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"What's going on? What happened?" Victor asked. He walked into the office quickly and shut the door.He didn't look at anyone in particular when he asked his question, but I knew better. I knew it was directed at me."It's all my fault." Lily's voice dripped with self-pity and sadness. "I came to apologize to Emelia for you having to end your trip with her early because of my injury, but she went crazy!"Tears spilled from Lily's eyes and while they were convincing, I wasn't focused on her theatrics. Instead, my gaze was fixed on Victor.I watched his every move and how his body inched towards Lily. There was no doubt in my mind that he was going to choose her again, but I held out a little bit of hope that things would be different.Victor went to Lily and crouched next to her. His eyes immediately dropped to her leg as guilt contorted his features. "I'll take you to the hospital, don't worry," he said as he picked her up.I thought about my earlier conversation with Alex
Victor's POV"I'm getting you to a hospital, now!" I ran with Lily in my arms out into the parking lot. By the time I'd reached my car, I was out of breath. Damn this suit for restricting my movement."Victor…" Lily pouted. "I think I'll be okay as long as I get back to the house and get some rest.""Absolutely not." I refuted calmly. "I'm not risking your health."Ever since that fateful day, Lily's legs have been a constant source of worry for me. After she'd saved my life from the river's current, she almost got washed away herself. When I pulled her back to land, both of her legs were covered in blood.I swore that even the whole river had turned red after that.After that day, I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't let anything like that happen again. It's been nothing short of a miracle that she didn't end up getting a horrible infection from all the cuts, or breaking her legs and being wheelchair bound…I needed to make sure that nothing would prevent her from living her bes
Victor's POV"Maybe you should consider remarrying, Victor." My mother suggested not-so-subtlety. "It's about time you found yourself a woman who was actually worthy of you. Really! I have no idea what you even saw in that Emelia woman."I'd only been home for ten minutes, and my mother was already lecturing me on moving on and trying to find another wife.After having to clean up Lily's mess and narrowly securing her spot in Ezra's competition, the last thing I wanted to hear was her criticism of Emelia.Seeing Em again today… Her indifference, her coldness towards me and Lily… It was like looking at a whole different person."Victor!" My mother called for me. Her eyebrows were scrunched together. "Are you even listening to me?"I shook my head. "Sorry… Today's been a busy day, and I've had a lot on my mind.""Well, I'm sorry, son, but I'm going to need you to get it together!" She placed her hands on her hips. "The investors are starting to get worried because of this whole fiasco wi
Emelia's POV"Alexis?" I asked in a panicked tone. "What happened? Is everything alright? Are you safe?"Alexis had always been the epitome of strength and confidence. To hear her voice be void of those two things was jarring and worrying.I knew she'd been a little off, but she'd refused to tell me anything. Now hearing her like this—so small and scared—had my heart quickening."I-I think I'm fine…" Alexis's tone wasn't convincing. "I… I just really need you to come home and just… be here.""I'll be right there! I promise. I'll call you when I'm on the way.""O-okay. Don't be long, okay?""I won't."I turned back to Lady Ruby and gave her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, but there's an emergency that's come up, and I have to leave."Lady Ruby shook her head and rose from the desk. "Go handle your business first, sweetie. We'll have more opportunities to discuss things in the future. I've gone ahead and forwarded your information to my secretary, Alice. We'll be in touch soon.""Thank
Emelia's POV"You're resorting to cheating accusations now?" Victor's words lit a fire in my chest as heat flooded my cheeks. "That's rich coming from you!"In the wise words of my best friend—if men had one thing, it was the audacity!Victor may not have cheated on me outright, but him choosing Lily over me countless times and allowing her to step all over me was certainly no better.Was this outrageous claim meant to make him feel better about our divorce? Was he still in denial about his actions being what led us here? Was this his twisted way of coping?I couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. THIS was ridiculous and exhausting!"What are you laughing at?!" Lily's nostrils flared. "No wonder why you were so eager to divorce Victor! All those horrible things you said to him and overexaggerating his "mistreatment" of you—it was all a front to disguise your real actions!""You'd know a thing or two about disguises wouldn't you, Lily?" I asked in a mocking tone. "You
