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Hope McLauden prioritized her sister.
Claudia and Olivia prioritized their passions.
Emily Nelson prioritized control.
Emily needed it like air. Every single movement was calculated, controlled, and even in her most relaxed state she knew exactly what was going on. Sometimes things don’t go as calculated but Emily had enough flexibility to know how to move forward.
Like how she landed herself in prison thanks to one Stephanie Smothers.
Stephanie, Stephanie, Stephanie - the one person in Emily’s life who managed to outmaneuvered her in such an endearing way. Emily couldn’t help but give Stephanie props when she was being pushed into the back of the cops’ car.
Emily stared directly at Stephanie as the cops drove away to the police station. Emily memorized all her facial features, how soft Stephanie’s eyes were to the slope of her nose and all the way down to the shirt with that goddamn nanny cam.
Emily kicked the back of the cops’ chair in annoyance. She received a threatening look from them and simply glared back. Even with her life being taken away from her, Emily had hope that there would be a way out.
-
The court hearing went by quickly as the entire jury watched footage of Emily shooting Sean. Her lawyers sharply inhaled and Emily simply relaxed. She calculated the entire experience already. Her lawyers aren’t getting paid so they’ll do a shitty job at defending her then she’ll be escorted away for multiple charges. Luckily, the limited amount of money she had was already transferred to a different account for Nicky.
Emily didn’t bat an eye when the judge sentenced her away.
She did cry in the bathroom when she’s informed that Sean had full legal custody of Nicky and he yelled from afar that she won’t see him again. Emily knew he was drunk off his ass by the way he wobbled his arm at her. She made a mental note of that drinking habit for later.
Prison wasn’t hard to adapt to. As it turns out, her personality for dealing with Dennis Nylon worked exceptionally well with inmates. She became a big deal as her connections with him didn't die off as he visited once a month to get advice from her in exchange for some minor favors. Despite their discussions being brief, talking to him was refreshing and kept her grounded in knowing there was still life outside the cell block.
Though, it killed her not knowing what Nicky was up to.
So she was pleasantly surprised six months into prison when she received her first letter from Stephanie. There’s no apology or remorse in it and Emily had to bite back a smile - she taught her well. The letter contained an update on Nicky and Sean’s situation and how they were planning on moving out as they somehow sold off their dumpster of a house to a freak who wanted a ‘true crime’ home.
Emily felt a bit more at peace that Nicky had a little more financial freedom. Trying to murder her scumbag of a husband was actually worth something! She continued to read and when she reached the last part of the letter, it made her pause and she reread it:
I probably shouldn't say this and maybe I’m a masochist but… I miss you and our martinis. It’s not fun sipping on them without you by my side.
-Stephanie
P.S despite what Sean says, I think it's messed up that he won’t let Nicky see you. I’ve been trying to convince him to visit but no luck. Nicky misses you a lot and I know you feel the same.
Emily carefully folded the letter and put it up against her face. She swore that some of Stephanie’s perfume lingered on. The subtle sweet floral scent was obvious against the dreading smell of prison. Desperately trying to clutch onto the scent, Emily inhaled deeply.
The letter was exactly what Emily needed to motivate herself to reach out to Nicky. If her deadbeat husband won’t let her talk to Nicky, she’ll do it herself.
It took her a few more months but she finally established good connections to send a letter once every two months to Nicky. If she’s lucky a letter from him would make it safely into her hands but sometimes authorities would get to it and shred it to pieces. Emily always wrote an apology to him if she missed out on any important updates - she never means it.
She enjoyed and savored every word Nicky wrote. From how supportive Stephanie had been with his weird racing hobbies to how he cussed out his father for being drunk when he got expelled at school - Emily was so proud of him no matter what was mentioned.
With each passing year, Emily noticed how the letters were getting longer and how his handwriting got more and more neater. However, every single letter’s ending message remained the same:
I miss you Mom. I love you and I understand.
Always yours,
Nicky
Emily didn’t know how she raised such a loving kid but she’s forever grateful.
-
Facing Dante after years of disappearance through a glass panel was a surreal experience. He was still the same charismatic man she had met years ago. He had a hearty laugh when Emily tried to explain her name situation.
Dante spoke in Italian, “I already know! Your friend released a book!”
“And then Olivia was— Hold on what?” Emily raised an eyebrow, “What book?”
Dante’s shoulders shook and Emily suddenly hated how she hasn’t been in touch with anyone besides Nicky these past few months. His accent was thick on the name, “Stephanie Smothers? She released a book.”
Emily saw a flash of red. She gritted out in Italian, “That bitch.”
Another hearty laugh, “I can deliver you the book while we appeal to marry in my country.” Dante switched to English as his voice went a bit louder to attract the attention of the guards, there’s a sickeningly sweet tone that Emily knew exactly what he meant, “I miss you so much baby.”
Emily smiled back, her heart thundered at the thought of leaving, “I miss you too.”
-
The second 'The Faceless Blonde' got into Emily’s hands, she’s devouring each page with a burning passion. She barely paid any attention to the guards and her fellow cellmates as she annotated each sentence with a bright red pen:
…When I first saw her, I thought she had to be one of the prettiest women to ever grace Earth…
[I thought you were meek. I had a gut feeling you fit my exact taste.]
…I was heartbroken when I realized she was manipulating me. I thought we were best friends and I was trying to be a good friend…
[We are friends.]
