Chapter 76

Persistent knocking erupted at Emma’s door.

​ “What in the hell?” Emma wondered. Her father had gone to sleep, and she was nursing a headache from last night. The banging at the door wasn’t going to help either of them. Emma answered the door was surprised to find Will standing there. He looked awful, as though he hadn’t slept in days.

​ “How did you find me?” she asked.

​ “Are you kidding? You think you could just disappear on me?”

​ “What do you want?” Emma sighed.

​ “We need to talk.”

​ Emma wanted to send him away. She wanted to turn away and walk out of her life. But they did need to talk. To resolve things once and for all.

​ “Fine. Daddy just went to sleep. I have some time.” She stepped aside, making space for him. “Come in.” Will looked around the apartment as Emma led him to a cozy couch.

​ “This is small,” he commented.

​ “It’s more than enough for Daddy and me. Did you come here to insult my apartment?”

​ “Why did you leave?”

​ “Really?” Emma laughed. “I told you I would. I said I was going to leave. What’s the point of staying with you anyway? I know that Grace is going to move in when she gets discharged from the hospital. She’s probably there now. I know you’re just going to pick up right where you left off with her. Go ahead. You have my blessing.” She did her best to sound sincere and calm. She prayed Will could see how she was dying inside. *I’m lying, I’m lying, I’m lying. I don’t want this. I don’t want you to go back to Grace.*

​ “This is crazy. Grace and I are just friends.”

​ “Then tell me she isn’t moving into the mansion,” Emma challenged him. When Will couldn’t say anything, Emma crossed her arms over her chest. “See? I knew it.”

​ “Fine, she is. But only until she’s fully recovered and has somewhere to go. And you knew how I felt about her! And, you still went after her. Twice!”

​ “You still believe that? For the last time, she lured me to the hotel. She set me up. Don’t you think it’s a little convenient that you arrived just as I ‘attacked’ her?” Emma used air quotes.

​ “It’s not just that. I know about the secret trust fund Pop set up for you and that you have Gram’s ring.”

​ “It’s true,” Emma said.

​ “See? Don’t you see how that looks suspicious? You get what you need from me and then you disappear.”

​ “That trust fund was only valid if you and I stayed married. That was the stipulation. If I leave you, I don’t get a single penny. And as for your Gram’s ring, I’ll give it you to right now. Let me go get it.”

​ Will was more confused than ever. She didn’t benefit at all from leaving him. In fact, she was losing everything. Emma came back from one of the bedrooms. She handed him a ring box and a manila envelope. The box contained his grandmother’s ring. The envelope had the trust fund agreement. He quickly read it over. Emma hadn’t lied. She wouldn’t receive any money at all if she left him.

​ “I haven’t even tried that ring on. It’s untouched,” Emma added.

​ “Why?” Will was in disbelief.

​ “These were gifts to me from your grandfather. I couldn’t refuse him. He’d been so kind and caring to me. All he wanted for someone to love you and stay by your side. I don’t know why he thought it could have been me…” Emma shrugged. She tried coming off as nonchalant so Will wouldn’t catch on to her. Inside, she was screaming. “…but he did. He really loved you, you know. You were all he cared about. All that mattered to him was that you were happy.”

​ Will stared the ring. Emma words were baffling him more. This didn’t sound like someone who wanted to take advantage of him. His mother never actually cared for him, so why would she suddenly act like she was looking out for him? But, Grace… she was always the light in his life. He looked up and saw that Emma was holding a set of papers and a pen.\

​ “What’s this?”

​ “A divorce agreement.”

​ “No.”

​ “I’ve already signed my portion. I’m not asking for any alimony, or property or anything. I’ve relinquished all rights to anything that belongs to you or your family. Sue me for the money I owe for my father’s accident if you want. I don’t care.”

​ “Why are you doing this?”

