“I was...”
The two simple words made Emma’s heart skip a beat, she still saw hope.
She saw a hope to change his mind about divorce. All was not in vain, if she could move his heart even once, she could do it again and she was willing to do it no matter how hard it was.
She knew he wouldn’t discard her like this after 5 years of companionship.
Or would he?
“...when I took you to bed. I am still a gentleman, I wouldn’t use just any women. After all, you were a goat who willingly came to her slaughter, how could I refuse? But I made sure to never impregnate you, I couldn’t be unfaithful to Stella now, could I?”
“What?”
Just when she thought her heart couldn’t break anymore it did. So, all the time when she was thinking there was a problem with her for not being able to get pregnant, it was never possible because he never allowed it?
How stupid has she been, to not even realize this?
A feeling of foreboding engulfed Emma, as one by one everything fell into its place. The truth was always in front of her but she being a blind fool in faith and love never saw it.
She looked at Shayne as he chuckled in mockery, as he disdainfully glanced at Emma, before continuing.
“Any commoner entering the high society through marriage would be a headless chicken, an easy target. That too in a family full of snakes like mine? I would be a fool to let the love of my life suffer here just because she is in love with me.”
“So...”
“So, I made Stella escape the night before our wedding, letting you know about it at the last moment so that in the moment of panic, you would agree to marry me without thinking too deeply about it, as you cared too much about us for my good.”
“You...”
Anger choked her throat, as unpleasant words were ready to rain down on the scumbag who sat in front of her, so nonchalant, as if he just hadn’t ruined her life, just because he didn’t have the guts and wasn’t able enough to protect the woman he loved from his own family.
The fact that he used her as a stand-in, as a bait, so that when Stella returned he could easily divorce her and marry Stella stating they couldn’t get pregnant and he couldn’t marry another heiress as he was already once married, and Stella was ready to marry him.
He would then make some stupid story about how she escaped her death and how she didn’t run away gaining sympathy from the high society, then live their happily ever after like nothing happened, like she never existed in their lives.
“Do you know what surprised me?”
Shayne asked, interrupting her train of thoughts, as she looked at him, eyes nonchalant and full of self-mockery. The image was so clear to her, that she even felt like laughing at her foolishness.
“What?”
“It was the fact that even after so many years of our marriage, you never thought of what happened back then, but I guess you were so blind in love that you never saw a problem.”
Emma chuckled bitterly; it wasn’t so surprising to her.
For a woman who has longed for attention and love all her life, to even accidentally receive some was a gift greater than her life. So the two people who were genuine to her were in a crisis, she didn’t think twice before jumping to rescue.
“Alright, quickly sign the papers. I don’t have all day with me. I entertained you so long because of the 5 years you spent serving me like a perfect slave.”
Shayne said with a voice full of disdain, as he couldn’t bear to look at Emma a moment more or it would cause him to wrench his guts out.
He stood up from the bed, easily towering over her, as he side-stepped her and walked towards the bathroom, before stopping briefly.
“Also pack up by tomorrow morning. Stella will be here, I don’t want her to feel uncomfortable with your presence.”
Saying this, Shayne continued ahead with his chores, Emma stood there, rooted like a statue, as even tears refused to flow out of eyes at her will.
She was numb would be an understatement. As she thought back to 5 years back, to the day of their wedding.
Indeed, it was so blatantly visible to the naked eye that even a toddler could figure out something was fishy but she couldn’t, maybe it was because of her panic and worry for the couple of the day, that she was blindsided.
There was no way Stella would run away from the wedding after all she also belonged to a middle-class family like her, and for her to get the chance to marry into an upper-class family was already a blessing but to get married to an old money like Watson’s was a fantasy come true.
So when she did, it was not possible unless Shayne asked her to because she listened to him and only him back then.
Oh, how foolish she was to trust Stella ran away from the wedding and even ended up dead because of a car accident and because she was newly married, she couldn’t attend the funeral to not jinx their marriage.
What a joke!
There was no funeral to even begin with, and then what mourning was there to do? With these thoughts, Emma looked down at the papers in her hands, which were now crumpled because of her clutching them in a death grip.
With a small smile full of pain and self-mockery, Emma picked up her mobile from her dress pocket, before making a call.
The call was picked up after a few rings, as she spoke into it.
“Mr. Grayson, I would like to make an appointment with you, regarding the divorce. When can I meet you?”
“...”
“It would be just me.”
“...”
“Sure, thank you for accommodating me at the last minute.”
