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\nFor illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels<\/p>\n
Emma was dancing with her groom when the hotel manager told her someone was asking for her outside. It was her uninvited grandmother, Martha, with a wedding present Emma didn\u2019t want. But the tiny box opened when she threw it, uncovering something that made her sneer.<\/p>\n
Emma and her new husband, Dylan, swayed to the music of their first dance, enjoying the peace and the love. Their moment was perfect, except for the fact that Emma\u2019s parents weren\u2019t here to see her so happy.<\/p>\n
A hesitant cough interrupted their bubble, and Emma opened her eyes to see Mr. Scotliff, the manager of the hotel where they held their reception.<\/p>\n
\nFor illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease, excuse the interruption,\u201d the manager started, looking uncomfortable. \u201cBut there\u2019s someone outside asking to see you, Mrs. Henderson.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d Emma asked, pulling slightly away from Dylan, who was frowning.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s said she\u2019s your grandmother,\u201d Mr. Scotliff continued. \u201cMartha.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dylan looked at her swiftly. \u201cI\u2019ll tell her to go.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emma sighed. \u201cNo, she\u2019ll make a scene. I\u2019ll go see what this is about.\u201d<\/p>\n
Martha was right outside, and her face brightened after spotting her granddaughter.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are the most beautiful bride. You look just perfect, darling,\u201d Martha smiled, reaching for Emma\u2019s hand, but the newly-married woman stepped back.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you doing here? You weren\u2019t invited for a reason,\u201d Emma said tightly. \u201cI don\u2019t think you need to be reminded.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know, Emma,\u201d Martha responded, nodding gravely as tears gathered in her eyes. \u201cI have to see my only granddaughter get married.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need to go,\u201d Emma continued, crossing her arms and holding her angry emotions in check. \u201cMy father would be here if it wasn\u2019t for what you did. Wait, what you didn\u2019t do.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry, dear\u2026\u201d she whispered. \u201cI do regret what I did. I only came over to give you a wedding gift, darling,\u201d Martha approached Emma and handed her a jewelry box.<\/p>\n
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\nFor illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was all I could get you,\u201d Granny said, holding Emma\u2019s hands. \u201cI hope you like it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is this?\u201d Emma said disgustingly as she looked at the red jewelry box. \u201cA tiny piece of cheap jewelry? How did you get it in the first place? Did you steal it from someone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh dear, I\u2014\u201d Before Martha would finish, Emma cut her off.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it weren\u2019t for your greed, my father would be here today! And he would\u2019ve been the happiest to see me get married. He would walk me down the aisle, and\u2026\u201d Emma\u2019s tears choked her as she continued. \u201cJust get lost! I don\u2019t want to see you ever again!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope you don\u2019t hate me forever, sweetheart,\u201d Martha said sadly. \u201cPlease know that I have always adored you.\u201d<\/p>\n
The older woman then walked away from Emma, leaning on her cane. As Emma stood there alone, she couldn\u2019t help but think about the day that had planted so much hatred and disgust in her heart for Martha.<\/p>\n
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\nFor illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels<\/p>\n
Emma\u2019s tears finally began to fall, remembering everything that led to this awful moment.<\/p>\n
Many years ago, Emma saw in her father\u2019s lawyer\u2019s office. Mr. Morgan was a burly man with a no-nonsense attitude, so he got down to business.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t have good news, kid,\u201d he started talking about her father\u2019s case. Emma got a bit confused with the legal jargon but tried to keep up as best as possible.<\/p>\n
The gist is that the people who had reported her father, Johnny, wanted compensation. Her jaw dropped when Mr. Morgan told her the amount.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t have that kind of money,\u201d she said breathlessly. \u201cIs there no other way?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. Morgan pursed his lips and shook his head. \u201cIf we don\u2019t pay them, we\u2019ll go to court, and Mr. Colby will most likely go to jail\u2026 for a very long time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo!\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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\nFor illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need to find this money, kid. It\u2019s the only way,\u201d the older man continued, and Emma nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll do it. I\u2019ll find a way,\u201d she replied, although she spoke more to herself than the lawyer.<\/p>\n
Emma left Mr. Morgan\u2019s office and quickly realized that she couldn\u2019t get the money from any friend. Her credit wouldn\u2019t help her get a loan from a bank either, so there was only one option: her grandmother, Martha.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmma?\u201d The older woman was surprised to see an exhausted, panting Emma on her doorstep. \u201cWhat\u2019s happened to you, honey? Oh dear, you look so pale! Let me guess\u2026it\u2019s the lawyer! What did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
She went into detail about her meeting with Mr. Morgan, the compensation amount, and more. When she finished, Martha sat beside her and grabbed her hand. \u201cDad will go to jail if we don\u2019t pay.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, Emma. I\u2019m sorry, but I can\u2019t help you,\u201d Martha shook her head. \u201cI don\u2019t have that kind of money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, you can, Gran. Please,\u201d Emma gulped. \u201cIf we sell the bakery, we will have more than enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Martha\u2019s eyes flared. \u201cMy bakery? It\u2019s all I have, Emma. It\u2019s my life\u2019s work. I can\u2019t sell it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGran!\u201d Emma cried. \u201cIt\u2019s about Dad! Do you want him to rot in prison?\u201d<\/p>\n
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\nFor illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, honey. But I just can\u2019t sell it. How would I live after?\u201d Martha continued, her voice becoming firm. \u201cYour father will certainly not support me. So, no, Emma. I will not sell.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emma pushed up from the couch, angry, fat tears falling from her eyes as her emotions got out of control. \u201cIf you don\u2019t help us, I\u2019ll never talk to you again. How can you abandon your family? I HATE YOU!\u201d she ranted, screamed, and cried.<\/p>\n