​ “You said it yourself. We aren’t good at this,” Emma said, gesturing at both of them. “We don’t work. Something great happens, and boom. One of us ruins it. They only thing we are good at, isn’t going to save us.”

​ “You can’t leave me.”

​ “We were never really together,” Emma was exasperated. “Nothing about us was real. A series of unfortunate events brought me into your life. Things kept getting weirder and weirder and we kept getting tangled in each other. I…” Emma’s voice broke. She took a deep breath to keep her emotions in check. “We can’t do this to each other anymore.”

​ “I won’t agree to a divorce. Take time away from me if you need, but I won’t sign anything.”

​ “Why? You came here to get the ring back and get me to give up the trust fund. So why should stay married?”

​ “That’s not why I came!”

​ “Then why? Why are you here?”

​ “I…” Will didn’t know how to answer. “I don’t know. I thought I could convince you to come home. But it seems you’ve made up your mind to leave.”

​ “I have.”

​ “Is it because of him? Because of Spencer?”

​ “Really? That’s what you think?” Emma seethed.

​ “I don’t know what to think, Emma! I’m getting bombarded from all sides with this! You just run off and leave, and everyone made it seem like the reason was so simple. That you never cared about me at all. Just my money!”

​ “It is simple.”

​ “So, you didn’t care about me at all, then?”

​ “It’s not that I don’t care about you. I do. It’s just that I care about me more.”

​ “Emma…”

​ “If you won’t sign them now, take the paperwork with you.” She thrust the paperwork at him and stood.

​ “You’re serious,” he said, standing as well.

​ “Yes. I am. Let me walk you out.” Will was stunned as Emma led him out of the apartment. He looked back at her one more time as he crossed the threshold into the building’s hallway. Her eyes were rimmed with red.

​ “Goodbye, Will.” She closed the door. Emma covered her mouth, to stifle her sobs. She knew Will was still standing outside her door. *Please just go. No don’t go. Pound on that door and say you love me. Please go away and never come back. Don’t sign. Please sign.* Her mind raced, back and forth between what she wanted. Every second it was different.

​ Will stared at the door. A strange, hollow ache pulsed in his chest. This was it. She didn’t want to be with him anymore.

​ *I should be happy,* he thought. *Grace wants me back. It’s what I wanted, right? Then why I feel so… empty?* He stood there for what felt like an eternity. The divorce agreement felt like lead weight in his hand. He didn’t want this.

​ “I wanted to try,” he said to no one. Emma heard him on her side of the door, and did everything she could to hold back her cries. Will put the paperwork against the door, and signed it before he changed his mind. “Goodbye, Emma. I’m sorry.” He pushed the signed agreement under her door and left. Emma sank to the floor and let her heart shatter.

​ “I wanted to try too,” she whimpered. Deep, painful sobs took hold her of her and she tried to let every ounce of her feelings for Will die.

​ Will walked to his car, feeling disconnected from his body. Emma’s past words swirled through his mind*. I like him. Despite everything, and I tried not to. I really tried. But I’m falling in love with him. I know right? How stupid of me. How could I let that happen?...*

​ She loved him. Or at least, she was starting too. So, why would she leave him? He thought of their phone calls when he was in Italy, the amazing day and next morning they spent after they finally talked things through. Perhaps he thought this would end the same way. But he’d been right. They did mess that up. They weren’t good at being in a relationship. Memories invaded him as he drove with no destination. Part of him wanted to drive back to the apartment, rip up that divorce agreement and have his way with her on every available surface. The other part of him wanted to drive forever, to never stop and disappear from his life. He had no idea why he felt either way.

​ People in his life kept trying to paint Emma as some villain in a melodrama. As though she were some opportunistic bitch who showed up to drain his fortune. She wanted money from him at first, it was true. But, he knew that’s not why she stayed.

​ “She loved me,” he said out loud. The Emma that Grace and his mother were trying to portray wasn’t the Emma he knew. “I think I’ve made the worst mistake of my life.”