Chapter 6
1229words
Emily kept her head down like a criminal, not saying a word. I, wrapped in a blanket as the "victim," endured the worried gaze of Brown who was accompanying me.
"......That's how it is, Mrs. Johnson. You are now suspected of illegal confinement. Could you please answer our questions truthfully?"
Emily nodded slightly, trembling.
"James, are you okay? You've been through a terrible ordeal.... But you can rest easy now. That woman will receive the appropriate legal punishment."
Brown patted my shoulder as if to encourage me. That pure goodwill somehow seemed so comical.
I slowly stood up.
"Hey, hey, James!?"
Ignoring Brown's voice and the detective's surprised gaze, I walked straight to where Emily was. Then, standing before her, I gently held her hand that was as cold as frost.
Emily raised her face stiffly, like a broken doll.
"Regarding this matter, I do not intend to press charges against my wife."
My voice was quiet, yet it clearly resonated throughout every corner of the room.
"Huh? Mr. Smith, what are you saying... You're the victim here!?"
"No." I firmly denied. "This is just a lovers' quarrel between my wife and me."
"Lovers' quarrel!?"
The first person to cry out was Brown.
"What are you saying, James! You were imprisoned for two months! Has she brainwashed you!?"
"Brainwashed?"
I smiled at Brown for the first time. A genuine smile, pitying this pathetic friend before me.
"No, Brown. This was all my plan."
""What...!?""
The voices of Brown and the detective overlapped perfectly.
I gazed into Emily's bewildered eyes and began to explain everything. This was my first and final confession, directed at the one unique audience member in this world.
"I have deeply loved Emily since our university days. But I also knew she had a habit of quickly discarding what she obtained. That's why I could never bring myself to say 'I love you'."
"Then why did you file for divorce...!"
"Do you even need to ask?" I calmly said to the shouting Brown. "It was to back her into a corner. To make it impossible for her to leave me. To make her look only at me, to be obsessed with only me. It was to—entice her to hate me, love me, and then, imprison me forever."
"How... is that... possible..."
Brown collapsed into the chair as if his legs had given out.
I finally turned toward the detective.
"Do you understand now? She is not the criminal. She merely faithfully fulfilled my insane desire. This is the form of our love. It's not something the law should judge."
The room fell into complete silence. The detectives seemed at a loss for how to handle the surreal confession before them.
I gently took the hand of Emily who was still sitting there in a daze. She offered no resistance and stood up unsteadily.
Just like a meticulously crafted doll.
"Come, Emily."
I smiled at her.
"Let's go home."
We, with our backs to the stunned crowd, walked out of the room hand in hand.
No one came forward to stop us. The cold night air brushed against my burning cheeks, feeling incredibly refreshing.
——Finally, I got her.
Emily Johnson, who belongs only to me.
After leaving the police station, Emily hadn't said a word. She just allowed me to hold her hand, walking like a puppet without will.
"I'm home, Emily. Back to our home."
I took off Emily's shoes and gently placed her cold feet on the floor.
"You must be tired? Come, over here. Rest well on the sofa."
I guided her to the living room and had her sit deep in the sofa. Emily, allowing me to manipulate her, stared at the blank television screen with hollow eyes.
"You did something wrong, but I don't blame you." I affectionately pinched her cheek. "Do you still want to imprison me? Emily? We can play this love game for a lifetime!"
Emily suddenly burst into tears: "You lied to me—how could you lie to me!"
I smiled slightly: "Emily used to lie to people all the time, so let's just call this karma, shall we? Even though I lied to you, I love you." I guided her hand to my heart. "Look, it's beating for you."
"I don't need it," Emily's voice turned exceptionally cold. "I don't need anyone to love me, go away!"
I controlled my voice: "Don't you love me? Emily?"
She said coldly: "I don't love you! You lied to me, I could never love you!"
Anger spread through my chest, my lips trembling. "You can't say you don't love me! You have to learn to love me!"
"I don't love you! Don't love you! Did you hear me?"
She was fighting against me, venting her rage about my deception.
I suddenly smiled: "Then let's touch more, maybe we'll fall in love? Like before."
I mimicked her previous actions, undressed, and tried hard to make her comfortable, to make her tremble.
Emily finally calmed down.
Her body was covered with red marks. I got off the bed and retrieved the tools I had prepared from under the wardrobe.
"Once I lock you up, you'll be mine, right?"
Emily will only be mine, she can only love me alone.
I walked into the kitchen and prepared tea with my still unpracticed technique. Using her once-favorite Earl Grey tea leaves.
Placing two teacups on a tray, I returned to Emily. She had woken up and was staring blankly at the iron chains on her ankles.
"Here, Emily. It's the Earl Grey tea you used to love."
"……"
"Hehe, still in a daze? You're really hopeless."
I smiled, picked up one of the cups, and scooped up a small amount with a teaspoon. Then, I blew on the liquid to cool it down before bringing it to Emily's pale lips.
Exactly the same as what she used to do for me every day in the past.
"Come on, say ah—"
Emily's lips parted slightly. The tea flowed smoothly into her mouth.
Then she spat it onto my face.
I touched my face, but I wasn't angry.
I placed the teacup on the table, directly in front of Emily, and slowly knelt down.
Then, as if in prayer, I gently wrapped my hands around her lifeless hands resting on her knees.
"Emily. I have been waiting for this moment for a long time."
My voice trembled with supreme affection.
"You no longer belong to anyone, only
to me alone, this day."
"I will never again let you go
anywhere. I will never again hand you over to anyone. Not to Taylor, nor to any
of those other rabble."
I pressed my forehead against the back of
her cold hand. Like a knight pledging allegiance to a saint.
"I want to become your only one. To
become the only man you love in this life, your last love."
I raised my face.
At an extremely close distance, I gazed
into Emily's eyes, which were like glass beads reflecting nothing.
In the depths of those eyes, I could see
reflected my own face, filled with manic joy.
Ah, how beautiful.
I, displaying an incomparably happy smile.
"So, tell me, Emily."
"Do you love me?"
"Shh, you're not allowed to say you don't!"
