If someone recognizes me as the girl from Alexander's scandal, they will label me a slut and home wrecker. I would be doomed.”“No one will recognize you. The media focuses on too many people at once. By now, they're already looking at other celebrity scandals.”“You have a point though,” I agreed, taking a seat.We looked around, watching other booths. They were filled with different people, each having casual conversations.“Everyone looks so normal,” Kristy stated out.I turned to face her with a smile, “I was thinking the exact same thing!” She grinned. “No extra dinner dresses, not really any heavy makeup. Everyone just looks casual, and normal. It's beautiful.”“Indeed, it is.” I agreed.A waiter approached us with a menu in hand. “Welcome ladies,” he greeted us with a broad smile,Kristy sheepishly smiled back, a
EMMA.We both walked out of the house. I left my head hanging low, I didn't want Kristy seeing me so teary.“I'll drive,” she offered, taking the keys from my hand. I didn't resist it.I didn't think I would be fit to be behind the wheel.I sat into the shotgun seat of the car, still keeping my head low. There were so many reasons tears kept pouring from my eyes, but I couldn't focus on one.I sniffed hard, as Kirsty got in.I wiped my eyes, looking up to meet the pitiful look on her face.“Are you good?” She asked,I nodded.“We need to find where we can lay our heads tonight,” I said to her, looking at the road.“Where do you suggest?”“I don't know anywhere here. It's so foreign, and different.” I replied,“I'll just look up some places,”I remained seated as she scrolled through her phone.“Okay, there's one a few streets from here. We'll check it out,”That was fine by me.“Or would you prefer somewhere far from your home?”“No, it's cool.” I replied,She turned on the car, and
EMMAI watched as my-our mother rather- walked them towards the stairs, and watched as they climbed up.“Walk careful, darlings.” She said to them,She had never cared for me or Zara like that. We were always pains in her spine.She turned to face me, and for the first time, I noticed how much she had aged.Her eyes had wrinkles all over them, and her lips were thinned. She was older, but seemed lighter.The dark aura I had grown to know had dissipated.She sat on the chair opposite ours.We watched each other in silence. Me, in anger, and her in…I couldn't tell what emotion it was.How dare she treat them like actual children after what she had done to us?I knew there was no way those children were biologically hers, but she treated them better than she treated us. Weren't we deserving of her love, and attention?“It's been years,” she finally spoke up, breaking up my spiral.“It has,” I replied matter of fact.“How have you been?”“been good.” I replied.I didn't want to start up