84EMILY’S POV.It felt like something was roaring inside my chest instead of my heart.“Pregnant? Bullshit. Are you pregnant, Emily? Are we expecting a baby bump?” Sadie asked, and I looked at her. Then, it hit me.“No. No baby bump. I’m not pregnant.” I said, like I was just realizing it. I had never been happier to say the truth so sweetly.“Lucas?” Alpha Raymond asked.“You heard her.” Lucas replied.“I can do a test. A pregnancy test.” I said, immediately.“She’s never puked in front of me.” Sadie said.“I don’t think I’ve seen her sick in the morning.” Derel chipped in.“Mandy’s looking for people to drag down. Why would Emily be pregnant for Lucas?” Derella asked, and scoffed.“She didn’t look sick when she picked me up from school.” Jude put in.“I’m not pregnant.”“You are! Sadie said it!” Mandy blurted out.“That was only to lead you on to destruction. Because I hate seeing your annoying face, and wanted you gone. Emily said you can do a test. Why don’t you do it?” Sadie ask
85JOHN’S POV.It seemed like I been skidding down a hill at rocket speed, not having time to stop, but only being aware of the trouble awaiting me at the very bottom. Ever since I had been caught sleeping with Katie, I had always felt things were wrong. Emily had changed drastically. What made it worse was because I didn’t know she had it in her to be such an emotionally detached person.I didn’t even think she could do a day or a week without me. With the way she was moving on, it felt like she was erasing me from her head and heart completely.Honestly, she wouldn’t have, if not that Lucas kept getting in the way. If she fell for Lucas, then it would mean I had lost complete control over her.Looking at her, I knew she planned it all with Sadie. She had it in mind to break herself free, and she probably thought the best way to do it was to expose my infidelity.Too bad Mandy alone took the fall. Did she think she could escape me? No way. I looked at the family as they stared at Emi
86EMILY’S POV.The kids and I went to Lucas’ room where a table was set up, and chairs were arranged around it.“We’re going to have a party. We’re celebrating Emily, and Derella’s freedom.” Sadie said, sharing glasses around. “Emily no longer has to act like she’s engaged to our cheat of a cousin named John, and Derella can at least be herself when she’s home. She can happily watch her favorite celebrity Ariana Delacroix on Timmy Darien’s show, and declare her undying love for her.” She said, and everyone laughed.“I like Ariana, but why would I like someone who doesn’t even know I exist?” Derella asked, as Sadie poured pineapple juice into her glass.“You’re right on that, but you’re better than I am. You wouldn’t believe I’m crushing on Hiccup from how to train your dragon.” She said, and we all burst into laughter.“Derella likes someone who doesn’t know she exists, and Sadie likes someone who doesn’t exist.” Jude said, and Derel pushed her, as he laughed.“That’s brutal.” He sai
87EMILY’S POV.Why did I feel jealous? Why did I want him to like only me? Wanting him to be friendly to me alone, and laugh with me alone was wrong, but why did I feel that way?Why was I feeling left out because he wasn’t talking to me?Even when the kids included me in their fun conversations, I still found myself stealing glances at Lucas and Katie. Did he like her? Maybe he had asked her out? Was that why he hadn’t said anything about her also sleeping with John?Or he didn’t want her to feel jealous if he was talking to me? Maybe he didn’t want the kids to think we were having an affair.My mind was going crazy, and I just wanted it to stop roaming with thoughts of Lucas. Why was I getting so worked up over him? It was just Lucas.As we wined and dined, we all began to grow silent, and in a moment, Katie was on the sofas, which were joined together to take her length.Derella was on the floor, sleeping soundly, while Derel, Jude, and Sadie were sprawled on Lucas’ large bed.I l
88EMILY’S POV.I turned away quickly, staring at the wall closest to me. Did I see well? Were my suspicions of the previous day right? Did Lucas like her? Were they dating? Since when?I began to walk away, not wanting to be caught in such an uncomfortable situation. Blindly, I walked away from them, and winded up in the garden. I plopped onto the grass, and tried to erase the image I had just seen from my head.I felt so wronged, angry and jealous at the same time. They were probably having the best of time with each other.Why would Lucas flirt with me all night, and kiss another woman the next morning? Okay, we were just plain friends, but…“Damn! Friends.” I spat. Why was I mad? I myself had said it so many times that we were just friends, and nothing more.Just friends. Friends alone.It stung to think that he might decide to reciprocate Katie’s feelings. But did he really see me as just a friend and nothing else?It felt really weird. I had never felt that way before. Not knowi
1EMILY’S POV“Ouch!” I withdrew my hand immediately from the oven and saw that my mitten had a hole in it. “This is going to sting.” I remarked, looking at it in anger. Then I turned to the sink and turned on the tap.“Did you hurt yourself, Miss?” Dahlia asked, coming into the kitchen.“Oh, it’s just a little burn.” I replied, although it was obvious on my face that even as little as the burn was, it hurt badly.Dahlia browsed through the cupboards, and in a minute, she had taken my hand and dabbed it in cool honey.“My mom always did this. You’ll heal just fine, but she never hesitated to dab honey on skin whenever it got burned.” She explained, and I watched her. It must have been nice to remember her mother. Dahlia’s mother was long dead and gone, and the only family Dahlia had were her two children.She never talked much about her children, but Dahlia had been more than a mother to me. She kept the house clean, cooked, and never hesitated to listen to me whenever I needed it.Al
