“After everything he’s trying to do?” I ask, although mostly to myself. “I don’t think so, no.” Which honestly sucks, but she doesn’t need to know that.
“That’s so fucked up. What about Matt?”
My brows crease immediately. “Matt? What about him?”
“Yeah, I mean, are you still talking to him?”
Why on earth is she asking me about him? The question is on the tip of my tongue, yet I decide to answer hers first, keeping it as short as possible. “Um, just for the sake of a study we are doing together.”
“You know he came here with your parents and his dad. And, like, his dad is just as fucked up as yours, but I appreciate him.”
“You do?” Now I’m even more surprised by what I’m hearing. “How come?”
“Yeah, he was worried about you, and he told me when Alex left, you weren’t eating shit, and he had to do livestreams and watch you eat.” Oh, I do remember that perfectly well. Yeah, Matt is a nice person no matter what. “He seems to care a lot about you. You shouldn’t ignore him.”
“He’s against my relationship though,” I tell her. It feels weird to talk about Matthew with Emma. I mean, there’s literally nothing to talk about when it comes to him. “He will do anything to tear us apart.”
“Nah, I don’t think he’d go that far. I think that’s mostly your mom pulling the strings.” Her comment leaves me totally perplexed. Did Matt persuade Emma to give me a word about him?
“Um, well, I have to meet him to finish a project we are working on for philosophy, but that’s it,” I explain, aiming to close the subject once and for all.
“Alright, you do you.” And while I smile at her answer, thinking we’d moved on, Emma manages to piss me off as she says, “Just don’t be too tough on him.”
“Did he ask you to give me a word or what?” I ask bluntly.
“More or less,” she confesses, before reaching for her pack of cigarettes that is lying on a low table, not too far from her crystal ashtray. “We just spoke a bit while he was here with his dad.” Well, at least she’s honest about it. A few seconds of silence ensues while Emma lights up her cigarette and exhales the smoke. “How is the preparation for the hearing coming along?”
Ah! Finally the subject of discussion I came here for. “It’s going well. We have to be there at eight-thirty, so don’t be late,” I tell her.
“No worries, I’ll be on time,” she says, before taking another puff on her cigarette.
“Ryan will make up a few questions about me and Alex, and mostly stuff related to his behavior toward me and so on. But he’ll talk to you on Tuesday so that you can be ready.” And before she can say something, I lay my hand on hers. Lowering my voice, I add, “Thank you for doing this. You have no idea how much it means to me.”
“I know, girl.” She gives me a quick pat on the arm, and the gesture feels so familiar that it warms my heart. “And, um, are you confident he’s gonna win?”
“I hope so. Ryan said it’s just a formality before we celebrate victory.”
“That’s great,” she answers back. “So if he wins, your parents will let you live in peace? Or do you think they’ll come up with something else?”
“Gosh, I hope not.” And I actually shiver at the idea they could have another twisted plan in mind that we know nothing about. “I wish Dad could set himself free from Mom though.”
“Yeah, she seems to be even worse than him. I never thought she could be so overbearing.”
“Oh yeah, she is the worst. Alex now wants me to have a private chauffeur and security because of what she tried to do,” I disclose.
“You mean, the injection?”
The simple thought of it sends chills up my spine, and I try my best not to remember that day. “Yeah…” I close my eyes to calm myself down, but my mind starts replaying the moment when Dr. Nel took that syringe and glass vial out of her briefcase while my parents didn’t bat an eye. While I knew Mom wouldn’t care less, I felt so betrayed by my dad’s compliance. This is not something I’ll easily forget.
Emma keeps observing me attentively as she seems to be thinking something through. “Do you want me to take care of her?”
I blink twice, totally baffled. “What?” I utter, unsure if I heard her question properly or not. But given her facial expression, it looks like she isn’t joking. “Of course not,” I tell her immediately, seeing how serious she seems to be about it. “Mom is just freaking out because of my relationship. Once she understands there is nothing she can do, she will leave us alone.”
“And what if she doesn’t?” she pushes further.
I try to hide my outrage, but my jaw already dropped. How can she ask me that? How? “I’m not into killing anyone, Emma,” I say, this time my tone more insistent. Jeez! It’s crazy how she can think it’s okay to kill someone. “Especially the woman who gave me life.”
“Alright…” While I’m still pretty shocked at what she had in mind, Emma just blows out the smoke and taps the cigarette against the ashtray, letting the ashes fall into it. She then casually smiles at me and says, “As you wish.”
Chapter 7
Manhattan, November 7, 2020
Petra Van Gatt
“I’ll be spending all day at the library, so you don’t have to wait for me there,” I instruct Zach as he drops me off on Columbia’s campus. “I’ll text you later to pick me up.”
As I head toward the main building, my heart speeds up in anticipation at seeing Matt again. I’m not sure how we’re gonna manage to ignore everything we went through though. Should I apologize again for leaving his house in the middle of the night right before his birthday? I mean, Ryan already left a message on my behalf. Plus, it’s not like I had much of a choice after what my parents did to me. Yet, Matthew sided with them and happily supported my mom in her guardianship request. Despite Emma’s advice, I can’t bring myself to forgive him for his lack of loyalty.
Stepping into the library, I inhale deeply into its woody scent—it smells like old books, wooden tables, and a mix of female fragrances from vanilla to peppermint. I scan around the tables spread through the room, trying to find him.
Instinctively though, and against my better judgment, my lips twist into a big smile upon seeing Matt. He looks cute with his grey hoody and black Bose headphones around his neck. I can see that he’s engrossed in a book at an empty table right in front of me.
I walk quietly in his direction and, with a playful tone, ask, “The rest of the group didn’t come?” In fact, I’m a bit surprised he didn’t invite them since this is a meet-up for our study.
His eyes drift up to meet mine, and his lips curve up, mirroring mine. “Hey,” Matt says, just above a whisper. He sounds genuinely excited to see me, which makes me feel just the same. Then he puts down his book and stands up from his chair. “Um, they were taking the weekend off.” I feel like it’s a lie, but I suppose he just didn’t bother to call them.