The Choices We Make (Revenge)

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Grayson Manor, Hamptons

Two weeks later

"Welcome home!"

Emily hesitated for a moment, but when Daniel gently took her hand and squeezed it, she followed him into the house.

That villa is huge, she thought, after she had looked around. The living area in the center of the manor, with high ceilings in open architecture, from which various rooms and different staircases branched off, was painted in a muted white. Everything looked very noble. Like in a museum, it flashed through her mind. For a moment, she had wondered if she should take off her shoes to protect the precious real wood floor, but she had rejected the idea. She was not a houseworker but the lady of the house, or at least something like that. She glanced at Daniel helplessly, and slightly relaxed when he gave her an encouraging nod. She had hoped that the sight of the rooms would create a familiar feeling inside her, since she and Daniel had lived here before. But she was disappointed. Not only that everything was unaccustomed to her, she also felt completely out of place.

"Let's go upstairs," Daniel suggested, looking at her expectantly.

Emily nodded. She didn't know if there was anything up there that would trigger her memory, but she couldn't stand in the living room staring at the walls forever. This was her home, as strange as it might seemed to her.

"Come on," Daniel gently led her up the stairs and walked along a long hallway until he finally stopped in front of a door. "This is one of the guest rooms," he explained, opening the door.

Very nice, Emily noted after she had looked around. Although the room was equally decorated in white and looked elegant, it wasn't that oppressive pretentious than the living area. "Have I lived here before?"

"No, we had our own bedroom," Daniel clarified, smiling. "Mom thought it might be better for you to sleep alone until your full recovery."

If I ever would make a full recovery, Emily thought, inwardly sighing. She tried not to show how disappointed she was. She had already noticed that he was very controlled towards her. After their first meeting in the hospital, he hadn't tried again to kiss her. She longed for his touch. "Where is your mom?" She asked curious.

"She and my dad wanted to run an errand. And Charlotte is with a friend." He pointed to the bed. "You should rest a little," he said, looking at her worried. "The doctor said you're still not strong enough to walk around."

How she hated lying around! She had been tied to the bed for weeks now, and gradually got more dissatisfied and restless by the minute. She knew it was not only her but also the baby to think about, but she had relaxed enough.

"Emily ... please!" He lifted the bedcover when she didn't react.

She shook her head unwillingly. "You said there's a swimming pool somewhere. The weather is so nice. Can we lie by the pool?" She begged.

"All right," he gave in, sighing. "I'll see if I can find a bathing suit for you in Charlotte's room." He looked at her frowning. "You're of the same build."

"Don't I have own clothes?" She asked surprised.

"My mother took everything away after you ..."

She knew how the sentence would end. Of course they had assumed that she was dead. She saw Daniel's tense posture and grabbed his hand and squeezed it slightly. "Hey, everything is fine. We just buy new clothes. I'll need some more stuff anyway." She stroked her still flat stomach. Although she could feel the physical changes more and more, her belly was still not visible to the eye. "I'd like to see the rest of the house. May I?" She looked at him eagerly.

"Sure." He nodded affirmative. "I'll lead you around."

Trustingly, she put her hand in his and let him lead her through the various rooms. When they arrived at a room from which a turret branched off, she hesitated for a moment. But only for a second, because she couldn't resist the pull. She freed herself from Daniel's hand and walked towards the small round turret.

"Emily ... wait!"

She heard him, but she was too curious to stop. The view from the tower let her hold her breath. Nestled between tall trees, there was a house that was at least as imposing as Grayson manor itself. The sight of the wooden beach house, framed by a porch, from which several stairs branched off, caused a strange Déjà-vu feeling inside her. She turned to Daniel, who also stared down, frowning. "I know it!" She exclaimed, pointing to the house.

Daniel nodded slowly. "Hardly surprising, because it was yours. I sold it to Nolan Ross, though."

Emily's head jerked up. Nolan Ross! Since she had left the hospital in Malé, she hadn't thought of him anymore. He was the link to her past! Was it just a coincidence that he had bought her house? She turned to Daniel. "I'd like to get to know him," she said, looking at him intently. "Can we visit him?"

Daniel nodded. "He doesn't live in the beach house but has a property of his own not very far from here. I'll call and ask him whether we can meet up with him."

"Thank you!" She didn't mean to kiss him. But when he faced her and smiled, she acted impulsively. Quite automatically, she put her hand around his neck and pulled him closer. For a moment, they locked eyes before their lips met.

"What's going on here?"

Startled, Emily stepped back, interrupting the kiss in the process. She quickly looked at Daniel, who was still befuddled, then to the person who had asked the question. "Hi Victoria!" Emily greeted her mother-in-law. Since the incident at the hospital, she had avoided Daniel's mother. She couldn't remember her, but her instinct told her that she had trouble with this woman before. The antipathy seemed to be mutual, because the way her mother-in-law glanced at her gave her the creeps. A threatening behavior radiated from her, though Emily couldn't tell where this feeling came from. She reached for Daniel's hand. "Your son just wanted to show me the house," she stated a reason for her intrusion. "I guess this is your bedroom?"

Victoria nodded. "Make yourself at home!"

Emily forced a smile and then looked down to the beach house again. She knew now why she didn't feel comfortable within Grayson manor. Victoria's dark aura was omnipresent in every fiber of the house. Suddenly she felt the need to get away from all of this. She tugged at Daniel's hand impatiently. "We were just about to leave." Relieved, she noticed that he followed her.

"You don't like her, do you?" Daniel asked her, after they had left the room.

Emily shook her head.

"Don't worry, most people react the same way when they get to know her."

She looked up at him surprised. Apparently Daniel's relationship with his mother was not without problems. Perhaps she would ask him about it later on. Now there were more important things to do. "We can go to the pool afterwards," she said, looking at Daniel. "Would you mind to call Nolan Ross right away?"

She watched as Daniel pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and began to dial.

"Done!" He said after exchanging a few words with Nolan. "He's waiting for us."

"Let's go!" Emily linked arms and went with him downstairs.