…I want to see the future where she has grown as a person and maybe, just maybe, we can be friends again. No one should be living a lonely life…
[you care for me even when I don't deserve it.]
…I told her that I loved her but truthfully… I don’t think I can ever stop loving the memory of her. To know Emily or Hope or whatever name she had - she was impactful and so dear to me…
[I love you too.]
-
Emily was grateful for how fast and smart Dante’s attorneys were when she casually dropped that Sean had a severe drinking problem. They perked up like well-trained dogs and within a week the appeal was officially processed.
After five years, Emily Nelson finally had freedom to leave.
Dante patted her on the back when she stepped out of prison. It was comforting and yet it felt like another form of chains on her. She refused to let the anxiety form on her face, instead clutching onto Stephanie’s book with all the letters she kept through the years stuffed inside it.
She just wants to see Nicky again.
Dante seemed to understand her way better than she remembered because when they opened the back passenger side of his car - a pair of small arms were wrapped around her waist and she didn’t have time to process anything as tears already dripped down onto Nicky’s head. Dante nudged her to sit in the back with him, shutting the door behind her when she finally sat down.
The car started moving as she dropped her book onto the seat and hugged him back. Tears were still spilling out when they finally let go. Emily took a closer look at him. He’s gotten bigger, there’s a few scars she knew weren’t there before on his arms, his head full of rowdy hair, but with a bright smile and sharp eyes - he was still her boy.
He squirmed under her stare and Emily couldn’t help but laugh and bring him back into another hug. She pressed a kiss on his temple, “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Dante kidnapped me from school.”
Emily snapped her head at Dante driving the car, “You what?”
Dante looked at her through the mirror, “Technically he’s not supposed to be here. We told him to sneak off into an area to bring him here.”
Emily frowned, “Doesn’t your father get notified if you’re skipping class?”
Nicky scoffed, “That douche? I’ve already changed the contact to be my fake email.”
Emily felt her heart swell forty times larger. She sniffled, patting her heart trying to calm it down, “You’ve grown up so much. Call your father a douche all you want.”
Nicky had a mischievous grin, “Fuck yes! I hate that douche!”
Dante spoke up, “Unfortunately, this will be our only time we can meet before the wedding,” his eyes stared directly at Nicky, “We have never seen each other and you haven’t been in contact with your mom besides the letters.”
Nicky nodded eagerly, “Understood.”
Emily didn’t know how to feel with how quickly Nicky was adapting to be part of her scheme. But she couldn’t linger on the thought as he hugged Emily tightly again and placed his head in the crook of her neck. Emily felt tears start to bubble up again as she rubbed his shoulders in comfort. She hoped her message of ‘this isn’t the end’ would get through. They stayed in that position until Dante slowed down to a stop in the middle of nowhere.
Emily looked at Nicky in concern as she didn't see a school in sight. He let go of her with a groan, “Bruh, I have to walk another thirty minutes back to school. Can’t we get closer?”
Dante simply said, “No, avoid the cameras.”
Emily spoke up, “Surely, we can get closer—”
Dante’s voice was firm, “You want to see your son again?”
Emily closed her mouth and nudged Nicky to start moving.
Getting ready to leave, Nicky exhaled deeply. But before he left the car, he turned back to press a kiss to her cheek. It was a bit clumsy as he leaned in too fast and almost knocked both of them over. Emily stared at him in shock but he had a bright smile, “For old times sake. I’ll see you later Mom.”
He rushed out of the car. Running away from them, he waved goodbye to Emily. She waved back - her heart still pounding with adrenaline from seeing him again.
Dante snorted, the car began to move, “You have quite the energetic kid. He has your personality.”
Emily scoffed but she couldn't hide the grin forming, “I’ll be damned if he got Sean’s personality.”
-
When she planned her wedding with Sean it was already pretty bad but planning her wedding with Dante was the worst. She completely forgot how much politics went into Dante’s totally not mob gang and kept gagging at every mention of Matteo. But Emily pushed forward, there was nothing that could go wrong.
Except there totally was and Emily felt it deep in her bones.
It wasn’t the mobster politics that scared her or how Dante’s mom kept threatening the fuck out of her every five minutes. It was similar to the gut feeling she had when she saw Stephanie for the first time - an exhilarating dread tugging at her soul and she didn’t know what to do.
Except… Emily totally does know what to do.
Walking into a book tour and threatening a lawsuit might not be the best move but it was the most dramatic. In all honesty, Emily never planned for a real lawsuit. She liked Stephanie’s book and the ego boost of reading so many sentences about herself was huge. To see Stephanie fight back was intoxicating and a pang of longing went through her chest.
Emily missed her best friend and if Emily was considered to be dramatic then Stephanie was there to match her beat for beat.
-
When Nicky had mentioned in his letters how bad Sean had gotten with drinking, Emily had thought he was overexaggerating in childish angst. But nope, the motherfucker was already wasted at ten am.
Emily enjoyed seeing Stephanie take a step away from him. She wanted to reach out and joke at his toxic masculinity together. Instead, Emily brought Nicky in closer, covering his ears to muffle the loudness of his douche father.
-
If Emily thought going through a wedding so her gay multi-millionaire friend, who may or may not be part of the mob, can kiss his best friend was hard, she was damned into the tenth level of Hell when Portia brought out her mother. Dante so owed her for putting up with the amount of bullshit being thrown at her.
Emily made a mental note to somehow kill Portia - maybe drowning her at a lake should be opened up to discussion.
