ANNA.I stood by the door, holding my breath. I didn't want to walk in. I couldn't even fathom what would happen if I walked in. I silently pictured Alex sitting on his favorite couch with his long legs on my table. He would probably be half asleep, and two of his bodyguards would be standing by the door. John would be lucky to leave in a healthy condition, and even if he did, I doubted if he would ever want to speak to me again. How would I explain my married boss sitting shirtless in my living room?“Are you alright?” John asked, pulling me out of my trance. “The door is unlocked,” I revealed.Maybe it would give him a bit of sympathy if he thought I had no idea Alex would be in my home. “Let me go in,” he offered.My eyes nearly bulged out of my socket. “It's risky,”“I'm the risk,” he replied.I took a step backwards, and let him take the lead. I watched as he walked in. I expected commotion, shouting, probably some hitting, but none of that happened.“Uhm, Emma?” He called my a
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.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
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
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