Chapter 35 Struggling With A Past Incident
The taxi dropped Emma off in front of a big house, and she kept checking her phone to confirm that the address Susan sent her was right. She made sure to double-check when she and Zoe got out of the car. "Emma. Bella lives in a big house."
"I’m just as surprised as you are. Remember, be a good girl, okay?"
"Are you really going to leave me here? I don’t want you to go," Zoe said, clinging to her.
Emma looked at her, and a smile spread across her face. She knelt down to get a better look at her. Emma sighed and placed her hands on the girl's shoulders. "Don’t you want me to go?" When she asked, Zoe nodded.
"It won’t take long. Just stay for my sake, pleaseeee." How could she say no? Just seeing Zoe’s face made her smile. How could she possibly refuse? Besides, playdates were only going to last a few hours. Instead of coming and going, she could wait that long.
"Alright, Zo. I’ll stick around and wait." Emma stood up and reached out her hand. "Come on." The black gate opened by itself as they approached, as if it knew they had arrived. When Emma and Zoe stepped inside the house, she was even more impressed by the interior.
"You two got here just in time," Susan said as she stepped out of the house in a fancy robe. Emma felt relaxed since the weather was just fine. Bella came out from behind her and immediately hugged Zoe.
"Your place is so beautiful! I had no idea designers could be this wealthy."
"Bella, sweetheart. Head to your art studio with Zoe. You two better enjoy yourselves. Miss Facer and I will be around if you need anything."
"Sure thing, Mummy." Emma watched as Bella grabbed Zoe's hand and they dashed into the house.
Once the kids were gone, Susan turned back to Emma. "Not every designer gets to live in a place like this," she laughed. "Just so you know, I'm an employee of Mr. Queen. I'm also a level six designer. That should tell you something. Plus, I’m married to an architect who built this house." Susan moved closer to Emma, placing her hand on her lower back. "Come on, let’s have a drink. We can chat for hours. What would you like to drink?" Susan asked.
Emma was taken aback. Just imagine marrying a rich guy. That thought never crossed her mind because her life was so different. As for Mr. Queen, she didn’t want to think about him at all. They walked into a side room and Emma spotted a place where drinks were kept on shelves. "You have a bar?"
Susan laughed. "Everyone should have one." She walked into the bar and came back through a small opening. "Take a seat. I’ll get you whatever you want."
As she sat down, Emma quickly glanced around.
"What cocktail do you want?" Susan asked.
Emma nervously laughed and turned to her. "Oh, trust me. I had no idea people drank in the afternoon too.”
"I’m wealthy. When we have money, we can do all sorts of things. Like drinking whenever we feel like it. Your choice."
There were so many types of wine to choose from. Even Emma was confused about which was which. Her gaze was darting around. She wasn’t exactly a specialist when it came to drinks or wine. "Just give me the strongest drink you’ve got," was what she usually said when she wanted to forget her sadness or stop feeling down about Ezra Queen. But this time, she added, "Please. Give me the one that’s most worthy."
"You mean the one with the best flavor?" Susan asked with a smile.
"That’s exactly what I mean."
"A margarita then." Susan grabbed two glasses. She started with a bowl of salt, rubbed lime on the rims of the glasses, and dipped them in salt. Then she poured in some triple sec, tequila, and lime juice. She stirred it with a spoon, added ice to the mix, and garnished it with a slice of lime. "Here you go. Give it a try." She handed the glass to Emma.
"Thanks. This is my first time having a cocktail." Emma took a sip. "It’s a bit sour, salty, and bitter."
"The lime is doing its job. It’s more about the salt you just tasted and the triple sec that’s in there. You won’t really taste the tequila because I only added a little bit. That’s what makes the cocktail even better." Susan sat down next to her.
"I like it." Emma took another drink.
"Cheers," Susan said.
"Cheers." Their glasses clinked together. She closed her eyes this time and enjoyed the moment.
Bella and Zoe were having a painting session together in the art studio. Zoe, being skilled with brushes and paints, was able to share some of her knowledge with Bella. When she first walked into the large art studio, she was taken aback. The Orphanage studio was nowhere near as big as Bella's. However, she didn’t feel envious of Bella’s things. Instead, she chose to make the most of her time there.
"Bella. Where's your daddy? He’s not around," Zoe asked while they painted. She decided to let her emotions show in her artwork. She paused for a moment and glanced over at Bella.
