Her Brother's Best Friend - Aching Hearts Series #2

What to do?

CHAPTER 44 - WHAT TO DO?

Sitting in a corner, on the floor, Emily stared outside. Rain was pouring, thunders were roaring, lightnings occasionally lit up her dim corner. She wasn't tied up nor cuffed nor anything, which surprised her, in truth, she'd have expected much more violence, instead, nothing. Her skin didn't bear a single scratch, there wasn't a single hair missing ... nothing.

As if she weren't currently behind held captive against her will by her boyfriend's psychopathic ex. Sure, it might also be because she hadn't put up much of a fight, unconscious as she was, but weren't kidnappings supposed to create more havoc?

She could hear Lydia speaking in the other room, she couldn't quite make out what was she saying, but it was quite impossible that she was asking for some ransom. The reason for this predicament wasn't money, was it? Nothing could fix it, she just ought to come to peace with it. It was over.

Old Emily would have been frightened, terrified, old Emily wouldn't have let it show, but she would have cried to herself, whimpering and whining. New Emily accepted her fate with as much strength as not many people would. However, there was one small detail that raised her anxiety.

Emily distractedly placed a hand over her tummy, rubbing it, and sighed. The little creature in there was barely even a real creature and it was already destined to meet its end, it hadn't even had the chance to see the world, that it was already doomed to a precocious end. She left her head against the wall, heaving one more deep sigh.

The voice from the other room sounded ominously calm, the same as it had been since the beginning, not once had Lydia had raised her tone, not even when she threatened her, not even when she stated what would happen to her, she'd always been very calm.

Thinking about all that had happened, Emily found it surreal. What person, in her right state of mind, would bond with someone only with view to kidnapping her and killing her? Without even a real reason, or not a reason that was valuable. After all, what had she done to Lydia? Except for slamming the door in her face. Directly, they'd had nothing to do with each other, yet the woman was determined to put a stop to her life, to both lives.

Then again, the most cliché movie would see jealousy as a big reason, wouldn't it? Emily had watched Criminal Intent long enough to know that, in Lydia's mind, once she was out of the way, Riley would be all hers.

It was completely and utterly idiotic, according to Emily, because, one, she wouldn't get away with it, two, even if she did get away with it, how could she even presume Riley would want to be with her after she'd murdered not just his girlfriend, but also his child?

How could Riley accept the woman that had deprived him of his own child? Unless he thought it was best, after all, Emily considered, who told her Riley wouldn't want her to abort? She was 18, had already troubles graduating, their story had just started, he was in deep with his job and everything, why would he want such nuisance?

In truth, the thought of abortion had indeed crossed her mind, and for more than one simple second. After the doctor had given her confirm of her pregnancy, Emily had started mulling and mulling, considering every chance and repercussion: how would she tell Riley? Would he want to keep it? Would he just discard her like some broken toy? And how would she tell her parents? They knew nothing about her relationship with Riley, already that was an issue, how would they cope with a pregnancy?

Her father especially, he'd barely ever show it, but he was incredibly proud of his daughter, he adored her, so maybe she would get away with it, but hardly would Riley ... Emily was pretty sure both her dad and her brother would want to behead her boyfriend, for how anachronistic that was.