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"Wait, what?" Those were the only words I could think of to ask. I was in such shock that I wasn't sure that I even heard the doctor correctly."Normally, the patient's family are thrilled to hear that their loved one is completely fine and healthy." Dr. Roberts chuckled. I stood in the hallway dumbfounded as the doctor repeated his diagnosis.The doctor's words repeated in my mind like a broken record, but I was still no closer to understanding them completely.Lily was fine and healthy? How could that be?When Lily called a few days ago while I was on my trip with Emelia, she told me that her legs felt much weaker that day. Because of that, she fell down the stairs and ended up hurting her leg badly.It was why I left Emelia in my childhood city of Blasdell, even though I didn't want to. I couldn't just leave Lily after what had happened to her.On the drive to the city of Austin, where the hospital that Lily was staying at was located, guilt hijacked my senses. It made
Emelia's POV"The team and I did everything we could, but the damage was too severe. Your baby couldn't be saved." The doctor's expression was grief-stricken. "I… I'm so incredibly sorry, Miss Emelia."The silence that came next was so much heavier than anything I'd heard before. It was crushing and debilitating, and like every hit of oxygen was being stolen right from my lungs.My baby. My sweet bundle of joy that I never got the chance to meet was taken from me.No, I killed them with my stupidity and stubbornness.A wave of numbness crashed over me; a bitterly cold, and empty sorrow flooded my body that sent shivers throughout.The physical pain that I'd felt some odd hours ago had transcended into something far deeper and darker than I thought imaginable. I felt its claws sink into my flesh and latch onto my soul. The weight of this loss was my horrible anchor into the terrible reality of what I never got to experience.My mind screamed in anguish, but nothing was coming out of my
Emelia's POVI was slipping in and out of consciousness. The weight of the unbearable pain in my stomach and in my heart was too overwhelming.Lily's psychotic and selfish actions were possibly costing me the life of my baby. I could only hope and pray that everything was okay. They had to be okay, right?But what made matters worse was to see the desperation and concern on Victor's face—like he'd forgotten all the lies and her blatant manipulation.If I had gone through with the divorce sooner, left his company when Alexis told me to, and just let those two be together, none of this would be happening. My baby would have a better chance to live, and I'd get the chance to show them the love we both deserved.It felt like I was being robbed.When I finally came to, I was surrounded by white, sterile walls. Nurses surrounded my bed as they stuck things to my chest and stomach, inserted an IV into my arm, and had inserted a cannula into my nose to help with my breathing. Their movements w
Emelia's POV"Lily! What happened?! Are you alright?!"When my vision finally cleared, I craned my head to the side and saw Victor next to Lily. He had his hands around her as if to support and shield her from the rest of the world.Meanwhile, I was laid out on the ground—exposed and vulnerable. Despite being surrounded by so many people, at that moment, I'd never been so alone."Oh, Victor! It—" Lily hissed through her teeth. "It hurts so much! My leg!"Victor carefully rose to his feet with his arms under Lily. "Try and get up, okay? How bad does it hurt? Can you try—""STOP!" Lily wailed. "I think it's really broken this time! I can't stand it! It hurts!""It's okay, I got you." Victor reassured her. "Sit back down, okay?" He then looked out into the crowd. "Quick standing there, somebody, and get a damn wheelchair!""Victor…" I called out weakly.However, he was too busy having his eyes fixated on Lily's leg to notice anyone else but her."Emelia!" Another familiar voice had cut th
Emelia's POV"So what if I'm pregnant?" I snatched my medication bottle out of Lily's hands. "Get it through your thick skull that none of this is your business to begin with!""It is my concern when you're trying to use whatever tactic you can to prevent your divorce from Victor!" Lily shrieked like a madwoman.Dealing with Lily's incessant need to be in my business was beyond exhausting. There had to have been more to life than simply butting into the concerns of others. Did she not want to see the world? Take on a damn hobby?Did she ever take time to take care of herself?They rhetorical questions, of course. I knew what the answers were.Our colleagues who had just entered the building turned to look at us and the unfolding commotion.I simply glared at Lily and shoved my way past her and made my way to the elevators. It was irritating how she seemed adamant on making a scene in front of others. Hopefully to everyone else, she still looked just as crazy as she actually was.She d
Emelia's POV"Good morning, Miss Emelia." The nurse's assistant greeted me with a warm smile. "How are you doing this morning?""Doing well." I winced slightly. "Although I do have a slight headache right now.""Hm, well, I'll have to talk to the doctor to see what we can get for you. Now that you're pregnant, there are certain painkillers you shouldn't be taking for the baby's health.""I understand.""Aside from that, have you been feeling or going through anything else?" She asked as she placed the blood pressure cuff around my arm."I've been feeling nauseous, although not to the point where I've been throwing up constantly.""Mostly during the morning or evening?""It just kind of depends, really."The nurse's assistant nodded as she took my blood-pressure and temperature. It felt weird not having Alexis with me, and once the assistant was done, I sent a quick text to her to tell her everything was okay and that I was at my check-up."Hm…" The assistant looked at her vital sign ma
Emelia's POV"P-please, d-don't leave me, Emmy… I c-can't l-lose you…"Victor mumbled those words repeatedly through hiccups and retches as if he was about to throw up. In his drunken state, he was in no condition to support himself, but I was lucky enough to have the bartender help me get him to the car. Especially since I had to be mindful of the growing life inside me, I couldn't afford to pull a muscle or anything."Thank you for contacting me, by the way." I said to the bartender."Of course, miss. I hope you have a good night. Drive safe."A wave of regret washed over me as I looked over at Victor passed out in the passenger seat of the car. His disheveled appearance and puffy eyes were almost unbearable to see.As I got into the car and buckled us up, Victor unexpectedly leaned his head against my shoulder. I couldn't lie that seeing him like this softened my heart, even though I'd intentionally hardened it to protect myself from him.It was pitiful to see him like this, and he'
Victor's POVThe disappointment and anger on Emelia's face was etched into my mind. It was almost haunting just how clear I could see it—and how I could still feel it. It made my heart ache so bad that I wasn't sure there was anything that could stop the pain.And what of Mason? This so-called friend of hers. I'd never met him once, and now they were on a first name basis?Where did she meet him?Who was he?Did they plan to meet each other tonight?Was there more to them than what they were leading me on to believe?Mason's shit-eating grin was enough to rekindle my anger that I thought I'd quelled since leaving. My suspicions were growing, but I had to believe that there was nothing between them or I'd go insane.If anything, Emelia's protective stance towards her so-called friend was what left me torn. She abandoned me and chose to protect another man over me—her husband.Had I really been so deserving of this mistreatment?Did she truly not care for me?With my mind and heart feeli
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