A Game of Fate

New York, United States.

Emma turned on the coffee maker at the same time as always, fifteen minutes before six, so she could take a shower and get ready. She would have her first cup of the day before leaving for the office. Emma was a risk analyst at a major international company headquartered in Germany. She was the best at her job, having been the top employee for over a year consecutively. She was relentless, strict, obsessive about cleanliness, orderly, a perfectionist, and...an exceptional woman. Everyone who knew her admired her, but not everyone.

"Where's my tie?!" shouted Jamie, her fiancé, as he came out of the bedroom in his underwear and banged on the bathroom door. Emma, under the water, was focused on massaging her scalp during the minute she always used for it in the mornings. "Are you still fussing with your hair? I'm going to be late, woman," he banged on the door again, irritated. Emma opened her eyes and clenched her jaw, glancing at the door through the water and steam-fogged glass. "Emma?" he shouted again. She had repeatedly asked herself why she was engaged to a man who was her complete opposite. At the beginning, he had been kind, adored her, gave her space, and respected everything she did, but since they got engaged, he had changed. He started criticizing her, became more impatient, and broke the rules she had in her own elegant apartment that they were now sharing. "Emma!" he was about to hit the door again when she opened it, completely naked and wet, but furious.

"Can't you look for the tie yourself?" He tried to control his annoyance.

"I can't find it. I thought you might have moved it."

"I don't touch your things just like you don't touch mine, darling," she said with contained sarcasm. "Do you remember where you put it last?" He pressed his lips into a thin line.

"On the rack behind the closet door," he muttered through gritted teeth.

"Then go look for it. If you left it there, it should be there. Now let me finish my shower!" she exclaimed, irritated. He nodded and went back to look for the tie. Emma hurriedly finished what she needed to do to leave exactly on time. Jamie went to the closet, checked behind the door, and tried not to smile. There it was, hanging.

At six fifteen, Emma was already getting into her SUV to head to work. Jamie got into the passenger seat and fastened his seatbelt.

"My mom wants to know if she can invite ten more people," Jamie said, typing on his phone. Emma stopped the car when she heard that. He turned to look at her, surprised. "What’s wrong?" Emma's hands tightened on the leather steering wheel.

"Ten more people? And the thirty she invited four days ago? We agreed the wedding would be simple and only with people closest to us."

"Honey, they're family friends."

"This wedding is for us. We're not inviting all of New York. There is a set number of meals for the guests. I can't buy more meals; I already bought thirty four days ago."

"You have money. What’s the problem?" Hearing that, Emma said nothing more, but everything started to turn red. "So? Ten more people? I'll tell her yes," Jamie returned to his phone and typed while she tried to control her annoyance. She looked back at the road and continued driving. On the way, she reviewed everything about the wedding: she had paid for EVERYTHING. The entire reception and...the honeymoon. And remembering that he still had an umbilical cord connected to his mother made her doubt if she really wanted to go through with it. Was this really what she wanted for the rest of her life?

They had arrived at the company where they both worked. Jamie was the head of HR, and she was a financial risk analyst, the best in the company.

"Are we having lunch together at the usual time?" he asked before they each got into their respective elevators to their floors. For the first time since they had been together, Emma said no.

"I have a meeting. Have lunch without me." He raised an eyebrow, and she didn't wait any longer. She entered the elevator and did some breathing exercises. "Lunch together at the usual time?" she said out loud in an ironic tone. When she reached her area, she followed her daily routine: put away her personal items, turn on her computer, have her second cup of coffee, and get to work.

"Emma?" called her direct supervisor. She looked up from the screen to see her.

"Yes?" Mrs. Byrne smiled at her.

"Can you come with me for a moment? We need to talk about the days you requested for the wedding and honeymoon." Emma nodded, got up from her chair, locked her screen with a password, and followed Mrs. Byrne to her office. She offered Emma a chair, and Emma sat down, waiting for her boss to start speaking. "Well, Emma. With the new merger with the Müller company, we will have more work and..." she paused, "There will be a lot of work once you return from your honeymoon."

"I know, Mrs. Byrne," said Emma.

"Do you think you'll keep up the same pace once you're married?" Emma nodded and hesitated for the second time.

