Forced Marriage: Escaping Her Monster

Seeing no remorse in Emma's eyes, Jerlina got angrier. She didn't expect her to apologize, but at least she can feel a little bad for what she did. Is that too much to ask of Emma?

"Set you up?" Jerlina gritted her teeth. "Did anyone force you to break a-" 

Jerlina scoffed and turned to leave. There is no use talking to someone like her.

Is she probably a psychopath?

"You have changed, Jer… Is that lumberjack's millions the reason? " Emma asked. 

The Jerlina she knows never talks back and she never confronts and pretends like a saint. But she is now trying to call her out in front of others for a pot of plant. 

Now she does not need to pretend anymore as she took my place, successfully. 

"Oh, f*ck off, Emma," Jerlina walked away fisting her hands. 

Lumberjack? Millions?

Jerlina got angrier by the words Emma used about Jeremy.

Lumberjack, huh?

Emma noticed Jerlina's getting angry and she decided to use the moment. Since Jerlina is the reason she lost all respect with the others, she wanted to give her the same pain. She wanted to show everyone the true face of Jerlina. With a scoff, she continued.

  "Didn't you say that you're happy because you've found a millionaire? Didn't you thank me for that?" Emma's voice was loud as she sneered. "Will you return to Gerard if he has a billion?"

Jerlina could sense that she is bringing up Gerard purposefully. 

"A billion, huh?" Jerlina nodded pressing her lips. "That is a lot of money."

But I have ninety-six times the amount to my name! All I have to do is say yes to get it. 

Well, she doesn't have to know that yet!

"But I'm happy with Joel," Jerlina said with an angelic smile. She knew her smile would make Emma angrier than anything. "I still got the bigger dick. And he can f*ck me all day long and please me! Ah… Life's blissful!" she said placing her hand on her neck with a pleasing smile.

Was she being petty? Was she being vulgar? Was she behaving inappropriately considering she is standing in the graveyard? 

Yes!

But seeing Emma's lips trembling not knowing what to say to her, she felt her heart beam with joy.

But then she heard another voice in her head rebuking her. 

  Jerlina… Don't sink to her level!

  Now Jerlina felt a lot guilty. There were some people gathered around them and although they ccouldn't have heard what she said, they could see that they are willing to come to her aid. 

She didn't want to make this a fight and decided to leave.

Emma fisted her hand. She's been married for months and her husband never touched her. They never even got to second base ever. And she dares to mock me?

Why is she always flying above me? Why is she always up there displacing me? Why am I the one getting the short end of the stick every time?

She looked around to see everyone sneering at her and trying to help Jerlina. 

Why does everyone like her?

"That stupid lumberjack can give you morsels that you can be happy with.  But can you give him a child after what happened to you?" Emma sneered in a loud voice for others to hear.

"He's a cheapskate, wearing plaids, and he would always be the lowly, smelly lumberjack who smells like dogs! He and his b*tch of a mother are trailer trash…Oh, I forgot… Your family lived in the slums too, right?" Emma continued gritting her teeth.

Does she dare to call my Joel stupid? And she dares to talk bad about his mother and my family too?

Jerlina started to tremble with anger and out of the rage she felt, she didn't know how to react. The arrogance and the dismissive tone Emma used when she talked about Joel hurt her. She was too angry, she became calm. 

She didn't know how it happened but it happned. She became calm. A little too calm.

"You know what, Emma," her voice was calm and crisp as the wind that brushed them. "Joel is a lumberjack. And if you think that's all who he is… Then…" she shrugged.

"The fault lies with you."

"He is the CEO of the company he once worked as a daily laborer. He has earned wealth. If you only saw the lumberjack part of his personality and think that's all of him, then..." She shrugged.

"He can be whoever he wants to be; whatever makes him happy. And I love him for it…These people…" she pointed at everyone watching them. "They all respect him for who he is by heart…" she took in a deep breath as she felt heavy in her chest. 

"You are right. He is stupid," she let out a scoff. "He is stupid because he couldn't decide wisely as you… he couldn't love others based on how useful they are for him. He loves unconditionally. He loved unconditionally. And wasn't it because of this stupidity of his, your whole family could use him?" Jerlina's lips trembled and her eyes watered.

"It was because of his love for you – his beloved sister! And what does he get in return?" Jerlina scoffed. "Just leave, Emma. I don't want my husband to hear what you're thinking about him. He does not deserve it. Leave!" Her voice turned a little harsh.

She was emotional and her eyes clouded but seeing the tears in her eyes, Emma seemed to be happy. 

How unempathetic is she? 

"And hear this…" Jerlina walked closer to her wiping the corner of her eyes. 

Even if she tries to make her understand the love Joel has for her, she wouldn't understand. What's the use in talking to her? 

Her tone turned harsh. Some people are not redeemable. It seems like Emma is one.

"He is stupid no more, Emma," she said with her chin up. "He wised up and sees you for who you are, thanks to me. And did you look around? You thought you were deriding Joel, but you forgot that half of the people here are lumberjacks and the rest work in the Fitzgerald Lumber Corp. You speaking about their profession in a derogatory way… was it wise?" Jerlina sneered and saw Emma's face getting pale. 

"You dared to talk about his mother? She had more class in her little finger than you b*tch! You, the one who comes to a funeral dressed like an escort, have the nerve to call someone else's mother a b*tch? Heh! Mind your words. And one piece of advice. Don't show your face to me again. I'll rip it off. And never try to contact my husband again," she didn't want to speak more.

Emma didn't move. Maybe she thought Jerlina was defying her, she wasn't willing to take a step back.

"Your husband? Is he yours, really?" Emma said after some time. And then she sneered. "What I gave you…I can take everything back," she snapped her finger and looked at Jerlina deeply.

Jerlina felt a chill passing through her spine looking at those empty eyes.