Forced Marriage: Escaping Her Monster

What is she doing here?

Charlie leaned on the wall, bending one of his knees. "No," he said casually and pretended to scroll on his phone. His entire demeanor screamed – GO AWAY!!

Emma noticed that he didn't want to converse with him, but she was in a good mood. Also, she can give her valuable company to this pitiful guy facing jail time. 

She is not heartless... 

"How is Ashley? I wanted to meet her for a long time but-"

"Foxy is busy," Charlie gave an unimpressed side glance at Emma. 

So she's not going to leave.

He found that something is wrong with this woman, but he couldn't find out what it was. He grew up with four sisters- two elder and two younger sisters. They had a lot of girl friends come over to their home, and he grew up with a horde of women around him.

Ugh! The atrocities he had to endure... If it is hard being the middle child, being the middle child with four sisters is... They traumatized him! And so, it won't be an exaggeration to say that he knows a lot about women.

And Emma is ... weird and unreadable. She gave him the creeps to be precise.

He couldn't ask around, because then he'd be shut down even before he expresses his doubt towards Emma. He found that unacceptable.

It was for the same reason, he didn't like Jerlina. No one is allowed to say one wrong word about her and Jeremy acted like he was under a spell. But watching that squirrel for long, he could say that one is far too honest and predictable than this Emma.

When he realized the game Emma played with the fruit knife she borrowed, he knew she is twisted. And now she is talking about his girlfriend. Does that mean she is trying to use Tara against that squirrel?

"So Ashley's nickname is Foxy? That suits her. She is... amazing," Emma looked at Charlie. She could see he was unimpressed, but she needed to do this.

"She must be lucky she got you. Good men are hard to find these days," she casually patted his arm and he unconsciously dusted his sleeves with his hand. 

"And...some women are interested in getting the man who is already taken and yet they play the victim... They even let others fall into their web of deceit and make them involved in assaults... " Emma continued. 

She wanted to expose the b*tch Jerlina as someone lusting after other men. She wanted to make others believe that Jerlina is secretly calling for Gerard and that's why he is meeting her and not because he wants to meet her.

How can Emma's husband meet other women and cheat on her? It should be the other woman's fault.

"Like you?" Charlie interjected her. He raised his brows seeing Emma's lips twitching.

Just leave, snake!

But Emma didn't leave. He could see she was swallowing her anger and pressed his lips.

What more does she want?

"You must be devastated seeing the state of your husband. More than that, you cannot attend your brother's wedding now that you have to look after your husband... It must be hard for you," Charlie said with a subtle smirk.

He knew this is exactly what his eldest sister would say to the one she hates, to hurt her, without acting like a b*tch. And looking at Emma's pale face, his plan seemed to be working.

Yes, he knew what he did when he counted the bones he broke. He didn't want that pesky s*ssy to barge in the wedding to cause trouble. With three complex fractures, he won't be allowed to leave the hospital until the wedding. 

And he chose the rib bones to break since the recovery from rib fracture is a journey of excruciating pain. The lungs are close to the ribs and every time he breaths, every time he coughs or sneezes, he'd wish he'd die.

He deserves that suffering for raising his hand at a woman.

Emma clenched her fists as she realized Charlie is making sense. She didn't think about that now. She wouldn't like to stay in the hospital to look after Gerard, but that's what she'd be expected to do as his wife.

How can 'I' not attend that b*tch's wedding? How can she have a peaceful wedding when I endured pinches from Gerard on my wedding day every time I tried to hold his hand? How can she..?

I cannot let that happen.

And this dipsh*t... For someone who is going to be behind bars soon, he has a lot to say.

Emma was preparing to find a retort to him when she heard Martha calling her. Jeremy looked in the direction and he smiled at her.

"Coming!" she waved her hand and walked towards them leaving Charlie.

Just you wait, dipsh*t! See what happens when you cross me!

Charlie watched Emma walking with clenched fists and clicked his tongue.

What a b*tch! Was she trying to allude that the frigging squirrel is interested in me? Web of deceit, my a**! As if that squirrel is that talented!

Emma walked up to Jeremy and she heard him talking.

"There is video evidence of him hitting my wife and then he tripped and fell breaking his ribs..."

Emma gritted her teeth hearing the story Jeremy was spinning. Martha was trying to correct him, but Jeremy was not relenting.

"Emma! Look how your brother-" Martha tried to get Emma's help, but Jeremy interjected.

"What are you doing talking to Emma? I have proof that is what happened. What proof do you have?"

"But...All because he slightly tapped that lying b*tch?" Martha gritted her teeth. She looked at Emma to make her say something, but she was frozen like she saw Medusa."You'll go to that extreme for her?"

"What else should I do? Wait for him to raise his hands at my sister next? I wished he broke his hands in his accidental fall so that I can be assured that he won't hit my sister ever," Jeremy smirked.

Emma came out of her shock that her words were completely ignored. She couldn't believe that the man standing in front of her is the Jeremy she knew for years. 

He is going to risk my status in the family for Charlie? All because of Jerlina?

She wanted to speak, but with Jeremy warning them about her safety, she knew she cannot speak now. She didn't want him to threaten them for her. She wanted him to send Charlie to jail for her.

Did he not listen to me?

-----

In a dark pub in the darkest part of Jericho – the town east to Peyton and belongs to the Tigers gang, one despondent man was drowning his sorrows in alcohol.

  "What's with you? Crying for dead b*tch..." the sniggers of the man entering with a pipe in his hand made the man spit on the floor.

"Viper! What do you want?"

"That's a beautiful beast..." he saw the majestic tiger lying on the floor. "Does he eat steak?