Chapter 9 - THE UNMASKING OF STABILITY
Ryan took a step up the stairs,
but Jaxson didn't move.
"Stay down there,
brother,"
Jaxson warned.
"Emily,"
Ryan pleaded,
ignoring him.
"Think about your mother."
"Think about our house."
"Think about the life we built."
"I didn't build it,
Ryan,"
Emily said,
gripping the porch rail.
"You built it."
"You chose the house."
"You chose the wedding."
"You even chose the color of my shoes."
"I was just an ornament for your perfect life."
"That’s not true!"
Ryan shouted,
his composure finally slipping.
"I loved you!"
"You loved the idea of me,"
she corrected.
"You loved having someone who didn't argue."
"You loved having someone who made you look like a success."
"But you never asked me if I wanted any of it."
Molly stepped forward from the SUV,
tears streaming down her face.
"I’m sorry,
Em,"
she sobbed.
"He made me show him the messages."
"He wouldn't stop."
"It’s okay,
Moll,"
Emily said.
"I’m glad you're here."
"I want you to see this."
She turned back to Ryan.
"I’m not coming home."
"I’m filing for an annulment."
Ryan laughed,
a cold,
brittle sound.
"With what?"
"You have nothing."
"No money,
no job,
no clothes."
"You're just a girl in a man's hoodie hiding in a shack."
Jaxson stepped down one step,
his presence looming over his brother.
"She has her life back,
Ryan."
"And that’s worth more than your retirement fund."
"Get off my land before I make you."
Ryan looked at Jaxson,
then at Emily,
his face turning a deep,
unhealthy red.
"You'll regret this,"
he hissed.
"Everyone in Bellwood will know you're a runaway."
"You'll never be able to show your face again."
"I don't want to show my face in Bellwood,"
Emily said.
"I want to see the rest of the world."
Ryan turned on his heel and marched back to the SUV,
slamming the door so hard the glass rattled.
He roared the engine and spun the tires,
kicking up a cloud of dust and gravel.
Molly stayed behind,
standing in the driveway as the SUV disappeared into the trees.
She looked up at Emily and Jaxson.
"Is there room for one more?"
she asked.
Emily laughed,
a real,
full-bodied sound that echoed through the mountains.
May you like
"Always,"
she said.
