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 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"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 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 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"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 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,
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"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