Unmistakable: A Cinderella Retelling

20 ~ pain

EMILY'S POV

I always had the hunch that he was the one. It was right in my face yet I refused to see it for what it was and I felt like a fool. To add to that, Irvin lying to me for three months dug an even deeper hole in my chest. Knowing that he knew who I was yet he didn’t tell me hurt me more than I could phantom.

I felt a searing pain right in the middle of my chest and it got more intense with every passing second I stood in the room with him. With the pain came the lack of oxygen in my lungs and that was when I knew I had to leave or make him leave.

I couldn’t bear to look at him as he walked out of the room because looking at him would only intensify everything that I felt. It felt like I was going to burst with how much was going on inside me and when he closed the door behind him, I felt a gush of relief flood through me. I could feel the rush of air flooding my lungs and the pain in my chest reducing.

With the relief came the feeling of missing him, his presence his scent, his smile, his laugh, the sound of his voice, and the feeling of his gaze burning into my skin. After three months of no communication between us, I never expected our ‘reunion’ to go like this. Seeing him again was the best feeling I’d had in a long time and as upset as I was with him, I was willing to let it all side and just enjoy his presence. The truth was the last thing I’d expected and now I hated him for ruining things for me.

The hate replaced my unexplainable craving for him, brewing and slowly taking over my very being. I hated him for ruining my birthday with these emotions, I hated him for lying to me and I hated him for making me feel a certain kind of way for him.

I looked down at the necklace again and I slowly took it out of the box. I wrapped the chain around my fingers while my eyes focused on the pendant. I took a closer look at it and found the inscription I was looking for.

To have, written in Russian.

How I know this? My mum told me the meaning when she handed the necklace over to me on my sixteenth birthday.

The necklace has been in my mother’s family for close to a hundred years now. The necklace was made for another, meaning when joined to its pair it makes a complete music note. Some great grandfather of mine got the necklace for his wife and when the couple had their first daughter, the necklace was passed down to her. Same goes for the pair that belonged to my ancestral grandfather, the second half of the necklace is with a male child of the family somewhere in the world. That pair has the words to hold also inscribed on it and also in Russian.

Together they both spell out: to have and to hold.

Why Russian? My ancestral grandmother was Russian so I do have a little Russian blood in me.

I took off the fake necklace and put on the original. The coolness of the metal sent a soothing feeling down my spine. I closed my eyes and relished it.

I heard my name from the other side of the door and I forced my eyes open. With a sigh I walked out of the room, getting irritated with the sound of my name being screamed.

“Emily there you are!” Mum exclaimed when she saw me. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah I am.” I said, not sparing her a glance.

She noticed my sour mood but didn’t comment on it. I joined the rest of the party downstairs while actively avoiding Irvin. He didn’t try to come close to me or converse with me even when we were both in an environment to do so.

At the end of the day, I decided to spend the night at my new house. Luckily there were a few furniture’s already in place, so after the last guest left, I headed out to get a few groceries and food for the night. It was as cold, and lonely night.

The next day, at the close of work, I stopped at a furniture store and got the necessary things I needed. I also got other important things like cooking utensils, a few decorations, toiletries, and provisions. Thankfully, it was a weekend so I had the time to get everything set.

Rosaline came by the next day and helped me with a good number of things, and of course she came along with a home cooked meal. Shortly after she left, my mother arrived and with her help, we were able to finish up the arrangements.  I was satisfied with the final results.

Mum spent the night with me and I had to drive her to the airport on Sunday morning. When I got back to the house, I took a really long nap and when I opened my eyes next, the sun was setting.

I called my assistant that I wasn’t going to work the next day and gave her a few instructions on what to do. I was extremely tired and all I needed was more rest