The Guest Emma Cline Review Novels & Stories

IF YOU STILL HAVE PROBLEMS, LET ME KNOW AND I WILL TRY TO HELP YOU AS MUCH AS I CAN. EMMA

Margaret asked. "Tired. Relieved. Grateful." "That's a lot of emotions." Emma pulled back. "I'm working on it." Margaret smiled. "That's all any of us can do." --- Emma's first client was Claire. Claire was twenty-four, had been in a basement for three months, and was still learning how to trust the outside world. She sat in the chair across from Emma, her hands clasped in her lap, her eyes fixed on the floor. "You were gone," Claire said.

Chapter 5: No More Secrets The duvet hung frozen in the air. Claire’s eyes were huge. Lisa’s mouth dropped open. Daniel’s fingers were still buried deep between Emma’s spread legs, shiny with her cum. A huge wet spot soaked the couch under her. Emma’s heart slammed against her ribs. “Mom… it’s not—” she started. Daniel pulled his hand out fast. “Claire, listen. Emma had a panic attack. The movie had that drowning scene. She couldn’t breathe under the blanket.

And one— Choosing. Her voice echoed in her mind: “I will not disappear.” Emma gasped loudly. Ethan turned toward her. “What is it?” But she couldn’t answer. Because now she understood. The Emmas outside weren’t clones. They were outcomes. Decisions she never fully accepted. Paths she never completed. Rewritten versions of herself that survived where she did not. Replacement stepped closer. “You’re remembering now.” Emma looked up at her. Voice shaking. “You’re one of them.”

Mine keep slipping off, and I’m over adjusting them. “To be fair, this is the top country club in the US. It’s prestigious.” Emma drags out the last word dramatically. Her eyebrows wag underneath her cucumbers. Somehow, hers stay on way better than mine do. “Emma, how do you even know that?” I ask. “I did my research. Duh. You guys can’t invite me somewhere fancy and expect me to not find out every single detail about it. Do you even want to know how much a guest pass is to be here today?”

The penthouse was chaotic—Emma was two years old now, a toddler tornado of energy. "Uncle Marcus!" Emma shrieked, running into my legs. I picked her up. "Hey, monster." Emma looked at Claire. She narrowed her eyes—the Noah West glare. "Who's dat?" "This is Claire," I said. "She's my friend." Claire didn't try to charm her. She didn't use a baby voice. She just crouched down. "I like your dinosaur shirt," Claire said. "I made a mug with a dinosaur on it once. It looked like a potato, though."

They seemed to elated by her presence as they ran over to us. "Claire! This is honestly a pleasant surprise! I had no idea you were visiting!" Emaline beamed, her lips widened in a smile. "Yeah, we never thought you would come visit," Danica said with a chuckle. I smiled at the warm atmosphere surrounding us. It was nice that Claire had made friends here. "Where is the empress?” Claire said coldly. I blinked at her in utter shock. I watched Emmaline's smile fade away instantly. Danica looked shocked, any one would.

“First stop: swimwear. Then maybe grab food after?” “Perfect,” Rina said, already leading the way. As they moved through the aisles, Emma couldn’t help but feel the weird blend of comfort and observation—how different everyone’s lives seemed, yet how easily they moved together. Grace held up a pair of floral vintage looking one piece. “Emma, this would look cute on you. You have that soft, kind of vintage look.” Emma blushed. “You think?” “Definitely,” Grace said, smiling. Julie laughed, leaning in. “Yeah, Emma’s the type who could wear her mom’s old dress and call ot vintage.”

15 - I’ll Stay Cillian “Why do you have a blanket?” I asked Emma, following her to the guest room and eyeing the way her manicured black nails were clutching the damn thing so tightly. I had known her for a few hours and in that time, I knew she wasn’t the type to get scared easily. My hand tightened into a fist, seeing her let out a small sigh of relief when we walked out of her room. She looked over her shoulder, a wavy lock of blonde hair brushing her cheekbone. “I might be traumatized. This is just a precaution.”

Her fate hadn't given up on her just yet and there was indeed a light at the end of the tunnel. Claire excused herself and walked towards where Damien, Cian and her father were having a discussion. Emma looked around the venue. She saw many rich and affluent people gathering together in this massive hall. She felt out of place. She knew she didn't belong in such high class gatherings but still it warmed her heart that she could be part of a wonderful cause by helping needy children across the globe. She walked around like someone trapped and lost in a maze. All the while Damien's gaze never left her from where he was standing and talking. His eyes often darted towards her direction and keepi