Chapter 7

Emery

Later that night I sat staring into the fire. Not the one that had destroyed my mothers necklace.. but my own fireplace at home. I sipped on some wine, trying my best to calm my racing mind. I couldn’t believe where the night had ended up.

I’d gone from happy and excited … to angry and then completely and utterly devastated. The necklace was gone .. ruined.

I wondered if Jasper would even care or be angry at Vivian. She did after all throw away 200 thousand dollars. But knowing Jasper, he’d come up with some excuse and forgive her completely. If that would’ve been me.. he would have hit the fucking roof.

My phone ringing pulled me out of my thoughts. It was pretty late .. I don’t know who would be calling me..

I frowned when I saw Jasper’s name flash across the screen.

“Hello?” I answered.

“Are you out of your fucking mind?!” He bellowed into my ear.

Now what??

“What??” I questioned.

“You know I never realized how truly dark and evil your heart is Emery.” He said.

“What the hell are you going on about Jasper?!” I raised my voice. This day had done me in. I had no patience left at this point.

“Why? Just tell me why you did it. Was it because of the necklace? You know that was an accident!” He shouted.

I laughed. Full on belly laughed. I think this man was making me lose my mind. I literally felt like a crazy person. I couldn’t wait to leave here and go to the arctic. Snow and mountains and peace .. it sounded heavenly.

“If you think that was an accident your out of your fucking mind. But I don’t know what it is you think I did. I’m tired and it’s late …” I told him.

“You ordered a hit! They nearly plowed right over our car and Vivian.. her hand is broken! Was that what you were going for? You just wanted to injure her or were you trying for something a little more permanent?” He asked me.

This guy is insane …

“You think I ordered a hit?? Have you been drinking?? Of course I didn’t do that Jasper you know me. You’ve known me your entire life just about.” I told him.

After a few minutes he seemed to get his wits about him and calm down. He started to see reason.. and it was a good thing because I couldn’t take any more today.

But then once we got off the phone .. my mind began to wonder. I know I didn’t order someone to hit her …

But .. maybe someone else did?

A couple days later I got an invitation in the mail. It was for Vivian’s eighteenth birthday. That was the last thing I wanted to do .. go to her party. Especially after she destroyed my mother’s necklace… and then Jasper calling me and yelling and accusing me of getting Vivian’s hand broken.

But there was something I needed to do .. and I didn’t want to make a special trip over to his house, nor did I want to call him and have him come over here. So maybe this party was the best way.

I had something that belonged to Jasper, and I wanted to give it back.

When we got engaged .. he’d given me a pistol. Not just any gun mind you .. this was a very impressive and very old offering.

It was a Mannlicher M1900 engraved pistol from the early 1900s. It cost a fuck load of money — although Jasper seemed to care less about the couple of hundred thousand dollars he lost because of Vivian.

It was a beautiful gun though. And I would’ve loved to keep it. But it was a token of our contractual marriage. And since I wanted to break the engagement.. I needed to give it back. Even if it wasn’t necessarily custom to do so.. I didn’t want to owe this man anything. And I didn’t want him to have anything to hold over my head.

So I decided to go. I’d give the pistol to him and then there wouldn’t be anything left holding the two of us together.

THE DAY OF THE PARTY

I pulled up to the house and parked my car. I pulled the small gun case that held the Mannlicher and brought it inside with me. People were everywhere… and very dressed up. I looked down at my outfit .. I’d definitely gone for comfort. Sweat pants and a cropped tshirt, and my slip ons. I was getting a few looks from the other party goers.

Oh well. I wasn’t here for the party anyway. I was here to return this pistol to Jasper then I’d be on my way.

I didn’t see Jasper or Vivian anywhere. I was already sick of all the bodies in this house and I was feeling claustrophobic. Who even were these people? I decided to go upstairs and see if Jasper was in his office. But as I walked down the hallway I could hear voices. I slowed my movements and listened closely.

It was Jasper. And he was talking to Vivian. I wondered if she’d admit to ruining my mothers necklace .. it was doubtful. Especially that she’d be doing it right now, in this exact moment. Still.. I wanted to hear what they were saying.

Vivian was speaking.

“I’m scared Jasper. Once you get married and have babies with her .. you won’t even want me anymore. You’ll just forget about me. Between her and your job I’ll never even see you ..” she was complaining.

“You don’t have to worry about that.” He answered her. “I’m not going to have babies with her. I’ve already got a doctor on standby that will give me some pills. They’ll keep her from getting pregnant. I’ll slip them to her if I have to.”

My heart slammed into my rib cage. What?!

No that can’t be right. He would never do that would he?

I thought back to my previous life with Jasper. I’d tried and tried to get pregnant. I’d gone to doctors galore and gotten injections. I’d taking all kinds of medication and eaten certain foods. I’d practically destroyed my body for it. And I’d felt so guilty that I couldn’t give him an heir.

But none of that mattered. Because he’d destroyed any chance of me ever giving him a child.