Midday Seduction

Emily's point of view I stood in the poorly illuminated room, my heart beating wildly as I stared at the candle casting shadows on the wall. The flames struggled against the darkness. “I hope he likes this,” I mumbled, my voice cracking with fear. I shut my eyes, trying to steady my breath, anticipating his arrival. My eyes ran across the room, from the candles arranged in a heart shape to the roses hanging on the walls. My hand slowly ran to my slightly rounded belly and I clutched it, my body shaking uncontrollably. Tonight, I was going to tell him about the baby, the little life in me. I hoped it would k****e the tiniest emotion in him. He was toxic, cold-hearted, and arrogant, but I hoped the news of the baby would touch his stone-cold heart. Suddenly, I heard the screeching of his tires as he drove into the parking lot. I could feel tears race down my face, my lips trembling uncontrollably. A few minutes later, the door flung open, his dark silhouette emerging as he stood in the doorway. There he was, the monster I had signed a contract to marry. “What is this?” he asked, his voice cold as ice. “H…Happy birthday…Regan,” I stammered, my voice quivering. “Birthday, huh?” he scoffed, slowly closing the door behind him, his eyes fixated on me. A wild grin spread across his lips, sending shivers down my spine. My steps trembled as I moved backward slowly. “It’s your birthday, I decided to surprise you,” I said, wearing an awkward smile. What was he thinking? Why was he acting like this? As he walked closer to me, his rough palm fingers rubbed against the candle wick, plunging us into darkness. “I am impressed,” he said as I leaned against the wall, it was obvious there was no room to escape. I couldn't help but regret not escaping the night of my wedding. My knuckles were white, my face pale as if I had seen a ghost. Every instinct screamed at me to run, but I stood my ground, shaking as I tried to fight the waves of fear which threatened to drown me. He walked close to the nightstand where the cake was kept. “This is for me? I feel loved,” he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He tossed the cake to the other side of the room. I heard it slam into the silver-coated mirror on the wall, the glassy fragments of the mirror spreading across the room. “Regan,” I called, my voice barely audible as I panted, gasping for breath. The wild grin on his face vanished as he walked close to me, the warm breath from his nostrils brushing against my body and forcing goosebumps to appear. “Emily, it seems you have forgotten your place,” he whispered, his eyes piercing into mine. I shut my eyes as he spoke. “What do you think you are? My wife?” he scoffed. “You think I want to spend the rest of my life with a classless lady from the countryside, huh?” he paused, observing my facial expression. Of course, fear was etched on it. “I just want you to be happy,” I forced myself to say. “Damn it!” he roared in anger, his knuckles colliding with the wall aggressively. “You don't care one bit about me, all you want is the damn money! Take these feigned feelings to the garbage, will you?” He laughed coldly before he continued, “I hate you, Emily. You're only in my life to ruin it! You seduced me and made me have a one-night stand with you!” He smirked, then continued, “You are just a toy, a rag doll. Our relationship is oblivious to the word ‘love’,” he noted, walking away from me. His words shattered my heart; he was right. My eyes fluttered open, my vision blurry as tears welled up. “But I'm pregnant,” I said, clutching my lips in fear. My words halted his movement and he whirled in my direction, his eyes widening. “You are pregnant?” he asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice. I nodded slowly, afraid of his next action. He exhaled loudly, “Get rid of the baby.” His voice was firm, “I am not ready to father a baby, especially your baby,” he mumbled, pllacing emphasis on ‘your’. He walked out, slamming the door behind him. I cuddled my body, drenching myself in tears. I was tired of his toxic love, I could still hear the warnings of my friends ringing in my head, I wished I had heeded their warnings. How about I take you back to where all these started? ********** Grrr! The shrill ringing of the telephone jolted me out of my thoughts. I wiped away the tears that had started to fall and answered the phone. After a brief conversation with the company's client, I packed up and was ready to leave the firm. I picked up my purse, a plastic smile plastered on my face as I walked out of the building, my heels clicking and echoing off the marble floor. I hated being stuck in the past; I wished I could just forget about it. “Emily,can you slow down?” I could hear Philip calling, begging me to wait for him, but I turned a deaf ear and quickened my pace. “Taxi,” I called, flagging down a cab and sliding into the passenger seat. If there was one thing I disliked, it was looking vulnerable. My thoughts had already altered my mood, and Philip was the kind of guy who would detect my mood and press further to discuss it. I climbed down the car and walked to my apartment. I halted my steps as I stared at my door; it was wide open. This wasn't a familiar sight. Emma was always the introverted version of me and would do anything to stay invisible to the world. “Emma?” I called, my voice quavering as I walked slowly into the apartment, my gaze darting around the corners. I slowly closed the door behind me, my heartbeat getting violent. “Emma?” I called again, sweat racing down my temples. I could feel my palms growing sweaty. My gaze fell on Raymond's coat lying on one of the sofas, its cologne dominating the air. Was he in my apartment? Raymond was supposed to be at work, not here. I tried to steady my breathing, paying close attention to my surroundings. Just then, my ears picked up a moaning sound from one of the rooms. I walked in the direction of the sound, yanking the door open, and my eyes widened at the sight before me: Raymond, my husband-to-be, was in an intimate embrace with Emma! I clutched my lips, stifling the gasp that wanted to escape. This isn't happening! “Raymond!” I yelled, tears streaming down my face as I rushed to him, my palm colliding with his cheek. “You bloody pervert!” I screamed, my voice cracking. His eyes met mine, his face pale. “Emily?” he called, hurriedly pulling on his pants. I wasn't going to listen to anything he had to say. I was done with him. How could he take advantage of my mute sister? “Get out of my apartment, or I'm calling the cops,” I threatened, my voice echoing with fury. Seeing how mad I was,he scrambled out of the apartment. I couldn't believe I had almost married a godforsaken pervert. My eyes turned to Emma, who was curled up, her lips trembling. I had wanted to shield her from this cruel world but had failed. She was so fragile and broken. “Emma,” I called, walking towards her and forcing a smile. Catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror which hung in the room, I saw my reddened face and puffy eyes, trying hard to hold back tears.