Beneath the mistletoe

chapter 2

A few weeks had passed since the incident. Emily did everything she could to not anger Julian so she did everything to his liking. She became he's personal servant. She was planning something, she had planned on divorcing him. So while she got the papers ready she had to pretend to him and act like everything is okay.

When she finally mastered the courage to face her family and everything was ready she set the plan in motion. She left the papers and photos of her bruises on the kitchen table with a note saying 'sign the papers' whilst he was at work. She left with, no where else to go she went home.

Emily stood in the doorway of her childhood home. The place that once felt so warm and full of life now loomed before her like a stranger. She hesitated, her hand hovering over the doorknob, unsure of how she would even begin to explain the storm she had lived through. She wasn’t the same girl who had left years ago, starry eyed and full of hope. She was older now, scarred in ways that went far beyond the bruises on her skin.

The door opened suddenly, and there stood her mother, Karen Gray. Her hair was streaked with more gray than Emily remembered, and her sharp green eyes softened at the sight of her daughter. “Emily,” she said, her voice filled with surprise and something else Emily couldn’t quite place. Relief? Concern?

“Hi, Mom,” Emily whispered, her voice fragile as glass. She forced a smile, but the weight of everything she carried made it impossible to keep it up.

Karen stepped aside, ushering her in. The house smelled the same, like cinnamon and fresh laundry and for a brief moment, Emily felt like she was seventeen again, safe and untouchable. But reality came crashing back as she caught her reflection in the hallway mirror. The faint bruise on her cheek and the emptiness in her eyes told a different story.

They sat in the living room, the silence between them heavy and uncomfortable. Karen studied her daughter, her lips pressed into a thin line. Emily knew that look; it was the same one her mother had given her years ago when she first told her family she was marrying Julian.

“Do you want to tell me what happened?” Karen finally asked, her tone measured but firm.

Emily swallowed hard, her hands twisting nervously in her lap. “I left him,” she said simply.

Karen raised an eyebrow. “Left him?”

“I divorced him, I don't know if he's going to sign the papers or not but to me we're divorced” Emily clarified, her voice breaking on the word. “It’s over. It’s finally over.”

For a moment, Karen said nothing. Then she leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. “Well, I can’t say I’m surprised. That man was bad news from the start.”

Emily flinched as if she’d been struck. She looked down at her hands, her vision blurring with tears. “Mom, please don’t....”

“I told you, Emily,” Karen continued, her voice rising. “Your father and I, Xander, everyone, we all warned you. But you wouldn’t listen. You ran off and married him anyway, and now look where it’s gotten you!”

“I know!” Emily snapped, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and pain. “You think I don’t know? You think I haven’t been beating myself up for years for not listening to you?” Her tears spilled over, and she buried her face in her hands. “I just… I just wanted you to hug me, Mom. I wanted you to tell me it’s going to be okay, not rub it in my face that I made a mistake.”

The room went quiet. Karen’s expression softened, the lines of frustration fading into something gentler. She reached out and placed a hand on Emily’s shoulder. “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I didn’t mean to make you feel worse. I just… I’ve been so scared for you, Emily. We all have.”

Emily looked up, her face streaked with tears. “I was scared too,” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. “I didn’t want to believe it, but Julian… he wasn’t who I thought he was. He… he hurt me, Mom. He hurt me in ways I didn’t think were possible.”

Karen’s hand tightened on Emily’s shoulder, her eyes widening in shock. “What do you mean?”

Emily took a shaky breath, her hands trembling as she tried to find the words. “It started with little things,” she said. “The way he’d talk down to me, make me feel like I was nothing without him. Then it got worse. He started controlling everything what I wore, who I talked to, even what I did in my own home. And when I made a mistake, he…” She paused, her voice breaking. “He hit me, Mom. More than once. Once it was because I broke a glass the other because I didn't cover the bruises with makeup.”

Karen’s face went pale, her hand flying to her mouth. “Emily…”

“I stayed because I thought I could fix it,” Emily continued, her voice thick with emotion. “I thought if I loved him enough, he’d change. But he didn’t. He just kept breaking me, piece by piece, until there was nothing left.”

Karen pulled her daughter into her arms, holding her tightly as Emily sobbed into her shoulder. “I’m so sorry,” Karen whispered, her own voice trembling. “I should have done more. I should have found a way to help you.”

“You couldn’t have,” Emily said through her tears. “Julian made sure I had no one. He cut me off from everyone my friends, my family. I didn’t think I’d ever get out, but… I did.”

Karen pulled back, brushing Emily’s hair from her face. “How?”

“I documented everything,” Emily explained. “The bruises, the burns from when he destroyed my art supplies everything. When I finally confront him with it, he won't have a choice. He will sign the divorce papers just to make it all go away.”

Karen’s jaw tightened, her eyes flashing with anger. “I hope he gets what he deserves.”

Emily shook her head. “I don’t care about him anymore. I just want to move on. I want to find myself again, Mom. I don’t even know who I am without him.”

Karen cupped Emily’s face in her hands, forcing her to meet her gaze. “You’re my daughter,” she said firmly. “You’re strong, kind, and so much more than what he tried to make you believe. And you’re going to get through this, Emily. I’ll make sure of it.”

Emily felt a glimmer of hope. It was fragile, like a tiny flame flickering in the wind, but it was there.

“I’m scared,” she admitted.

“I know,” Karen said, pulling her into another hug. “But you’re not alone anymore. You have me, and you have Xander. We’ll help you, one step at a time.”

Emily nodded, letting herself sink into her mother’s embrace. For the first time in what felt like forever, she allowed herself to believe that maybe, just maybe, things could get better.

That night, as she lay in her old bed, surrounded by the familiar comfort of her childhood home, Emily stared up at the ceiling and made a silent promise to herself.

She would find her way back to the girl she used to be the girl who believed in beauty, in dreams, in herself. And this time, she wouldn’t let anyone take that away from her again.