Aaron’s strides were long and fast—so fast that even though Emily wore flat shoes, she nearly stumbled twice. They rounded a corner outside the restaurant, and she yanked her arm again. Still no luck. His grip only tightened.
“Ow…” she gasped.
Aaron came to a sudden stop. Emily hadn’t expected it, crashing straight into his back. Pain shot through her forehead, flaring with heat, and her frustration surged.
When he turned to face her, his expression was still cold as ever. That was the last straw—her long-suppressed anger snapped.
“WHAT the hell is wrong with you?!”
He glanced down at her. “Just two more steps. We’ll talk in the car.”
After last night, Aaron seemed to have turned back into the loving husband she remembered. He even waited for her to wake up in the morning so they could have breakfast together.When Emily came down in her pajamas, Aaron was already seated at the dining table with his tablet. The moment he saw her, he put everything down, walked over, took her hand, and sweetly pulled out a chair for her."You look like you slept well," he said, kissing her on the cheek.Emily nodded lightly, murmuring, "Not bad." Her mind was still a little foggy—she only remembered how, right after telling him to go shower last night, she quickly picked up the papers off the floor.Now, it felt like everything
Emily gripped the test results so tightly her fingers trembled.She had paid extra for the express lab work — 24 hours later, she now had the truth in her hands.Aaron had been secretly slipping her birth control.That’s why he was always so sure she wouldn’t get pregnant. All those times she’d hoped for a new life to start inside her, only to be met with disappointment after disappointment… and his comforting words, his fake concern?She wanted to throw up just thinking about it.All an act.
The scene was a mess. Aaron and Emily locked eyes, both equally stunned.But out of the three, Amelia was the first to speak. She tugged at Aaron’s sleeve gently and said, “Don’t blame Emily. It was my fault… I lost my balance and fell into the wall.”Aaron’s brows furrowed. “You just happened to hit your injury again from losing balance?”He turned to Emily, searching for an explanation. But she said nothing in her own defense — just cast a cool glance at Amelia, who now looked heartbreakingly delicate… with a hint of smugness underneath it all. Emily knew exactly what this was: Mission accomplished
Shreds of paper scattered across the floor — over a dozen pages torn to pieces by Aaron’s brute strength, completely destroyed, beyond repair.Emily’s eyes followed the falling scraps slowly, silently. Just like their relationship, it couldn’t be put back together. Even if it could, the cracks were too deep — it would never be what it once was.Aaron saw her expression still hadn’t changed. His blood pressure shot up. “Three years… you’re really willing to walk away that easily?”Three years of love. How could it fall apart so suddenly in just a month?Emily took a deep, steadying breath. Yeah — three years. If it were
Francie threw up his hands. “I’m just stating facts here. People need to eat. You haven’t worked in three years—WHAT can you even do?”“I have a job. You don’t need to worry about it,” Emily said coldly.“Yeah? And how much are you really gonna make? Enough for you and Grandma? You’ve gotten used to a pretty comfortable life—think you’ll manage now?”Emily’s head was starting to throb. Her voice snapped sharper. “That’s enough. Go home!”Francie stayed rooted in place. “I’m just trying to
She said Aaron didn’t want the baby…Francie sat slumped in the waiting area, hands covering his face, Emily’s desperate tone still echoing in his ears. In the end, he hadn’t been able to bring himself to make that call to Aaron.Why wouldn’t Aaron want the baby?That thought kept circling his mind. He wanted answers—but he also didn’t want to cause Emily more grief. That baby… was his niece or nephew now. Family.“You're sister’s okay, right?” Ruth rushed in, nearly breathless.Francie looked up, frowning. “You shouldn’t be running like that, your heart…” he started, then softened. “She’s fine. Everything’s fine.&rd
Emily couldn't talk her grandmother out of it. Ruth said life in the city was just too dull, and after half a year spent in a hospital bed, she felt like time was dragging on — long and meaningless. Now that she could finally be discharged, she just wanted to return to the things she enjoyed and see more of her friends.Emily also knew, deep down, that part of Ruth’s decision came from not wanting to burden her. After much discussion, she finally agreed and picked a weekend to go with her back to the small town Ruth used to live in. Together, they cleaned up the old house — weathered, but sturdy.The town was only three hours away by train, which was the furthest Emily would allow. Before heading back, she invited Ruth’s longtime friend over for a meal."Don’t worry, Emily, I’ll t
Emily didn’t flinch. Her gaze stayed steady as she replied, “You DON’T have the authority to fire me. Only someone at the managerial level or above can do that.”Her calm words made Lilian’s expression twist—brows scrunched, lips tight.“YOU didn’t submit the required format. You failed to meet the basic expectations of this role. Why can’t I fire you?” Lilian’s voice sharpened. “I’ll report this to upper management. Not even Lucas will be able to save your ass.”That was the second time Lilian had emphasized that even L
