Beach House, Hamptons
Restlessly, Emily was tossing and turning in her bed while she was haunted by a nightmare.
"What do you like better, Dad? Sea-glass or starfish?"
"Starfish definitely. Can you look after Sammy for me?"
Masked police officers burst into the room, seized him and pushed him to the ground. And there were also hands that grabbed her and carried her away from him, although she tried to fight back with all her strength of her nine years of life… "Daddy!"
She felt arms encircle her again and began to struggle against it. She wanted to stay. She didn't want to go back to the mental hospital! Tears of helplessness ran down her cheeks as she finally awoke and stared into worried, dark eyes. "D-Daniel?" She stammered, slumping exhausted against him.
"You had a bad dream," he stated, gently touching her back. "Do you remember what you dreamed?"
She shook her head, though it was etched in her mind. It hadn't been a nightmare. It was reality, only about twenty years ago. At that time her father had been arrested for a crime he hadn't committed. And they had not only taken away her father, but also her home, her childhood and youth.
"Em?" He stroked a strand of hair from her sweaty forehead. "What's going on? You've been nervous and scared since yesterday, and now this nightmare..." He frowned. "Is it because what I told you about my mother?"
She raised her head and looked at him thoughtfully. Perhaps it would be better if he believed that. Everything was better than the truth. "I... thought since we'd talked to each other she had accepted me," she began. "I wanted to have a good relationship with her, first and foremost because of Julian. He needs his grandmother."
"Just don't listen to what she claims." He put his hand to her neck and pulled her closer until he could look into her eyes. "I don't believe her anyway," he said softly. "She has always tried to manipulate others and make them look bad. Don't take it personally." He shrugged.
She took his hands. "You have to believe me when I tell you that I've become a new person," she said emphatically. "I've done many things in the past that I'm not proud of. But I'm no longer the Emily you met four years ago. The Grayson name means nothing to me. I would also want to be with you if you were not a Grayson. Because I love you and not your name!"
"I believe you. Don't you think I would be with you if I believed my mother's lies?" He leaned forward and gave her a kiss.
"Then let's go somewhere," she suggested spontaneously, following an inner inspiration. "Do you remember how we made plans to move to Paris? Why don't we go somewhere where nobody knows the Graysons?"
"You want to leave for good?" He looked at her in amazement.
Maybe it's the best, she thought. Now that her father was back again and she didn't know how long he would stay. The longer he stayed, the more likely they would meet in person. "It doesn't have to be Paris," she said. "But now I'm ready to start a new life, apart from everything."
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I can't just leave," he said hesitantly. "I'm the chief editor of the 'Voulez' and responsible for our office in New York. Margaux is already in Paris. We don't need another one there. Besides, I don't know if such a change is good for Julian. Not to mention the fact, that I find it quite convenient that my parents and Charlotte are just around the corner and can take care of him."
"We can also find someone to take care of him elsewhere."
"You don't want to stay here, right?" He looked at her, frowning.
She shook her head. "Now that I know your mother hates me, it's a strange feeling to live so close to her," she confessed.
"She doesn't hate you. She just doesn't always agree with you. And she loves her grandson. Believe me, you'd break her heart if you take him away from her."
She knew he was right. She had watched the two of them. Victoria loved Julian just the same as she hated his mother. It was strange how ambivalent feelings could be. But probably it was because she saw Daniel as a baby in him and not her. But if she stayed, how could she go on, living next door to her father, who never had to know she was his daughter? She looked at the clock. "Too early to get up," she said, cuddling back into bed. "If I'm not wrong, then you have about two hours to get up." She grinned at him, laughing as he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her to his bedside.
"Do you have anything specific in mind how we could kill the time until then?" He said, smirking, stroking his hand alongside her thighs.
"Yes, that's exactly what I had in mind..." she breathed, and turned to him as he pushed her night shirt up, until her upper body was exposed.
"Much better than jogging..." he murmured before he went on exploring her soft skin, inspired by her moans of pleasure.
Half an hour later she lay there, wide-eyed, Daniel's body tightly against hers. She was afraid to go back to sleep. Afraid of experiencing once again what she had already experienced as a child. She heard Daniel's steady breathing and smiled involuntarily. Maybe she couldn't solve all the problems in one day. But at least she had won back his trust, what meant more to her than anything else. She reached for his arm which was encircling her waist and closed her eyes. It wasn't long before she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
