EMMA'S POINT OF VIEW
The house was too quiet. The quiet that was so quiet it felt like the walls were holding their breath, waiting for something to happen. I sat at the kitchen table, hands wrapped around a lukewarm cup of tea I’d forgotten to drink. Red envelopes, overdue notices, and the thick, ugly letter from the people Dad owed money to were stacked in front of me. I stared at it, my heart pounding like a drum in a parade I didn’t want to be part of.
“What am I going to do?” I whispered to no one.
Dad wasn’t home. He was probably out somewhere, gambling his way out of the hole he’d dug us into. I hated him for it. No, I loved him. I hated what he was doing to us, but I couldn't stop him. To me. To Mom. Her body was too frail and her spirit crushed under the weight of it. She barely came out of her room anymore. And then there was me. I was twenty three, stuck in this little town, my dreams of opening a bakery crumbling like the cookies I used to bake when I was happy.
I jumped when the phone buzzed on the table. I stared at the screen. Unknown number. My stomach twisted. Maybe it was one of Dad’s creditors, calling to tell us how much trouble we were in. Again. I almost didn’t answer. I knew I had to, but something told me. So I did.
“Hello?” My voice was small, smaller than I wanted it to be.
“Emma Reynolds.” It was a deep, smooth, cold as ice voice. Even though he wasn’t in the room, I could feel it slicing through me. “This is Logan Hayes.”
My heart stopped. I knew that name. Everyone in town knew it. Logan “The Reaper” Hayes. He was the heir to the Hayes family, the most dangerous mafia family in the state. Others whispered; how ruthless he was, how he had money and power and didn’t care about anyone but himself. What did he want with me? What the hell?
“I think you’re probably wondering why I’m calling.” He said it in a calm voice, like this was just a passing conversation. I’ll cut to the chase. People your father shouldn’t owe money to. People who work for me.”
I swallowed hard. My throat was sandpaper. “I—I know. ‘We’re trying to figure something out,’”
“Emma, I don’t care about your excuses.” He cut me off, his voice sharpening. “I don’t make promises and I don’t have time for people who can’t pay their debts.” But…” He paused, and I could hear the faintest hint of a smirk in his voice. “I’m willing to make you an offer.”
My chest tightened. “What kind of offer?”
“You marry me.”
The words hit me like a slap. I blinked, certain I’d misheard him. “What?”
“You marry me,” he repeated, as if he was telling you about the weather. I’ll make sure your family’s debts disappear, and I’ll…” Completely.”
I couldn’t speak. My mind was racing, my heart pounding so hard I thought it might burst. This wasn’t real. This couldn’t be real. Marry him? A man I didn’t know? A dangerous, powerful man, who probably had more blood on his hands than I wanted to think about?
I stammered, “I—I don’t understand.” “Why would you want to marry me?”
He said, “That’s not your concern.” You just need to know that this is a one time offer. You say yes, and your family gets a clean slate. You say no, and… the people your father owes aren’t as forgiving as I am.”
My stomach churned. I wanted to scream at him, to tell him he was insane, but I couldn’t get the words out. I thought about Mom, lying in her bed upstairs, too weak to leave the house. Dad, who was probably one bad bet away from getting himself killed. I, sitting here with nothing—no money, no future, no way out.
“Why… why me?” Finally, I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
There was a long pause. He spoke softly, almost gently, “Because I see something in you.” “And because I can.”
His words made me feel so bad. I felt like I was some kind of pawn in a game I didn’t even know I was playing. It was like he had all the power and I had none. There was something else, though. It was something I didn’t want to admit. The smallest, darkest part of me was curious. About him. About why he wanted me. I wondered what it would be like to step into his world.
“I… “I don’t know,” I said, my voice shaking. “This is… it’s insane.”
He said, “Take the night to think about it.” “But don’t take too long. I’m not a patient man, Emma.”
And then the line went dead.
My hand shook as I stared at the phone. I was spinning in a thousand directions in my mind. This couldn’t be happening. But it was. And I had no idea what to do.
I got up and paced the kitchen. The sound of my bare feet slapping against the cold tile echoed in the empty house. Marry Logan Hayes? What would I give up my freedom, my dreams, my life for? To save my family? To clean up a mess I didn’t even make?
If I didn’t, what would happen to Dad? To Mom? To me?
The thought of Logan made me shiver. His voice had been so calm, so sure. It was still there, wrapping around me like a silk ribbon and squeezing tight. He scared me. There was something else, though. Something I didn’t want to feel. A pull. A curiosity. Something dangerous, something exciting.
I shook my head, trying to get the thought out of my head. This wasn’t a romance novel. This was real life. And I was terrified.
I spun around as the front door creaked open. His shoulders slumped, his face pale, Dad stood in the doorway. He looked like a man who had just seen a ghost.
He said, his voice breaking, “Emma.” “I… I screwed up. “I don’t know how to fix this,” I said.
My eyes burned with tears, but I didn’t let them fall. “I know, Dad.”
I wanted to scream at him, to tell him this was his fault, but what was the point? It wouldn’t change anything. The damage was done.
I passed him and went for the stairs. “I need to think.”
I sat on the edge of my bed in my room, staring out the window. It was a high moon, its pale light glimmering on the town below. Logan Hayes was waiting for my answer somewhere out there. I had no idea what it would be.
Could I really do this? Could I marry a man like him? Could I give up everything I wanted, everything I dreamed of, for my family?
What would happen to me if I did?
If I didn’t, what would happen to me?
I couldn’t help but think about the questions, each one more weighty than the last. I took a shaky breath and closed my eyes. I could only feel the weight of it all, air pinned down from my lungs.
What the hell was I going to do?