Emma spoke in a calm and gentle tone which felt like the soothing morning breeze of spring, even if her heart felt like the desolate winter night storm.
This is also one of the reasons why she could easily find common ground with everyone and effortlessly mingled with different socio-economic groups with ease, she could easily mask her emotions in her voice, something even Shayne hadn’t mastered even after growing up around hypocritic high society people.
After completing the call she placed the documents back in the envelope and then into her side of the closet before heading back down to greet the rest of the families and get the breakfast started serving.
Soon Shayne joined the breakfast as well, with no signs of what transpired upstairs, as Emma barely held her composure at the sight of his nonchalance.
“Hello, everyone!”
A cheerful voice came from the entrance of the dining room, making every head snap in that direction. All faces except one bloomed into bright, welcoming smiles, as a young woman in her early twenties started making her way towards the table.
Dressed in a floral one-piece that showed off her hourglass figure, paired with white wrap-up pencil heels, her hairstyle into beach curls, Stella exuded every bit of the charm of a woman in her early twenties unlike, Emma whose face had taken the toll of all the stress of managing household affairs for the last 5 years.
“Stella, weren’t you supposed to come here tomorrow? How come you are here today?”
Madam Watson, a prominent figure in the high society and a perfect example of ‘aged like a fine wine’, was Shayne’s mother in her late forties.
Her expression was pleasant as she gently smiled at Stella something Emma never received all these years and even Stella did not while she was engaged to Shayne before.
So what changed now? Was the lingering question as she saw the welcoming look on Madam Watson’s face.
“Am I not welcome here today, Aunty?”
Stella asked with a pitiful expression as her face was painted in surprise, her cheeks turning red in embarrassment. Making anyone pity the woman, even Emma momentarily opened her mouth to comfort her but closed it shut when she realized, it was all an act.
An act which she was just starting to see, and knew how well she used it on her many times in the past to get her things done from Emma, while she was out enjoying her life with Shayne.
“Silly child. I was just asking in surprise. Come have breakfast with us. Emma quickly set up a plate for Stella.”
Madam Watson consoled Stella gently before directing the latter sentence at Emma in her usual cold and disdained voice.
“Yes... Madam Watson.”
Emma responded with practiced ease, as she quickly motioned the servants to bring the cutlery and plate to set it up on the empty chair beside Shayne’s younger brother, Spade. A seed of doubt sprouted in her heart.
‘Were the Watson family already in known of this deceit all along? Which is why they never treated her seriously?’
The seed of doubt that sprouted grew throughout the breakfast, by the end of it Emma was sure that, Shayne had indeed included the family in his plans, or else, there was no way they would suddenly agree to change the bride at the last moment, that with another commoner.The more she saw, the more Emma realized how blind she was to not see the undisguised hatred and disgust the family had for her as if they couldn’t wait for the day she would leave their lives. What she did not understand was, didn’t they hate Stella just as much but now there was such a drastic change in their behavior, especially Madam Watson’s, so what changed in these 5 years?“Emmie, why are you so silent? Are you not happy to see me after so long?”Stella questioned innocently as she looked at Emma with her doe eyes full of sincerity, making Emma almost question Stella’s innocence in all of this but brushed it off when she remembered how good of an actor Stella was.“I’m just overwhelmed, seeing you after so lo
After the bizarre breakfast, Emma wrapped up her work at home and went out to her bank to get some paperwork done, before hailing a cab to an apartment complex downtown. The air here felt a little humid, but looking at the kids running about to their school and elderly people strolling in the garden of the complex, Emma felt some warmth in her heart. Walking in she passed by a few blocks before she stopped in front of a familiar block. This is where her foster family lived and though they severed their ties with her when she decided to marry Shayne, she knew they were always genuine to her, no matter the circumstances. It was she who couldn’t distinguish between genuine and fake, and came into Shayne’s persuasion and broke her family’s trust in her by marrying him behind their backs. Thinking about it, she was truly amazed by her foolishness. Now that she realized her mistakes, she was ready to make amends with her family no matter what punishment and price it might take because s
