Chapter 41: Chapter 41

A few days ago...

"You got it? I want you to watch them in every possible way," Emeraude says on the phone. "And to get your reward... You have to follow all my orders and make my plan come true, okay?" She briefly bites her lower lip. "Joshua Scott will be mine! And he will regret the day he chose someone else over me..."

"You are unbelievable," Madelyn spits out the words as she enters her mother's house, overhearing Emeraude's conversation on the phone.

"The fake sister has arrived. I need to hang up. Don't forget our deal," Emeraude ends the call. "Oh. Hi, Madelyn. Back so soon?" She gives a bitter smile. "Why didn't you think about jumping from the top floor of the hotel where Jack is staying, huh? That way, you would spare me from seeing your face... Rejected bitch."

"I don't know what impresses me more. Your great talent for sarcasm or... The fact that you don't have an ounce of conscience about what you cause to other people," Madelyn sighs. "Don't you ever get tired of acting this way?"

"And don't you ever get tired of being nosy?" Emeraude furrows her brows and leans back on the sofa, with a cynical smile. "I do whatever I want, okay? And, please, if you don't want to face the consequences... I recommend staying out of this."

"When will you realize that what you feel for Joshua is not love? It's obsession," Madelyn wrinkles her forehead, indignant. "Joshua doesn't want you, Emeraude. Actually... He never did! Understand that!"

"How are you so sure?" Emeraude stands up and walks closer to Madelyn. "Joshua just hasn't felt desire for me yet because I haven't had the opportunity to seduce him. But still... I know he feels something for me. I can see it in his eyes!"

"The only thing he must feel for you... Is disgust. Like everyone else around you!" Madelyn says sharply. "Stop this, Emeraude! Please! Joshua no longer belongs to our lives..."

"Our lives?" Emeraude interrupts her with a short mocking laugh. "He was never ours. He was only mine! There's no 'us' in all of this," she rolls her eyes. "Joshua will see who should really be by his side."

"You can't do this."

"Do you doubt it? I managed to separate you two. And it won't be different with that girl."

"Joshua now knows the truth. He knows about what happened in the past. And he also knows that you caused all of that!"

"You had the opportunity to win him back, but... You were stupid enough to let him go. Although...," she stops for a moment, reasoning. "If you had gotten back together with him... My enemy wouldn't be Alice... It would be you," she fixes her gaze on Madelyn's eyes, staring malevolently. "Unlike you... I don't give up. And just because you're asking me to do something doesn't mean I'll obey."

"You won't give up on this obsession, will you?"

"If knowing that I gave up on him would make you happy..." She leans towards Madelyn. "You can start being unhappy forever."

"I knew you wouldn't change."

"And what are you going to do? Kill me?" Emeraude stands up again, revealing a cynical smile on her lips.

"Dying would still be too little for you to learn. That's why, this time... I didn't come alone."

Suddenly the apartment door opens. A few men in white robes come in, heading towards Emeraude.

"What is this?" Emeraude looks frustrated at the men approaching her.

"I'm sorry, Emeraude," Madelyn sighs. "I thought your problem would ease, but... over time, it's only getting worse."

"You didn't do this..." Emeraude growls the words. "You'll take me back there again? You betrayed me!" she shouts.

"This is for the best, Emeraude."

"Let go of me!" Emeraude yells as she is apprehended by the nurses. "You betrayed me." She looks furiously at Madelyn, beginning to be carried out of the apartment. "When I get out of there... You'll be dead to me. And believe me... I'll end everyone's life!" Her words come out low and threatening.

The nurses take Emeraude away. Madelyn is unresponsive. She didn't want to do that to her own sister. She didn't want to have to take Emeraude back to the place where she spent half her adolescence. But Emeraude's situation was only getting worse, and it was inadvertently affecting Madelyn.

Emeraude may have thought Madelyn was acting against her, but the only way to try and make Emeraude change would be that.

***

Emeraude looks disgustingly around the interior of the rehabilitation clinic. She's back in the place where she spent half of her adolescence. Scenes of her life in that place, from years ago, come back to her mind, how she hated it. The nurses, the patients, the smell, the color... Everything. Everything disgusted her. She was screaming inside, and the only thought she had was revenge.

"It's good to see you here again, Emeraude." The doctor smiles gently.

"Good? Only for you, who will make money from me here," she sneers. "Which cell will I stay in?" she asks, referring to the rooms. "The less time I spend breathing the same air as you... The better!"

"You'll stay in your room. The same as before."

"Big changes have been made here, haven't they?" she says mockingly. "Ok. Give me my clothes and take me there at once. Anyway, I'll only spend a few days here."

"You've been diagnosed with a worsening condition..."

"Are you here to teach me about what I have or don't have?" she interrupts. "Don't waste your breath talking about what my dead sister has already said, doctor. It's better for you and for me that I won't have to listen to your voice." She smiles falsely. "If it's the same room as before, I can manage on my own." She takes the small transparent bag from the doctor's hands and heads towards one of the corridors that would take her to her old room.

"Boys. Take care of her," the doctor asks, and the nurses nod. They follow Emeraude to the room she would be staying in.

"Is this it?" she asks, but before she gets an answer, she opens the door to the room.

"Emeraude!" a short-haired girl flies towards her, embracing her. "You're back!"

"Ugh..." She rolls her eyes. "You're still here?"

"Of course," the girl breaks the hug. "I still have to spend many years here. After all..." She stops, thinking. "My family doesn't like me." She laughs. "Please come in. Let's go in. Tell me... Why did you come here?"