"Of course, you don't have to worry about that."

"I hope so. You're the best risk analyst we have. Your analyses and quantifying all the risks with banks and other financial entities have made us the best in the country."

"Thank you..." Emma smiled.

"By the way, do you have everything ready for the wedding? It's in two days." Emma nodded. "How about starting your vacation today?" She raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Today?" Emma asked.

"Yes, your schedule is clear. These two days are on me. Go to the spa, the sauna, relax for the weekend. What do you say?" Emma nodded.

"Can I leave after lunch? I want to tidy up my office."

"Fine, of course. Then I'll see you at your wedding," Mrs. Byrne winked, and Emma smiled.

"Thanks again..." She left her boss's office, already planning the rest of the afternoon. That's how Emma was, always active. She entered her office and did what she wanted to do before leaving for two weeks of vacation, spending the whole morning organizing and rearranging everything. When lunch came, she called her fiancé, but he didn't answer. She called his cell, but no response either. Emma thought he might be at the cafeteria, but she didn't find him there. One of his colleagues saw him talking to one of the receptionists.

"Tom?" The man turned to her.

"Hi, Emma, are you going to lunch now?"

"No, I'm looking for Jamie. Have you seen him?" Tom frowned.

"No, I thought you were going to lunch together. He mentioned something about going to the apartment."

"Oh," Emma frowned. "Thanks, Tom." She said goodbye and carried a box to her car, placing it in the back of her SUV. Then she got in and drove straight to their apartment. Emma kept wondering why Jamie hadn't told her he was going out for lunch. Ten minutes later, she arrived at the apartment building, carrying the box under her arm. As she climbed the stairs, she mentally reviewed the number of dishes she had for the wedding in two days, hoping the chef wouldn't mind if she added ten more at the last minute. She inserted the key into the door and entered. As she closed it, she heard Jamie's voice.

"Here you are," she put down the box and went looking for him, taking off her shoes to put them in the closet. She walked down the hall to the last door, and when she opened it, she was stunned.

"Emma!" Jamie exclaimed, trying to cover his nakedness. The brunette lying naked in their bed was pale. "It's not what it looks like..." Jamie began to say. Emma entered the closet and approached the shelf where she kept all her high-heeled shoes. She placed the ones she was wearing, filling the empty space. She turned around and found her house slippers. When she came out, both were hastily getting dressed, but when they saw her, they froze.

"When you finish packing your things, take those sheets too. I don't want them in my apartment."

"What? Is that all you're going to say?" Jamie exclaimed, astonished.

"What do you want me to say? It's clear you're screwing your assistant behind my back. I'm making it easy for you: take your things, those sheets, and get out of my apartment."

"Emma, please, we're getting married in two days. We have everything ready—" Emma crossed her arms. "Please, we won't lose everything. It's just a slip-up. After we're married, we'll have each other for the rest of our lives."

Emma approached the bed and with a sharp tug, pulled the white sheets and threw them in Jamie's face.

"I'll pack your things and send them to your mother's house, so get out."

"Emma..." Jamie tried to reason with her.

"OUT, NOW." He was startled; she had never spoken that way before. The brunette ran out of the apartment, but Jamie didn't want to leave.

"We have everything for our wedding, honey." She closed the distance, standing in front of him.

"I have everything for MY WEDDING. I was the one who PAID for everything, so I'll handle it."

"Why do you always do that?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Now what are you going to say? That you needed action because you can't find it in your own bed with your fiancée? Sorry, let me correct myself: EX-FIANCÉE. So you'd better leave this apartment with what you're wearing, or I'll kick you out myself."

"I'll wait for you to calm down, okay? And then we'll talk."

"We won't talk once you walk out that door. We won't talk today, tomorrow, or for the rest of our lives, Jamie. Officially," Emma took off the engagement ring and handed it to him, "we are NOTHING. NOW GET OUT. No, wait," she snatched the engagement ring back, "this is mine. It was also paid for with my money."

Jamie walked to the exit with his pants and dress shirt poorly buttoned. Emma slammed the door in his face when he turned to try to speak. She let out a long sigh, but what worried her most was...

...that there were no tears to shed.