Emma’s p.o.v
Next morning I made a few calls to Judith to ask her if it was alright I could come home early. I missed my dad and my brother and it was time to return to my normal life once again.
“Sure as long as one of you takes the check from Senator Marcus, you can return home anytime” Judith agreed over the phone.
“Chris will do the deed. Maybe you can call him up and check? I’ve been busy with the wedding pack up lately” I gave her an excuse so that I wouldn’t have to make the call to talk Chris into staying in Rome a bit longer.
“Sure sweety” she sound convinced and then she cut the call.
Putting the cordless down I walked into the hall of the suite and settled down on a big pillow on the sofa.
“Everything alright?” Mia asked sipping her coffee and giving me a serious look.
“Yea everything is fine, I just need to get back to New York now. Help dad out for a while with a few things, see grandma, you know, get rid of a jacket” I smiled shyly and looked at the breakfast placed before us.
“Oh my god. You still have the jacket? I had guessed you would have thrown it out the minute you found out about it” Mia bit her lip.
“I wanted too but something stopped me. It likes this invisible force that wants to prevent me from doing anything practical in my life.”
“I see, well if you still feel so much for Chris why don’t you stop fighting the invisible force and start accepting the fact that you want him”
“I’m trying” I hit my head on the pillow.
“Well trying isn’t enough. You have to choose” Mia snorted and put her coffee down.
“Maybe grandma will help me think clearer” I looked helplessly at Mia.
“I guess she will” she got up from the sofa and went inside the room. Within a few minutes she returned with her phone.
“What are you doing?” I asked her, while she scrolled over her phone and seemed very into her work.
“I’m booking an early flight for you, so you can leave tonight for New York city” she winked and tapped her phone a few more times.
“Oh thanks” I smiled and lied down for a while and relaxed.
***
After an 8 to 9 hour flight, I finally landed in my birth city and caught a cab to my dad’s apartment.
After ringing the bell I was greeted in with a big hug and a lot of love from everybody.
To my surprise it was the time of the month when grandma was visiting.
That night I sat with grandma in front of the fire, with a plate of dad’s famous cranberry pie, sucking at the cream and enjoying every bite.
“So you like Chris but you think you’ll aren’t meant to be?’ grandma asked me, giving me a confused smile.
“Yes, something like that” I agreed.
“Well sweety then you have to stop predicting and start living that experience out. What are you so afraid off?” she wondered.
“I’m afraid he hasn’t changed. I’m afraid during tough times he won’t fight for me. He will still put his family first, his sister first who hates me” I told her.
“But darling didn’t you just tell me that his sister tried talking to you during the Paris fashion week? What if she has changed as she says?”
“Evil people don’t change Grandmama”
“Well they do. Evil or not evil everybody changes when they grow up. You changed when you grew up. You were different when you were younger, an ugly duckling to the world and then you decided that you want to be loved and wanted by the world so you changed yourself, your looks, to be accepted by others. You lost weight, learnt ways to take care of yourself, you made a change and the only way people started liking you more is because they gave you a second chance to prove to them that you’ve changed.”
“But—
“But nothing. If you didn’t have a second chance the world wouldn’t accept you at all. And Emma darling we haven’t raised you a mean child. If Eliot wants to change you have to give her a chance to show it to you, what is so different about her and considering the fact Chris left his entire family for you… he deserves a second chance much more than you ever do with him” she nodded.
“I guess you’re right. But what if I don’t love him anymore?” I bit my lips.
“Then burn his jacket at your schools locker room tomorrow, the place where you got to know the ‘real him’”
I just stared at grandma shocked.
“What? It’s a good way of saying goodbye to something you never want to look back at. If you really think Chris isn’t worth it, he hasn’t change, he hasn’t made you a little livelier than you were before then burn the only piece of link you have with him at a place you met him and then move on with your life. Simple as that” she nodded with confidence.
“I guess you’re right. If I don’t love him, I guess burning the jacket will be a much easier task and I can move on with my life finally” I felt relieved.
“Excatly, now that’s sorted its better you get a goodnights sleep for now. Take some rest and we will talk tomorrow” she patted my lap and smiled at me.
“Alright grandma” I nodded and got up from the sofa but before climbing up the stairs I turned around and asked her “ Hey grandma, I’m sorry and this may sound funny but I really don’t know your name” I bit my lips back.
“Ah I guess I should tell you now, shouldn’t I? But don’t tell your brother not yet” she looked at me with her beady eyes.
“I promise I won’t” I laughed.
“It’s Ingrid” she smiled sweetly.
“Bergman?” I joked around.
“Wow, that was a great guess. I changed my surname so that Alexandra and my husband could have a normal life. I probably prefer to stay in the shadows” she giggled.
“Grandma you’re a 1900’s Hollywood actress? Are you serious?” I stood shocked.
“Well where do you think you get your expensive gifts from dear?” she waved shyly. “Anyways, now that you know, don’t look at me differently. Your father knows too, he’s just a good secret keeper but don’t tell your brother” she warned me.
“But why not!” I asked.
“Because I don’t want you’ll using my fame. It’s good to grow up as a normal family. I don’t want to spoil him, make him loose the fear of standing on his own and making a name in this family. I know you’re already on the path of making us famous but your brother will know my secret as time comes”
“This family is really weird Grandma, I think I should crash now, although next time I would love to hear a lot about your old life now that I know we have an actress in the family” I winked at her and walked up to my room.
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