"Thank you for your services," Emeraude turned to the nurses. "But I won't need them anymore. If that's the case... I'd rather die." She smiled and closed the door. "This hell hasn't changed at all, has it?" She looked around the room. "It's still a cubicle and still with terrible decoration."

"But it's comfortable," the girl said, throwing herself onto the bed. "Your bed is still the same," she pointed out.

"Whatever. I plan to leave this place in a few days."

"And why did you come back?"

"Unfortunately, because..."

An old cell phone vibrates in her purse.

"Is that a cell phone?" the girl looked at her in surprise.

"Shh!" She made her be quiet. "Yes, it's me. Yes, okay. I hope they do their best to get me out of here as soon as possible. Okay, bye." She ends the call.

"How did you manage to bring a cell phone here?"

"I have my methods," she opens one of her bitter smiles. "I just want to get out of here as soon as possible."

"And how are you going to do that?"

"My sister thought she could easily set me up. But she didn't imagine that I was already prepared for a situation like this. I have everything prepared outside. There are people who can help me easily get out of here."

"And why do you want to leave? Here is so... nice!"

"You're crazy, that's what you are," she rolls her eyes. "I have a goal to fulfill."

"What is that goal?"

"To be with the man I love. And for that... I'm capable of anything. Even getting rid of the bitch who's with him."

"And what do you plan to do with her?"

"I'm going to hunt her to death. Her and... whoever gets in my way. I won't give up on Joshua. And everything I want... I get it." A diabolical smile appears on her lips.

Emeraude walks to the window of the room, staring at the sky through the bars. Her gaze unexpectedly became radiant.

***

A few days later...

Joshua and I hurriedly got out of the car, running towards the Thames River bridge. From afar, we saw Emeraude on the barrier, walking back and forth, as if playing balance. The girl was in white clothes, as if she had just escaped from a hospital.

"Emeraude!" Joshua yelled, trying to get the girl's attention.

"Why is she dressed like that?"

"I don't know. She must have escaped from rehab," Joshua replied, and we stopped a few meters away from her. "Emeraude, look at me. You don't want to do this."

The girl stopped walking and looked at us, still with a wide smile on her face.

"I was counting on you to come," she centered her gaze on me. "And you don't know how grateful I am to know that you came."

"What?" I looked at her confused.

"Please, Emeraude, come down from there," Joshua insisted.

"Why?" She shifted her attention to Joshua. "Can't you feel the excitement?"

Emeraude lifted her left leg, threatening to fall into the river at any moment.

"Emeraude, you don't need to do this," he persisted.

"What?" and suddenly, she bursts out laughing. "Did you really believe that I wanted to take my own life?" she raised her eyebrows, unable to contain her laughter. "Of course, I'm not going to kill myself."

Joshua furrowed his brow, confused.

"It was just an excuse to bring Alice to me," she said, ceasing her laughter. "At first, I didn't really believe if she would come or not. And if she didn't come... my plan would completely go down the drain. But I see that... you really are very stupid," she laughed again. "But I thank your 'kindness'," she said cynically. "Because it made my job a lot easier."

Suddenly, Emeraude pulls out a gun from inside her coat and points it at me. I feel my body shudder as I see the metal barrel aimed at me, threatening to shoot at any moment.

"Lower it, Emeraude!" Joshua asks, tense.

"Lower it? Do you say that before or after I shoot her?" a half-smile returns to her lips.

"You're not going to shoot her!"

"And who's going to stop me? You?" she raised her left eyebrow. "Would you die for this girl?"

"Yes!" Joshua said without hesitation.

I look at him, equally tense. He couldn't sacrifice himself in my place.

"E-Emeraude... You don't need to kill anyone. Let's talk," I try to convince the girl to change her mind.

Emeraude narrows her eyes and remains silent for a few moments.

"You're right. I don't need to," I feel my body relieved, believing that she had changed her mind. But I was wrong. "But I want to," without hesitation, Emeraude shoots in my direction.

I close my eyes, feeling that my life was about to succumb. I didn't know what it was like to die, but if my time had come, I would accept it with open arms.

A scary silence took over my ears. Something was wrong. I didn't feel anything. Had she missed the shot?

I open my eyes, seeing Joshua in front of me.

"J-Joshua?" I widen my eyes. I didn't want to think about what could have happened... until I see him fall to his knees on the ground. He had taken the shot. "Oh my God! J-Joshua!"

His back was bleeding.

"Oh my God!" I kneel down, trying to support him.

Desperately, I try to help him in some way.

"Help! Is there anyone here?" I looked around, crying out for help, looking for someone who could help Joshua. "I-It's going to be okay!"

His body leans to the side, forcing me to embrace him to lay him down on the ground.

I take my cell phone out of my jacket pocket, dialing the emergency number.

"Hello? I need an ambulance right now! I'm at the Thames River Bridge, my boyfriend has just been shot!" I inform and end the call. Joshua's breathing was getting weaker. "Don't leave me, please..." I whisper through my desperate tears.

"A-Alice..." he whispers, without strength. "I...

"Shh, shh. Don't say anything. Save your strength," I hold his hands. "It's going to be okay."

He closes his eyes and lets out a gasp of pain.

I just wished that the ambulance would arrive as soon as possible.

“Alice...” he insists, while some tears rolled down his eyes. “I... Love you.” He murmurs. His breathing became more shallow, until his eyes closed.