Emelia's POVVictor left almost immediately, as if he truly thought my words were me giving him permission. For someone as smart as him, it baffled me with just how foolish he could be when it came to my emotions!How was it that he couldn't see that he was being manipulated? Oh, because he didn't see it that way. How stupid of me to think that he didn't think of her as anything less than perfect…I'd tossed my luggage back onto our—well, now my—bed, even though I had planned to leave.My heart felt like it was being torn in half, and Victor wanted to do nothing about it. Hell, if anything, he was the reason why it was happening.All it took was one damn phone call for our perfect getaway to come crashing down. Once again, our relationship was pushed towards its breaking point.It made me feel like a damn idiot for thinking things were going to change. Even though he'd shown me time and time again that he was incapable of prioritizing his own wife over her.I loved Victor with everyth
Emelia's POVAt first, I couldn't find the words to respond to the man before me. To say he was incredibly handsome would be an understatement.Short, black hair was slicked back, as sharp features encased flawless skin. High cheekbones rested just under a beautiful pair of vibrant green eyes.The deep blue suit he was wearing was immaculate and free of any wrinkles. It looked expensive; very similar in style to what Victor would wear.I had to pick my jaw off the floor so I could greet him properly. "I am, but have we met? I'm sorry; I'm having a hard time recognizing you.""You have nothing to apologize for. If anything, I'm sorry. I don't mean to come off as a creep." Even his chuckle was smooth. "My name is Mason Leone; we attended the same Gala Dinner a few days ago."I met his politeness with a very strained smile. I'd wanted nothing more than to forget about that awful night and the effects it had on me emotionally and physically.Mason seemed to notice my hesitation and spoke f
Emelia's POV"I... I don't know. I love Victor so much, despite everything that's happened. He truly isn't a bad man, it's just..."The cracks that formed in my heart made it so much easier for the doubt to creep in, even though I didn't want it to. I did love Victor, but everything that's been happening with Lily made it so hard for me to just forgive and forget.Alexis sighed knowingly on the other end of the line. "You don't have to figure it all out right now. Whatever you decide to do, you know I'm always here for you.""That's why you're the best, Alexis.""Oh, I know I am." Alexis's smile could even be felt through the phone. "And if you want, you can come crash at my place for a few days. I'd hate for you to be alone in a foreign city without anyone to look out for you.""You know what? I'd love that. We haven't had a good sleep over in over a decade anyway."Her kindness and support was exactly what I needed right now. I was so tired of feeling like I was alone."Yay!" Alexis
Emelia's POVThe line went silent at my mention of divorce. Even though I'd told Alexis that I didn't even know what the best course of action was right now, like an idiot, I blurted it out anyway.It's not like I was truly considering it, but the thought lingered in my mind that maybe he had considered divorce before. After all, it was made apparent that his priorities were elsewhere."What did you say? Are you serious right now?""You heard what I said." I said as I fought back tears. "Why did you marry me? Did you even want to? Because it's obvious to me that you care about Lily way more!""Are you drunk or something?" Victor asked in a more serious tone. "We can't have a conversation like this if you're not sober."I scoffed. "I am sober, and you need to answer my question! Have you ever wanted to divorce me or not?!"I braced myself for the worst possible answer, even though I wasn't sure if I could take it. I was just so tired of feeling like I was getting caught up in my own mar
Emelia's POVI stood frozen at seeing Victor right outside of Alexis's house. He knew her address because we've had many dinners, random movie nights, and small get-togethers before, so I wasn't so much surprised about him actually being here.It was him showing up in the middle of the night that really took me aback.Once I'd met Victor, I found out that he treasured his sleep and rest a lot. As a CEO, the busy and fast-paced days at work often drained him, so he hardly stayed out late or did anything in the middle of the night that wasn't important.Well… Until Lily came crashing back into his life…So, while it seemed that he was breaking his own rules for Lily, I wasn't expecting him to also break it for me. So seeing him here truly was truly surprising. What did he want?Victor looked up at the window I stood in front of and waved. He pulled out his phone then called me immediately."Hey, Emmy. Can you come down? I really want to talk to you."Something about his voice sounded
Emelia's POVThe sudden ring of a phone jolted me awake. I looked around and realized we were still in the back of Victor's car.I couldn't believe that we stayed out here all night! I didn't even remember falling asleep…Victor groaned beside me as he groggily took out his phone."Hello?" His voice was a mixture of annoyance and half-sleepiness.The silence of our environment made it much easier for me to pick up who the voice belonged to on the other side of the line. Now still, hearing her voice made me grate my teeth together in frustration."Victor!" Lily greeted him sweetly. "Where are you? Don't forget I'm getting discharged from the hospital today! You're still coming to help me, right?”In the hospital? Could that have been the reason why Victor left me in Blasdell when we were supposed to be on our trip?I braced myself for the possibility of him leaving me to go be with her. Again.It was like she was a fragile, porcelain doll that only he could handle; and he gave into it e
