by Hart, Rebel
I don’t want to tell him the truth. That I am always secretly waiting for that side of him to return. It has, though. I’ve seen it. He hasn’t been perfect. I just don’t know which side to believe—if the bad will always resurface, or if eventually, he can learn to move past it.
Emmett looks at me desperately, as if our lives are hanging on this moment as he moves inside of me again. He trembles against my body in breathless moans. I keep my hands planted on either side of his face, guiding him back and forth, letting him know that I am right here with him, feeling everything he is feeling.
“You’re all I’ve ever wanted,” he mouths to me.
I swallow hard from the pressure. I wanted to be the center of Emmett’s world. Part of me has always secretly wanted that, even if only as a way to escape his tormenting. Now I am, and I don’t know if I can bear it. The weight of it crashes down on me, and I feel like I might suffocate beneath it. But he sweeps my lips back into his, and I am lost again, unable to care about anything but him. That’s how quickly he makes me forget that I have a choice, and I relish in the freedom of it. His prison feels like freedom. I know it’s wrong and messed up, but I can’t feel any other way. We belong to each other.
“I want to do everything to you, Ophelia,” he murmurs in the darkness. “I don’t think I could ever get bored of your body. I want to do everything there is to do to it…and once I’ve done it all, I’ll start over and do it all a second time.”
I shiver against his words, growing wet all over again. “That could take quite some time,” I warn him jokingly.
“Planning on going somewhere?” he questions, raising his brows at me.
I hesitate in my reply, hating to kill the mood. “Well…Emmett…there’s college and everything,” I remind him. “I mean, who knows what will happen. I want to be with you, but…we don’t know what the future holds. I don’t want us to make promises we can’t keep.”
“Go to college near Jameson,” he suggests cavalierly. “Or go wherever. I’ll fly to come see you.”
I laugh out loud at how easy he makes it all sound. “And what about you?” I ask. “Do Jamesons not have to attend college?”
“Not really.” He shakes his head. “Not when we take over things this young. My advisors will hire private tutors from top institutions—enough to satisfy the requirements for a degree. Anything from an ivy league school that can be framed and hung on the wall above my desk for business meetings. That’s all I really need.”
“What?” I gape. “Are you serious?” He shrugs and looks away. “That’s so fucked up. Isn’t that basically just buying a degree?”
“Basically,” he says quietly. “But that’s how we’ve always done it.”
“There are a lot of things your family has always done that you were hoping to change,” I remind him. “What about what you want? Was there anything you ever wanted to go to college for? Even if it was just to learn a new skill or enter a new field?”
“Never had time to think about it.” He shakes his head, pursing his lips. “There was no point. I always knew that wasn’t going to be an option for me. If my dad was still around, I would have gone off to some ivy league campus, but I basically would have just been fucking around until he was ready to retire.”
I try not to think about how deeply his entitlement goes, overriding something as basic and fundamental as a college education. But for some reason, my brain is still stuck on the fact that he is planning our future. He intends on staying with me enough that he is talking about flying out to wherever I am if I go to college somewhere else. I can’t deny the giddiness rising in my chest at the thought of it.
All at once, both of our phones start buzzing with incoming messages, breaking us from the space we fell into together. We give each other a knowing look. Whatever we just experienced was important, but we can’t hide here forever, no matter how badly we want to. We have to go back to the surface and face all of it.
As we are putting on our clothes, Emmett comes closer and pulls me to a stop. We’re both standing there in nothing but pants, bare chested, when he puts his arms around me and begins to sway to the music playing from his phone in the background. I love feeling the warmth of his skin against mine as I melt into him and match his movements. For a brief moment, we’re frozen like that, dancing slowly in the middle of the room. I wish it didn’t have to end.
16
Chapter Sixteen
Emmett and I peel ourselves away from one another and reach for our phones. The messages from my mom aren’t as bad as I expected. She’s not angry, she just wants to know when I’ll be home. I tell her it should be soon, but Emmett cries out as he goes through his beeping phone.
“We have to go right away,” he tells me sternly as his eyes glow against the screen in the dark.
“Go where?” I shoot back. “What’s wrong?”
“To my house,” he demands, as he keeps one eye glued on his phone and begins reaching for his clothes with the other. “Come on, I’ll explain in the car.”
I slip into my clothes, struggling to keep up with him as he bolts for the door. He’s in such a hurry, I feel like he might leave me here if I’m not fast enough.
“Emmett, what’s going on?” I huff as I slide into the car.
“Vivian texted me,” he states flatly. “She’s at my house.”
“What do you mean!? Why? How did she get into your house!?” I know something serious is wrong, but I can’t see past my rage that Vivian is texting him this late…from his house.
“She just said she was there and that we needed to come right away,” he answers dismissively as he speeds along.
“Are you crazy!?” I cry, wondering if I heard him correctly. “This could be some kind of set-up! Pull over and ask her to tell you what’s going on before we just barge in there.”
“Ophelia, Bernadette could be home.” He sighs and drags a hand through his hair. “Or maybe she found something that could tell us where she is. I can’t waste any time! Let’s just go.”
