Episode 4
936 Words
The shadows of the past
That night, Emma’s hands trembled as she dressed. The gown was breathtaking, silver silk that to her frame. But she felt like a fraud wrapped in diamonds.
The car ride was silent. Damian worked on his phone, his jaw set. He didn’t look at her once. Yet when they stepped onto the red carpet, his hand slid around her waist, firm, commanding, as though he’d done it a thousand time. To the flashing cameras, they were perfection: Damian Blackwood and his new bride.
The black wood name always demands and draws attention.
Emma felt it, the grip was too tight, as if she were nothing more than a prop to him and weight of everything happening was pressing down on her as she stepped into the glittering ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria, Damian removed his hand from her waist and hooked his arm to hers., chandeliers sparked overhead, the scent of wealth, expensive perfume hung heavy in the air.
The gala was one of his company’s social obligations. It was a whirlwind of diamonds champagne, laughers and whispers. Cameras flashed as Damian’s hand clamped firmly around her waist. To outsiders, they were dazzling. To Emma, the grip felt like a chains.
She didn’t belong here.
Her designer gown clung awkwardly, the heels pinching her feet. Every smile she tried felt forced and brittle.
Damian, however, looked very perfect. He commanded the room in his black tuxedo, nodding at the billionaires and politicians as though he owned them all. His hands s clapped at Emma’s back steady, but cold, like a leash rather than a touch.
“Keep your head high,” he murmured under his breath, his lips brushing her ear. “You’re Mrs. Blackwood now. Act like it.”
Her stomach twisted. She nodded silently, wishing she could disappear.
The whispers started immediately
“That’s her? The waitress he married?”
“Pathetic. She doesn’t even look like she belongs in the dress”
“She looks so… ordinary and very cheap”
“She must be very livid, knowing this cheap thing replaced her”
Emma’s cheeks burned, but Damian’s face was stone. If he heard, he didn’t care.
And then like a predator scenting blood. Vanessa Cole appeared.
Tall, flawless, draped in crimson silk, she was the embodiment of elegance and venom. Her lips curved in a smile that didn’t reach her eyes as she approached.
“Well, Damian” she purred, ignoring Emma entirely. “You didn’t mention you were bringing…company”
Damian’s jaw tightened. “Vanessa.” His tone was smooth, cold, final. “I trust you’re enjoying yourself”
Vanessa’s smile widened, but her eyes gleamed with venom. She finally turned her gaze on Emma, eyes sweeping over her from head to toe. “So this is your wife. “She laughed softly, cruelly. “Sweet. She looks like a she’s wandered in from the wrong neighborhood”. She leaned in, lowering her voice just enough for Emma to hear. “She’ll never survive this world. You know that, don’t you”?
Heat flamed Emma’s cheeks. She wanted to sink into the floor, but Damian said nothing, didn’t defend her, and didn’t even flinch.
The humiliation burned hotter than Vanessa’s words.
Across the room, another figure watched her intently
Marcus Kane
Damian’s board member, his rival in everything but name, stood near the bar with a glass of whiskey. His eyes never left Emma.
His smirk said it all. He saw her weakness and he would use it.
The evening blurred on the endless introductions, smiles that felt masks. Emma’s heart throbbed with every cruel whisper, every judgement glance. Damian, remained unmoved, cold as marble offering her no lifeline.
When at last they returned to the car Emma’s hands were trembling,
“You said nothing. “You let her humiliates me…you”
“And you embarrassed me tonight” he immediately interrupted her
Her chest squeezed. “I… didn’t…”
“Don’t.” his voice cracked like a whip. “Next time, hold your head up. If you can’t survive whispers, you’ll drown”.
Damian’s gaze cut to hers, dark and unreadable. “You want me to fight your battles? Then you’ll always be weak”.
Her chest tightened, tears burning her eyes “but you dragged me into this”
For a flicker of second, his eyes shifted something unreadable, almost pained, then the mask slammed back in place
“I didn’t force you to sign the contract, you made your choice when you signed the contract. Don’t forget it.”
He looked away, his profile hard against the city lights.
“You’ll learn, Emma, or you’ll drown”
His words fell like chains.
And Emma knew her fight was only the beginning
Back at the mansion, he shrugged of his jacket, dismissing her as if she were furniture. Yet as he walked way, he hesitated, just a fraction. His gaze lingered on her trembling frame, firsts clenched at her sides.
Then he turned, leaving her in silence.
Emma collapsed onto the nearest chair, chest heavy, felt dizzy and nausea due to the heavy perfume and stress she had to go through only in one day. Her humiliation was also suffocating her. She was nothing but a pawn in Damian’s game and worse, he didn’t care if shattered.
Or did he?
Because for half a heartbeat, before he turned away, she could have sworn she saw something break in his eyes.
She wrapped her arms around herself, whispering into her emptiness “I won’t break”
But her voice shook.
- Writer