Emelia's POV"Lily!" Victor raised his voice. "You need to be more mindful with how you speak to Emelia. She's my wife, and we share everything."Victor intervened before I got the chance to respond, which I'm happy that he did. His words were a lot nicer than mine intended to be.I crossed my arms and stared Lily down in defiance of her accusations. How bold of her to project all of her insecurities and shortcomings on me like they had any ounce of truth.I worked hard for everything I had in this house and outside of it. She couldn't say the same."But—" Lily wasn't ready to back down, although there was a waver in her voice."Again, no but's, Lily. We're not children anymore. Besides, now that you're here, you can pack up your things and get ready. One of the things my staff was meant to help you with was getting settled back into your apartment.""What?!" Lily practically yelled. "You're abandoning me again?! I just got discharged from the hospital, and you know that I need someone
Emelia's POV"Ooo, Emelia! I didn't think you were capable of being a mean girl!" Alexis laughed over the phone. "Lily had to have been furious when she came back to the house to see all her stuff gone!"I laughed with her, too. "Oh, she was irate! I'd never seen someone's face turn a shade of red like that before!"Yesterday with Victor turned out to be the best one I'd had with him in a very long time. It was like we were actually married again. Not to mention, it felt amazing to have him appreciate me again."Did Victor ever apologize to you by the way?""He's been making it up to me, yes." I smiled. "Victor really isn't a bad person. His heart's just too big and he's so ridden with guilt with what happened to Lily all those years ago. Plus, it's not like they had sex or anything. He loves me, even if he does seem to prioritize Lily a little more than what I'm comfortable with. But… I think I can handle it.""Well… As long as you're happy," Alexis didn't seem too convinced, but she
Emelia's POV"I'm so sorry..." I finally said once the chaos left in Victor's wake settled. "You didn't deserve that, Mason."Victor's jealous fit left a bad taste in my mouth and really soured my mood. He had no right being so angry and hostile towards a friend who had done nothing to him personally.It baffled me that he suddenly decided that his status as my husband was so important. Not to mention how hard he tried to enforce a boundary when he hadn't considered that when it came to Lily.Just the mere thought of her almost rekindled my anger I'd been trying to quell."Don't be sorry," Mason's smooth voice pulled me from my thoughts. His smile was warm and kind. "Your husband seems to have good intentions, even if his anger is rather misplaced.""Yeah, misplaced up his ass..." Alexis grumbled beside me.Mason chuckled. "Agreed." He then turned back to me. "Will you be okay?""I will be, thank you for asking." I nodded my head. "You truly handled that situation with a lot of grace,
Emelia's POV"What is he doing here?" Alexis hissed under her breath.I watched silently as Victor scanned the tea shop with a hint of something else in his eyes. Apprehension? Disgust?Regardless, he didn't seem to be in a particularly good mood.As his gaze settled on the shop's window, it was then that his eyes found mine. His stare was intense as he hurried into the small tea shop.Oh great.The door swung open as Victor's head snapped to where we were sitting. He looked at me just before his eyes widened on the man sitting across from me.Even from here, I could see his jaw flexed."Emelia, are you okay?" Victor approached me and ignored both Alexis and Mason. "When I came home and saw you weren't there, I got worried.""I'm fine." I replied curtly. "As you can see, I'm enjoying tea with friends. So, you can go home now."Victor's fixated on Mason and suddenly, the air had changed. "Friends, huh?"The atmosphere became so heavy it was hard to breathe. A sharpened knife couldn't cu
Emelia's POVThe man's eyebrows shot up as if he weren't expecting to see me. He excused himself from whomever he was speaking to and made his way towards me with an eagerness that could only be read from his eyes.His features only confirmed that it definitely was Mason that I was looking at."What a pleasant surprise." He greeted me warmly. "I wasn't expecting to see you here.""The same can be said for you." I returned his smile. "Are you enjoying the showcase? The art and jewelry are beautiful.""Oh, absolutely. Everyone did such a splendid job. It's events like these that show you that there are diamonds in the dirt if you're patient enough to look for them."I nodded his head. "Oh, I can agree with you on that for sure. How have you been?""I've been good, thank you for asking. Although, I should be asking you that." Mason gave me a worried look. "Last we spoke, I know you weren't in a good state. You also don't seem to be looking particularly well now."I couldn't lie—his concer