However, the silver lining was still shining so bright, Emily was glad she invited Stephanie. Even though Stephanie was a bit naive with all the mobster politics clearly happening around her, the girl kept Emily on her toes with her earnestness.
Emily had never met someone who held in such intense feelings while showing all her emotions on her sleeve. It fascinated her to no end. Emily wanted to catch up with her and try to dig into her brain.
It made Emily’s heart pound when Stephanie had been the one to chase her down after she left the rehearsal lunch.
So what if Emily lashed out a bit at Stephanie near a cliff that she could easily push her out of? Stephanie deserved it a little and Emily certainly didn’t miss the way Stephanie’s eyes went up and down on her lips.
But Emily wanted to be honest and admitted to Stephanie that she does need her. Without Stephanie, Emily isn’t quite sure how she would survive in these damning circumstances.
-
If anyone asked Emily why she would prepare over a hundred candles around a pool, she would play it off with a ‘can’t a girl treat herself?’ but it was to definitely amp up the dramatics of being in Italy with her best friend. The candles were all of Stephanie’s favorite scents along with some of Emily’s mixed in. She might have taken some inspiration from Stephanie’s mommy vlog on how to layer scents to make terrible homes smell good.
When Stephanie showed up to her two-person only bachelorette and didn't run at the thought of them being alone together, Emily was brimming with excitement.
She got even more excited when she noticed Stephanie staring a bit too long when she pulled off her expensive red robe. In a white swimsuit that she knew hugged her in all the right places, Emily bent over slowly to drop the robe on the chair - she turned to see Stephanie’s eyes roam at her chest.
Emily, with an eyebrow raised, pointed at Stephanie in the hotel’s robe, “Are you going to swim in that?”
Clearly taken off guard, Stephanie blinked in confusion. Stephanie stammered as she hurriedly unlooped the robe’s belt, “N-no! I did what you told me! I have my swimsuit on!”
Emily smiled at the comment. Stephanie was so cute when she listened to Emily’s orders. Emily bit down her bottom lip as Stephanie took off her robe to reveal a cute peachy swimsuit with triangle patterns on it.
Stephanie seemed flustered at Emily’s stare. She awkwardly tilted her head towards the pool, “Are we going in or…?”
Emily grabbed their drinks and she passed a martini to Stephanie, “Whatever you want baby.”
Stephanie took a sip of her martini. That seemed to activate a confidence boost in her as she grabbed Emily’s wrist and said, “Then what are we waiting for? The pool is literally steaming for us!”
The touch on her wrist felt like it was burning as Emily let herself get dragged by Stephanie. They both dip in the pool together and let out a relaxed sigh at the warm water. Emily would have to thank Dante later for having a pool with heated warmers installed.
They talked about how good the food had been, then Stephanie wanted to be timed on how long she can breathe underwater, and then Emily had to tell Stephanie to get her shit together about her instincts cause she will not let her star burn out in front of her. Stephanie was too smart to let self-doubt take over her.
Case in point was Stephanie immediately pointing out Dante and how weird things are. Emily playfully rolled her eyes - but there’s a nagging feeling in her gut she can’t quite shake off.
Emily looked around the pool area, there’s no one in their vicinity, but she’s sure she could feel the gaze of someone.
Stephanie asked, “Hey, is everything okay? You looking around is making me anxious.”
Placing her martini down, Emily looked back and said, “Don’t worry baby, if anything happens I’ll protect you.”
Stephanie pouted, she crossed her arms childishly - Emily knew the martini was hitting her, “Hmpf! I don’t need protection and why do you keep calling me baby?”
Emily laughed lightly, “Do you want me to stop baby?”
Stephanie’s ears flushed a bright red and Emily was filled with giddy. Her eyes shifted away as she mumbled out, “I just asked why you keep calling me that.”
Emily shifted closer near Stephanie. Their shoulders bumping each other, she practically purred in Stephanie’s ear, “Because you are my baby, always have been since we met.”
Before Stephanie could say anything back, Emily took Stephanie’s martini and downed the rest of it. Emily wiped her mouth and laughed at Stephanie’s slack jaw as she stuttered, “W-what? You just took my drink!”
“I can always give you more baby.”
Stephanie’s mouth shut back up immediately. Her jaw tightened but her gaze continued to follow Emily as she took a sip from her martini but not swallowing it.
It was all Emily needed to lean in and capture Stephanie’s lips. It’s as soft and sweet as the kiss they shared so many years ago. The nagging feeling in her gut finally disappeared. Emily pushed the martini drink into Stephanie’s mouth - there’s a light moan and suddenly Emily was being pushed back. She opened her eyes to see a stunned Stephanie.
“What the hell?”
On the tip of Emily’s tongue she wanted to say it was just another Tuesday. To let the moment pass, another lapse of judgement between the two of them. She wanted to tell Stephanie so badly how everything was a farce and being used as a beard wasn’t her ideal wedding. Except Emily kept her mouth shut because she’s quite tired of everything.
Stephanie’s eyes bulged out at Emily’s silence and she laughed in disbelief, “You’re getting married tomorrow. Are you fucking with me?”
The cuss word made Emily internally flinch but she simply leaned back against the pool wall, “Baby, I haven’t lied to you directly since we met at your book tour.”
Directly was the key word - she omitted her gay best friend mob-not-mob’s politics but everything else she had said were her real honest feelings.