2EMILY’S POV.My heart went into a slow beat, and it seemed like everything had stopped. Maybe I was the only one who stopped.John, who smiled like the sun...John, who saw only me...John, who couldn’t wait for us to get married.John, who watched old movies and made cliché statements because I knew I loved them.John, who swore to give his everything to me...John, who was on the bed, groaning and cloaked in the shiny fabric of perspiration, was before me.The girl’s hair shielded her face as she continued to let out soft cries, and it was only when I staggered backwards that they stopped.John pushed her off him frantically, and she rolled off the bed to the floor, grabbing the sheets and covering herself with them.My heart seemed like it was about to explode with each beat.I tried taking deep breaths, but I couldn’t deny the hot tears that wanted to come running down.“Emily.” He called with a cracked voice, and I looked at their clothes on the floor, strewn in different place
3EMILY’S POV.I grabbed his hands and pulled them off, throwing them away from me, and turned to him.“What the heck do you think you’re doing?” I asked, looking at him with surprise, but it felt like a drum hitting my head. I staggered, and he caught me again.“What am I doing?” He asked, and I tried to pry my hands out of his, but he held on to my wrist firmly.“You know what you’re doing. How could you approach me for the sake of doing this? You’re a jerk! A traitor!” I accused him, with my words slurring.“A traitor?”“I thought we were comrades!” I shouted in an uneven tone and swayed on my feet once more, but he caught me by the waist.“Comrades? You’re drunk. I’m only trying to get you to your room.” He said, and in pretense of brushing my hair backwards, he brushed his palm over my breasts once more, and I pushed him away.“I asked what you think you’re doing!” I shouted, but my eyes couldn’t even open properly anymore.“I’m getting you to your room.”“All men are the same. Y
88EMILY’S POV.I turned away quickly, staring at the wall closest to me. Did I see well? Were my suspicions of the previous day right? Did Lucas like her? Were they dating? Since when?I began to walk away, not wanting to be caught in such an uncomfortable situation. Blindly, I walked away from them, and winded up in the garden. I plopped onto the grass, and tried to erase the image I had just seen from my head.I felt so wronged, angry and jealous at the same time. They were probably having the best of time with each other.Why would Lucas flirt with me all night, and kiss another woman the next morning? Okay, we were just plain friends, but…“Damn! Friends.” I spat. Why was I mad? I myself had said it so many times that we were just friends, and nothing more.Just friends. Friends alone.It stung to think that he might decide to reciprocate Katie’s feelings. But did he really see me as just a friend and nothing else?It felt really weird. I had never felt that way before. Not knowi
87EMILY’S POV.Why did I feel jealous? Why did I want him to like only me? Wanting him to be friendly to me alone, and laugh with me alone was wrong, but why did I feel that way?Why was I feeling left out because he wasn’t talking to me?Even when the kids included me in their fun conversations, I still found myself stealing glances at Lucas and Katie. Did he like her? Maybe he had asked her out? Was that why he hadn’t said anything about her also sleeping with John?Or he didn’t want her to feel jealous if he was talking to me? Maybe he didn’t want the kids to think we were having an affair.My mind was going crazy, and I just wanted it to stop roaming with thoughts of Lucas. Why was I getting so worked up over him? It was just Lucas.As we wined and dined, we all began to grow silent, and in a moment, Katie was on the sofas, which were joined together to take her length.Derella was on the floor, sleeping soundly, while Derel, Jude, and Sadie were sprawled on Lucas’ large bed.I l
86EMILY’S POV.The kids and I went to Lucas’ room where a table was set up, and chairs were arranged around it.“We’re going to have a party. We’re celebrating Emily, and Derella’s freedom.” Sadie said, sharing glasses around. “Emily no longer has to act like she’s engaged to our cheat of a cousin named John, and Derella can at least be herself when she’s home. She can happily watch her favorite celebrity Ariana Delacroix on Timmy Darien’s show, and declare her undying love for her.” She said, and everyone laughed.“I like Ariana, but why would I like someone who doesn’t even know I exist?” Derella asked, as Sadie poured pineapple juice into her glass.“You’re right on that, but you’re better than I am. You wouldn’t believe I’m crushing on Hiccup from how to train your dragon.” She said, and we all burst into laughter.“Derella likes someone who doesn’t know she exists, and Sadie likes someone who doesn’t exist.” Jude said, and Derel pushed her, as he laughed.“That’s brutal.” He sai