“Or maybe Vivian is the reason your sister is missing,” I thunder back. “And all of this is just a ploy to make you disappear, too!”
He ignores me and continues driving. I wish I could do something to make him stop. Everything about this feels like a trap to me, but he just won’t see it. Why is he so blind when it comes to her?
We pull up to the manor and park behind Vivian’s car. It’s strange to see all the windows lit up inside, knowing how little life is actually left here now. But the entire house is still buzzing with the staff, carrying about their usual business as if nothing has changed.
Vivian is curled up on the couch in the sitting room and perks up the moment we come in. Her cheeks are red and wet, and I realize I don’t think I’ve ever seen her cry before.
“What’s going on?” Emmett asks as he rushes towards her. She doesn’t hesitate to throw herself into his arms, making me sick.
“It’s your mom,” she sniffles. “I think something could have happened to her.”
“What? How do you know?” His eyes light up with panic as he hangs on her every word.
“I had borrowed a dress from her a few days ago,” she explains, her voice cracking, “and we had plans for me to meet her here to return it tonight. We were talking just up until a couple of hours ago, but when I got here, she was nowhere to be found. The staff haven’t seen her.”
“Oh god, Emmett…” I groan too harshly. “This is obviously just an attempt for her to get your attention. That doesn’t mean anything! Something could have come up, or maybe she just forgot you were meeting. You can’t just assume something happened to her.”
“Shut up, Ophelia! You don’t even know her!” Vivian hisses at me, her eyes daring me to say another word. But then she softens and turns back to Emmett, like putty in his hands. “I’m telling you…something is off about this. She wouldn’t have just run off without saying anything if we had plans to meet up.”
“What are you do
ing still hanging out with his mom anyway?” I can’t stop myself from interjecting again. “Jeez, you’re desperate. When are you going to get it, Vivian? Emmett isn’t with you anymore. He’s never going to be yours again.”
“Why did you even bring her with you!?” Vivian asks him with a furrowed brow.
“Because I’m his girlfriend!” I remind her vehemently. “I have every right to be here. You’re the one who shouldn’t be here.”
“Just stop it, you two!” he barks, slicing his hand through the air in a demand for silence. “Vivian…you asked around the house? No one else has seen her?”
She shakes her head, staring off into the corner of the room. “Not since this morning.” But her eyes turn back to his with a desperation that makes me squirm. “I’ve known your mom my whole life, Emmett. She’s not the type to just vanish like this when we had plans. I waited around here for a while and tried to get a hold of her, but she’s not answering any of my texts or calls. This just isn’t like her. I’m afraid something bad has happened.”
“Thanks for calling me,” he says softly, laying her head on his chest to comfort her. I think I might scream, run over, and rip them apart. I know that just a short while ago, it felt like Vivian couldn’t touch what we share together, but it worries me to see him fall for her scheme so easily.
“I can’t believe you’re falling for this bullshit, Emmett!” I shout out, unable to hold my words back. “You said your mom has been acting weird ever since Bernadette went missing. It’s understandable. She’s paranoid about everyone in the town…maybe even including you, Vivian. She has no one to go to for help, and she’s scared for her daughter! Of course, she’s going to do some things that are out of character. This is just a sick and twisted ploy to get Emmett to come running back to you.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she snarls, “so why don’t you just run back to wherever you came from and stop trying to stick your nose in things you know nothing about! You don’t know anything about Jameson, or Emmett, or our families!”
“I know enough to spot some desperate girl grasping at straws to get his attention,” I bite back, refusing to let her make me feel small again. There are plenty of things about Emmett and me she could never understand, and I’m tired of her acting like she has a monopoly on suffering because her privileged life came crashing down.
I want her to fight back so he can see who she really is, but she’s too smart for that. She has Emmett exactly where she wants him, and she’s not going to let him go this time. She breaks down into tears, crashing her head back against his chest. I swear I see her flash a conniving smile over his shoulder, but I can’t be sure if I’m just imagining it or not.
“I’m just upset. You understand, don’t you?” she begs between tears. “Something doesn’t feel right about this! I’m worried about her, Emmett. You know we’ve always been close.”
“I know,” he hums, rubbing her back.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” I explode. Every bone in my body wants to beat her right here in this living room until she shows her true colors. I’m not buying a single word she says.
“Enough, Ophelia!” Emmett scolds, but I’m not backing down.
“Fuck you, Emmett,” I growl. “She’s obviously playing you, and you’re too blind to see it.”
“Some winner of a girlfriend you’ve got there, Emmett,” Vivian scoffs bitterly. “Your sister is missing and now your mom could be, too, and all she cares about is coming in between us.”
“I don’t have to come in between you! There’s nothing to come in between!” I insist in a shrill tone. “It’s over, Vivian! When are you going to get that through your thick skull?”
“It’s not the time for this!” he demands, looking at me with angry, pleading eyes. “Can’t you see she’s upset? Have a heart!”
“You two have some nerve telling me to have a heart considering everything you’ve put me through,” I snap back, my voice dripping with resentment. “But now that it’s your family’s lives that are in danger, you expect everything to stop and revolve around your problems? What about when I was the one in danger! Or when you two were torturing me!”