Emelia's POV"Me? Starting my own business?" I had to repeat the words back to Alexis just to make sure that's what she meant to say.Alexis laughed at my confusion. "Oh, no need to act too humble.""That's not it!" I playfully hit her. "It's just… I don't know. I've never thought about that before. It's one thing to work for another company, but owning one? That requires a little more elbow grease."Honestly, starting my own company hadn't been something that I gave much thought to. Mostly because I was too busy making sure my family and I had food on our table and a roof over our heads… After having been on survival mode for so long, even after I'd married Victor, it didn't occur to me that that was even a possibility.Plus, the thought of being a CEO of anything made me a little wary and uncomfortable. It was a lot of pressure to deal with the inner-workings of making sure a company stayed afloat.I wasn't even sure if I could handle it.Almost as if Alexis had read my mind, she re
Emelia's POV"Are you just going to stand there and stare at me like an idiot?" Lily tapped her foot against the floor impatiently. "I know you're pregnant, so don't act like you're not!"I hated having my business pried into, especially by Lily of all people. If anyone was going to know about the intimate, important details of my life, it was going to be people that I trusted. People I knew who wouldn't betray my secret or faith in them.Which Victor definitely didn't fall into that category… At least, not anymore.I shook away the thoughts and met Lily's gaze head on. "Even if I was pregnant, you definitely wouldn't be the one I'd tell. It's none of your damn business and it never will be.""So you ARE pregnant?" She took a bold step towards me."Back up if you know what's good for you!" I barked. "No, I'm not pregnant, and you're not going to trap me in this bathroom like an animal unless you want to feel my claws!"Lily narrowed her eyes at me but took a step back. "I'm watching yo
Emelia's POVVictor pulled Lily inside the office and almost slammed the door shut. "Watch your tone! Do you not realize we're at work? There's no reason for you to—"Lily jerked her arm out from Victor's grasp. "Don't try and hide it!" Her voice was sharp and defiant. "I heard your conversation last night. I, for one, fully support the idea of you two getting a divorce."Her words were like a slap to my face. For a moment, I was stunned. Who the fuck did she think she was trying to air out our problems at work? No one else knew what it was I was going through and it needed to stay that way!Not to mention—it was none of her damn business anyway!"Emelia isn't good enough for you. You should've realized that a long time ago." Lily stated with confidence. "Even Aunt Bernadette was against your marriage from the very beginning! She's always been so smart; maybe you should've listened to her instead of being so stubborn and doing it on your own.""Typical." I scoffed. "You must have a six
Emelia's POV"I accept the challenge, Trevor." My words were laced with confidence and conviction. "I can only hope to make you and myself proud with my work."Trevor's smile was wide and bright. "I have no doubts in my mind that you'll be the one to come out on top. There's a reason your design was chosen for next season's flagship after all. Even if it's Lily "managing" the project, it's yours at its core. It's nothing without you."Trevor's encouraging words were instilling me with a confidence I was sure I'd lost the night I confronted Victor about the divorce. It finally felt as if there was a new light emerging from the darkness I'd fallen into.It didn't matter if I didn't have Victor's "support." It was clear there were other people who were genuinely in my corner, and who wanted to see me succeed.Plus, I couldn't quit now. Even though I wanted to, I knew I had to endure this place for the sake of my career.I'd make my break soon."I'll be sure to email you more of the detail
Emelia's POV"I-I don't understand the question." Victor stammered. "Do I love you? Sense of duty? Grandpa's expectations?" He pushed out an exasperated, almost panicked breath of air. "What are you asking me? What are you trying to say?"The last fragile flicker of hope I had left in me was extinguished at that moment.FUCK!Why?! Why couldn't he admit his feelings for me? Did they not exist after all this time? Had I truly not held any part of his heart? Had I not made my home in it after all these years?The tightness in my chest grew and suddenly it was getting harder for me to breathe. "Get out…" My voice was strained as I struggled to hold onto my composure."Em… I—" Victor hesitated. His eyes flickered to me and then away while he tried to search for something to say."Get. OUT!" My nostrils flared as my body shook.The sound of someone barging through my door both startled and enraged me. For a moment, I thought it was Lily. I definitely wasn't in the mood for her antics and I
Emelia's POVThe air around us grew cold, as the expression on Victor's face froze. I watched his eyes dart from me to the divorce papers, like he hadn't fully comprehended what I asked of him. Maybe he didn't think I was speaking English."You can't be serious right, Em?" Victor finally broke the tense silence. "Please, let's talk about this and be reasonable. I understand why you're upset, but I've realized the truth now. Doesn't that count for something?"I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes at him. "Like that's supposed to undo everything you've done?""I'm not trying to undo anything, Em. I admit to my mistakes. I lied to you about my relationship with Lily, and I prioritized her over you." Victor unraveled my crossed arms and took my hand in his. "It made me doubt you when I shouldn't have."I took my hand back from him. Even though he'd held me not long ago, his touch still felt so wrong. "That's not why I'm divorcing you."Victor raised a brow. "Then I don't understand…" He