Chapter 114 Part 114
Emerson
She’d woken up earlier and heard voices downstairs. She recognized Mark’s voice and exhaled in relief. Everything was going to be fine. Asher was fine, and she was fine.
She stood under the spray of the shower and cried. It was relief and anger, sadness and fear, she cried it all out. She scrubbed her skin until it was red and almost raw.
Everywhere Grover had touched her, she wanted to scrub clean. Knowing he was dead and could never hurt her again, was a relief unlike any she had ever experienced before.
When she felt slightly better, she got out of the shower, and got dressed. She kept the towel wrapped around her wet hair, and sat down on the bed to put her shoes on.
A knock fell on the door and she looked up. “Come in.”
The door opened and Asher leaned against the frame. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m okay,” she said, and her eyes searched his. They were void of emotion, and she couldn’t get a read on him.
He cleared his throat and his hand went to the back of his neck. “I’ve made arrangements with Mark to take you back to the city.”
“You want me to leave?” The pain was a shock to her system. It felt like she couldn’t breathe.
“It’s not going to work out between us, Emerson. Too much has happened. I can’t…”
“Asher, please,” she said, and got to her feet. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“Maybe not, but you kept reading, Emerson.” Asher turned away from the door, and she could hear his footsteps going down the hall.
The tears spilled onto her cheeks, and she stifled a sob that escaped her lips. It hurt so much. She never knew a broken heart could hurt like that. Her body moved on auto-pilot, packing her suitcases. She hadn’t worn any of her own clothes, and most of them were still packed.
It felt like the end of the road, as she zipped the suitcase shut and looked around the room. She hadn’t slept there in weeks. She smoothed the comforter and pulled her luggage out of the room.
She walked to Asher’s room and took Morbid the Sheep from Asher’s dresser. She was going to take that damn sheep with her. She looked at his bed and closed her eyes.
She could vividly remember the last time they’d kissed and touched each other. It had only been 24 hours, but it suddenly felt like a lifetime ago. She turned and stopped short. Asher stood by her suitcases, looking sadly at her. She opened her mouth to say something, but he picked up her luggage, and started down the stairs.
At the top of the stairs, she stared down at Asher and Mark’s heads. They shook hands and Mark chuckled. “Thanks, Asher. I owe you for this one.”
“You don’t owe me anything,” Asher said.
Mark nodded his head, took Emerson’s luggage, and walked out through the front door. Asher turned and looked up at her so she took a deep breath, and slowly walked toward him.
“Asher…”
“Take care of yourself, Emerson. You’ve got nothing holding you back now. Be happy.”
She shook her head and blinked the tears away. She’d never told him exactly how she felt about him. She’d never had the chance. “I love you, Asher.”
Sadness filled his eyes as he looked at her. “I love you, too, Emerson.”
She gripped Morbid tightly, waiting for him to say something else, to ask her not to go, but he didn’t. She nodded her head, and turned away from him. Each step she took felt like she was leaving her life behind. A part of her wanted to turn around and beg him to forgive her, beg for a second chance, but she kept walking until she reached the SUV where Mark stood.
“Ready to go?”
She nodded her head because she knew if she spoke, her voice would be filled with sadness. She climbed inside and Mark closed the door. John, who worked with Mark, sat in the front, and he gave her a smile.
“How was life on the ranch?” he asked her.
“It was fine,” she said softly, as Mark closed his own door, and started the vehicle. Emerson turned to look out of the window.
Asher stood on the porch, gripping the railing as he watched her leave. She could feel the hurt as they drove down the dirt road, and Asher disappeared from view.
“Asher said things went well,” Mark said.
“He was paid for it to go well,” Emerson replied, and winced. She hadn’t meant it that way, but it was better if Mark thought they hadn’t gotten along.
“Actually, he returned the envelope. Said he didn’t want the money,” Mark said. “Told me to give it to you, that you’d need it more to start over.”
John turned, and handed her a clear plastic bag. Emerson grabbed it and pulled her cell phone from it. She powered it on, and her eyes widened as she looked at all the incoming messages, missed calls, and emails.
The drive back to Minneapolis, where her best friend lived, took hours, and she slept most of the way. It was near midnight when Mark parked the SUV in front of her friend’s apartment building. She’d need to find a place to live, a job, and start over. She’d asked Mark not to take her back to New York. She wanted a fresh start, and Shirley had invited her to stay. She had nothing in New York anymore, and she didn’t want to go back there.
Mark walked her up to her friend’s apartment, and hugged her goodbye. “Love conquers all, Emerson.” She wanted to say something in reply, but Mark was already heading back down the stairs.
Shirley, her best friend, opened the door, and Emerson finally burst out in tears. Shirley hugged her tight ,and pulled her inside the apartment. “What’s wrong?”
“Everything, Shirley, everything!”
“Oh, come here, Emmie, tell me everything,” she said, and closed the door behind them.