Isabellas expression froze as she heard the womans words: "You are... Emily Bronte."
Emily lifted her chin confidently: "Of course its me."
"What do you want?" Isabella asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Emily sneered, scrutinizing Isabella as if she were a lifeless object. "Youre just a skeleton wrapped in human skin, ugly and repulsive. I cant fathom what Edward sees in you."
She had tried several times to hint to him that she wanted them to be together, but Edward had pretended not to understand. The thought of being cast aside by Edward last night made her itch with anger.
Isabella, with her slightly better upbringing, seemed to hold his heart in her hands. If Edward was unwilling to propose divorce, then perhaps Isabella could be persuaded to do it herself?
"Isabella Swan, whats the point of clinging to a man who doesnt love you? For the sake of your happiness, for the reputation of the Swan family, and to not make Edward uncomfortable, Isabella, you should tell Edward that you want a divorce."
Isabella looked at her, her eyes as lifeless as a doll. "Did he send you?"
At this moment, if it werent for her shallow breaths, one might have mistaken Isabella for a corpse.
"Does it make a difference whether he sent me or I came on my own? Are you planning to endure this indefinitely?"
"Isabella, days without love are hard to bear, arent they?"
Emily gestured towards the room meaningfully.
When she first entered, she found it odd. According to the Cullen servants, Edward and Isabella shared a room, but now, looking around, there were no signs of a mans presence. She had even checked, and there were no mens items in the wardrobe, bathroom, or bedside tables, as if the room belonged to Isabella alone.
Isabella closed her eyes for a moment, her voice hoarse. "Let him tell me himself."
Emilys face changed abruptly, her voice vicious. "Isabella Swan, dont refuse a kind offer. What makes you think youre worth his personal attention?"
Isabella suddenly let out a low chuckle. "I am Mrs. Cullen, Edwards wife, Miss Bronte. Didnt you know that?"
"You!"
Emily was furious, her hand raised to strike Isabella, but she hesitated, fearing that any harm might be traced back to her.
Her hand remained suspended, and she looked at the unmoved Isabella with a sudden malicious grin. "In the drawer, are those your pills? What do you think people would say if they found out Miss Swan is reliant on medication to get through life..."
Isabella laughed softly, her voice filled with mockery. "Go ahead and tell them. See if anyone believes you."
She looked at Emily with a hint of ridicule. "If people investigate and find out that Im like this because Edward is too concerned with his brothers woman, Miss Bronte, who do you think theyll laugh at? You, me, or Edward?"
"You!"
Isabellas last sentence was loaded with meaning, and Emily felt the urge to strangle this woman.
Because Isabella was right. Almost everyone who knew the Cullens was aware that the eldest Cullen灏戠埛 had taken away the woman by Edwards side when he first returned.
The eldest Cullen was not one to hide his affairs; he attended various gatherings with Emily in tow, which meant that anyone with connections to the Cullen family knew that Emily was the seductress who caused discord between the two Cullen brothers.
Under these circumstances, should anything be amiss with Isabella Swan, the Cullen familys lady, everyone would attribute the cause to Emily.
Although this was the reality, Emily still wanted to preserve the veneer of her victimhood, playing the role of the one who endured humiliation with grace. If Edward was implicated, or if he accidentally discovered her manipulations...
For example, her deliberate approaching to Jack Dawson鈥攍et alone the possibility of Edward marrying her again鈥攇iven Edwards vengeful nature, he would definitely investigate her thoroughly.
Thinking of this, Emily shuddered.
She could not allow this to happen.
With a sly look in her eyes, Emily inched closer to Isabella. "Trying to provoke me? You think Ill play into your hands? Isabella, I want nothing more than to make your life a living hell. So what if you have the Swan family behind you? Once theyre gone, well see if you can still be so arrogant."
Isabellas eyelids didnt even flutter.
Emilys eyes shifted, and she stealthily dialed an emergency contact, then lunged forward, grabbing Isabellas hand and slapping herself across the face with it!
Isabellas eyes snapped open in shock. She stared at Emily, who smiled triumphantly at her before saying, "Youre crazy!"
With a self-satisfied smirk, Emily then widened her eyes, feigning innocence and hurt as she covered her face. "Miss Swan, I was just concerned about your health, suggesting you eat more. If you dont want to, thats fine, Edward wont deprive you of a meal, but why did you hit me?"
"Its my own fault for coming here with good intentions, trying to persuade you and hoping that Edward would pay more attention to you. But instead, I get this slap?"
Isabella was flabbergasted. She never expected Emily to be so shameless: "You..."
With the phone on speaker, Edwards furious voice echoed through the receiver: "Put it on speaker."
Emily complied, even silently mouthing to Isabella, Youre done.
Edwards roar bellowed through the phone: "Isabella Swan, it seems Ive given you too much leeway. Since you refuse to accept my generosity and choose to be difficult, dont blame me for not leaving you with any dignity and kicking you out!"