Chapter 42

It took every bit of her self-control to maintain her composure. Grace’s wedding. That was not good news.
“That sucks,” she said, taking another sip of her drink.
“It’s pretty bad,” Sabrina agreed. “It’s not even the worst part. If he hadn’t been hoarding Alex so much I would feel sorry for the guy.”
“Why?”
“Turns out this ex-girlfriend must be a sadistic bitch. She invited him to the wedding.”
“Holy shit,” Emma gasped. How terrible. Will must be really hurting. But just as the thought came to her mind, she dismissed. Why should she care about how he felt? He showed more than once that he didn’t care about her feelings at all.
“Let’s change the subject. I don’t want to let these assholes ruin my night anymore than they already have.”
“You’re right,” Emma nodded. “But I’ve definitely got nothing to talk about. My life is a whole mess.” She released a heavy breath. At the center of the mess was William Stewart. He seemed to be the center of everything.
“Psssh,” Sabrina popped Emma on the shoulder. “Girl, what are you talking about? You’re gorgeous, and smart. You’re the top of your design classes. And your psych professors are obsessed with you. The future looks amazing for you. Whatever mess you think you’re in now is nothing compared to with the life you’re going to make for yourself.”
Emma forced a smile. Sabrina was way better the Emma at everything. She was one of the prettiest people Emma knew. Her bright, chocolate eyes seemed to sparkle and her golden skin glowed even in the absence of the sun. She kind intelligent, kind and the one trait Emma envied the most was Sabrina’s self-confidence. She never needed anyone’s approval. She loved herself, and love from anyone else was just extra. Emma longed to be that way. She often wondered why Sabrina even bothered with her.
“Oh, I almost forgot!” Sabrina pulled out her phone, and tapped around on the screen looking for something. “Here it is!”
A picture of a photo for an architectural design contest illuminated the screen. Emma’s eyes widened.
“You’re kidding.”
“Not at all! I know you tell people how passionate you are about helping those with substance abuse. And that’s amazing, but I know your heart lives in design. I know that’s what you really want to do. This contest is a way in. When these people see your talent, everyone will want you. You could get a job at an architectural firm!”
Sabrina’s smile was contagious. Emma smiled back, surprised at her friend’s confidence in her. Emma knew of the contest, but it was for professionals. There was no way she could compete. But she took the information down anyway and promised Sabrina she would look into it. There was a magic in being with friends. No matter what was happening in her life, being with Sabrina had a way of making all of her obstacles seem small. They hung out for a couple of hours, laughing, joking, drinking. They made plans to meet up again, and to include Jess.
“The three of us are going to take over this city!” Sabrina said. “I’m not just saying that because I’m drunk. I mean it. You, Jess and me. We’re going to run all of this. No one will be able to go anywhere without us having some sort of mark on it.”
“Cheers to that!” They clinked their glasses and laughed. Emma wasn’t drunk, but she was feeling pretty great. Her phone rang, and the good feeling was gone. It was Will. She had no desire to speak with him, but she knew she had to answer.
“Who is calling?” Sabrina asked.
“Um, it’s an unknown number,” Emma lied. “Let me take this, in case it’s something about Dad.” She stepped away and answered the call. “Hello?”
“Where are you?” his voice was heavy with alcohol.
“Why do you care?”
“Come home,” he slurred. Emma thought she imagined the concern in his voice. There was no way he was actually worried about her.
“No.”
“I said come home now!” he yelled. Emma rolled her eyes. He probably just wanted her home so he could use her. That’s all she was to him anyway.
“Will, I—” she started to protest, but a loud crash stopped her. Something heavy and made of glass seemed to fall on his end. “Will? Hello? Will?” There was no answer, and the call disconnected. Shit, Emma thought. Something was wrong. And she hated the panic she felt. Will did not care about her. He had made that clear. But when he heard her in trouble over the phone, he had come to save her. She owed him the same.
“Hey Sabrina,” Emma said when she came back. “I’ve got to go.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing really. Um… Dad is fine, but he’s been asking for me so I wanna go home and get some rest so I can go see him in the morning.” God, she hated lying to her. But there was no way she could explain this. Jess and Sabrina would hate her when they found out about everything.
“I’m too drunk to drive you, but I don’t want you to take the bus.”
“I’ll get a cab, it’s fine. See you soon.” Emma hugged her friend and walked out of the bar.
Why am I doing this? Emma argued with herself. He does not care about you. She hailed a cab and rode in tense silence back to Will’s apartment. Whatever was going on couldn’t be good. Her imagination ran wild with every worst case scenario. The cab arrived to Will’s apartment building and Emma dashed out. As she ran in, she saw the housekeeper and butler huddled by Will’s bedroom door.
“What happened?” Emma asked, out of breath.
“Miss Emma, how wonderful that you’re here. He’s been like this ever since he came trying to look for you,” the housekeeper said.
“Looking for me?” Emma was surprised. “He went to look for me?” She would never be able to grasp Will’s emotions. He was fire and ice, and she would never know which was waiting for her.
“Yes, miss. When he returned, he locked himself in his room and chases us out whenever we try to check in on him.”
“All manner of crashing noises have been coming from inside,” the butler added.
“I’ll go check on him.” The attendants nodded and urged her to be careful. She opened the door. The room was cold and dark. Shattered glass bottles were littered all around. Drawers were ripped out of the dresser, clothes were strewn about the room. Madness and mayhem seemed to have done a dangerous dance in there. There was a sofa placed in the bedroom’s sitting area. A figure was slumped on it. Unlike his room, he seemed to be unscathed.
She crept towards him, doing her best to avoid the destruction. Soft whimpers came from the sofa. It was a sound she had never heard him make before.
“Will?”
“Get out!” Will swatted the air. “I said I wanted to be left alone.”
He looked terrible. His eyes were screwed shut and his face was stained with tears. She placed her hand on his forehead to see if he had a fever. His eyes opened and they were puffy and red. He grabbed her hand and brought it to his cheek.
“You came back?” his voice was soft and hurt. “You came back to me.”
Emma’s heart fluttered in her chest, and a furious blush blazed in her face. Tender and gentle Will was a side of him she rarely got. And he’d never been this vulnerable. She opened her mouth to answer. But Will’s next words were like cold water on a fire.
“Grace…” he pulled her into his chest. “Why did you leave me? Why would you do that to me? Why did you pick him over me?”
“I’m not Grace,” she said. Despite the immense pain she could tell Will was feeling, her voice was as cold as his could get. Will was oblivious to her words. He pinned her beneath him, and kissed her. Emma did not reciprocate his kiss. He wasn’t trying to kiss Emma. He wanted Grace. She struggled to get out from underneath him, but he wasn’t budging. She looked around and saw a glass of water on the small table next to them. She grabbed it and splashed it in his face.
“I am not Grace!” she yelled.
The spell was broken and Will came out of his stupor.
“What was that for?” He yelled. Regular, angry Will was back.
“To wake you the hell up. So, you can see who is here for you now. So, you can see who is in front of you,” Emma cried. “My name is Emma, and I am not Grace!”