Page 44 of Emma's Element

“Fuck, Emma. I’m so sorry.” Her story was terrifying; he could feel every emotion she’d experienced that night in her body. She was strung tight, obviously still profoundly affected by the incident.

She nodded. “I lost three teammates that night. But it didn’t end there.” She stopped again, breathing heavily.

Marcus set his lips against her head, stroking her back, his heart breaking for her. “Just breathe slowly. You’re safe here.” He inhaled deeply, willing her to match his breathing as he continued to rub her back lightly, hoping to calm her. “What happened?” he asked when she had composed herself.

“The media . . .”

He stiffened. He had not been expecting that answer. What could the media possibly have to do with a Coast Guard accident? “What about them?”

She took a shuddering breath. “I was the lone survivor. The men all had families, wives, kids. They were well-liked; their communities mourned the loss of good men. Paul was my best friend, but so was his wife, Ginny.”

“The woman from earlier tonight?” She nodded, her hair brushing his chin.

“There were grumblings. People wondered why I survived. They were looking for someone to blame. The press latched on to that and began their smear campaign against me. She hesitated, her hand fisting his shirt.

“What did they say, Sweetheart?”

Chapter fifteen

Shetookadeep,shuddering breath then launched into a story that made him want to explode in anger. “Paul and I had a very close relationship. Most thought it was unusual, but I was just as close to his wife, Ginny. They began to twist that friendship into something much darker. They accused me of seducing Paul. After all, men and women can’t just remain friends. There had to have been something kinky going on, so they assumed Paul and I were having an illicit affair. They called me the Coastie Siren, alleging that, since Paul was at the helm, I distracted him, luring him to his death. They called me an adulterer and a murderer.”

Marcus held her tightly as more tears fell. His blood raged through his veins, and his hands itched to punch something, or more accurately, someone. Preferably every half-wit journalist that had something to do with the smear campaign against Emma.

“Shit, I’m so sorry, Emma,” he uttered, his words feeling inadequate. He couldn’t imagine what that must have been like for her. He’d had plenty of run-ins with the media, but nothing like what she’d experienced, even with Marci. Now he understood what Graham had been trying to tell him before he’d left Lake Haven. Emma had been through hell, the press eviscerated her, and she’d been willing to walk through that fire again . . . for him. Fuck, he was an asshole, throwing away what they could have had, thinking to protect her. He hadn’t understood her true strength at the time.

“The Coast Guard didn’t know what to do with me. They investigated the accident and the allegations of adultry, which they assured me was just a formality. In reality, they were trying to appease the media who was giving them a ton of pressure to do something. The reports about an affair were completely unfounded, not to mention ridiculous. No proof had ever been revealed, but it didn’t matter in the court of public opinion. The Coast Guard found me not culpable for the accident, but the damage was already done. I had a few months left before deciding whether or not to re-up, so I was transferred to DC for a desk job to wait out those months. After that, there was no way I was staying in.”

“I don’t blame you. What did your friends have to say about all of it?”

A bark of laughter erupted from her. “What friends? I tried to go to Paul’s funeral; his was the first. Ginny, his wife . . .” She broke off, shaking her head. If the scene earlier with Ginny was any indication, he could imagine it had been rough.

“What happened?” he coaxed softly, his fingers still lightly caressing the soft skin on her back.

“She was so angry. The grief . . . she couldn’t see past it to the truth. She screamed at me in front of everybody. Blamed me. Said I was nothing more than a murderer for letting her husband die. Then she slapped me across the face and collapsed. Everyone rallied around her, all turning on me. Everyone I once called a friend turned their back on me, believing the worst. Believing me to be the Coastie Siren. Even after the Coast Guard cleared me, they still wanted nothing to do with me.”

“Shit, Emma. I can’t believe they treated you like that.”

“They were grieving.”

“That’s no excuse. You were grieving too.” Jesus, she’d witnessed her friends’ deaths, something no one should have to endure. To have everybody forsake her like that was unconscionable. And look at her now. Despite that betrayal, her willingness to risk developing new friendships was extremely brave. That flower trying to grow through the rock where he’d fallen nearly two years ago came to mind. Persevering through adversity. That was Emma. She’d pushed through the hardest chapter in her life and was blossoming.

He, on the other hand, had been deceived so many times, he’d decided closing himself off was easier. But after witnessing Emma’s courage, maybe it was time to start opening himself up again.

“Yeah, but nobody cared about me.” Her voice was soft, unlike anything he’d ever heard from her before. Kissing her hairline, he squeezed her tighter, uncertain what to say to that. He held Emma as tremors wracked her body, attempting to control the rage wracking his insides at the injustice of it all. He wanted to hunt down every one of them, starting with the media. If he could, he’d eviscerate them for a change. They should be held accountable for destroying lives.

Emma’s trembling started to dissipate as he held her. He’d thought she’d fallen asleep, but she continued. “It was surprising to see her downstairs.”

“She was pretty nasty to you. Do you really think you’ll be able to patch that friendship?”

Emma sighed heavily. “I’m not sure. I want to say I can be the bigger person to see past all the hurt she caused, but I just don’t know.”

“Betrayal by those closest to us causes the most heartache.”

She lifted her head meeting his gaze, a soft understanding in their chocolate depths. “That’s it exactly. I never imagined she’d turn on me like that. What’s to stop it from happening again?”

“You won’t know unless you try. Give it time. Let her reach out to you. Sounds like you were close once. You might not be able to return to where you were in your friendship with her, but maybe you can start anew.”

“Possibly.” She laid her head back on his chest, snuggling into him. He rested his cheek against her head, loving that she trusted him enough with her story, as tragic as it was.

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