Forced Marriage: Escaping Her Monster

Jeremy didn't feel great hearing Jerlina complain about Emma, but he said he'd listen to her and he will listen to her.

Emma is not a saint, Jeremy knew.

She is that way, because of the way she grew up – that is the excuse he used till now. 

But that cannot be an excuse. He could see that now that he has Jerlina near him. Jerlina suffered worse than Emma, growing up. 

But everyone gets affected differently by traumas. That's why one person cannot be compared to another or judged as such.

And that's why he won't give up on Emma.

Emma's mistakes... 

She did some mistakes and everything he knows till now... 

Emma used to be friends with Scar and Scar would be fighting with him regarding Jerlina. He used to not mind it back then, but knowing the facts now, Emma probably instigated Scarlett out of her hate towards Jerlina.

And then she got "interested" in Mikhail and his friendship with him almost broke. And now too...

Even now regarding Charlie...She almost caused a misunderstanding involving Jerlina. If he didn't talk it out with Charlie, they'd have deep misunderstandings right now.

And Emma hurt Jerlina the most!

Even today... He advised her to behave like an adult, but just minutes later, she brought up Gerard with Jerlina. Her behavior didn't sit well with him.

What did she expect to happen? 

Why is that every mistake of hers almost resulted in separating people who are close to me and those I love?

Jerlina saw he was thinking and wanted to add one more thing. No one dared to complain about Emma to him, and there must be some reason behind it.

Emma cannot have that power over everyone else. Jerlina couldn't explain but she thought Emma has an agenda. Scarlett feels the same way too.

He cannot blindly trust Emma. He cannot blindly trust anyone, for that matter, considering his position. A lot of people depend on him. His loss won't be his alone.

He shouted at her before. He probably acted this way deterring anyone who criticized Emma. Oddly he is thinking calmly now and so she just wanted to add this. 

She knew if he is not careful and Emma betrays him, he won't be able to handle it. He'd probably die of heartbreak.

Even if he gets angry at me, I have to tell to him.

"And one more thing... I won't talk about Emma again. I don't think that I am the only person having a differing opinion about Emma. There might be one or two who came to you and complained about Emma, right? Do you remember?"

She knew saying this much to him is enough. He loves Emma too much and probably never thought deeply about her, dismissing everything about her out of his love for her. 

Now that she gave him something to think of, it is up to him.

Jeremy looked at Jerlina. There wasn't a hint of anger or hate in her eyes, but she seemed sad.

What is she sad about?

His head hurt.

People who complained about Emma...

There are some...

Scarlett was the first. Because he usually shuts anyone who opens their mouth about Emma, no one talks good or bad about Emma to him.

But Scarlett being Scarlett was never scared of him. After she retired from her modeling career, she started speaking against Emma. 

What happened back then..?

Right! Rumors started circulating that both Bobby and I are fighting for Scarlett. 

He had paid a substantial amount of Scarlett's compensation money. He offered since he didn't want Daisy to sell her house. Scarlett was in the clutches of some evil forces who didn't want to let her go and he used his influence to get her free. He did it for their friendship, but it was misrepresented as him vying for Scarlett by some.

Those rumors didn't start right away but only a year after, when Scarlett had recovered and started to warn him about Emma. 

What else happened around that time... Oh yes, I changed my name...

Bobby didn't believe those rumors as he knew him, but he offered to pay back the money so to stop the rumors. He is still paying back every month. It is for that reason Bobby never lets him spend money for Scarlett.

He understood Bobby and Bobby knows him and there never was an issue between them regarding Scarlett. And that's all he cared about and he never investigated the source of the rumors properly. 

Wait...

Hank... He was a good guy. He was vocal against Emma. He said that Emma tries to split the gang by spreading rumors.

And... Emma complained that he tried to assault her and since there were witnesses, he expelled Hank from the gang.

Hank later became an informant for the cops and infiltrated the Viper's gang but was executed by Viper for snitching.

He still feels bad for Hank. Other than that one issue, he had nothing against Hank. He was a hard worker and had a playful temperament. If he stayed in his gang, he wouldn't have faced an untimely demise.

Who were the witnesses again..?

Right! Tara, Foxy, and their friends...

Should I investigate it further? What will I find?

Did Tara and others lie for Emma?

These are the ones I remember from the top of my head. How much did I forget? Will there be more?

Is Emma...

'She might have the dark triad personality'

He remembered his shrink's words once more.

What should I do?

Jeremy's heart hurt and he rubbed it with his hand.

"Joel..." Jerlina placed her hands on his shoulders.

She could see he is in distress. She didn't know what he was thinking, but to see him distressed is not what she intended. She felt bad.

He's a good guy. He should be happy.

He saw his reddened eyes and it hurt her.

"Shall we order pizza or something? I am hungry," she tried to smile to distract him from his thoughts.

"Sure," he cupped her cheek. She looked sad. She was smiling, but she was sad.

Shouldn't you be happy I listened to you, Luna?

Don't you hate Emma? Now I started to think against Emma. Why are you sad?

He watched her back as she left. She walked with her feet dragging as if she didn't want to leave him alone.

You are not happy to see me sad,  is that it?

Ah... How can I give up on you?

And Emma... 

If she knows Jerlina is speaking against her, will she commit another one of her "mistakes"?

With Jerlina's life in danger, I cannot afford a mistake.

I should try to find out more rather than concluding on my own.

I mean... It's Emma... My dear little sister, who was my support when I had no one. How can I turn against her just with some hunches?

But are they hunches? There might be shreds of evidence left. I have to investigate.

Although I am sad to investigate her, I have to.

It is for Emma's sake too. She should get help if she needs it.