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 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"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 POVAlexis: Um, bestie! Why's Victor at a restaurant with another woman?I had to reread the text several times to make sure I had read things correctly. Surely she had to be mistaken, right?Victor wasn't the type to casually dine with just anyone, much less a random woman.Ding! Another text came through.Alexis sent a photo this time, and there was no mistaking Victor's slicked back blonde hair. A massive chandelier hung above him, so I knew the place had to be expensive.But who was the woman that was with him? In the photo, her back was towards the camera, so there was no seeing her facial features at all. The only thing I could see was that she had long, wavy brown hair—reminiscent of my own.And why did he look so… at ease? Tender? It was almost as if he was admiring her. The Victor I knew was always serious and indifferent towards other people. It made him appear cold-hearted to others, even though that wasn't truly the case.Still, it was so odd seeing him act this way. I
Emelia’s POVShock hijacked my nerves as I sat there in disbelief. Victor had never lied to me before, and now all of a sudden he was?He'd never hung up on me like this before either! What was going on?It was genuinely starting to worry me with how Victor was behaving. Was everything truly okay with him? Was this person actually just a friend?I stayed up all night as my mind ran rampant. I stressed cleaning our closet and organized every article of clothing to try and settle down, but it didn't work. It wasn't until close to midnight that Victor finally came home."Hey, I'm surprised to see you're awake." Victor hung up his coat and came to sit next to me. "Is everything alright?""I should be asking you that question. What happened earlier tonight? I was trying to call you and ask you when you'd be home and you just hung up on me."Victor took out his phone from his pocket and handed it to me. "I didn't realize that my phone was on low battery and it died."I thought about holding
Emelia’s POVI stood in disbelief as Victor rushed to Lily's side. It had to have been her—his changed behavior for her matched his changed behavior for the woman from last night!Not only had he lied to me about who he was with the other night, but he completely canceled plans with his grandfather for her.What was really going on between them? Why couldn't he just tell me the truth from the start?As I got a closer look at Lily, I found that what surprised me the most was the way she looked. Her hair was the same shade of brown as mine; same long, and wavy length; and even the natural highlights were identical.There was also a distinct beauty mark at the corner of her mouth—same as my own.Surely this was a coincidence, right?"Lily! Is everything okay?" Victor asked, his voice laced with worry. "I got here just as soon as I could.""Everything's fine now that you're here." Lily's smile was fragile. “I was too scared, I thought I wouldn’t see you again…” her voice trembled.“I'm h
Emelia’s POV"Who lies about something like that?! You know I didn't do that at all!" I basically yelled."Emelia! Lily's in the hospital, and you're throwing glass at her? What reason could you have to do that? Why would you try to hurt her?" Victor shouted back. His voice was cold towards me, as he held onto Lily's hand."So you're just going to believe her over your own wife?! Just like that? Like you actually think I'd do something so low as to hurt someone in the hospital?!" I fired back.Instead, Victor ignored my words and drew his attention to Lily and the broken glass. I watched as he carefully collected the pieces and threw them away."Are you hurt anywhere? Did the glass get you?" Victor asked softly, giving her hand a light squeeze."No, no. I'm okay now that you're here." Lily's smile was small. "Please don't leave me alone with her again..."Irritation crawled underneath my skin like a bug just by hearing Victor's change in tone as he spoke to Lily. I had to tune out the
Emelia's POVA ringing hijacked my hearing and suddenly, my head started to spin. Even in my place of work I couldn't escape that name.Lily, Lily, Lily.Why was she everywhere I went?"Why is she being given my position, Trevor? Am I not doing enough?"Trevor sighed. "You know you're one of our best, Emelia. And I really am sorry, but Mr. Russo made it perfectly clear that this decision was his—you know I can't refute his word."I knew Victor’s words couldn't be swayed by anyone.Still, I could maybe accept someone else getting the promotion, but not Lily. Especially since she only got the position because of her connections, and not because she was qualified.It also didn't help that she and Victor had secrets between them I knew nothing about…"Are you alright? You look a little unwell." Trevor asked."I’m fine, I just need a moment." I responded. "Do you mind if I go back to my office?""Of course, I know it's a lot to take in." Trevor looked at me with concern. "But don't be too
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