Emelia's POV"You're Lady Ezra Ruby?!" We all asked in unison as our faces displayed an equal measure of shock."The one and only!' Lady Ruby curtsied with a wide smile. "When my secretary told me that we had more applicants for this year's competition, I rushed back from my hair appointment. I'll be honest, I'm very pleased with the turnout.""Well…" Her eyes dragged over to Lily as a frown tugged down the corners of her lips. "Most of the turnout."I watched as the crowd around us bowed their heads in respect, and not looking at Lady Ruby directly. The power she exuded could be felt around us—it commanded our respect.But her displeasure with Lily was also palpable. The air around her was sharp, tense. She wanted us to know that slighting her was a mistake for one's career without saying it.Lily dropped to her knees as she scrambled at Lady Ruby's feet. "M-miss Ruby, I—""It's Lady Ruby." She interrupted sharply as her gaze remained intensely on the groveling girl at her feet. "Firs
Emelia's POV"S-she's lying!" Lily stammered as her eyes widened in shock. "That old hag is lying! She doesn't actually have proof at all!"The older woman scoffed and held her phone high in the air as she played back the video she captured.Right there for everyone to see, was the video of my encounter with Lily. From her blocking my way when I was trying to walk away, her grabbing my wrist, and then her charging for me before falling to the ground when I stepped out of her way.The crowd and I stood in a stunned silence.I just couldn't believe it—a completely random stranger had stood up for me! Not only did she not fall for Lily's lies, but she even had proof! It almost felt like I was dreaming.Suddenly, the crowd's murmurs escalated once more, but this time, their anger was directed towards Lily. The three strangers that accosted me earlier and tried to accuse me bowed their heads at me."I'm sorry… I really didn't know!' One said."At least the truth finally came to light…" The
Emelia's POV"You're kind of pathetic, you know." Lily laughed. "You were the one to divorce Victor, and leave his company, but you're still entering this competition in hopes of staying close to him? Just give him up already!"I narrowed my eyes, the blood in my veins felt as if it was about to boil over. Just the mere sight of her made my resentment towards her grow.She was the cause of all my pain and suffering. She was the reason why I no longer had a husband or a child to love.If we weren't out in a public space, I would've slapped the hell out of her. But I had to compose myself as best as I could do.The last thing I wanted to do was make a scene when I was supposed to be meeting one of the most important people in this industry."Delusional as always." I scoffed. "Do you truly have nothing better to do than to annoy me like some fly? Leave me alone."I turned to walk away, but not before Lily rushed to block my path. As I got a closer look at her, I noticed just how much bett
Emelia's POV"So… Is everything okay between you and Mason?" Alexis asked as she was washing the dishes.I nodded as I was packing away the decorations. "Yeah, everything's fine between us. He was just a little taken aback by my decision to start my own business.""Oh, jeez… Was he trying to pressure you into reconsidering the job offer? Was he being a douchebag about it? I was just starting to like him!"I couldn't help but laugh at Alexis's protectiveness. "Relax! Quite the opposite actually. He's confident in my abilities and has actually offered to help me with anything I need for the business.""Oh? Is that so?"I turned to look at a mischievously smiling Alexis as she wiggled her eyebrows at me. Luckily, Mason had to leave a little early due to a work meeting, so he wasn't here to witness what Alexis was implying."Oh… Don't start!" I could feel my cheeks getting hot. "I'm just barely getting out of my divorce with Victor. The last thing I want to think about is another relations
Emelia's POV"I have a surprise for you, by the way." Mason smiled widely at me just as we pulled into Alexis's driveway."You're full of those, aren't you?" I teased."I can be. But I had some help with this one.""What do you mean by that?"Mason motioned for me to follow him as he knocked on the door.Without missing a beat, it swung wide open, and Alexis stood on the other side with a party hat and a wide grin."HAPPY DIVORCE DAY!" Alexis squealed as she grabbed me by the arm and ushered me inside.Her living room had golden garlands hanging from the ceiling, with black and white balloons tied across various pieces of furniture. Confetti trailed to her kitchen, and in the middle, sat a big, white cake. The top was decorated with a bride dragging the groom by his collar, and in bold letters was written:TAKING OUT THE TRASH!I couldn't help but laugh. "What is all this?""We're celebrating your freedom day! Duh!" Alexis beamed as she hugged me."And you were in on this, too?" I rai
Emelia's POV"I wish it hadn't come to this..." Victor said in a low, saddened tone. "I would've given you the world."At one point, Victor was my world. My considerate, although stubborn world.If only he hadn't been so blind. Hadn't been so foolish.All he had to do was say three words; he could've given me the reassurance I'd wanted all this time. He could've stayed true to his promises instead of taking advantage of me.But it was clear that this was nothing more than just an obligation to him. There was no affection, no love.I shook my head. "I had the world. They were growing inside my belly; so innocent and pure. Now with them gone, I want nothing more than to be done with whatever this was supposed to be."Victor winced at my words, the reminder of our dead child like a whip against flesh. With trembling hands, his signature still came so smooth against the creme-colored paper of our divorce agreement.When he handed me back the papers, it felt like a weight had been lifted of