Emily scoffed but didn't bother pausing her footsteps, nor did she spare them another glance.
After all, they had already succeeded in lifting the slaying sword of the loan sharks from above their own heads and had carefully placed it upon hers.
The loan had been theirs to collect, their burden to carry. Yet now, she was the one forced to pay it back, and with no money to her name, she was left with only one choice…marry to settle the debt.
Pauline's face contorted with rage when Emily brushed past her as if she were nothing but air.
"What's with that move?" she demanded, her chest heaving with anger, her mind clouded with restless thoughts.
Was asking her to marry really so wrong?
If I had the opportunity of marrying a loan shark, would my life be this hard? she wondered bitterly.
Besides, wasn't this for Emily's good as much as the family's?
Settle the debt. Establish a close tie with wealth. Ensure survival. Everything would fall into place.
With this marriage, wouldn't the family finally have enough money to spend, enough security to stop worrying about food and clothing?
And for Emily wouldn't that put her in a better position to help them, rather than toiling endlessly, exhausting herself, and still never earning enough?
No matter how Pauline thought about it, she was convinced she had done the right thing for the family.
Gratitude was what she expected and not her defiance. "How dare she threaten us? Has her wing grown so strong?" she hissed, seething with fury.
Ruby, noticing her mother's twisted expression, gave a small sigh. "Mom, you don't have to get offended. My sister is only angry because she's being forced to marry." Ruby smirked, her words dripping with false guilt and mock concern.
Seeing Emily forced into marriage with the loan shark was like a dream come true. Ruby could almost taste victory.
She wanted nothing more than to head straight to the club, order the most expensive drink, and toast to Emily's downfall.
And the best part? She hadn't even lifted a finger to earn it.
Though Emily had never been aware. For years she had endured Pauline's endless comparisons.Telling her how good and perfect Emily was.
How Emily was hardworking, while she only wasted money.
How Emily was responsible, while she flirted with men.
How Emily lived for the family's good, while she was painted as the one scheming for their ruin.
As much as she thought about it, in every story Pauline or the neighbours weave about them, Emily was the heroine, and she, the villain.
That had to end.
She had thought it would take a grand effort to shift the tides, who would have thought that even the heavens would be helping her and fate itself seemed to hand her this chance on a golden platter.
Her lips curled into a cold sneer. "Emily, finally I can breathe," she murmured to herself as she sauntered toward her bedroom, her steps light with satisfaction.
~Next Morning~
Emily woke earlier than usual, though she had barely slept a wink through the night.
The night had been a long torment, filled with tossing and turning, replaying every possibility in her mind.
Yet no matter how she thought it through, one conclusion always came back to her: there was no way out.
Marry, or lose her life.
She would have chosen to run away but in her life there was no guarantee she might be keeping it.
Running away had crossed her mind, but where would she go?
Who could guarantee her safety when the loan sharks' reach spread so far?
And worse, if she escaped, her adoptive parents might pay with their lives.
Selfish and heartless as they were, they had still given her a roof and their name "Winter". A name etched into her memory since the age of three.
If she fled, what then?
To fall into the hands of another merciless lord?
Perhaps someone even worse than the man she was being forced to marry?
The truth was bitter but undeniable: the man had connections, powerful ones. How else could his influence stretch so wide, terrorizing the entire community?
Her gaze fell to the beaded bracelet circling her wrist. It had grown with her over the years, as if alive, the only relic left on her body by her real parents.
It was surprising, it had remained on her hand up to this time. Sometimes, she wondered if it was fate's reminder of her bloodline, a bloodline she couldn't trace.
Despite Ruby's envy, Pauline had never allowed anyone to take the bracelet from her.
For that, Emily was quietly grateful. Yet what did it matter? Even if she discovered her origins now, would her real family want her?
That uncertainty was its own kind of despair and she dare not indulge herself in such fantasy.
With no choice left, she swung her feet down from the bed, bathed, dressed, and lingered before the mirror.
Unlike other days, she decided to dust her face with light makeup, lining her lips lightly with lip gloss and smoothing them into the faintest smile.
"No matter what, it's still my wedding day. I must look my best," she told herself.
By the time she finished, the clock struck seven.
She stood before her door, handbag in hand, breathing heavily.
One last time, her eyes swept across the small room she had called her sanctuary, it sheltered her over the years.
In this room, she had laughed and cried, known joy and grief, endured sorrow and fleeting passion.
Her chest tightened, her eyes stung. This was more painful than she had ever expected.
She wanted to break down, to cry her heart out, to weep until the walls soaked up her sorrow, until her tears runs dry.
But she remembered the vow she had made last night…never to cry for this family. Not now, not in the future, not for them, and not for the unknown man awaiting her.
With a deep exhale, she pushed the door open. Her steps were slow, deliberate, every movement measured as if she were walking toward execution.
Her lips curled into a cold, mocking smirk as she entered the sitting room. They were there, all three of them; Pauline, Ruby, and Philip, they were already seated, waiting like vultures circling their prey.
It seemed they had passed the night in vigil to make sure she couldn't escape.
A bitter smile ghosted across her lips. She had given them love, gratitude, loyalty.
In return, she was treated as nothing more than a commodity to be discarded at will, a body to be bartered, a life to be sold in exchange for freedom from debt.
"Are you ready?" Pauline asked, her eyes scanning Emily from head to toe, her voice trembling despite her practiced calm.
For an instant, her eyes glistened with unshed tears, but she masked it quickly. It is for the greater good, she reminded herself.
Despite the situation, Emily had been closer to her heart than Ruby ever was. She had cherished her, cared for her, even favored her. She had been the best daughter she could wish for.
But Philip's debts were a noose around their necks, and Ruby…she was her daughter by blood and much younger than Emily.
The only way to loosen it was to give Emily away.
Emily nodded in response.
Her chest constricted, a tightness weighing down on her heart, but she refused to let it show.
Winters family didn't deserve to see her weakness…not now.
Besides, this had been their decision, their choice alone, and with the deed already sealed, there was no turning back.
"I'm going. From there, I'll head straight to work," Emily said flatly, her voice steady though every syllable carried the weight of resignation.
They may have stripped her of choice in marriage, but she would not let them rob her of her dignity or her livelihood.
Work was the one thing still hers, the last fragment of self-control she could cling to. And this time…she is working for herself.
Pauline gave a faint nod, her expression unreadable. "Alright, you take care." The words, simple and hollow, fell into the silence like stones sinking into water.
Philip scratched his head sheepishly, not meeting her gaze. His voice low "You are now getting married, be a good girl and don't…" he started.
Emily scoffed, "you don't have to worry about the Winters name, you have already messed it up yourself."
Philip's face twisted,his fist curled. The tension in the room palpable "Sister, you don't have to misunderstand Dad…he is just looking out for you." Ruby chimed with faux sweetness cutting through the tension.
Emily tightened her grip on the small bag in her hand. It wasn't much, just a few essentials hastily packed.
To her, the little bag felt heavier than a trunk, not for its contents but for the weight of the life she was walking away from. "I appreciate his concern." She smirked.
She calmly stepped out of the house.
The morning air was crisp, yet Emily felt suffocated. The sun peered through the sky, its glow casting across the horizon, felt brightened but for Emily, it felt as though her life was falling into an abyss.