Page 27 of Emma
“Jane and Will are quite common names,” Emma said, keeping her voice steadier than she felt inside. This was all a misunderstanding. Ithadto be. “I don’t think that makes us related at all. It just means our parents have the same names.”
Freya didn’t seem convinced. Her gaze didn’t waver, just the slightest hint of a frown present as though Emma was the one in the wrong here. “But Mum used to talk about you all the time. Emma. Is that your name, Miss Bradley?”
The suddenness of Freya’s question hit Emma square in the chest. She felt the weight of Freya’s eyes, the desperate hope in the air between them, and it pounded at her heart in a way she hadn’t prepared for. She had to swallow before she could answer. “I…yes.” The word barely made it past her lips. She wasn’t ready to confront this. Shecouldn’tconfront it.
“You see!” Freya’s face lit up with a bright, wide smile. Emma couldn’t return one of her own. Her mind was in a haze, her thoughts pushing and pulling in every direction at once.Sisters?Her heart raced as that one word settled in her mind. This was too much, too fast, and Emma wasn’t prepared for any of it. “We’re sisters.”
The words echoed in Emma’s mind, hanging there like the strangest of dreams. Emma sat motionless for a moment, her hands tense in her lap while the room spun as she tried to make sense of what had just been said. Sisters? Her own blood? No. This couldn’t be real. She looked at Freya, who was waiting expectantly, but Emma needed a moment. Just a single breath to steady herself. Her whole world felt like it had been upended in a matter of seconds.This is impossible.
“I…” Emma struggled to find the right words. She had to tread carefully because she couldn’t risk giving Freya any hope. Not until she understood what was happening. “While it’s really lovely that you have Carmen and Ben to look after you, I really don’t think that I’m your sister, Freya.” As Emma said that, she realised it had come out far more certain than she thought it would. And as she let it sink in for a moment or two, she believed it. Freyawasn’ther sister. “I think there’s been some sort ofmisunderstanding. I don’t have a sister. I think…you might have the wrong idea.”
The bell rang suddenly, cutting through the tension like a knife. Emma inconspicuously breathed a sigh of relief. The ringing sound felt like an escape, and she was taking it while she could get it. “Oh, you’d better go and find Alice so you can have lunch together.” Emma gestured towards the door. “And then I’ll see you this afternoon for netball practice, okay?”
Freya sighed, but she managed the smallest smile. Her body language told Emma she was deflated, but Emma couldn’t give Freya anything more until she had answers herself. It wouldn’t be fair to either of them. “’Kay.”
Emma watched as Freya shuffled out of the room. She waited until she could no longer hear Freya’s footsteps, waited for the double doors at the end of the corridor to slam shut, and only then did Emma allow herself to collapse back into her seat. Right now, her heart and her mind were a tangled mess of confusion, disbelief…and God only knew what else.
She lifted her hands and covered her face, pressing them against the tiredness behind her eyes.
What the fuck is going on?
With a bottleof wine cradled in one arm and files tucked under the other, Vanessa stepped through the front door, immediately embraced by the warmth that filled the air. She paused for a moment, closing her eyes as she allowed the cosy heat to settle in her bones. Thank God Emma had set the heating timer this morning because Vanessa had forgotten all about it. The temperature inside was perfect, a welcome relief from the chill that had been creeping in through the day. It was a smallcomfort and a subtle reminder that life, despite everything, had felt close to perfect lately.
“Emma! I’m home!” Vanessa called out, kicking off her heels in the hallway. She eyed the kitchen door, uncertain of the plans for dinner. With Emma probably holed up in the office upstairs, Vanessa half-expected takeout to be their default. “I have wine, too! Come down before I drink it all myself!”
Vanessa nudged the kitchen door open with her bare foot, praying Emma was ready for a relaxing night in front of the fire. Instead, her breath caught in her throat as she froze, and her smile faded fast. Emma wasn’t in the office. She sat at the dining table, her head in her hands, still wearing her coat. Vanessa didn’t know why she immediately went there, but something felt wrong. Off. Just…not right.
“Jesus. Can you at least let me know you’re in here next time?” Vanessa laughed, even though her heart was pounding. She lowered the bottle of wine and files to the table, then pressed a hand to her chest to steady herself. “Phew.” Any worry she’d had as she’d walked through the door had quickly multiplied when Emma slowly raised her head, her eyes swollen and red from crying. If Lauren had said something again, Vanessa was going to lose her shit. “What’s…going on?”
“I-I don’t even know where to begin,” Emma said, her voice trembling. “Today has beenquitesomething.”
Vanessa paused, the small smile she’d managed as Emma looked her way now dwindling. She chose to bypass the wine in favour of the things Emma needed. Her presence and her support. She sat in the seat beside her wife, wondering where the hell to begin. Emma’s hand was shaking when Vanessa took it in hers and squeezed gently. “Hey.”
Emma swallowed hard and looked at Vanessa, the tears still glistening in her eyes. “It’s Freya.”
Vanessa’s stomach dropped. She knew Emma had taken Freya under her wing in the last couple of weeks. For her to be in this state, something terrible must have happened. “Is she okay?”
“I…yes. I think so.” Emma’s voice wavered as she shook her head lightly…as though she was trying to clear the confusion clouding her thoughts. “I mean, nothing has happened to her.”
“Okay, that’s good.” Vanessa exhaled, relieved but still anxiously needing answers. As long as Freya was safe, the rest was something they could figure out. “So, what exactly is going on with her?”
“Vanessa, she came to the office today and told me she’s my sister.”
Vanessa’s heart stopped. Those words felt like they’d been plucked from an entirely different dimension, one that surely couldn’t be real. She stared at Emma, frowning. “Pardon?”
“Exactly! That was my initial response, too,” Emma said, laughing even though none of this was funny. Then she groaned and lowered her head to her hands. “I didn’t know what to say to her. But obviously, it’s not true. How could it be? It’s just…not possible.”
Vanessa’s pulse quickened as she processed what Emma was saying. She hated to be the one to bring it up, but a thoughthadplanted itself at the back of her mind. Emma had been estranged from her family for so long. Longer than Vanessa had even known her. There was a chance, as small as it was, that thiscouldbe real. “You seem sure about that.”
“I am. How could I have a kid sister andnotknow about it?”
“Because you don’t speak to your family, Emma.” The words slipped out before Vanessa could stop them. No matter what, Emma had to face the reality that Freyacouldbe her sibling. Vanessa wanted to be here for her wife, but they had to face the truth. Vanessa knew better than anyone that sometimes, theimpossible was possible. Wasn’t her marriage to Emma proof of that? “I know it’s a lot to take in, but don’t dismiss it completely. And maybe you’re right, maybe it’s not true, but…are you even going to look into it?”
“Of course I am. I just don’t really know what to say about it right now. Freya doesn’t live with them anymore. My parents…ifit’s true.”
Vanessa shifted closer and placed a supportive hand on Emma’s thigh. “Take whatever time you need to process it. Freya will understand.” She wanted to offer more than just words, to be as supportive as Emma needed her to be, but the truth was, they didn’t know what they were about to face, or what the next step would be. Emma was probably worried about seeing Freya again, especially after such an emotional confrontation. And with the fragility of what had just been revealed, Vanessa didn’t know how Emma would face it. But theywouldface it together. Always. “Maybe you need to visit your mum. I know you don’t want to, and I’dneverpush you into something that might be toxic, but it’s worth thinking about, at least.”
“I’m hoping I can find a phone number for her,” Emma said, her voice laced with the weight of what she was processing. “I don’t want to see her. My life has beensignificantlybetter since I removed myself from anything relating to my family.”
