I grab Emmy’s hand and hold it tightly in my grasp. “I will fix this.”
She frowns, confused. “How?”
I tilt my head so I can look deep into her eyes and make sure she knows what I mean. “This community … it has to end.”
It takes her a while to process my words, but then her lips part and her eyes widen. “Wait … what?”
“These men rule over our bodies, Emmy. They’re hurting us,” I say, keeping her hands locked tight. “They hurt you.”
She shakes her head. “But he’s my husband. I … I … love him.” She almost chokes on her own words. She’d protect him over her own body; that’s how indoctrinated she really is.
“You don’t love him. You think you have to love him to survive,” I explain, still holding her close so she doesn’t attempt to run off. “He doesn’t love you back, Emmy. Can’t you see? Look at yourself. Look at the pain you’ve had to endure.”
We both look at the bruises on her arms, and I can tell she’s conflicted.
“You are an object to him. A doll to use and throw away when he sees fit,” I say. “Are you a doll? Are you just an object, a thing, Emmy? Tell me.”
Her lips tremor. “No,” she says through gritted teeth.
“Then resist,” I say. “Fight this community with me. With us.”
I look up at my mother and see the proud smile forming on her face.
This is why she brought me here. She could’ve gone to Emmy by herself. She could’ve talked to Emmy and made her feel at ease, but that’s not enough. Emmy needed someone she knew and trusted to tell her to stop loving the lies. To learn that she is worth more than the sum of a man’s choices. That she needs to fight.
“Help me, help us, stop them,” I say.
Slowly but surely, she nods. “But how?”
My mother suddenly goes to her knees in front of Emmy and me and fishes something from her pocket. And she says, “With this.”
It’s a tiny vial filled with a cloudy fluid. I don’t know what it is, but the smirk on her face tells me enough.
Death.
Chapter 21
Natalie
Emmy took the vial reluctantly, and my mother also gave one to Holly just in case. She didn’t want to accept it at first, but my mother told them it’s better to be safe than sorry. They both promised to keep it hidden and not to tell anyone.
Mother told Emmy when to use it and how. Infuse it with tea or put it in a strong soup so he won’t notice. The poison will take hours to days to take effect, but it’ll definitely kill him.
We go back to the temple, leaving Emmy with Holly until dawn. Holly will make sure she gets home safely, and she told us she’ll help Emmy with whatever she needs.
I pray neither of them will get caught.
Mom and I go back up to our rooms and go back to bed until the morning comes. I contemplated going with her to her room so I could ask her how many of those vials she has and what are in them, but it was almost dawn, and I didn’t wanna risk anyone finding us together.
No one can know what we’ve done … and what we’re planning on doing.
I’ve not closed my eyes since.
Even though I’m lying in bed, I’m staring straight up at the ceiling, my heartbeat rising with every passing minute. I’m anxious for what’s to come.
Not because I know I’ll have to get up in the morning and see whether or not there’s gonna be a ruckus in the community due to an “unforeseen” death … but because I know what we’ve done cannot be undone.
Something has been set into motion. The wheels are turning now, and there’s no way to stop what’s coming.
Death is inevitable.
The only question is … who will win?
Us or them?
When the sun comes up, Noah stirs beside me, and he wraps his arm around me while groaning. “Morning, beautiful.”
“Morning,” I reply.
“It’s nice to wake up with you,” he mumbles. “You didn’t mind that I stumbled my way into your bed, did you?”
“It’s fine,” I reply, and I close my eyes for a second before I get up from the bed.
Noah sits up as I grab my clothes and put them on. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just … have to talk to my mother.”
He gets up too and gathers the clothes he left on my floor. Then he walks over to me and presses a kiss to my cheeks. “Well, you know where to find me if you need me.”
I’m glad he doesn’t ask me any questions. But with that smirk on his face as he leaves, I can’t help but wonder if he just doesn’t wanna ask them.
Noah
Natalie’s distracted by something, and I’m curious to find out what exactly it is. It is rather coincidental that she’s not talking to me like she usually does the day after her mother poisoned her own husband. I wonder if she knows.