After her lunch, Emma hailed a cab and reached the towering building of Grayson & Co. Law firm, where her scheduled appointment with Charles Grayson, the Watson Family’s Lawyer was about to take place. She entered into Grayson & Co. law firm and confirmed her appointment with the receptionist, who informed Charles Grayson’s secretary about Emma being there for the appointment.A few moments later, a woman dressed in a crisp business suit walked out to the reception and greeted Emma with a polite smile, she introduced herself with a firm handshake which Emma returned with equal elegance.“Royce Grayson. I will be handling your case.”“Emma Wright.”“Shall we take this to my office?”Royce asked curtly as Emma nodded with a gentle smile, surprising Royce at her gentle demeanor.When her Uncle passed her a divorce case of the Watson family, she expected a haughty complaining woman, now plotting to get the maximum of what she could from the family by the divorce because that is what most
If an earthquake occurred and the ground beneath opened up, Emma would happily jump into it. That is how eager she was to escape the predicament she was currently in. On the other hand, the man who is the cause of this predicament was enjoying every bit of the moment. “E-Ex?” Richard’s eyes bounced between Christopher and Emma to find any hint of a joke before he looked at his twin, who looked equally surprised by the revelation. “How are you, Emma?” Christopher ignoring the baffled expressions on his friends' faces, smiled and asked in a gentle tone while taking in her features. “I am good. When did you return to the country?” “Not pleased having me back, are we?” “There is nothing to be pleased or not to be pleased about. It was just small talk.” “Since when did you start liking small talk?” “5 years is a long time for me to start liking anything.” Nothing betrayed Emma’s steady voice and calm smile as she looked straight into Christopher’s eyes. Despite her sweaty, cold
Emma, who exited Grayson & Co. hailed down a cab and went back to the Watson mansion. To find Madam Watson fuming over something and lashing out at Amanda, with the poor woman trembling in fear.Unable to bear it any longer, Emma cleared her throat, making her presence known, her expression gentle and a calm smile painted on her lush pink lips.“Where were you? Have you seen the time?”Madam Watson’s expression soured even more than before as soon as her gaze fell on Emma.“Did you need me for something?”Emma calmly asked, disregarding Madam Watson’s tone, as this was how the older lady always spoke to her.“The dinner is not yet ready! And Stella’s room looks like a haunted house! Is this how you arrange things?”Madam Watson lashed out at her in a shrill voice, a few octaves higher than her usual tone, stating how angry she was.“I will take care of it before dinner. As for dinner, I will see what is taking time.”Emma’s smile was intact, her voice steady as she softly spoke.“You
“We meet again.”Startled by the sudden voice from beside her ear, Emma stumbled back by instinct making her trip onto the air and fall backward.Resigning to her fate, Emma shut her eyes tight, waiting for the impact of the hard, cold ground on her butt but was confused as it never came, instead, there was a pleasantly, familiar pressure on her waist.Peeking her eyes open, her eyes clashed with Christopher’s ocean blue eyes full of mirth.“Though is it an extreme honor. I can’t have you falling for me left and right, I don’t want such a pretty lady to get hurt.”“Thanks for the save and it is Madam, not Lady.”Emma still cool as cucumber answered in a calm, measured voice, a complete contrast to the rampage of elephants inside her stomach and the sprint her heart was currently running.“Oh? I thought I was here to d
As promised, Emma was out of the house by the next sunrise, leaving behind two puzzled members and three relieved family members. Her disappearance puzzled Mr. Watson, whereas Spade was unsure as to how to interpret her words from last night and her disappearance this morning. On the other hand, Shayne and Stella were rejoicing on the inside to be finally rid of Emma’s annoying presence in their lives. Madam Watson was also on cloud nine to have freed her son from the good-for-nothing woman, who brought no advantages to Shayne, unlike Stella who was already a well-established actress. ******************** Emma rolled her suitcase into the elevator of the apartment complex she bought the other day. Readjusting her sling bag, she pressed her floor and leaned back to wait for the elevator to close. Just as the doors were about to close, a muscular arm interrupted, prompting the door to slide open again. The unexpected interruption
Stanley’s no-nonsense tone, made Emma tremble, but she caught herself in time.She expected it, she anticipated the hate but when it was thrown at her face, in reality, it hurt like someone pulled out her heart.Catherine, with tears running down her bubbly cheeks, pulled at her husband’s sleeve, shaking her head, asking him to not hurt their daughter with such harsh words.She might not be their blood, but she was still the daughter they cherished with their all, at times even more than their own flesh.“It is alright, Mom. I deserve this but I won’t give up this time. I will make up for all my shortcomings and right my wrongs since last 5 years.”Emma smiled softly at her parents before, heading into the stairwell, unable to wait there any longer for the elevator.Descending the stairs, she was once again lost in the past.Time was unforgiving, 5 years seemed to have sped past in a blin