Chapter 183: I WANT HIM
Ema was very embarrassed when Hazel brought up this topic. She felt so pathetic and desperate. She didn’t need to bring that up only to humiliate her.
"Do you really think by marrying Ranon, you have won a big prize?"
Hazel shrugged her shoulders. "I don’t even realize this is a competition, and Ranon is the prize." She grinned, provoking Ema even more. "At the very least, I got the younger one."
The ray of light filtered through the floor-to-ceiling window, and Hazel basked in its light. Her brown hair looked as if it glowed, enhancing her beauty and confidence. She exuded an air of arrogance, but in a way that was charming.
She had a strong presence, as if whenever you saw her, you couldn’t help but pay close attention to her.
Ema hated it.
"You need to learn some respect, Hazel. I am still your mother-in-law." Ema didn’t have any leverage anymore, aside from using her status in the family.
However, the answer only made Hazel laugh. She looked very carefree, and the sight of her bulging stomach irritated Ema even more.
All of this happened because of Ranon’s fault. If only he had changed his mind, she wouldn’t have lived miserably like this.
If only she hadn’t listened to her sister, she would have found a way to make a family with him. She should be the one who was pregnant with Ranon’s child.
"Respect is something you earn." Hazel tilted her head and looked at Ema with a strong resentment. "You lost it when you eyed my husband." Her tone shifted, and her expression hardened.
The truth was harsh, especially when someone said it out loud. She thought she had gotten over Ranon. After all, this was the life she wanted.
This was the path she chose, but why did her chest feel so heavy?
She was haunted by ’what ifs.’
Her gaze then slithered down to Hazel’s stomach. She hated this woman with passion. Years ago, she imagined this moment.
However, Ranon was steadfast in his decision, and now he was everything that he told her he didn’t want.
This was unfair.
"What? Are you thinking, What if I were the one who was pregnant with his baby?" Hazel chuckled to see Ema’s reaction. She was so easy to read.
Was this Ranon’s type? Unfortunately, she was the opposite...
"Ranon can change his mind about having a family; he can change his mind again." Ema lifted her head arrogantly. Her eyes filled with hatred. "When it happens, don’t cry."
But to her bewilderment, Hazel laughed out loud, as if this were the funniest thing she had ever heard. She didn’t even try to hold back and openly mocked Ema with her statement.
"You can laugh now because you think Ranon will never leave you. He must have said how much he loves you and that he will never abandon you, but you know what?! All of those are lies!"
The part that Ema didn’t know was that Ranon had never said or made any promises like that. In fact, the idea that their marriage would end within a year was even more absurd.
Hazel could already imagine how smug this woman would be when she learned about the divorce.
"He promised me the same thing! And you know what? He didn’t even keep his word!"
The angrier Ema was, the louder Hazel laughed. The sound of her laughter was not something that was forced. This was how she really felt.
Hazel found the situation hilarious. She wiped tears from the corner of her eyes while Ema was still yapping about commitment and whatnot.
It seemed Hazel had driven her crazy. Ema forgot where she was at the moment. The only thing she wanted was to irritate Hazel, but it didn’t work.
If anything, it was she who was worked up, and in her rage, Ema didn’t even realize when she walked towards Hazel speedily.
In the blink of an eye, Ema was in front of Hazel. She raised her hand to slap her. She didn’t want to hear her laughter anymore. She was very hateful!
Ema actually moved very fast, and this startled Hazel a little, but thankfully she had a spontaneous reflex. There was no way she would let someone like Ema slap her.
Hazel sidestepped and swatted Ema’s hand; in turn, she slapped her instead. She actually wanted to kick her; it would have more impact.
But with how heavy her body was and the fact that she was heavily pregnant, Hazel didn’t want to risk losing her balance.
Even so, Hazel’s slap was powerful enough, which left Ema stunned. She blinked her eyes rapidly at Hazel and was dumbfounded to see her gaze.
Out of instinct, Ema took a step back.
She didn’t have any idea how to describe it, but the sight of her alone could make her whole body tremble. She was scared.
"Try that again, and I am going to break your beautiful fingers," Hazel hissed. "You can trust me on that."
Ema wanted to say something, but the menace that exuded from Hazel was enough to clamp her mouth. There was something dangerous about her.
"Leave."
Her voice was heavy and commanding, but weirdly enough, Ema did what she was told. She wanted to stay away from here. She wanted to keep as much distance as possible from her.
This terrifying feeling was rather familiar, and later on, she remembered when she felt this way. It was when Ranon beat someone up because they touched her, which led him to end up in jail.
She remembered how scary Ranon was at that time, and now, this feeling she got while looking at Hazel was close to that one.
***
"What are you doing here? What happened with you?" Lena immediately approached her sister and helped her get into her house.
She looked like Ema, but slightly older and shorter, with the same almond-shaped eyes, which now widened in disbelief upon seeing her sister’s drunken state.
The last time she saw her like this was when she had just married Denzel Leighton. She had to pick her up from the bar because she was too drunk to go back alone.
She didn’t even want to return to the Leighton residence.
"What now?!" Lena was angry with her because she acted up again. She had gotten into trouble with Denzel during Ranon’s wedding.
"I don’t want this life..." Ema slurred; she lay down on a couch in the living room. Lena brought a glass of water for her so she could sober up a little bit. "I don’t want this life anymore. This life sucks!"
Lena could already guess what had bothered her sister. This was the same old song.
She had been crying and whining over the same thing for the past decade. By this time, she should have been over it.
Everyone moved on, but Ema still had the same problem.
"What is wrong with you?" Lena was irritated. She sat down next to her.
They used to be close, but Ema pulled away. She created a distance between them because, deep down, she blamed Lena for how her life turned out.
And now, she did it again.
"It’s all your fault." Ema glared at Lena. "Because of you, I have to live my life miserably!"
Hearing the same thing made Lena roll her eyes. "You live your life expensively, Ema, thanks to me."
"Thanks to you live like a whore!"
A harsh slap landed on Ema’s cheek, the same spot where Hazel had slapped her earlier. "I don’t appreciate your insult."
Lena was furious. This was the second time Ema called her as such.
"I don’t care whether you are drunk or not; I will not appreciate the insult," Lena said harshly, and this sobered Ema up a little.
She burst into tears again.
"Why did you have to suggest I leave Ranon?!" Ema cried angrily; she pushed her sister aside and then stood up.
But she did it too fast, and her body swayed before she fell on her butt. She started crying again.
"Stop blaming me for everything that went wrong in your life. I am tired of your attitude!"
Lena tossed her hair and stood up from the couch. She towered above her sister.
"I am tired of being your scapegoat and emotional punching bag." She spoke slowly, enunciating every word so Ema could hear it clearly. "You were not a child who couldn’t make your own decision. You chose this path with a clear head. You knew what I was doing, but you still wanted it anyway."
Lena loved her sister, but sometimes she was out of touch with reality. She wanted everything to be handed over to her easily.
That was why living in poverty with Ranon was not very tempting. Despite how much she loved him, she couldn’t stay.
"You wanted this life; you knew the consequences of it. Don’t come to me and whine about how miserable your life is while driving your expensive car here."
Lena pinched Ema’s chin and forced her to look at her.
"Just because it doesn’t turn out as you wanted, you can’t blame me for your life’s choice. The fact that you chose this in the first place was enough proof that you wanted it. Now you’ve got it; live it."
"I don’t want it anymore. I want him..."
"Welcome to life, Ema. You will not always get what you want."
Tears streamed down her cheeks. "I want him, Lena... I don’t want anyone else. Lena, please help me."