Of course , she could never say that out loud . If her parents got wind of it , they'd throw a fit that would leave the whole house in chaos - and make it even harder for her to leave this place . Gabriella started in again , voice full of earnest nagging . " Honestly , you've been married five years now . It's time to give us a grandson ! Tie your husband down , honey . If you don't , there are plenty of women out there who will ! Why can't you get that through your head ? I'm telling you , if you're not pregnant by the end of this year , don't bother coming home again ... " " And let me tell you , you're hopeless . I can't count on you to take care of us when we're old . The only thing left for you is to keep your husband close . If you won't think of yourself , at least think about your family . What will happen to your father and me when we're old ? What about your brother's future ? " Gabriella's voice buzzed in Emma's ear , relentless . She couldn't take it anymore . Every time her family asked Theodore for something , Emma wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear . Her pride , her dignity as a wife - ground underfoot by their endless demands . Theodore's generosity only made her family more shameless . Yet only she knew the truth : someone like Theodore , deep down , looked down on people as petty and greedy as her family . And they actually thought Theodore liked them ? " That's enough ! If you ask Theodore for money or favors again , I'll just divorce him and be done with it ! " The words burst out - she was at her breaking point . Gabriella snorted , mocking her . " You ? Divorce him ? What are you going to do - beg on the streets ? You think you'd survive without him ? Or are you going to sell yourself ? Unless you've got some secret lover out there . Who would want you , anyway ? For your limp ? For your utter uselessness ? Or for your old age ? " Ha . This was her mother . This was the atmosphere she'd grown up in . Why would she ever want to come home ? Every visit was an ordeal . " Fine ! I'll go beg right now ! " Emma shot to her feet and headed for the door . Her mother's voice followed , cold and scornful . " With that leg ? Where do you think you'll make it ? You'd embarrass yourself - and me even more ! When your husband 1/3 11:53 Chapter 40 comes home and asks , what should I tell him ? That you're out selling yourself ? " Emma stood at the doorway , her back to her mother , biting her lip until she tasted blood . She refused to let herself cry . " Selling herself " -that was probably the highest expectation her mother had ever had for her . In any sense of the word . When Emma was a child and wanted to learn ballet , her mother had sneered , " What's a decent girl doing learning dance ? You want to end up selling yourself ? " Then , somewhere along the way , she'd been brainwashed into believing dance was good for girls , made them elegant , helped them marry rich - helped them " sell " for a good price . In a way , Emma had fulfilled her mother's dream . She'd " sold " herself well - at the cost of a leg . Every minute she spent in this house was suffocating , but she couldn't leave . If she did , who knew what bizarre demands her parents would make of Theodore behind her back ? Gabriella watched her hesitate at the door and gave a triumphant little snort . " That's what I thought . Not so tough after all , are you ? " Theodore and her father returned from fishing at dusk , her younger brother Jonathan Bennett trailing in behind them . All of them home for dinner . Theodore seemed in good spirits , and her father wasted no time announcing that his son - in - law was a man destined for wealth - even managed to catch a boatload of fish , unlike himself , who came home empty - handed . Gabriella jumped in to flatter Theodore , piling on the praise . Emma was used to these sickening displays , but they still made her stomach turn . Her mother bustled around , ushering everyone to their seats . Her father uncorked a bottle of wine , waving it in the air . " Thank God for my son - in - law . Without him , I'd never get to drink a wine like this . I'd never afford it in my lifetime . " Theodore played the good sport , but Emma just felt mortified for all of them . And then she caught Jonathan exchanging furtive glances with their mother , even nudging her with his elbow . 2/3 11:53 Chapter 40 She knew right away - nothing good was about to happen .