Chapter 9 The Seat Farthest from Him
557 Words
Emily was the last one to walk into the dining room. She picked the seat furthest from James and sat down quietly.
The whole time during the meal, she could hear Grace sweet-talking James, all soft giggles and delicate tones. It was obvious how close they were—James was even serving her food and pouring her soup, totally doting on her. Grace kept laughing all sweetly, clearly enjoying every second.
Emily kept her head down, eating in silence like she wasn't even there. She didn't touch the side dishes, just quietly finished the plain rice from her bowl, then stood up carefully and said politely, “I'm full. Please, continue.”
She used formal words, which made James's eyes flash coldly for a second—but it passed so fast no one else noticed.
Back in her room, Emily sat out on the balcony, staring blankly at the sunset. She had no idea how long she sat there before a sudden string of breathy moans snapped her back. “James... mmm... you're so bad!”
The sound came from the balcony next door. Emily instinctively looked over and saw Grace in a see-through nightgown, half-clinging to James as she kissed him eagerly.
Emily froze, then quickly pulled herself back inside like she'd been burned.
It made sense—they were a couple now, and this kind of thing was normal. Still, she felt a sharp sting in her chest.
She'd given everything chasing a bit of his love and ended up with nothing but pain. She used to fight so hard to change her fate. Now? She believed in it. If something isn't meant for you, it doesn't matter how hard you try; if it is, it'll find you no matter what.
With a soft sigh, she opened her closet, grabbed some clothes, and headed to the shower.
After her bath, she got ready for bed. Just as she lay down, the sounds next door got even louder.
She could hear Grace's exaggerated moaning, James's low groans, and even the creaking of the bed under them.
Emily pulled the covers over her head, trying to muffle the noise, curling into a tight ball.
She'd always feared the dark. During her three years in prison, James made sure someone came every night to “teach her a lesson.” Nightfall always meant fear.
The darkness pressed in on her, the kind that made it hard to breathe. All she wanted now was to be ignored by James, for Grace to make him forget everything that came before.
She was still trying to calm her nerves when she suddenly heard a faint noise—like someone entering her room. For a second, she thought she imagined it.
After all those years in prison, she'd become hypersensitive to any sound.
But this was the Mitchells' old house. No one would come in to hurt her, she told herself. Everything was fine now.
Just then, the blanket was yanked right off her.
She let out a sharp gasp, but a hand quickly covered her mouth.
It was James.
That familiar feeling surged through her whole body. Why was he here? How'd he even get in?
Before she could make sense of anything, James had already started tugging at her clothes, breathing heavily as he pinned her down like a predator.
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