“Do you have any idea how selfish you sound right now?” Vivian accuses.
The whole room goes dark for a minute. I don’t see or feel anything but rage. I feel like she is just pouncing on any chance to make herself look all sweet, innocent, and sad, while not missing a beat to make me look like a selfish monster. She’s trying to reverse our roles. What’s worse is that I don’t remember Emmett showing me much sympathy when they were together and making my life hell. She apparently has some kind of priority and always will.
Before I know it, I’m shoving her down onto the couch. I’m about to jump on top of her when my feet are lifted from the ground and my whole body is moved backward. Emmett has one arm wrapped around my stomach to restrain me.
“Stop it, Ophelia! Please!” he barks into my ear. “If you’re not going to help, then just go!”
I punch him hard in the arm, just enough to make him put me down. “Can’t you see that’s what she wants?” I shout as I pull down my shirt and blow hair out of my face.
“You heard him, Ophelia,” Vivian says as she pulls herself up from the couch. “Just go.”
At first, I think there’s no way in hell I’ll leave the two of them alone here together like this, but I quickly realize that this is the last place I want to be. I can’t watch another second of her manipulating him. And he’s falling for every bit of it.
“Gladly,” I huff, my face so scrunched and angry I know I must look like a mad woman. “Call me when you realize I was right about her.”
My phone beeps as I storm away from them, hoping Emmett will come after me. But I accept that he’s not going to by the time I reach the end of the driveway. I glance down at the screen and see that it was Malcolm who texted me. I don’t even know what it says, but my mind is already made up. I’m going to see him right now.
17
Chapter Seventeen
I pace the end of Emmett’s driveway alone in the dark, resisting the urge to look at his and Vivian’s silhouettes moving behind the windows. My mind plays tricks on me, making me swear I can see their bodies moving closer out of the corner of my eye. I shake it all away and try to keep looking anywhere but at that window.
Unlocking my phone screen, I scroll to Malcolm’s message.
Everything okay? I’m worried about you.
I remember telling my mom I’d be home soon before we left the motel. I know I should just go home like I promised, but the idea of hanging around my room having left things this way with Emmett seems like torture. With a deep breath, I type out a reply to Malcolm.
Can you come pick me up? I’m at Emmett’s.
He messages back instantly, telling me he’s on his way. I don’t know what I want to happen when he picks me up. I just know I can’t go home right now, and I can’t stay here. I feel awkward standing just outside the manor waiting for Malcolm. I’m half hoping that Emmett will see me and come out just as Malcolm is pulling up. He’ll fly into another jealous fit, but at least it would distract him from getting wrapped around Vivian’s finger.
I spiral into a fit, trying to talk myself down. Flashes of our bodies moving together in the motel bed just a little while ago flood over me. I cling to them, hoping they’ll give me the strength I need to text Malcolm back and tell him to forget it. I could still march right back into that house and buckle my emotions down so I can stay, no matter how insane it makes me.
But then I drift back to the sight of Vivian nestling herself into his arms. Him stroking her hair, telling me that I should be more sympathetic. Those moments in the motel fell away the minute he insisted on rushing to her side. I tell myself it’s good that he brought me with him without question, but then again…he didn’t stop to think about anything before racing off. I cringe to think it had less to do with wanting me with him, an
d more to do with him not wanting to be bothered with the inconvenience of arguing or taking me home first. It’s like he couldn’t wait to get to her.
I’m still at war with myself in my mind when Malcolm’s car pulls up. I glance back one more time, wishing I’d see Emmett barreling out of the house to stop me. But he’s not there. So, I open the door to reveal Malcolm’s smiling face waiting for me to get in. Time has run out. I couldn’t make myself go back inside to Emmett, and he never came out here for me. It feels like I have no choice but to get in this car right now.
“Hey, I’m so glad you texted me,” I tell him as I slide into the passenger’s side and buckle the seatbelt. And I mean it. This isn’t where I want to be, but it’s the best option I have at this moment.
“I figured you might need an escape,” he explains, in that same pitying tone I am beginning to hate. “Things seemed pretty intense with Emmett back in that motel.”
If he only knew how intense things got after he left—just in a completely different way. Yet somehow, we still ended up back where we started, in a jealous dance around each other, with Vivian playing him like a puppet.
“It’s fucking Vivian,” I seethe, shaking my head. “She’s trying to convince Emmett his mom is missing now, too. But it’s obviously just a trick, and he’s too hung up on her to see it.”
“Those two have a lot of history. That’s hard to compete with,” he says slowly. I clench my teeth. I don’t need to be reminded of that; I am all too aware. “He shouldn’t be leaving you to worry about this.”
The love in my heart pushes through, reminding me that while Malcolm is right, Emmett has plenty of his own to worry about right now. The internal war continues as I start to feel guilty for getting so angry while they worried about his mom. Maybe they were right. Maybe I was being selfish.
“It’s complicated,” I huff, not wanting to talk about it anymore. I fight the temptation to ask what the hell he means by that. Is he so sure that’s what this is about? That they just can’t let go of their past relationship? That’s what I think, but right now I just wish someone would tell me that I’m wrong.