Stephanie narrowed her eyes, Emily could see the gears turning. Stephanie bitterly said, “Something’s happening,” Emily raised an eyebrow and Stephanie huffed out in frustration, “But you’re not telling me everything.”
Emily smirked, “I’m not doing anything illegal if you want a clear answer on that.”
Stephanie’s eyes widened, “For real?” she looked like an energetic puppy when she put out her pinky, “Promise?”
Emily stared at the pinky. She looked back at Stephanie waiting with eager eyes. She sighed lovingly, interlocking their pinkies together, “I promise on your brother’s grave.”
Stephanie didn’t blink at the joke. She said seriously, “Promise on your sister.”
Their pinkies didn’t let go and Emily sharply inhaled. There was no turning back as she muttered, “I promise.”
They didn’t talk about the kiss but their pinkies stay interlocked underwater as they go into debate on what was the best rom com movie. Stephanie vouched for Ten Things I Hate About You while Emily vouched for The Proposal - both of them agreed Crazy Rich Asians was one of the best.
Emily hoped Stephanie couldn’t feel how hard her heart beating was at the simple touch.
-
Stephanie found the douchebag dead and Emily had very conflicting feelings.
On one hand, Sean was a shitty father and husband. On the other hand, he was still Nicky’s father and was okay for the first five years. Along with the secret third thing of her Aunt Linda blackmailing her for twenty million dollars - everything was quite overwhelming.
The only thing she knew was that Sean didn’t deserve to die like that and there was no way in Hell her aunt would be seeing any money from her. Blood coming from all of his holes - Emily knew Sean’s death wasn’t a tragic accident. Dante seemed to know too as he held her close as they took Sean’s body away.
When she was about to head back into the hotel, Stephanie grabbed Emily’s shoulder. With a look of concern, it looked like she wanted to say something but instead Stephanie raised a pinky up.
Emily didn’t reach out but she nodded back.
Stephanie dropped her hand and exhaled in relief, “Okay. I trust you.”
Emily didn’t know how much she needed to hear that until the invisible burden from her shoulders got lifted. Her lips quirked up, “Thanks.”
She trusted Stephanie too.
-
Seeing her triplet again was truly, in the best way Emily could describe it, fucking crazy. If seeing Faith was if Emily had gone down a drug-addicted path then seeing Charity was if Emily had gone down a cult-killer path. She felt bad learning her sister had to be forced into a role with no escape until Charity pushed a syringe into her back.
Goddamnit.
-
When she gained consciousness again, Emily couldn’t move. Her entire body frozen in place but her eyes could shift around. It felt like a thousand pound weight was on her - even moving a single finger felt like an impossible task. Not being able to move made Emily want to thrash around even more until either her or everything around her breaks.
Charity was snuggled up close to her. She grabbed Emily’s hand to position it to be on her shoulder, “Good morning sunshine. I didn’t realize you were so weak. My dosage tends to be for bigger men.”
Emily tried to speak but only strained groans came out.
Charity giggled sweetly, “I love you too!”
Emily groaned again: Fuck my life.
Charity hummed happily, “Don’t worry, I’ve already given you IVs so you won’t be hungry when I go out tonight!”
Emily’s head spun at the implications. Emily tried to feel down to her arms but all she felt was a ringing numbness everywhere in her body. She tried to wiggle her entire body for anything but it seemed to go against her as only her eyes seemed to move around.
Emily wanted to scream. She kept trying to move around as Charity spoke.
“...We don’t need Sean or Dante or Stephanie.”
Emily perked at the mention of Stephanie. Where was she? Is she okay? Fuck, she wished she had a nanny cam or something to alert her. Fuck, was Nicky okay? He didn’t even have Sean to rely on—
Charity straddled her and Emily wished so dearly she was back in prison instead of whatever this was. Lips pressed onto hers and Emily wanted to drown herself again.
-
Despite the overwhelming numbness of the drug, she could still feel waves of pleasures. It was devastating to be awake for everything. She hated how she sounds, how she looks, how she tastes, how she feels.
She hated everything about herself.
Her only sense of peace was when Charity had a smile saying ‘goodbye, I’ll be back’ before injecting more drugs into her veins.
-
Emily woke up to kisses on her neck and news of Dante’s death. Tears streamed down as grabby hands went everywhere.
Aunt Linda watched from afar. She yelled at Charity about murdering their ticket to retirement. Charity murmured apologies with no real care before going back to trail down Emily’s chest. Aunt Linda simply sighed, reminding Charity that tomorrow they have to frame Stephanie.
Emily shifted around in panic - her body slightly moving towards the door. If Stephanie was caught there would be no hope.
Charity pinned Emily down. A big grin formed on her face, “You’re building tolerance to the drug so quickly. No wonder you’re my sister.”
Emily moved her eyes to see Aunt Linda walk out the bedroom. The woman slammed the door from behind and Emily knew there would be no one else but them.
Charity purred, “Don’t worry, I’ll give Stephanie a warm welcome.”
Fuck, Emily wanted to kill herself.
-
By some miracle chance, Charity didn’t drug her the next day and Emily was able to escape. She limped away, slowly regaining strength in her legs and arms by the time she got to the hotel lobby. No one seemed to care how disheveled she looked and Emily left the building easily.
Emily started to run down the streets until her legs wanted to give out. She went to the nearest clothing store and took new clothes that felt more like herself. She went into the dressing room to change. Her eyes avoided looking at the mirror - she was too scared to see how exhausted she looked.
“I didn’t do anything! I didn’t do anything—”
Emily knew that helpless yell from anywhere.
