Cats In the Cradle

36. Emma

3000 reads in 10 days!!! Thank you so much!

Chapter ahead is going to be rough. 😭 I wrote another draft that was worse, but your comments made me modify it. 🫣

Sexual assault ahead.
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I was almost at the market entrance when I spotted a familiar figure.

Orion.

He was speaking to Mr. Evans, who was at his fruit stand. I debated trying to sneak by so I could quickly purchase the ingredients I needed for the recipe I'd planned for dinner tonight. But after giving it a few moments of thought, I decided it was probably best to rush home.

I turned around and quickly walked away, my heart hammering in my chest as I prayed to The Great Spirit that I'd gone unnoticed.

But no. I apparently hadn't.

"Oh Emma! Hello! I was just thinking about you," Orion called out from behind me.

My heart dropped. I ducked my head and walked faster, hoping he'd believe that I was just too far away to hear him. Praying he'd leave me alone.

But instead, he jogged a few paces to catch up with me. My arm felt like it was being burned when he wrapped his hand around it possessively.

"You look lovely today, Emma. I trust Daniel is treating you well?" He asked me gently. Sweetly.

I nodded shakily, hoping he couldn't tell how terrified I was. How much I despised his touch.

"Excellent. I'm very happy to hear that." He placed a wet kiss on the top of my head, and I cringed. "The doctors have been so tied up lately, so they haven't been able to make it out to tattoo Daniel's name on you... So I'm assuming he used the brand? How is that healing?" He asked casually. Too casually.

Oh no.

"Very well, sir." I lied quietly, feebly trying to tug my arm out of his grasp.

"Wonderful. And are you pregnant yet?"

"N-no, sir... Not that I know of. I have an irregular cycle... But we are certainly trying." I said lightly, forcing a smile at him.

"I see..." he said quietly, looking at me too carefully. "Well. I'd like you to come with me. I want to check on your brand mark, make sure it's healing ok. The doctors are very busy right now with all the recent births, so if it were to become infected, it may be a while before you could receive treatment." 

He tugged on my arm roughly and started to drag me down the road before I even had a chance to respond.

"B-but, sir, there's truly no need! That's very kind of you. But it's healing very well, and Daniel—"

"Nonsense! You were one of my best students, Emma. It's the least I can do. I have some colloidal silver and some aloe I can apply for you. And we can...catch up...while your husband is at work."

I looked around wildly, hoping any of the several onlookers would interfere. They looked curious and some looked concerned, but nobody stopped him. Nobody tried to save me.

As usual.

But then I saw my sister Abigail's very pregnant best friend, Isabel, as we passed by her house, where she was outside playing with her children and her husband, Maxwell. We locked eyes, and she tilted her head, wordlessly asking me what was going on.

"Help me!" I mouthed, on the verge of hyperventilating.

"Please!" I mouthed one more time, stumbling a little as Orion roughly dragged me away.