85JOHN’S POV.It seemed like I been skidding down a hill at rocket speed, not having time to stop, but only being aware of the trouble awaiting me at the very bottom. Ever since I had been caught sleeping with Katie, I had always felt things were wrong. Emily had changed drastically. What made it worse was because I didn’t know she had it in her to be such an emotionally detached person.I didn’t even think she could do a day or a week without me. With the way she was moving on, it felt like she was erasing me from her head and heart completely.Honestly, she wouldn’t have, if not that Lucas kept getting in the way. If she fell for Lucas, then it would mean I had lost complete control over her.Looking at her, I knew she planned it all with Sadie. She had it in mind to break herself free, and she probably thought the best way to do it was to expose my infidelity.Too bad Mandy alone took the fall. Did she think she could escape me? No way. I looked at the family as they stared at Emi
84EMILY’S POV.It felt like something was roaring inside my chest instead of my heart.“Pregnant? Bullshit. Are you pregnant, Emily? Are we expecting a baby bump?” Sadie asked, and I looked at her. Then, it hit me.“No. No baby bump. I’m not pregnant.” I said, like I was just realizing it. I had never been happier to say the truth so sweetly.“Lucas?” Alpha Raymond asked.“You heard her.” Lucas replied.“I can do a test. A pregnancy test.” I said, immediately.“She’s never puked in front of me.” Sadie said.“I don’t think I’ve seen her sick in the morning.” Derel chipped in.“Mandy’s looking for people to drag down. Why would Emily be pregnant for Lucas?” Derella asked, and scoffed.“She didn’t look sick when she picked me up from school.” Jude put in.“I’m not pregnant.”“You are! Sadie said it!” Mandy blurted out.“That was only to lead you on to destruction. Because I hate seeing your annoying face, and wanted you gone. Emily said you can do a test. Why don’t you do it?” Sadie ask
83EMILY’S POV.I could feel the shock in the air. It was stiff and tense. Even Lucas had stopped eating. John looked like he had heard news of someone dying. Lady Genevieve stared at Mandy like she was trying to decipher if she was saying the truth of not.Lady Mira’s jaw was open, and Alpha Will and Alpha Raymond were expressionless.“What are you saying?” Alpha Raymond asked her, dropping his cutlery.“I’m saying…”“Wait, wait, wait… you mean what you just said?” Lady Mira asked.“Yes, it is a hundred percent true.” Mandy replied, feeling more confident by the moment.“Mandy, stop spinning lies. It’s not nice.” Katie said, but I knew she only wanted someone to tell her it wasn’t true.“They’re not lies, Katie. Do I look like I would come here, and spill crazy nonsense? I said it because everyone deserves to know the truth.” Mandy replied, and I swallowed.It was over. She had said it before we could play her nasty videos. We were doomed. There was nothing we could do at that junctu
82EMILY’S POV.“What?” She asked, angrily, but I continued walking away. She didn’t deserve an explanation from me. It didn’t matter whatever she did. We’d ruin her before she even got a chance to talk or be listened to.If I saw she was about to speak, I would stop her, then her secrets would be blown out, and she wouldn’t even be listened to.I got to the corridor of my room, and saw John leaning against my door. He raised his head, and I gave a little sigh.I walked towards him, and stood in front of him.“Move. That’s my room.”“I know.”“Then move. I need to prepare for dinner. You should too. You reek of sweat.” I said, making to walk past him. He grabbed my hand, and pushed me backwards.“I need answers. What is going on between you and Lucas? Tell me. You still belong to me.”“In your dreams.” I retorted.“Tell me, Emily! I saw you both in the library, laughing. Just the both of you in that library. What were you saying?”“You couldn’t even pick on that? What are your ears fo
81EMILY’S POV.I scrolled upwards to a safe place where they had talked about Katie, and took my hand off Sadie’s eyes.“What was on it?” She snapped.“I guess your eight-year-old brain can’t guess.” George teased, and she made to scroll, but we both swatted her hand away.“Something really dirty. Something like what you saw him doing in the garden.” I said, and her little fingers flew to her mouth.“She is so screwed.” She said, excitedly, and screamed in happiness. “We have to copy everything onto a flashdrive. You have one, George?” She asked.“You know how to use it?” He asked, and she stuffed her hands into his bag.“Don’t joke with me.” She replied.“Wait, shouldn’t we just threaten her with this, and send her away quietly?” I asked.“Going soft? You’re free. I never go soft. She’s going to get double. She was disrespectful to me, and gloated about Derella being gay. There’s no way I’m letting her off easily. If she could show John her body, then it won’t be that embarrassing t
80EMILY’S POV.“Mandy!” I called sharply, getting up from my chair to chase after her. “Mandy!” I called, grabbing her arm, and turning her just before she opened the door to the foyer.“Let go.” She said, wringing her hand out of mine in disgust.“Okay, just calm down, okay? Let’s talk.”“We already talked, but you didn’t wait to listen to everything I wanted to tell you, did you?” She asked.“Okay, okay, I’m sorry. Just wait.”“I spoke to Lucas yesterday, and he hurt my pride.”“I’m sorry about that, but you need to think about this. We’re both going to go down if you do this.”“You should fear the people who have nothing to lose. Yesterday, he reminded me I have nothing to lose. I have no influential family, or an image I’m trying to uphold, so I guess I’m fine with whatever happens. Let’s go down together.” She said, turning away, but I turned her back again.“Wait! Okay, wait, you seriously need to think about this. They’re not people you mess with just like that! Hear me out. H