Chapter 3: A Serious Talk

After Jacob left, Emily went inside the house. It was around eight p.m. Elsa waited for her daughter in the living room. She raised her eyebrows, as her daughter’s lips were a bit swollen. Elsa held Emily’s hand and led her to go to Emily’s room. 

Once they were in Emily’s room, a feminine room dominated by pink and white, Elsa glanced at her daughter and asked, “Now, will you tell me what’s wrong?”

Emily hugged her mother and sobbed. “Oh, Mom!” She couldn’t tell the rest. 

Elsa didn’t push her daughter. Instead, she sat on the bed, waiting for her daughter to tell her. She only patted her daughter’s back. After a few minutes, Emily’s sob ceased. 

The younger woman wiped her tears, pulled herself from her mother’s embrace, sat on the bed, and bent her head to her bent knees. “He doesn’t love me, Mom.”

Sighing, Elsa reached out her hand to hold and squeezed her daughter’s. Then she patted Emily’s backhand. “You can make him love you.”

“Can I?” Her voice was shaky. “I thought he did.” Emily stared at her mother with dimmed eyes. “I thought he wanted to marry me because he loved me.”

“You know, I married your dad without love too at first. After marriage, I came to love him. It’s possible for him to learn to love you.”

“But Mom—”

Elsa caressed Emily’s hair. “You are pretty and sweet. He will love you later.”

“He loves someone else ….” Finally, Emily could tell Elsa about it. 

“Who? Is he having an affair?”

Shaking her head, Emily grasped her hands together. “No, but it’s Amy. He loves Amy …. He wanted to marry me because I reminded him of her.”

Elsa’s hand that stroked Emily’s hair stopped moving. She was quiet for a while, but then she smiled. “It’s normal I guess.”

“Normal?!” Emily’s voice pitched higher. “How can you say that?!”

“Amy was his fiancee thirteen years ago. It’s normal for him to still love her. It means he entered the engagement because he had a strong feeling for her.”

“But—”

“At first, I was worried when his mother asked me to arrange a marriage between him and you. His twice canceled engagements are the worst thing in his life. But apart from that, your father and I couldn’t find any bad things about him.”

“How can I compete with Amy, Mom?!” Emily groaned, covering her face with both hands. “She is beautiful, smart, and popular!”

“So are you, sweetheart.”

“But Jacob loves Amy, and he doesn’t love me!” She shook her head in desperation. “What should I do?”

Elsa let out a long sigh. “He will come to love you.”

“What if he won’t?” She squeezed her dress with both hands. She was too afraid of the possibility.

“Then you can try to find what he wants and needs in a woman. If he could love Amy, he could love you, too.”

Emily only bent her head, knowing no matter what she said, her mother wouldn’t let her cancel the wedding. So, she only stared at her hands on her lap. It was useless to explain everything to her mother.

“Sweetheart, you know I love you. Your happiness is the most important thing for me. You may fear the future. Being a wife is an important step in life, but you love him, don’t you?”

Emily nodded though her tears spilled a little. “I love him so much. It hurts me to know he doesn’t feel the same.”

“It doesn’t matter who loves more. Once you two marry, both of you will live together and learn to love each other. That’s the most important thing. Believe in yourself that your love is enough for both of you.”

“But what if he can’t love me back?”

“If you keep thinking that way, you will lose. Love is a feeling, but also action and determination. Yes, maybe you are right. Maybe Jacob doesn’t have a feeling or love toward you right now. However, if you keep loving him and are determined to win his heart, nothing is impossible.”

Emily bit her lower lip. Her hope rose after hearing what her mother said. “I hope so,” she said weakly.

“Now, get rest.” Elsa kissed Emily’s forehead. “A month isn’t a long time. I’m sure you will miss him a lot, but don’t contact or meet him as you asked. Let’s see if he will miss you too.”

Then Emily nodded. Her mother’s words made sense to her. She hugged her mother and kissed her cheeks. “Thank you, Mom.”

“Anytime, sweetheart.” Later, Elsa left Emily.

Taking a deep breath, she stared around her room, wondering what she could do to win his love. Since she made a silly request not to meet or contact him, it would torture her for a month. But then she grinned because she could still send gifts to him. 

So, she called Pauline Hartfield, her best friend. “Hey, you! I need help!”

“What’s up, girl?” Pauline giggled. “Do you feel a wedding jitter already?”

“Nah, but I need your smart brain to help me. What’s the best gift I can send to Jacob?”

Pauline rolled her eyes. “You are his fiancee, and you asked me? Come on, girl!”

“Oh, please! I can’t think right now.”

Scratching her head, Pauline frowned. “Wait! Why is your voice different? Did you cry?”

“Oh, Line! If only you knew.” Then Emily spilled everything to her best friend. 

After hearing what Emily said, the crease on Pauline’s forehead deepened. “Though your mother is right, I’m worried about you, girl. I met Amy a few times, and I admitted she was gorgeous. But she is pregnant now. For goodness’ sake! How can he still be in love with her?”

Emily bit her fingertip. What she discussed with her mother and her decision afterward vanished immediately after hearing Pauline’s comments. “That’s what I tried to say to my mom! I’m worried if he can’t love me back. I don’t want to be bound to a loveless marriage for the rest of my life!”

“Yeah, I know it’ll be hell. But then, can you let him go? Can you accept it if he marries someone else?”

Groaning, Emily shook her head. “I can’t! It will be too much! What should I do?”

Pauline was quiet for a while. Afterward, she said, “Let me come to your place. It’s better to talk about it directly than through the phone.”

“Sure! Come quickly!”