Chapter 3

Emery

The next day, I continued my task of ‘rejoining the living’ so to speak after I’d holed up in my house and refused to see or speak to anyone for so long. Uncle Vincent had been calling me nonstop for three days so he was first one my list.

I got into my Fire Black McLaren 650S Convertible to drive over to the office building where Uncle Vincent was. God I loved this car. She was beautiful and damn she could fly. The car had been a gift from Vincent on my eighteenth birthday. Another thing Jasper forced me to give up when we’d gotten married.

On the drive over, I began to feel nervous. I wondered if Jasper had already told people I called off the wedding. If he did .. what would they say? We’re they going to try to force me into doing it anyway? I knew Uncle Vincent wouldn’t. He had always had my back and knew I didn’t want to be a part of their world. But he still made sure I was protected.

I hope this didn’t change things.

However the Marchetti’s on the other hand? Breaking a marriage contract was no small thing.. it would cause problems between our families. But I wasn’t living for anyone but myself .. not anymore. I just hoped this wouldn’t start a war.

I pulled into the parking garage and rode the elevator up to the top floor of the building where we owned some office space. Uncle Vincent spent most of his time either here or at his large house slightly outside of the city.

I loved going to his house… it was a huge brick manor with a large lake out back. I had lived there with him from the time I was sixteen until I went off to college. The home always gave me a feeling of peacefulness and safety.

When I made it upstairs and to his office I hesitated before knocking. Once again a feeling of dread and nerves took over. After standing there for several seconds I finally knocked.

“Come in” a deep voice answered.

I opened the door and saw him sitting there behind a huge desk that took up half the room.

“Ah .. Emery! Come in child.” Uncle Vincent said as he stood to hug me.

“Hello Uncle.” I answered.. staring at him momentarily. It was going to take some time for me to get used to everyone being younger than I remembered. I could tell the difference in him immediately. It was more pronounced than it had been in Jasper. Vincent had a little more pep in his step and wasn’t nearly as crouched over as he was the last time I saw him.

It was only in that moment that I realized we weren’t alone. Sitting over in the chairs by the window were two more people. People that I was surprised but happy to see.

Elijah, Vincent’s son and Frankie, who was the son of Vincent’s underboss both sat staring back at me.

It has been a while since I had seen either one of them. I had hardly seen much of anyone after Jasper and I had married. He tried to cut me off from everyone so I would rely solely on him. It had worked. But if I was being honest.. I’d already pulled away from them all.

But here they sat. Both of them younger than before just like everyone else. My brain almost couldn’t accept this strange turn of events. But I felt the nostalgia flow through me as I said hello to them both. We used to all be the best of friends.

Before my parents died we were always together. Then I lived with Elijah for a few years afterwards. Another thing Jasper had always been jealous about. But I felt a special kinship with the guys. We had all been through a lot things together.

But Elijah and Frankie weren’t innocent kids anymore. They were knee deep in the underworld of their lifestyle, both of them following in the footsteps of their fathers.

“I got an interesting phone call yesterday.” Uncle Vincent interrupted her thoughts.

“Oh?” I said.

“Yes. From Dominic Marchetti.” He said looking at me slyly.

“Do you know what he told me?” Vincent asked.

I took a peek over at the guys wondering if it was a good idea to have this discussion while they were in the room. But I figured they’d find out sooner or later. May as well be now.

“I’m guessing he told you I called off the wedding?” I answered.

“What??” Elijah asked suddenly sitting up in his seat.

Frankie was frowning at me as well.

“That’s correct.” Vincent answered. “He hasn’t mentioned it to anyone else yet .. he wanted to talk to me first.”

“I’m sorry Uncle. I just cannot marry him. I won’t do it. I know it’s putting you in a bad spot but.. I have to put myself first. I’ve recently discovered that Jasper is a horrible human being. And … I can’t go through with the marriage. I’m leaving in a week with my job. I’ll be gone for six months to the Arctic.” I said.

“What the hell?” Elijah sputtered.

Frankie busted out laughing .. I frowned at him.

“What’s so funny?” I asked.

“This .. this is funny. It’s a joke right? You fucking love that asshole. You always have .. at least for the past .. I don’t know six or seven years? The last time I saw you, you couldn’t wait to get married!” Frankie exclaimed.

“Well. Things have .. changed. There have been some developments. I no longer feel that way. In fact… I feel the complete opposite. I had an .. awakening .. of sorts.” I told him blatantly.

Frankie snorted at that.

“An awakening?? Really?”

I huffed. This was getting no where. And Frankie was starting to piss me off. Elijah on the other hand was quiet … but he was smirking at me.

“Look. I found some shit out okay?” I was exasperated.

“Yeah. Shit we’ve been telling you for years.” Frankie replied.

“All right that’s enough.” Uncle Vincent chastised. “I will handle it Emery. If your absolutely certain your making the right choice. But there’s no coming back from this. If you say no now.. it’ll be no forever.”

That made me pause. Was I doing the right thing? I was putting us all in jeopardy by refusing him. And I HAD loved the boy most of my life.

But then I remembered … Jasper’s cold attitude towards me after we had married … the ten long years of betrayal, the ones he spent loving his ‘adopted’ daughter. He had lied and cheated and casted me aside. He caused me humiliation from his last wishes to protect the woman he loved and cared about the most - not me, not his wife.. but Vivian.

No. I had endured enough pain. I was given a gift, a second chance at life. I wasn’t going to marry the wrong man and suffer through that torture for a second time. This was the right thing to do, and I had to do it.

I had to let go of my foolish and blind love.

I had to give up the man who never deserved my heart.

“I’m one hundred percent sure.” I told him.

Vincent nodded. It was done.

“I will never force you into doing something you don’t want to Emery. But I have to warn you there will be backlash. This is breaking our alliance. And Dominic won’t be happy about it. We all need to keep a sharp look out for a while … I don’t want to be blindsided by someone’s retaliation.” Vincent said.

I nodded, and looked back over to the boys. Frankie was shaking his head, still laughing about the whole thing. But Elijah was staring a hole through me. A hard look on his face .. I felt like he was looking directly into my soul.

And I didn’t like it. Not one bit.