Chapter 32

“You can’t be serious,” Emma breathed. Why would he continue to humiliate her like this? Hadn’t he and Vivian done enough?
“You heard what he said,” Vivian responded. “You are nothing to him.”
Will made a face at Vivian’s comment and she backed away.
“You want me to kneel, and beg for my father?” Emma asked, angry tears in her eyes. “Fine.” Emma looked right into Will’s eyes. Her defiant stare was unwavering. She would face public shame for her father. He lay in a bed, unable to care for himself, but he was fighting for his recovery every day. She would fight for him.
Before her knees touched the ground, Will reached out and grabbed her hand to stop her. Vivian narrowed her eyes with jealousy. She stepped into of Will, and pushed Emma down.
“That’s where you belong! On the ground! You are beneath me, you stupid bitch!” She leaned over to slap Emma, but Will grabbed her hand.
“That is enough,” Will hissed. Vivian’s eyes were wide. She was certain Will would be on her side. But the revulsion in his face told a different story. “I don’t remember asking your opinion.”
Vivian shrunk away and stepped back again. Will offered Emma a hand, but she stood without his assistance.
“You’ve to learn to play by the rules, Emma. You already don’t have anything. You lost the right to try and parade away your self-dignity a long time,” Will answered with no light or warmth in his eyes.
“If I have nothing, then I have nothing to lose,” she answered, dusting herself off. “Please, Will. Tell me my father is going to be okay. Tell me you won’t hurt him.”
Will walked to his car with Vivian scurrying close behind him. Before he got in, he looked up at her.
“Follow the rules, Emma. And everything will be fine.”
Vivian got in the car right after Will, and they drove away. Emma watched as the car left. The further they got, the emptier she felt. Somehow, all of her hopes became centered on Will and remaining in his good graces. When had she become dependent on him? And how was it that even though he had just gone, that she already missed him?
The following weeks were long and exhausting. Emma waited for anything from Will, any rules she had to follow, but none came. Gina, the private nurse, had come to assist with caring from her father multiple times. Jane and Anna were discourteous, rude and foul to her. But Gina didn’t give them any attention, which only angered them more. They took it out on Emma. Shoving her down, taking more of her money, and giving her more chores. At school, people alienated her. The rumors were wild and vicious. Some students had even thrown coins at her, suggesting she wasn’t worth more than a few cents. Sabrina had almost gotten into several fights with students over Emma, but she reminded her friend that she would probably not be allowed to graduate if she assaulted another student. Jess was inconsolable with anger. Emma assured her friends that she was okay, and that the rumors weren’t bothering her and it wasn’t worth their attention.
There was an irrational thought in her mind that perhaps Will would come and save her. Be her knight in shining armor. She hadn’t seen or heard from him in almost a whole month. There was a sort of relief with that. Will brought stress into her life. But a small part of her, a part she tried to shut up whenever she could, was disappointed.
Her days were a blur. Long blurs of being ignored at school, and being abused at home. She studied, she worked, she cared for her father. At least one part of her life had gone well. Emmett was showing great progress. He was speaking much better and able to move more. Without the alcohol, Emma could see pieces of the father she thought was lost forever. She took solace in that fact.
“Here you go, Daddy.” Emma was weary from how the month had treated her, but she didn’t miss a morning of preparing her father his favorite tea. When Jane and her father first married, Jane went on a rampage and got rid of as much of Emma’s mother’s things as she could get her hands on. Emma managed to save a few things. Among them, and old tin of dried herbs and flowers. Skye Wells loved to garden, and she made a special tea from the blooms she tended too. It was her father’s favorite.
“Just like mom made it. I hope,” she smiled as she set the teacup on her father’s bed tray.
“Tea… good,” Emmett managed, his voice still a little shaky. He lifted his hands to try and pat Emma’s head.
“Don’t strain too much. Gina had you moving around a lot last night.” Emma brought the cup to her father’s lips and helped him to sip the tea. The scent brought vivid memories of mother. She was beautiful, kind and graceful. And gone too soon.
“Hungry,” Emmett rasped.
“I’ll make you some breakfast.”
Emma tried her best to not show her father how tired she was. He needed to focus on recovery and not worry about her. As she prepared his breakfast, Anna walked into the kitchen.
“Try not to burn anything, Cinderella.” Anna sneered.
Emma rolled her eyes.
"Get out of my away."
Emma pushed passed Anna who was yelling and screaming in the kitchen. After ensuring her father had eaten and taken his medicine, she got ready to leave for the day.
“I’ll be back tonight, Daddy.” She placed a kiss on his forehead.
“Love… you… Emma,” he stammered. Emma’s eyes welled up. She hadn’t heard those from him in years.
“I love you too, Daddy.”

School was another day of people ignoring her, or being malicious. Someone had tried to trip her in the hallway, while others threw coins at her while she walked to her dorm. She had grown used to it. Emma headed to her dorm after another long day of torment on campus, and saw one of the last people she wanted to see.
“What do you want, Matt?” she asked.
“I came to check in on you. I’ve heard all the nasty rumors people have been spreading about you,” Matt came close to her, attempting to hug her. Emma stepped away, closer to her room.
“That’s been going on for a month. Suddenly you’re concerned about me?”
“I’ve been trying to see you, but we keep missing each other.”
“We’re not missing each other. I don’t want to see you,” Emma replied. Matt kept trying to reach out for her, and she continued to move away from him.
“You’re only saying that because you think I believe all of the horrible things people are saying about you.”
“Why are you here?” Emma crossed her arms over her chest. Seeing Matt was making her head hurt and her blood boil. Why couldn’t she have just one good day?
“I’m here to tell you that I believe you. I know those rumors aren’t true and that people are just making stuff up. I’m also here to let you know that I want us to be together again. I’m ready to take you back,” Matt declared. He held his arms out for a hug, like he expected Emma to run to him. She just stared at him for a moment. He must have lost his mind.
“First of all, I dumped you. I thought I had made it clear that I want nothing to do with you. Second of all, the rumors are a bit exaggerated but they are somewhat true.”
Matt’s face changed. He went from dopey, groveling ex-boyfriend, to angry and disbelieving.
“You mean you and that jerk…”
“Yes. Me and him,” Emma finished. “Not that what I do and who I did it with is any of your business.”
“How could you? You bitch…” Matt mumbled.
“Don’t be such a hypocrite. You cheated on me. Please just go away. We’re not getting back together. Ever.” She turned around to continue walking towards her room, but a pair of rough hands held her back. Emma yelped as Matt turned her around and slammed her back into a wall.
“What are you doing?”
“So, you held out on me, but you fucked some random stranger?” Matt’s eyes burned with rage and jealously. His fingers dug into her shoulders.
“Let go! You’re hurting me!” Fresh panic exploded in Emma’s veins as Matt tried to force a kiss on her. “No! Get off of me!” She tried to fight him off, but she couldn’t move. He pinned her harder into the wall.
“That random guy was good enough for you. How about me then? I earned this!” Matt continued to force himself on her. Emma stomped on his foot. Matt yowled in pain, and his hold loosened. Emma slipped away from him and tried to run from him.
“You’re giving to me what’s mine! You owe me that much!” He grabbed her again, pulling her towards him.
“I don’t owe you anything!” Emma yelled. “Now get off of me! I never want to see you again!” She fought against him, crying and screaming. Fear shot through her and her blood ran cold. Tears blurred her vision; her heart raced with adrenaline. Matt was so much larger than her. She wouldn’t be able to fight forever.
“Shut up! You know you want this!” Matt snarled.
“What do you think you’re doing?” an icy, threatening voice answered.