Martha only shook her head until Emma pulled herself together and walked away, slamming the door behind her.<\/p>\n
Sadly, she had no way to raise the amount of money the plaintiff party wanted, and while Mr. Morgan did his best in court, her father went to prison.<\/p>\n
Emma visited her father often, promising that she would never abandon him, for which he was grateful. But six months after his official sentence, she was shopping for groceries when her phone rang.<\/p>\n
\u201cAm I speaking with Mr. Colby\u2019s daughter?\u201d a man\u2019s voice appeared on the other end of the line. \u201cThis is Inspector Harrison, ma\u2019am.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes? What is this about?\u201d Emma asked, frowning.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very sorry, ma\u2019am,\u201d he said. \u201cYour father\u2026I don\u2019t know how to say this, but\u2026he died late last night in his cell. It was a heart attack. He passed quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\nFor illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels<\/p>\n
Emma\u2019s shopping cart slammed into another customer, who wanted to scream at her but was too busy breaking down. Her legs gave out as she sat in the middle of the aisle and cried into her phone.<\/p>\n
The subsequent errands and preparations, however, turned her heart to ice. When they cremated his body, she could only think that her grandmother let her father spend his last few days in jail and die alone. Emma would never be able to say goodbye.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmma! Emma!\u201d Dylan\u2019s voice snapped Emma out of her thoughts.<\/p>\n
\u201cHmm, what?\u201d she said, blinking rapidly and realizing she had hurt herself holding such a tight fist around the jewelry box.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere\u2019s your grandmother?\u201d he asked, grabbing her shoulders worriedly.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe left\u2026\u201d Emma sighed. \u201cFor good. Let\u2019s head inside.\u201d<\/p>\n
But her eyes want back to the box in her hands. Biting her lip tightly, she threw the box on the ground as hard as possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmma!\u201d her new husband yelled. \u201cCareful! What\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n
Emma barely paid attention to him because the box broke on impact, and a ring fell off. It was shiny with big rocks that looked\u2026 \u201cEmma, is that an emerald ring?\u201d Dylan asked.<\/p>\n
She knelt quickly, grabbing and examining it. \u201cThere\u2019s no way. How could she afford this?\u201d<\/p>\n
Emma looked at the broken box and realized a tiny piece of folded paper was peaking out. She grabbed it and gasped as her grandmother\u2019s words registered slowly.<\/p>\n
Dear Emma,<\/p>\n
I know you hate me for what I did, dear, but your father was not a nice man, Emma. He did terrible things and didn\u2019t care about the consequences or the people he hurt. I told my daughter not to marry him, but she didn\u2019t listen, and I know it\u2019s his fault she didn\u2019t want to live anymore.<\/p>\n
I know I could\u2019ve saved him from jail, but he didn\u2019t deserve it. He also didn\u2019t deserve such a loving daughter. There\u2019s so much you don\u2019t know, but I wanted to keep the bakery for you, not me. I hope you can understand what I did and why one day. Please, don\u2019t hate me and take this ring as part of my wedding present. A lawyer will reach you about the other part.<\/p>\n
Love you to the moon and back,<\/p>\n
Gran.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh God,\u201d Emma covered her mouth, and her heart melted.<\/p>\n
Emma drove quickly to her grandmother\u2019s house the following day. She hadn\u2019t been there in years. But strangely, she saw two big trucks right outside. Upon closer inspection, she realized people were moving into her grandmother\u2019s house.<\/p>\n
She got out, angrily asking for an explanation since it was Martha\u2019s house. The movers didn\u2019t know what she was talking about, but they told her the house had been sold recently.<\/p>\n
Desperate for answers, Emma knocked on the door of Martha\u2019s elderly neighbor, Judy. The old woman greeted her warmly and invited her inside.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you doing here, darling? I miss Martha very much,\u201d Judy said, her face soft and sympathetic.<\/p>\n
Emma stopped abruptly. \u201cWhat? What do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe moved weeks ago. Two or three, maybe. She told me she was selling the house to give it to you. It was after her diagnosis,\u201d the old woman continued, confused.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d Emma continued, confused.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe didn\u2019t tell you. Martha was diagnosed with skin cancer. Stage four,\u201d Judy responded and began talking about her late mother, who died of the same thing years ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cJudy, I\u2019m so sorry for being rude, but I need my grandmother immediately!\u201d Emma interrupted her kind neighbor.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrank\u2019s, I think,\u201d Judy said, startled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThanks,\u201d Emma whispered and ran out to her car.<\/p>\n
Frank\u2019s was the local motel in their town, which used to be an excellent spot for pool vacations when Emma was little. However, things had changed, and it became a rundown spot with guests with nowhere else to go.<\/p>\n
Emma ran to the reception and begged for Martha\u2019s room number. The tired woman at the desk asked her to be specific, and Emma almost snapped at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, the grandmother,\u201d the receptionist said. \u201cHuh, let me get my manager.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emma\u2019s hackles raised instinctively. \u201cNo! Give me her room. I have to talk to her now!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe died last night. Housekeeping found her earlier. The coroner already took the body away,\u201d the receptionist answered awkwardly.<\/p>\n
Emma\u2019s eyes and nostrils flared as she stoically walked away, nodding maniacally and finally letting out an ear-curling scream.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Emma was dancing with her groom when the hotel manager told her someone was asking for her outside. It was her uninvited grandmother, Martha, with a wedding present Emma didn\u2019t want. But the tiny box opened when she threw it, uncovering something that made her sneer. Emma and her new husband, Dylan, swayed to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10035","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10035","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10035"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10035\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10043,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10035\/revisions\/10043"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}