Despite wanting to burn them into oblivion, Emily left her old clothes on the floor and rushed outside seeing police officers carry Stephanie away. She ignored the store clerk yelling from behind as her mind raced trying to piece together how the hell Stephanie even got into this situation. But good news: Stephanie was still alive.
However, bad news was Stephanie getting dragged away and Emily noticed the switch of authorities based on the uniforms the officers were wearing. There were two trucks and in the second truck Emily could see Portia sitting in the passenger seat.
Jesus fucking Christ, Portia was kidnapping Stephanie.
Emily watched Stephanie get shoved into a car and she hurriedly looked around. Emily noticed an older guy with a vespa. She rushed to him and threatened in Italian, “If you don’t give me your keys right now I will have Dante Versano call rabid dogs onto you and your family.”
The name drop made his eyes flashed with fear and Emily knew she picked the right guy. He stuttered, “W-what? Dante—”
She growled, “Keys. Now.”
The guy held out the keys with trembling hands and Emily snatched them. She followed them until she realized they were heading near the edge of the ocean and Emily recognized immediately where they were going. Dante had showed her a few weeks ago during the wedding planning:
Dante had his arms out. He did a little spin as he greeted, “Welcome to the man cave!”
Emily snorted, “The man cave is such an ugly name.”
“Would you rather have the name ‘torture all our worst enemies cave’ instead?”
Emily whistled in amusement, “So that’s what all these ropes and tarps are here for.”
“Don’t forget the huge amount of truth serum being smuggled here,” Dante added lightly, which meant that he was being dead serious. He nodded casually, “This is one of our many man caves, but this one is nearest to the wedding venue.”
Emily kicked over a closed, metal bucket. It rattled loudly as it hit the ground. She ignored Dante picking up the bucket to kick another bucket over, “And why are you telling me this?”
Dante had a grim smile as he opened the lid of the bucket to reveal several syringes, “Just in case anyone wants to mess with us.”
Emily was suddenly so, so thankful for Dante’s preparation. She abandoned the vespa a few blocks away from the man cave. Emily carefully watched from afar people dragging Stephanie into the hideout. She knew there was a second hidden entrance in the area and went through that.
As Emily went through the dark entrance, she saw light up ahead and heard:
“Do you want to know who I’m fucking?”
There’s loud giggles and Emily forced her body to move faster to get to the power switch.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Stephanie was high off her rocks on illegal truth serum.
Fuck, fuck, fuck, Stephanie kept spewing shit from her mouth. Fuck, fuck, fuck, Portia just ordered Stephanie to die. Fuck, fuck, fuck, Emily needed to cut the lights but if she cuts it off too soon Stephanie will definitely die and she can’t have that happening anytime soon.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Just a few feet away from their conversation, if Emily leaned over from the rugged hallway she can make figures out. Emily waited by the power unit. As soon as Emily heard Portia leave, she gritted her teeth and slammed down the lights. Her only saving grace throughout the darkness was still hearing Stephanie yapping to the guards.
It was like an angel guiding her through Hell.
Emily had never been more grateful for Stephanie’s tendency to keep talking. Emily was also extremely grateful for prison keeping her in shape as she easily knocked out the mob guards. However, she isn’t grateful when a very high Stephanie wanted to keep joking:
“Wait! You could be Charity! Prove that you’re Emily—”
“We don’t have time for this.”
Stephanie childishly crossed her arms, “Prove it!”
Emily wanted to bash her head against the wall but she steeled her focus, “Brother fucker, we do not have time for this. I don’t want to get into your freaky basement sex you had with your half-brother,” Stephanie’s face fell into slight shock as Emily raised her pinky up, “I swore that I wasn’t doing anything illegal.”
Stephanie’s eyes softened and she said in a teasing voice. She reached out to interlock their pinkies, “Awe, you’re so cute when you promise not to do crime.”
Emily huffed but was happy to finally push Stephanie out of the damn man cave.
-
They stole another vespa, Stephanie threw up on the sidewalk, and Emily finally got to decompress for the first time in months. To finally open up about her lavender marriage was something she would never thought she would ever have to do.
Emily admitted, “Dante was actually my friend. I loved him.”
Stephanie frowned - the pieces being put together were clear on her face, “Okay, but why would Dante have to die if your aunt wanted to blackmail him for money?”
“Yeah, I wonder the same thing until the next day,” Emily sharply inhaled at Stephanie waiting for an answer. She quietly said, “Because Charity wanted us to be together. She drugged me and didn’t let me out,” Emily scoffed, “Damn bitch pretended to be me at my own wedding.”
Stephanie’s eyes narrowed down on her and Emily felt like she was naked, “By together, you mean…”
Emily shifted her gaze towards the ocean, “Exactly what it meant between you and your half-brother.”
Stephanie took a seat next to Emily on the vespa. Their shoulders touched and Stephanie’s warmth grounded Emily. There was a brief moment of silence before Stephanie muttered, “I’m sorry.”
“For what? You know how I feel about that phrase,” Emily watched the waves of the ocean come and go, “You couldn’t have done anything against her.”
Stephanie grabbed Emily’s hand, she tugged on it so Emily would look at her. Stephanie’s blue eyes were filled with so much concern, it took Emily off-guard. She wanted to run but Stephanie’s grip on her hand felt like a comfortable weight she wasn’t ready to let go off.
