Chapter 19 – Twisted Love
Isabel’s POV
Slapping Emerson was not something I ever imagined myself doing. Yet the sound of my hand hitting his cheek echoed through the bathroom. His head jerked to the side. For a moment, he looked ‘utterly stunned.
“Isabel!” His eyes were wide with a mix of shock, anger and pain. He stepped back as if I had splashed cold water on his face.
I stormed out of the room. He ran after me. “Isa, wait!” I turned around to face him. He seemed to have sobered up instantly. A clarity appeared in his eyes that hadn’t been there before. He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. His lips moved, but whatever he wanted to express was trapped within.
“I’m going to sleep in the second bedroom tonight,” I said, my voice trembling. “Take a break, we can talk tomorrow morning.” Emerson nodded silently and walked away, leaving me alone with my racing thoughts.
What did he want from me? Had he gone completely insane? His actions were erratic, and his emotions seemed to swing wildly from one extreme to the other. I collapsed onto the bed, my mind spinning with confusion and frustration. Yet, exhaustion soon overtook me, and I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
When I woke up the next morning, the house was eerily quiet. Emerson was nowhere to be found. The maid had prepared lunch for me, but I could hardly stomach anything. The events of the previous night weighed heavily on my mind.
After forcing down a few bites, I decided it was time to leave. But as I stood up, a sharp pain pierced through my head. I clutched my temples and sank back onto the couch. My vision was blurring. “I
need to rest, just for a moment,” I told myself as I drifted back to sleep.
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+15 BONUS
In the haze of my slumber, I smelled a familiar scent alcohol. Strong hands encircled me, pulling me into a warm embrace. My eyes snapped open in a panic. Where was I? Who was touching me?
I turned around. There he was, Emerson, staring down at me with an expression that was a mix of sorrow and desperation.
He was drunk. The smell of alcohol was overwhelming. His eyes, though clouded, held a pitiful look.
“Don’t abandon me,” he whispered, his voice breaking.
Tears welled up in my eyes. “How can you say I abandoned you? Were you not the one who betrayed our love?” My voice was choked with emotion.
“I… I never meant to betray you. I was an idiot! An idiot!” he slurred. ” I love you.”
Was he delirious? Does he even know he’s talking to me and not Lilith? He’s so drunk, after all. Does he truly love me?
“Emerson, look at me. Who am I?” I asked, tears running down my cheeks.
He looked me in the eyes. “You’re my Isa. My one and only. My true. love,” he said in a lisp, his eyes glassy. Suddenly, he noticed my tears. “Why are you crying? Who bullied you? I’ll teach him a lesson!”
He turned around, as if searching for the phantom tormentor. I grabbed his arm and pulled him back. “Emerson, you need to take a bath. You smell terrible.”
“No, we’ll bathe together,” he said, dragging me towards the bathroom. Despite my protests, he pulled me under the shower and turned on the cold water. The sudden chill made me gasp as it
2/3
+15 BONUS
soaked through my clothes.
“Stop this, Emerson! I’m cold!” I cried, shivering. But instead of letting me go, he wrapped his arms around me tightly.
“I’ll hold you. You won’t be cold. We agreed to hold each other till death do us part. Don’t you remember?” His eyes were full of desperate longing.
I stood there, shivering and drenched. I felt his strong arms around me. The cold water was a stark contrast to the warmth of his body. For a moment, I allowed myself to lean into his embrace. A rush of memories and emotions washed over me.
“Emerson, what if I really was going to die?” I whispered, my voice barely audible over the sound of the water.
His face changed dramatically. The drunken haze in his eyes cleared slightly, replaced by a look of horror. “Don’t say that,” he murmured, his voice cracking. He embraced me even more tightly. “You can’t die. I won’t let you.”
I pulled back slightly to look into his eyes. “But what if I did? What would you do?”
“I’d die too,” he said simply, his voice filled with a raw sincerity that took my breath away. “I can’t live without you, Isabel. I just…can’t.”
The intensity of his words and the depth of his emotions hit me like a tidal wave. Here was the man who had caused me so much pain, yet his love for me seemed to burn more fiercely than ever. It was a complicated, twisted love. But it was real.