I Know How This Story Ends

Chapter 1 

Emma's eyes snapped open and a sharp gasp tore from her throat. Hands shaking, outstretched in the air, clawing for something to hold onto. There was a raw panic in her veins, that visceral feeling of having just barely crawled out of the dark. 

But as her vision started to settle, she realized she wasn’t staring at those white hospital ceilings she knew so well.  

Instead, her fingers were gripping expensive, smooth sheets. 

Way up high, a massive chandelier threw shards of light across a bedroom that looked more like a penthouse suite.

“Wher— where am I?” The words tumbled out in a croak.

As she tried to get out of bed,her legs shook so hard she nearly hit the floor. Lifting her head,she caught her reflection in a full-length mirror and she just froze. 

The pale, thin woman staring back at her was a total stranger.

With uncertainty,she raised her hand to feel her face and so did the woman in the mirror.

She stumbled back and at that exact moment a jumble of memories flooded her head. 

“Ah!” She clutched her head in agony and collapsed on the floor.

No matter how much she writhed,the pain only increased.

Ethan,please don't do this to me

The voice was pleading and laced with so much sadness that her heart hurt.

The man in question only pushed her away.

Emma clutched her chest in a frenzy as more details came in.

A pathetic woman,unloved by her husband. Living each day with hope that he'd loved her back.

Ethan Hayes.

That name…

It all felt too familiar.

She gasped.

She remembered now. A long journey on a train had led her to discover a novel to kill her boredom.

‘The Wife He Never Wanted.’

With each page she flipped,she remembered the disgust she felt,even worse was the fact they both bore the same name.

‘God! I'd never let a man do this to me.’

Her chest heaved.

“What is this irony?!”

The original Emma was a weakling who didn't even live up to the fortieth chapter.

Emma gathered her strength and sat up,her eyes moving across the room until it settled on a calendar.

‘If this is August,that means it's around the time she is served divorce papers,but when?’ Emma mumbled, trying to remember the original plot.

In the original book, despite all she does to salvage her marriage,Emma Carter is served a divorce, shortly after that,she is killed.

Emma's eyes turned cold. With a new chance at life,she was never going to let it waste.

Knock knock 

The sound of someone at the door alerted her. Before she could even permit it,the door was pushed open by a maid pushing in a trolley.

She paused for a second, observing Emma on the floor,then resumed pushing the trolley into the room.

“Madam,your breakfast.” 

Though she had obviously called her ‘madam’,the maid looked at her with contempt.

Her brows knitted into a frown.

The situation was far worse than she imagined.

‘If I'm going to change the plot,why not start with people that don't know their place.’

With this thought in mind, Emma's lips stretched into a smirk.

She dusted herself off the floor and assumed the grace of a proper lady.

Emma took slow but strong steps until she was standing in front of the maid.

The maid couldn't understand why the same useless madam was walking towards her but she couldn't help but feel dread the closer she came.

She saw herself subconsciously shuffling back until her back hit the closed door and the only thing between her and Emma was the trolley.

Emma scanned the disrespectful maid.

She couldn't blame her much,for she was the reflection of what little respect Ethan accorded her.

“What did you call me?” Emma's voice was a dangerous whisper.

The maid looked away from Emma's fiery gaze.

“Ma- Madam.” She stuttered.

Emma scoffed, lowering her eyes to the covered dish on the trolley.

She casually lifted up the cloche and the sight It revealed left her gobsmacked.

“What is this?!”

The maid didn't utter a word, looking at her feet like it could speak for her.

“I asked you a question.” Emma spat through clenched teeth.

“What is this nonsense you presented before me?” 

A stale bread and some weird sauce that God knows the trashcan it was dug out from.

Emma felt her nails pierce into her palm as she fisted.

She could feel her temple throbbing in our rage and beneath it all, genuine sadness.

She knew this sadness came from the original Emma's suffering.

A tear rolled down her cheek.

The maid looked up at this exact moment and she was reminded that she always stepped on her madam’s head and nothing ever happened.

The fear left immediately and she relaxed, scoffing and rolling her eyes.

Emma's red rimmed eyes shot up as she heard that scoff,a delicate hand moving swiftly to wipe the stray tear.

“What makes you think you have the right to question me?”

She folded her hand across her apron.

“The boss said to make sure you eat and honestly,this is the best we've had to offer you this week.” She squinted her eyes and took two steps to stand directly in front of Emma.

“So are you going to keep throwing a tantrum or eat your food like the unwanted bitch you are?”

Emma's hand moved before the maid could even blink. A crisp slap turning her head to the left. She hadn't recovered from that when Emma seized her chin and pushed her till her back slammed against the heavy door.

The maid struggled but for some reason,she couldn't pry Emma's hands away from her.

With her free hand,Emma reached for the tray, grabbed a slice of bread dipped in the unknown sauce and forced it into the maid's mouth.

The maid started choking, trying her best to spit the spoiled food out,but Emma shut her jaws so tightly that she couldn't help but swallow everything.

Emma continued this until she had fed the maid half of the food. When she was satisfied,she let the girl collapse on the floor.

Watching her coughing and trying to spit it all out,Emma felt a sense of satisfaction.

“That will teach you to shut the fuck up.”

As she turned and walked towards the bathroom,she spat out coldly.

“Get out and close the doors behind you.”

The maid stared at her from the floor with red eyes,only this time ,her heart radiated the fear she felt inside.

Under the shower,Emma enjoyed the feeling of the warm water cascading down her body.

She had memories of this maid using the very same method to force the original character to ingest all sorts of things.

Emma stood before the mirror,the towel wrapped loosely around her and studied the face that now belonged to her.

It was pale,gaunt and looking very sickly but that didn't erase the fact that she was a beautiful woman.

"I'm definitely not walking out like this."

Emma took a lot of time working concealers under her eyes, colour into her cheeks until her defeated look faded into a sharper beauty.

From the closet, she pulled a yellow,floral dress and held it in front of herself.

"Perfect."

Emma pulled the door open and stepped into the hallway.

The shocked reactions she got from the workers around was enough to tell her she had done a perfect job.

With her spine straight,she descended down the stairs.

Soon,she found herself at the front doors, drawn by the light reflecting through the glass panels.

As she pulled the doors open,the smile slowly vanished from her face.

Just a few steps away from the threshold a tall man in dark tailored suits blocked the light.

His dark hair was pushed back,firm structure and just from behind,Emma knew he was even better than she had imagined from the books.

Her eyes got blurry and she didn't need a soothsayer to tell her that this was Ethan Hayes.

Hatred quickly covered up that feeling of despair.

Ethan turned and saw her. 

Surprise flickered across his face at the sight of her even standing there.

"You're awake." His deep voice rolled out.

His eyes moved over her once again, taking in the dress, the hair, and how straight and confident her posture was.

When his eyes moved back up to her face and he saw she seemed to also be scrutinizing him,the surprise vanished and was replaced by disgust.

'Nothing could ever change her from the woman she is.'

Whatever patience he had been keeping finally snapped.

"Emma." His voice was flat, "I don't think I can do this anymore. Let's get a divorce."

Emma knew it would come,but she never expected it this quickly.

They stood opposite each other,no one saying a word.

In the highest floor of a building a few miles away, someone adjusted their lense,zooming into Emma.