Emily didn’t flinch. Her gaze stayed steady as she replied, “You DON’T have the authority to fire me. Only someone at the managerial level or above can do that.”Her calm words made Lilian’s expression twist—brows scrunched, lips tight.“YOU didn’t submit the required format. You failed to meet the basic expectations of this role. Why can’t I fire you?” Lilian’s voice sharpened. “I’ll report this to upper management. Not even Lucas will be able to save your ass.”That was the second time Lilian had emphasized that even L
Emily couldn't talk her grandmother out of it. Ruth said life in the city was just too dull, and after half a year spent in a hospital bed, she felt like time was dragging on — long and meaningless. Now that she could finally be discharged, she just wanted to return to the things she enjoyed and see more of her friends.Emily also knew, deep down, that part of Ruth’s decision came from not wanting to burden her. After much discussion, she finally agreed and picked a weekend to go with her back to the small town Ruth used to live in. Together, they cleaned up the old house — weathered, but sturdy.The town was only three hours away by train, which was the furthest Emily would allow. Before heading back, she invited Ruth’s longtime friend over for a meal."Don’t worry, Emily, I’ll t
She said Aaron didn’t want the baby…Francie sat slumped in the waiting area, hands covering his face, Emily’s desperate tone still echoing in his ears. In the end, he hadn’t been able to bring himself to make that call to Aaron.Why wouldn’t Aaron want the baby?That thought kept circling his mind. He wanted answers—but he also didn’t want to cause Emily more grief. That baby… was his niece or nephew now. Family.“You're sister’s okay, right?” Ruth rushed in, nearly breathless.Francie looked up, frowning. “You shouldn’t be running like that, your heart…” he started, then softened. “She’s fine. Everything’s fine.&rd
Francie threw up his hands. “I’m just stating facts here. People need to eat. You haven’t worked in three years—WHAT can you even do?”“I have a job. You don’t need to worry about it,” Emily said coldly.“Yeah? And how much are you really gonna make? Enough for you and Grandma? You’ve gotten used to a pretty comfortable life—think you’ll manage now?”Emily’s head was starting to throb. Her voice snapped sharper. “That’s enough. Go home!”Francie stayed rooted in place. “I’m just trying to
Shreds of paper scattered across the floor — over a dozen pages torn to pieces by Aaron’s brute strength, completely destroyed, beyond repair.Emily’s eyes followed the falling scraps slowly, silently. Just like their relationship, it couldn’t be put back together. Even if it could, the cracks were too deep — it would never be what it once was.Aaron saw her expression still hadn’t changed. His blood pressure shot up. “Three years… you’re really willing to walk away that easily?”Three years of love. How could it fall apart so suddenly in just a month?Emily took a deep, steadying breath. Yeah — three years. If it were
The scene was a mess. Aaron and Emily locked eyes, both equally stunned.But out of the three, Amelia was the first to speak. She tugged at Aaron’s sleeve gently and said, “Don’t blame Emily. It was my fault… I lost my balance and fell into the wall.”Aaron’s brows furrowed. “You just happened to hit your injury again from losing balance?”He turned to Emily, searching for an explanation. But she said nothing in her own defense — just cast a cool glance at Amelia, who now looked heartbreakingly delicate… with a hint of smugness underneath it all. Emily knew exactly what this was: Mission accomplished
Emily gripped the test results so tightly her fingers trembled.She had paid extra for the express lab work — 24 hours later, she now had the truth in her hands.Aaron had been secretly slipping her birth control.That’s why he was always so sure she wouldn’t get pregnant. All those times she’d hoped for a new life to start inside her, only to be met with disappointment after disappointment… and his comforting words, his fake concern?She wanted to throw up just thinking about it.All an act.
After last night, Aaron seemed to have turned back into the loving husband she remembered. He even waited for her to wake up in the morning so they could have breakfast together.When Emily came down in her pajamas, Aaron was already seated at the dining table with his tablet. The moment he saw her, he put everything down, walked over, took her hand, and sweetly pulled out a chair for her."You look like you slept well," he said, kissing her on the cheek.Emily nodded lightly, murmuring, "Not bad." Her mind was still a little foggy—she only remembered how, right after telling him to go shower last night, she quickly picked up the papers off the floor.Now, it felt like everything
Aaron’s strides were long and fast—so fast that even though Emily wore flat shoes, she nearly stumbled twice. They rounded a corner outside the restaurant, and she yanked her arm again. Still no luck. His grip only tightened.“Ow…” she gasped.Aaron came to a sudden stop. Emily hadn’t expected it, crashing straight into his back. Pain shot through her forehead, flaring with heat, and her frustration surged.When he turned to face her, his expression was still cold as ever. That was the last straw—her long-suppressed anger snapped.“WHAT the hell is wrong with you?!”He glanced down at her. “Just two more steps. We’ll talk in the car.”