/
“You’re speaking nonsense. You can’t kill me. What, are you gonna use magic to harm me?”
“…”
“You can never kill me. You need me. What will you do without me?”
The beating continued. Rosen rebelled against him for the first time. The hammer wielded by Hindley left a blue bruise on her shin* and she gnawed her teeth, but Rosen still defended Emily’s room. Only when the doorknob broke, she stopped resisting and fell to her knees, begging him to let Emily go.
[*T/N: Shin – the front of the leg below the knee.]
“You guys were always useless.”
“I’m sorry, Hindley, stop. Please don’t hit Emily. She just gave birth! Hit me instead. I won’t rebel anymore.”
“Why are you covering for her? You are my wife, not her friend! Know who you are!”
“…Please!”
“Get a grip and act like a wife! A wife!”
Hindley really didn’t seem to understand what Rosen was doing. Rosen rather couldn’t understand Hindley. How could he possibly think that she would be on his side? Just because she was his second wife and Emily was his first?
That was no reason for Rosen to like Hindley and dislike Emily.
Who fed her when she was hungry?
Who had listened to her and taught her about the world since she came to this house?
Who really understood and loved her?
Was that Hindley?
“Okay, I’ve done wrong. So don’t waste your energy on her and go to the horse race that you like. Money, you came home because you didn’t have enough money. I’ll help you out. I have some money left, an emergency fund. I’ll give it to you!”
But she did what Hindley wanted. As long as the hammer-wielding Hindley could be removed from Emily’s face, it didn’t matter. Rosen lifted a floorboard, took out all the money, and put it in Hindley’s hand.
“You can get a son from me later, not from an old b*tch like Emily. Me and Hindley are still young. So please… I’m so scared. Hang out somewhere else today.”
**
Just a week later, her period was cut off. Rosen stared blankly down at her underwear, went straight to her closet, and pulled out a hanger*. She walked into the bathroom, the bathtub with water, and sat down.
[*E/N: When women have unwanted pregnancies and don’t have access to safe ways to terminate the baby, a hanger is sometimes used. However, this method can seriously injure or even kill the mother.]
She never imagined it. She couldn’t even understand. How could a baby, which Emily tried so long, earnestly, and with all her efforts for, so easily entangle in her own body, which had never wanted one? Who designed life to be so unfair?
Rosen didn’t know how much she cried.
It was only when someone lifted her swollen face that she came to her senses. The bathroom door was open. A skinny Emily was looking at her with a worried expression.
“How did you get in here? I locked the door…”
Emily pointed to her necklace without saying a word. The brown gem had turned a sickly green. It was then that Rosen realized that she had really worried Emily. Emily never used magic unless there were dire circumstances.
“Rosen, get up. Let’s go to the bedroom and talk.”
“…”
“Stop being silly.”
Emily snatched the hanger from Rosen’s hand. Rosen rebelled, clenching her teeth and holding on to the hanger.
“I don’t want to have this baby. I’d rather die than give birth. I’m gonna jump into the coal furnace and die. At least let me hang myself…”
Rosen knew that it was not something to say in front of Emily, who lost her child many times. But she couldn’t stand it. Rosen thought Emily would get mad at her.
But Emily didn’t get angry. She didn’t even hit Rosen like she did on the first day. Just hugged her tightly.
“Don’t cry, you don’t have to worry. I’ll take care of everything.”
“…”
“Rosen, I am a witch. I deal with medicinal herbs. Why are you doing this, alone? I can get rid of a fetus. It’s nothing. It’s all right.”
Emily clenched her teeth and pulled the hanger out of Rosen’s hands. The necklace once again shone green, and the hanger was turned into ash and scattered.
“I’m sorry, Emily. By saying this…”
“There’s nothing to be sorry about. Why are you sorry to me? I should have taught you how to use contraception earlier. I think- I’m sorry, Rosen.”
Rosen burst into tears that she had held back. She wept and laughed. It was because she remembered a conversation she had with Emily just a few months ago. They were in opposite positions. Only then did she understand Emily’s helplessness.
“Rosen, let’s run away. I won’t hesitate this time.”
“I lost all my money.”
“You can collect it again.”
“…I can’t get caught by Hindley.”
“I know. But don’t worry. We’ll never get caught.”
Was there any other irresponsible and comfortable word than ‘never’? But she wanted to hold onto Emily’s ‘never.’
“Last time, you helped me. It’s my turn, Rosen.”
“…”
“You were right. I was a coward who gave up without even trying. Now let’s do as you say. If I fall on the way, you’ll help me up, and if you get tired, I’ll carry you on my back.”
“Emily…”
“Let’s go to Malona. Let’s go far away and live really happily. We won’t be alone.”
Emily took something out of her apron pocket and held it out, wiping away the tears that had pooled in Rosen’s eyes. Rosen stared blankly at the shape and asked.
“What is it?”
“I bought it to make you feel better.”
Rosen took it and burst into laughter. Emily smiled brightly. It was Ian Kerner propaganda. It was a new one, or one that she hadn’t seen. Unlike his typical propaganda, the letters were big and his face was small.
“Don’t you want to know what it says? I asked the people I bought it from, do you want me to teach you?”
“What does it say?”
“We’re going to win.”
Even though Rosen had heard it often, the words that came out of Emily’s mouth at that moment felt very special.
Rosen copied her words quietly.
“…We will win.”
“Yes, Rosen. We will win.”
Emily hugged her again.