Stephanie mumbled, “Maybe I couldn’t do anything but to be held against your own will? That sounds awful and I wish I could have stopped it,” Stephanie raised her free hand to show off the red marks still on her wrists, “I would know, I just got kidnapped by the mafia.”
A small smile formed on Emily's face as she warned lightly, “You can’t use that word here. It’s insensitive to Italians.”
Stephanie’s nose crinkled as she laughed, “Who is going to cancel me? My mommy fanbase?”
Hearing Stephanie laugh so freely struck Emily with the strong urge to kiss her. Stephanie was still holding onto Emily’s hand and Emily tightened her grip. Her eyes flickered up and down between Stephanie’s eyes and lips.
Stephanie took notice as her body slightly tilted to Emily a bit more. Emily leaned in closer and Stephanie’s eyes fluttered at the sight.
Then Emily’s phone buzzes with a notification from Stephanie’s vlog.
-
For fucking around with her kid, Emily felt nothing at Aunt Linda’s death. However, seeing a gun being held at Stephanie made her heart race beyond belief. She didn’t know it was possible to want someone to live so badly because she needed Stephanie to keep breathing.
She needs her hope to survive.
So Emily swallowed down her pride and walked to Charity with her most tender voice, “Hey, look at me.”
She wanted to throw up when she uttered the words, “That’s why we belong together.”
She wanted to jump off the cliff with Aunt Linda when she reached for Charity’s face and brought her in for a kiss.
She wanted to so badly erase memories of Stephanie looking at her with fear as she held Charity’s hand for security. Both of them were scared for their life if Emily let go - they couldn’t risk Charity getting second thoughts. It was pathetic and she prayed that Nicky would never remember anything.
She could only be thankful Stephanie had the decency to make sure Nicky never looked directly at Emily for the rest of the journey.
Relief flooded through both of them when she did finally let go of Charity’s hand and Charity easily listened to Stephanie’s direction. Emily could only wave goodbye as Stephanie took Charity and Nicky into the police station.
Emily sighed in annoyance as she walked down the streets of Capri. She was going to have to hit up Matteo for a place to stay out of the limelight for a while. Emily hoped he would understand her particular situation.
-
Meeting up with Matteo was shocking as he did understand her particular situation. When he saw her, he went straight for a tight hug with, “I knew you didn’t kill Dante.”
He gave her a hotel room to stay in. It was definitely shady among the beautiful buildings in Capri. The walls were a bit torn down and the air was what she could best described as ‘musty’ but not a single worker questioned Emily when she ordered food to her door for three days straight. Honestly, it could always be worse - she could have been in a one-star motel room after killing her twin in a lake.
For the three days, all Emily did was sleep, eat, and had her most prized belongings keep her company: her annotated copy of ‘The Faceless Blonde’ and all the letters she kept in it. The shitty ass TV in her room was used as static background noise while Emily reread letters and Stephanie’s book front to back.
She read it silently, read it out loud mimicking Stephanie’s mannerism, and hysterically cried at several points. Emily wanted to break the entire hotel room apart any time the thought of being forever separated from Nicky crept into her brain. It didn’t even address the issue of Emily flinching at any reflections she saw herself in.
The mirror in her bathroom was covered by a used towel. The towel didn’t cover the full thing but enough so Emily could look away in time to not see her face. However, Emily couldn’t avoid seeing herself in glass reflections - even the damn TV when it was turned off showed Emily.
So the TV was always on, the curtains always closed, and Emily used exclusively plastic utensils.
God, Emily hates herself.
On day four there was a loud knock on her door. Emily slammed her book shut, instantly went underneath her bed and grabbed a gun Matteo had graciously given her. Emily loaded her gun. She looked through the peephole and her jaw dropped.
Tossing the gun into the side closet, Emily hurriedly opened the door, “How the hell did you find—hmpf!”
Nicky had his arms around her in a bone-crushing hug, “Hi, Mom.”
Stephanie answered as Emily hugged him back, “Matteo told us. Well, more like I demanded to see you again. We have to go in a few hours and I couldn’t let Nicky leave without seeing his mom.”
Emily’s heart swelled up. She shifted Nicky to the side but he still clung to her like a koala. Her gaze softened at Stephanie in a casual hoodie and sweatpants. Her goddamn knight-in-shining-armor was dressed like a loser.
Emily sighed lovingly, “You would threaten the mafia for me?”
Stephanie raised an eyebrow, “I thought we couldn’t say mafia?” She answered as if it was obvious, “But yes, I did, not the weirdest thing I’ve done but to be honest I’d do a lot of things for you—”
“Ah, fuck it,” Emily tugged on Stephanie’s hoodie, “Come here.”
Emily, desperate to remember the touch, kissed as if it was their last. Stephanie had stumbled forward but she easily melted to Emily’s kiss. Their kiss quickly got heated as Stephanie seemed to understand Emily’s desperation as she grabbed Emily’s face with vigor.
Nicky let out a gasp, “Woah,” when they separated and Stephanie wiped her mouth - lips already swollen, he asked, “Does this mean Stephanie is my mom now?”
Emily laughed at Stephanie’s face flushing at the question, “Kid, she will be your mom soon. She’s going to adopt you.”
Nicky looked at her with a huge frown. He clung onto Emily tighter, “But I don’t actually want a different mom.”
Emily leaned down to kiss his forehead, “I’ll always be your mom, I just so happen to legally be in prison. Stephanie will take care of you and you won’t fuck up with her,” Emily held up her pinky, “Promise me you’ll continue to be my kid but be nice to Stephanie.”
