Emerald's Core
The scent of lavender filled the room. The strong aroma was very thin, but it woke Emerald up from her slumber.
She looked under her blanket and found out she was near blue silk nightwear.
"Where am I?" she asked, because this looked nothing like a house.
She was about to get up from her bed when Simeon spoke.
"I see you're finally awake," Simeon walked down to her, holding a cup of hot tea.
"Have this."
Stubborn, Emerald rejected the tea, and the scenes of last night came pouring in.
"Why did you bring me here? And where is here, anyways?" she demanded answers.
"You fainted, and there was no place that felt safer than your fiancé's house," Simeon answered confidently.
"Spare me that—wait." Emerald paused to look again at her clothes.
"Where are my clothes… did you… did we?"
"I can never defy my honor to take advantage of a woman," Simeon answered, offended at her wild thoughts.
"And yet you have. Selfishly, you have taken advantage of me," Emerald scorned him.
"I only did what was best for you," Simeon replied, but underneath his heart, guilt shook him.
"You say you know me, but the only part of me you know is the one my father sold off."
"You are as selfish as they come, Simeon… you do this for me? Never. You do this for your intentions and, worst of all, you do this because you know I am a weak woman."
"Emerald, please do not bring this topic," Simeon pleaded, having no motive to argue or strain her.
"Exactly. Silence me, just like every man has done. I hate all of you."
"And him," Simeon said, clearly referring to Asher. "Do you think he knows you?"
"He knows all the sides of me I wish to hide. He sees me as a woman worthy to be fought for. Yes, he knows me more than I know myself, and even if he may seem as though he doesn't, he's the only person my shadows have always wanted to entrap."
Emerald confessed all the things she could have said last night.
"He is the reason you are broken, Emerald," Simeon's eyes filled with hurt. Nothing of jealousy, just hurt—because of the rejection. A rejection he had seen from the very first day, still he had hoped she would forget and accept him.
"I have traced all your tears into a rainbow I could drown in. I could love you more than I wish I could love myself… even if it is to use me. Use me, Emerald, the same way I have planned to use you."
"You love me? Fine then, believe that."
"If you love me… please, for once hear me and let me go."
"Call off the wedding. They could only listen to a man more than a woman," Emerald suggested to Simeon, hoping he could set her free.
"I could do anything for you. You want the skies? Done. You want the gods of mountains to worship you? Fine. But I can never set the idea to let you go," Simeon said with a mix of emotions—love, fear, and guilt.
"Where are my clothes?" Emerald asked, moving out of the bed.
"Don't be stubborn, Emerald. Your body can't move," Simeon tried to come closer to her, but instead she pushed him, hitting his chest violently. Flashes of devastation bled his eyes.
"Away! Stay away from me!"
"Emerald…" Simeon held her, being calm enough to console her.
"I hate all of you. I thought I couldn't hate anyone as much as I hate myself, but all you men ever do is trap me!"
"This is not love, Simeon. This is a prison."
"You know that, I know that. I cannot love you the same way you have loved me. You have seen that this marriage is eating me up, and yes—you joined them. You trapped me just like everyone else!" Emerald struggled to breathe.
"The only reason I am putting up with this is because of my brother. So help me, Simeon, I would have burned you alive!" Emerald said in anger.
"Your brother?" he asked in confusion. He thought she was an only child.
"You say you know me and see me, yet you don't know what lies beneath. I won't answer your question. If you love me as you say you do, you won't just watch me physically from mere distance—you'd study me. Even the things I try to gaslight."
"The world doesn't know him, and to think….your greatest strengths can be your hottest weakness."
Simeon looked lost in all Emerald said. His expressions were there to prove it.
"Are you being blackmailed by your father? And your brother is used as an object to blackmail you?" he guessed.
And his guess was right. But it wasn't enough to convince his intention. Instead, it vexed her the more.
"Use your smart detective skills and find out by yourself. Though I doubt you would find out , considering you, your father, and mine are geniuses who use me as a pawn in your game," Emerald told him.
She forcefully removed his hand off her, leaving the room.
When she opened the door, she held her breath for a minute before she ran down around the house, searching room for room—maybe to find the bathroom or an escape route.
"Sister-in-law!" Carly, Simeon's younger sister, called her innocently.
"Dear, you are such a cute thing." This was the opportunity to advantage; she brought lower her hold on Carly's shoulders.
"Can you do me a favor and show me the gates out of the mansion?" she asked.
"The same way you left with yesterday? And sister-in-law, do you plan on going out with the deceit of a dress?" Carly looked at Emerald's nightwear, which was so transparent it pictured her appearance well.
"Darling, I meant the back gate," Emerald answered her, forgetting she didn't change her clothes.
"Brother said that I shouldn't tell you," Carly said, a little bit too smart for her age.
"Brother asked me to leave," Emerald said.
"So if you want to be sister-in-law best friend, you'll tell me… after I change," Emerald tried her best to brainwash her.
Carly gave in.
After Emerald took a shower in the bathhouse Carly showed her, she got dressed into backup clothes Carly brought. And of course, Carly showed her out the mansion.
Carly was her savior today.