Bella stopped and looked at Zoe. "Hmm. He went to work. He leaves every morning."
"Oh. What’s it like having a daddy?"
"He takes me out for ice cream every Friday night. We went again yesterday. He’s the best daddy ever!" Bella giggled. "Why? Does your daddy do the same?" Zoe’s face changed at Bella’s words. She wrapped her arms around herself, looking up at Bella with a sad expression.
Trying to hold back tears, Zoe shook her head but then quickly smiled. "I have a daddy. Next weekend, we’re going out. He and Emma will join me, and we’ll be a happy family." Suddenly, a ball caught Zoe’s eye, and she dropped her paint. She picked it up and squeezed it, making a squeaky sound.
"That belongs to Shane,"
"Who is Shane?"
"My dog. He can be quite mischievous. Mom says I should just let him do his thing."
"I want to see Shane," Zoe exclaimed joyfully. Bella shook her head. "Why not?"
"Because he’s sleeping. Shane is a good dog, but he shouldn’t be disturbed while he’s napping. He gets really naughty then."
Zoe nodded, and the ball slipped from her hands. As she chased after it, it rolled out of the art studio.
Bella turned around, and Zoe was nowhere to be found. "Zoe," she called out. She looked around. "Zoe? Are you hiding?" She started to feel anxious when she couldn’t spot Zoe. She dashed out of the art studio to look for her.
Then they all heard a scream.
Susan stood up then she noticed Bella approaching her. "Why are you by yourself?"
"Where’s Zoe?" Emma asked, glancing around. They were in the middle of gossiping about Ezra Queen and his ridiculous office rules. Emma joined in with Susan, making some remarks about him because she didn’t want to seem like she was on his side and make Susan suspicious of her.
"Mommy, I lost her."
"What?" Emma suddenly recalled. "Did you hear that scream earlier?"
"I did, and it was coming from…" She gasped as she glared at Bella. "The pool."
"The pool?"
"Oh no." Susan hurriedly left the room and rushed to the pool area while tightening her robe. Her eyes widened as she looked around and spotted Zoe. She was unresponsive in the water, and Shane's ball was beside her.
"Zoe?" Emma shouted when she saw her. She halted abruptly in front of the pool, wanted to jump in but felt paralyzed. Fear gripped her at the thought of diving in. This fear hit her out of nowhere. She thought she had conquered it for good, but it seemed to linger. When she was just ten, she had a near-drowning experience. Her mother worked as a maid for a wealthy family, and Emma was with her that day when disaster struck. She was playing with a boy around her age, likely the family's son, when they ended up in a scuffle.
After the boy left, Emma tried to chase after him but slipped, hitting her head on the pool's edge and plunging into the water, blood everywhere. She fought for air, feeling a sudden blackout mixed with the terror of dying. Those moments were etched in her memory. Since then, she had kept her distance from water, except for that one party at Mr. Queen's house where she wasn't in control. She remembered being hesitant to get in the pool, but the alcohol had numbed her fears completely.
"Call 911," Susan instructed the maid. She pulled Zoe from the pool and began mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, repeating it until Zoe could breathe again. Zoe coughed up water. "Get me a towel, Bella," Susan said. Once Bella handed her a towel, Susan wrapped it around Zoe. "You're okay." She turned to Emma and noticed her having a panic attack. "Miss Facer," she called out.
Emma was lost in her thoughts, unable to hear her. She was still grappling with her past. Susan stood up and placed a hand on her, snapping her back to reality. "Zoe. Please save her," Emma pleaded.
"She’s fine," Susan reassured her.
"Is she?" Susan nodded in response to Emma's question. Emma turned and could see Zoe already wrapped in a towel. She rushed over and wrapped her in a big bear hug right away.
"An ambulance will be here soon to take her to the hospital. She needs to be checked out. Since she's just three years old, it's best for a doctor to look at her before she goes home," Susan explained, but Emma wasn't really thinking about that at the moment.
She looked at Zoe. "You scared me! Don't ever wander off like that again, okay? Please don’t do that again," she said.
A little while later, the ambulance arrived, and Zoe was lifted into the vehicle.
"What was going on? It looked like you were having a panic attack," Susan inquired.
"Miss... Mrs. Mayberry, thank you. Thank you so much," Emma sidestepped the question and hopped into the car to be with Zoe.