Tears pricked her eyes as Nicky nodded seriously, he interlocked their pinkies, “I will always be yours,” he muttered, “And I guess I’ll be nice to Stephanie.”
Emily lightly checked him with a hip bump, “Not you guess, you will. It’s the least we can do after all she’s done for us.”
Nicky glared at Stephanie. He grumbled, “Do I have to call you mom?”
Stephanie waved her hands around frantically, “N-No! I would never force you to do something you wouldn’t want to do. Calling me Stephanie or Steph is just fine.”
Nicky seemed to be appeased by that as he let out a satisfied, ‘Hmph!’ and put his face back into Emily’s side. Emily gently nudged him away from her, “Alright kid, you’re pushing it now.”
Nicky groaned but stood himself next to Stephanie, “When can I see you again?”
Emily didn’t have an exact answer but she answered reassuringly, “We will see each other again. I’ll make sure of it, hopefully very soon.”
-
No words could describe the anguish she felt when she had to say her final goodbyes to Nicky and Stephanie.
-
Matteo came to her hotel room a few hours later. He passed her a letter then hopped into bed. Emily’s nose scrunched up at the shoes on her bed but Matteo ignored her discomfort as he said, “Letter is from Dante. He asked me to hold it for him in case anything happened - said it was for you and you only.”
Sealed in with a bright red wax, Emily peeled it off. She read the letter:
To my dearest Olivia,
Or Hope, Or Emily, Or whatever name you choose in the future. If you’re reading this then I’m dead but I’ve passed everything to you. If you somehow don’t have access to my wealth then know that in my will I’ve actually given everything to Matteo. I hope it doesn’t come to that but with this family I wouldn’t be surprised.
I’ve written a letter to Matteo to urge him to help you with whatever you need to do. Go be with your son, live on a tropical island, kiss that girl who you say is just your friend - what’s the American saying? The world is your oyster? Do whatever makes you happy.
There’s no way I’d die from some accident - that would be boring. So if you choose to take revenge on whoever, Matteo and I will be supportive. I’m sure he already has plans of ruining whoever killed me.
Consider it my thanks for putting up with this mess of wedding. You’re the only person to understand me. Take care of yourself.
Lot of love,
Dante Versano
Tears dripped down as Emily looked up to Matteo. He was already staring at her with wide eyes. She asked, “He gave you everything?”
Matteo simply nodded.
Emily wiped the tears away, “Do you have plans?”
Matteo hummed and said so casually, “Yeah, we just need to kill Portia.”
Emily blinked in surprise, “We do?” the thought immediately settled in comfortably, “Yeah, okay sure.”
Matteo chuckled to himself, “I always liked you,” he pointed at her lightheartedly, “You’re lucky I’m being serious about that, anyone else would have killed you for treason. Without a doubt, you are one of us Olivia.”
Emily corrected, “I’m Emily.”
Matteo’s brows furrowed in, “No… Emily is in jail. You need a new name.”
“I am Emily.”
Matteo tilted his head, “Why keep it? Your twin is in jail.”
Emily felt her nose flare out in defense, “My triplet is in jail and Emily Nelson is the name I’ve decided to have a kid with. He deserves to have that stability in his life.”
Matteo snapped back, “You think your kid is going to have stability when the police find you with the exact same name you’ve been using to kill people?”
Emily inhaled sharply. They stared at each other with high intensity. Matteo’s glare made Emily concede, “Fine, call me Lee then. Short for Emily,” Matteo nodded in approval as Emily demanded, “And give me your last name.”
“Hell no.”
“Your family has no pictures taken - I’m the perfect match for you.”
With no real retort, Lee Bartolo was born in a shabby hotel room.
-
In another life Emily Nelson felt more remorse to murder. However, Lee Bartolo had nothing but contempt as she swayed Portia to meet up in the man cave. She threatened to expose Portia for smuggling in truth serum - a mere distraction as Matteo came in with a silencer and shot Portia through the chest.
Blood seeped into a tarp as Matteo grunted to shove Portia’s entire body into the tarp. He asked, “Have you ever hid a body before?”
Emily shook her head.
Matteo sighed, “You’re going to hate this.”
Matteo was right, she hated how many chemicals and strength it took to cut up one body properly. Unfortunately, she also had a really good knack for it - even Matteo was surprised how quick she picked up on it. He nudged her lightly, “You know… as a Bartolo you could—”
“Don’t even think about it.”
Matteo shrugged, “Just consider it. Could really build your rep here for a bit.”
Emily didn’t answer back and continued on scrubbing the floors until they were squeaky clean.
-
After two months of the Italian legal system in which mob politics were heavily involved, Matteo finally got hold of the Versano wealth and Emily was free to do whatever she wanted as long as the police weren’t involved. The first thing Emily did was book a private jet back to America for a week.
She wore a black medical mask and dark sunglasses to obscure her face. It was amazing what bribery could do as security didn’t ask her once for an identity check.
Then Emily rented a car to see the scenery of fuck ass Connecticut. Passing by cities and beautiful landscapes, she stopped by Yale and enjoyed her brief time there.
Once in a while Emily had her disguise off to eat and a few people commented on how she looked awfully familiar to Emily Nelson. To which Emily shrugged and said in a thick Italian accent, “Crazy coincidence huh? Glad she’s in jail.”
