Chapter 106 - What Do I Do, Lucien?

It wouldn't be wrong to say that this beautiful boy was the most gorgeous human she has ever laid her eyes on. His heart was just as beautiful as his face, perhaps, even more than it. 

However, no one would say that. They didn't know this side of him. 

His emerald green eyes were as nonchalant as ever. The silly smile hanging on his lips was nothing but a facade to hide the savagery that this boy was capable of inflicting and she knew it better than anyone. Despite the air of barbarity surrounding him, the bright halo on his head wasn't ignored. 

"I told you Emmaline that one day you will make a beautiful bride," He said, that million dollars smiling face gazing at her. Even his smile was the same, heartbreaking yet soothing. 

"Lucien," Emma whispered while breaking out in sobs. 

Her quiet sobs echoed inside the room but she had no intention of stopping. At least, not today. Never had she ever admitted that she had done something wrong to be punished for. But today, seeing Lucien standing before him, all the phony confidence shattered, and the tales of bravery that she had weaved, disappeared into the thin air. 

She was nothing but a shell of lies and fantasies. There was nothing real about her, not even her innocence. She had long lost her innocence too. 

"I'm sorry," Emma begged for his forgiveness while falling on his feet. Today, she would beg for his forgiveness. So, she might be able to atone for her sins. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I am so sorry. Please forgive me. Please…" 

Lucien sighed as he pulled her gently by her shoulders. "Why are you crying? A beautiful bride like you shouldn't cry."

He sighed as if she was crazy enough to cry. 

"I'm not your bride, Lucien," Emma sobbed. Ginevra's words were ringing in her head. They would never let her forget him. 

Lucien just nonchalantly looked at her. He still was as unserious as ever. But it was all a facade. "I never said you are my beautiful bride. You were never meant to be, Emmaline. I just hope that whoever is marrying you can give you the happiness you truly deserve. You are meant to be cherished. So, don't settle for anything less than it." 

"How can you say those words to the woman who caused your death?" Emmaline whispered, her brown eyes staring deep at him, wishing to take a peek at his soul. Just what kind of man he is that he didn't even think twice before sacrificing his life for the enemy's kid? 

Lucien sighed once again. She must have vexed him too much. "Were you the one who shot me? Were you the one who stabbed me to death?"

Emmaline shook her head. "If I hadn't…"

"Shh!" Lucien asked her to keep quiet. "You didn't kill me. They killed me. My own blood killed me, Emmaline. You didn't." 

"What do I do Lucien?" Emmaline whispered. "Every time I breathe, I remember how much of a villainess I am in reality. How I caused the death of many people. How things could have been different if I had gotten over that silly teenage crush or if I had understood what was right and what was wrong for me." 

"Does he not make you happy now?" Lucien asked, referring to Salvatore. 

"I'm not enough for him to stand up for me," Emmaline whispered. "I'm not enough for him to wait until marriage… he says as long as we are not married...he can sleep with anyone he wishes… It wasn't the life I had wished for." 

"But you are getting married now," Lucien reminded her. "He will now abide by marital vows,won't he?"

Emmaline blinked her eyes, knowing how to answer. Would he abide by the vows once they got married?

Every time, she would express her desire to meet him. He would avoid meeting her by saying how busy he was. Or his papa had told him to do something for him or something else. 

She knew he was lying. The sweet scent on his body which wasn't his was the proof that he had a colorful time somewhere. He has told her before that he was sleeping with someone else and she couldn't do anything about it as they weren't married and she couldn't sleep with him. So, he would spend all his time with whores and those escorts that even her father takes pleasure in when he was bored by her mom. 

Goomahs are just inevitable. She would never get a man who would not seek pleasure elsewhere too. Yet, only she could sire the legal heirs. But was it enough? Her mom might be happy with this arrangement, but was she? 

"I don't know," Emmaline honestly answered. 

"You don't trust him," Lucien said. "Why are you here for the man you don't trust? Why are you desperate to jump into this abyss of a marriage? Don't you think you deserve happiness too?"

"I too deserve happiness?" Emmaline asked in hesitation. 

Does she? 

Truthfully, she didn't know. 

Like Ginevra said, shouldn't she be tormented every moment? 

"That depends on you," Lucien replied to her with a smile. 

Before Emmaline could say or ask anything, she heard another voice calling for her. 

"Emma?!"

"Emma?!

Emma opened her eyes to find a worried Persephone looking at her. 

"Are you fine?" Persephone questioned the girl as soon as she opened her eyes. 

Emma could just nod. She found her sitting on the same chair where her mom left her. 

"You were calling for someone in your sleep," Persephone informed her before Emma could ask. 

'Oh, so it was a dream.' 

"Who is Lucien, Emma?" Persephone asked her next. When she entered the bridal room, she found Emma asleep on the chair. She was about to wake her up as it was time but when she saw Emma calling out for someone named Lucien in sleep in such a painful expression, she felt as if life had left her body. She didn't know why but hearing the name Lucien was tightening her heart painfully. 

It was as if she was very familiar with this name but at the same time, she didn't know who it was. Weird, right? 

"You don't know?" Emma looked at Persephone in shock. She had heard from Salvatore that Persephone had muddled up memories since the time they found her yet she couldn't believe that of all the people, Persephone forgot Lucien. The same Lucien, she loved more than herself. 

Naturally, Persephone shook her head. 

Before Emma could say anything, the door to the bridal room opened once again, and in came a person, no one had imagined would come. 

Isabelle Scuderi or soon to be Isabelle Moore or Isabelle Kingsley. 

Isabelle was dressed in a conservative knee-length, black-colored dress. Her face devoid of make-up. The girl who would always appear in bold makeup from the 90s was standing in front of them and they found her more beautiful than ever. Her hair was covered with a black scarf. Not a single tendril of her hair was visible. 

"Isabelle?" Emma softly said her name. It was as if she was an illusion, not the real person. 

Isabelle gently smiled at her. "Congratulations." She then handed the box that her maid was carrying to Emma. "May you have a blissful married life with a loving husband and many bundles of joy."

Perhaps, Isabelle didn't know how true her wish was going to be. 

Hearing her words, Emma did not know what to say. She stared at her and then sighed. 

Before she could utter another word, Persephone smirked, "Both of us know your good wishes would end up in vain, Belle, given the type of husband Salvatore is gonna be. As for bundles of joy, since when did Marinos start treating their children as children rather than heirs or bargaining chips?"

To say Isabelle was shocked by Persephone's change of tone would be an understatement. Never had she ever fathomed that one day, the sweet Percy would say something like that. 

Wasn't she always sweet to speak to? 

When did she change so much?

Perhaps, her kidnapping was for the better… 

Yeah, yeah only Isabelle could think like that. 

Choosing to ignore Persephone's comment, Emma thanked Isabelle for the gift. She then asked, "Are you not attending the wedding?"

Isabelle softly shook her head. "It's not auspicious for a widow like me to attend your wedding when my husband hadn't been passed away for even a month now." 

Emma nodded as if she understood what she was saying. 

When Persephone had to leave the room as someone was calling for her, Isabelle asked, "Are you happy, Em?"

"What if I am not?" Emma cross questioned her. 

"Then, you get to break this stupid arrangement and never come back to this life," Isabelle simply said. 

"I'm not like you, Isabelle," Emma said. 

"Shameless like me?" Isabelle asked. 

Emma shook her head. "Brave and talented. I don't even know if I could survive leaving my gilded cage."

"How would you know if you never tried?" Isabelle raised her brow. 

Soon, Isabelle left too, leaving Emma with more doubts than possible. 

…...