010 NOT YOURS NEVER YOURS
1384 Words
CHAPTER TEN
Emma dragged herself back to the Williams house. Running to Lauren's wouldn't help. Nothing would help now.
"You're back."
Diane's voice came from the top of the stairs, her face was blank. But Emma knew one thing was sure, her mother would soon spit fire.
Emma didn't reply. She started climbing the stairs where her mother stood blocking the way.
"I told you to change…"
"Mom! Please." Emma cut her off. Her legs felt wobbly, but she managed to speak. "Let me rest."
Silence.
Then this laugh— God, this horrible laugh burst out of Diane's throat, loud and mocking, before it collapsed into a bitter scowl.
"Rest? You mean you really want to take a break?" Diane yelled. "You brought this upon this family. You brought that useless boy—I mean, Alex—into this house."
Emma chose to ignore her, pushing past to continue up the stairs.
"Answer me, you brat!" Diane shrieked.
"Mom, stop! Let me breathe!" Emma yelled back.
All the color drained from Diane's face. "Did you... did you just yell at me?" she whispered.
Emma's hands wouldn't stop shaking, her breath came out ragged. "You think I loved how everything turned out? Of course I didn't."
"Then f*****g do something. Convince him to help us." Diane's expression crumbled. She moved to Emma and grabbed both her hands.
"He's Alex… he wouldn't make you suffer. He loves you, he really does." Her words came desperate and fast. "Emma, love is powerful. He'll never want to hurt you. I know it's the media, his company, that stupid lawyer of his. They're all controlling him. Trust me, you can still reach him."
"He hates me now." Emma barely recognized her own voice. "You should have seen his face today. At the conference. It was... devoid of emotion. Alex isn't the same person we knew."
Diane dropped Emma's hands abruptly. "He's still the gullible Alex. I know... I know—"
"Wake the f**k up. We're screwed." Emma yelled.
A palm connected with her face.
Diane had struck her.
"You're useless! Who taught you to just give up like this? God, I shouldn't have let you marry him in the first place. He poured weakness into you."
Emma held her cheek, fresh tears burning her eyes. She stepped closer to Diane and whispered through gritted teeth, "When I looked back at how evil you were to him, I realized one thing. Being your child doesn't spare me from the devil inside you." She paused, her voice breaking. "You ruined my life. Remember that."
Diane stumbled back, her face going pale.
The stairs blurred before Emma's eyes. She turned away.
"I. Hate. You. Diane."
"Emma—"
She froze. That voice.
Ryan stood at the bottom of the stairs, and damn he looked like hell. His shirt was wrinkled and half-untucked, his hair disheveled like he'd been running his hands through it repeatedly. Sweat trickled down his face. His chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath.
Emma's hand dropped from her red cheek.
Diane couldn't move, her eyes twitching as if still trying to process Emma's words.
"Ryan? What are you doing here?" Emma's voice came out flat.
"I—" He started up the stairs, one hand on the railing.
"Thought you said you were leaving," Emma said before he could continue.
"That bastard." Ryan climbed halfway up the stairs, stopping just below them. "Alex blocked all my exits. He knew I'd try to flee. I was nearly caught at the airport." His gaze moved from Diane to Emma's swollen cheek, and something flickered in his expression.
"I heard about grandma. That she got sick. Is she okay?" He climbed another step closer to Emma and she stepped back.
He raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"
"You shouldn't be here, Ryan. Not anymore." Emma's voice was steady despite her shaking hands. "You should turn yourself in. Stop hiding from your crimes."
The concern on Ryan's face just... vanished. His jaw tightened, and when he spoke again, his voice had an edge to it. "Is she insane?" His question was directed at Diane. "Are you sick in the head or something? You want me to face interrogation when I've done nothing wrong?" His voice got louder. "You're the one who brought in that bastard. You should have divorced him when I told you to!"
Emma stared at the man in front of her, and a fresh wave of tears threatened to spill. God, he was nothing compared to Alex. His looks. His eyes. His posture. The safety that emanated from Alex. Everything was inferior.
And at that moment, she knew.
She'd lost a soul that was meant to be hers.
She finally let tears flow freely. Ryan climbed the remaining steps and reached to wipe them away.
"Don't touch me! I don't want you touching me!" She yelled, jerking away from his hand.
Both Diane, who had been watching like a ghost, and Ryan flinched.
"What the hell is wrong with you? Oh! Don't tell me you regret everything… that you regret losing him!" Ryan's voice cracked. "What about me? Who am I to you?"
"That's enough." Diane tried to interrupt, stepping between them with her hand raised.
Ryan shoved her aside, not gently at all. His hands curled into fists at his sides.
"Say it, Emma." He growled. "Say you regret ever meeting me."
Emma met him straight in the eye. "I f*****g regret the day I cheated on him, you piece of shit."
Something passed through Ryan's eyes. Bewilderment?
"Wow!" He started clapping. "Just wow!" His eyes locked onto Emma's.
Then he suddenly grabbed her arm, his fingers digging into her flesh. Diane lunged forward and pushed him. "Stay out of this, woman. I don't mind hurting you both!"
"Ryan... stop... please..." Emma couldn't get the word out right. His grip was too tight, and she was already exhausted.
"Should I remind you what you said during our first time?" His voice dropped to something dangerous. "That Alex never felt this good? That he wasn't worthy of being your husband? That he stunk sometimes? That you'd rather f**k a pig than him?"
His nostrils flared. "Should I f*****g remind you?!"
Emma went silent. She remembered. She'd said every single thing. The shame of it crashed over her now, mixing with exhaustion and rage.
Her whole body tensed, stomach twisted into knots. But she forced herself to speak. "What about those rumors online? The other women? You targeted them. You find women in broken marriages and use their pain against them."
"Oh!" Ryan actually laughed. "Did I ever hide that from you?"
Diane's eyes went wide. "Tell me it's a lie. That you're not another betrayer."
Ryan scoffed. "Of course I am. And guess what?"
He turned to Diane, a cruel smile spreading across his face. "Your daughter f*****g knew the whole time!"
Diane's head snapped toward Emma.
Emma bit her lip hard, tasting blood. "I thought you fell in love with me. I thought those days were behind you. You told me you'd never do it again!"
"And why would I love you?"
The question hung in the air.
Emma felt something c***k inside her chest. Not her heart breaking, that had already shattered.
This was deeper. Like the final death of some hope she hadn't even known she'd been clinging to. She'd told herself Ryan used her, that this a game. But some small, pathetic part of her had still believed he felt something real.
Now that was gone too.
Diane's mouth fell open. Emma felt weak. She staggered back, gripping the railing for support. Her vision blurred.
"You..." Her voice came out broken. "you never loved me."
"You lied to the family?" Diane's voice thundered through the hall.
"There's no family." Ryan's chin lifted. "You wanted me for my money too."
Emma wiped her tears. Something shifted in her expression, the desperation just drained away. She straightened up, made herself meet Ryan's eyes with a look that stopped him mid-breath
When she spoke, her voice was quiet and deadly.
"You think you're the only one good who knows how to play games?" She took a step toward him. "What made you think the baby was yours?"
Her voice carried through the hall like a whip.
- Writer