On her last day of her American trip, Emily made a stop by Stephanie’s house. She walked to the house and heard in the backyard the sound of a soccer ball being kicked around and two boys yelling. Emily made a detour of going through the front and went around the fence.
Through the fence’s cracks she could see Nicky and Miles passing each other a soccer ball. Made up goal posts were formed with rocks and Nicky kicked the ball hard into Miles’ stomach. Holding his stomach in pain, Miles lurched over. Nicky quickly came over with, “Oh shit, dude are you good?”
Stephanie came running from the house, she reached out to him, “Smooch! Are you okay?”
Miles groaned but he slapped Stephanie’s hand away, “I’m fine. Stop calling me Smooch.”
Stephanie frowned, but pulled her hands back, “Do you need an ice pack?”
“I said I’m fine,” Miles crossed his arms, “Just leave me alone! Go back to working on your stupid murder book!”
A flash of hurt went through Stephanie’s face and she glanced around. Her eyes landed on Nicky who looked like he didn’t know how to handle Miles either. Stephanie meekly nodded - it made Emily want to punt kick the kid into the ground, “Alright, I’ll be inside. Let me know if you need anything.”
She hurriedly went inside and when the yard door shut, Nicky turned to Miles. He said, “That wasn’t cool how you yelled at Stephanie.”
Miles rolled his eyes, “The people at school, you don’t understand—”
“No, Miles. You don’t understand.” Nicky pushed Miles back. Miles stumbled a bit but didn't turn away when Nicky yelled in his face, “You keep complaining about Stephanie being a terrible mother but at least she’s still here! You want to know where my parents are? Dead and in prison!”
“Nicky…”
“My dad got murdered, Miles. Be fucking glad that Stephanie is here,” Emily watched Miles flinch at the cuss word, Nicky continued, “Sure, she might be overbearing and a little weird but she cares so stop being such a mopey little shit and don’t let losers bother you about what she does.”
“But—”
“If you have an issue with her it should not be because some dumbass can’t handle what she does. When was the last time she skipped out on anything you did?”
Miles hung his head lowly, “None… She’s always there unless I ask her not to.”
“Yeah, must be fucking nice. My dad's drunk ass forgot to pick me up when I had tutoring - I had to get a ride home from my teacher. Multiple times!”
Emily gritted her teeth, Sean did what?
Miles nodded dejectedly, he put his hands up in surrender, “Okay, relax bro, I understand.”
Nicky’s shoulders slumped down as he took a deep breath. He had a bright smile when he exhaled, “Right, bro. We’re brothers now. We have to look out for each other,” he slung his arm over Miles’ shoulders, “Don’t worry, I’ll tell Stephanie to lay off you when she’s too much.”
Miles perked up at that, “Really?”
Nicky nodded assuringly, “Really. But you have to promise to be nicer to Stephanie, otherwise I’ll rock your shit. So…” he raised a pinky up and Emily was hit with pride, “Promise?”
Miles smiled as he interlocked their fingers, “Promise.”
When they let go of each other, Nicky punched Miles on his arm, “I bet I can wipe your ass in Smash Bros.”
Miles tilted his head, “I don’t have Smash Bros.”
“What?!”
“Mom said it was too violent.”
Nicky shook his head. He laughed in disbelief, “Okay, I definitely need to talk to Stephanie about that.”
They went inside, closing the door and there Emily stood alone.
Readying herself to leave and get back to Italy, Emily took a deep breath. She tied her hair up into a low ponytail and readjusted her baseball cap. Emily turned around and almost got a heart attack at the figure standing behind her. She clutched her heart in shock, “Jesus fucking Christ. Warn a woman before you sneak up on her like that.”
Stephanie raised an eyebrow, “Like how you warned me about coming here? Nice outfit by the way, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you dressed so casually.”
Emily looked down at her fit, she was wearing gray baggy sweats and a loose, black shirt. She had purposely dressed like a tired college student. Emily ignored the question, “Well, you know Emily Nelson is in jail. I’m Lee Bartolo, someone who prefers comfort over fashion. I have to leave in a few hours,” she huffed out, “How did you even know I was here?”
Stephanie said as if it was obvious, “I saw your figure when I was talking to Miles,” her voice lowered, ”I’ve missed you.”
Emily felt the weight of the last three words. She softly said, “You know we can’t be together. Not for a very long time.”
Stephanie nodded. She sighed dejectedly, “I know. Doesn’t mean I won’t stop missing you.”
“And I’m part of the mafia now.”
“I know. Bartolo is a serious last name.”
“The boys might go looking for you.”
“I know. I put on the TV to distract them. They’ll call me when they need me.”
Emily leaned in, “I want to kiss you.”
Stephanie took a step closer, “I know. What’s stopping you?”
Emily murmured, “Everything,” Stephanie cupped Emily’s face. She exhaled at the soft touch. Her voice trembled as she confessed, “I don’t have much but you and Nicky.”
Stephanie’s thumb traced up and down Emily’s cheek, “You know I’ll always be waiting for you,” she gently wiped the tear away from Emily’s eyes, “We’ll make it work. I promise.”
Emily’s eyes fluttered closed as Stephanie brought Emily’s face down. She expected a kiss but instead was being held into a comforting hug. Emily let herself relax into the touch and inhaled deeply. The subtle sweet floral scent ingrained deep into Emily’s mind. Tears streamed down but Stephanie didn’t seem to mind as she simply let her hand go through Emily’s hair gently.
Stephanie’s phone buzzed and neither of them moved.