Emma had just buried her mother when Mason, her stepfather, surprised her with terrible news: "A man has bought you and is going to make you his wife." Even before she can flee, she receives a severe blow, and when she wakes up hours later, she is in a giant house, marriage certificate in hand. Emma even thinks that the idea of marrying Gregory is better than living next door to Mason and continuing to suffer his abuse. However, Emma can't stand being treated with contempt while her husband only thinks about cheating on her and using her as a bargaining chip. Emma flees the abuse, but when Gregory realizes that his wife is carrying the heir of his dreams, he vows to hunt her to the ends of the earth.
View MoreGregory.I left Emma behind because the idea of telling her the truth disturbed me. Wherever Edward set foot, he brought discord, and I blamed myself for letting him carry out his plan. I should have at least asked how he knew where I was living. The feeling I had was that Edward held the power of the world in his hands. Either that, or he was watching me, knowing my every move.As I took a long shower, I kept thinking about the conversation between Helena and Edward and how she was telling him all the ways to overturn the will. Inside, Edward writhed—after all, he had fought so hard for this moment that he would not allow himself to lose it for anything.And now that bastard wanted to turn Emma against me.I should be relaxed now; after all, Emma was back home under my care. But I couldn’t relax with Edward around, trying to destroy me. I turned off the shower, realizing that not even the cold water had eased the tension in my body. When I opened the door, a high, pitched scream hit
Emma.Nothing could have prepared me for this. As we headed back home, with Gregory driving beside me, I watched his face illuminated by the mid-afternoon sun. His ice-blue eyes seem to melt, revealing a lighter shade. He no longer looks like the man I married. My sudden departure turned a key inside him, opening doors that not even Gregory knew existed.“Are you okay?” He has asked me this question so often that not even his tone changes when he says, “I hired a nurse to take care of you while we’re home.”“I’m fine.” He glanced at me quickly before turning his attention back to the road. He didn’t see when I smiled, and my cheeks heated up instantly. “I think I might get used to the idea of a nurse watching over me all the time.”“It’s not to watch over you, Emma,” he emphasized, though there was no offense in his expression. “You need specific care.”I refused to believe that my cruel husband now feared losing me a second time. Now, he seemed so comfortable by my side that it even
Gregory.I watched as Emma left the house, and the memory of the days I spent not knowing where she was flooded my mind. The chair behind me fell, and the glass jar of homemade medicine toppled over on the table and rolled until it shattered on the floor. My grandmother stifled a screaming. I couldn’t look back—I would rather not take my eyes off Emma for even a second.I ran after her, but she got into a taxi and was gone.My heart clenched inside me. I felt a fear of losing her like I had never felt before in my life. I returned to Helena’s house, got into my car, and drove around the city, looking for the taxi she had taken.Not only that, but I kept my eyes on the road while a layer of sweat formed on my forehead. I shouldn’t have taken Emma to visit Helena. Leaving her in my grandmother’s company had surely stirred up difficult emotions for her. Since she had come back, she had brought something strange to her. It was as if I no longer knew the woman I had married.I punched the
Emma.There was no way to escape this situation. Helena stood before me, a smile on her face, leading me to her dining room for lunch together. What did this woman want from me, after all? Her sudden interest was strange.Gregory was the one enjoying the scene. He seemed comfortable in his grandparents’ old house, just as he did by my side. He acted as if we were truly family.That was when Helena noticed the nasogastric tube placed in me, and her expression darkened.“Oh, Emma, I’m so sorry,” she now looked at me with pity, as if I were a helpless animal. “Gregory didn’t tell me that you…”“It’s okay, you can eat without me,” I said, shrugging. “There was no way Gregory could tell you. He barely stays with me at the hospital.”Why was I saying this anyway? I only realized my words after they had already left my lips. My breath caught in my throat when I noticed the looks directed at me. Now, Gregory no longer seemed as comfortable as before. My statement had hit him hard.“You’re not
BeforeGregory.“Can I still have my share of the inheritance?” I repeated the question to the lawyer because what he was telling me seemed like a lie. “What are the chances of changing the will if the old man is dead?”“We found out that Emma is very sick,” he said, and the words jumbled in my mind. “And Edward is not managing the family business well.”“I don’t understand,” I shook my head, confused. “Can you explain this to me more clearly?”The lawyer looked at me and fidgeted as if searching for the right words to explain what was really happening.“There is a clause in the contract stating that your grandmother, Helena, is the only one who can alter your grandfather’s final decisions.” My jaw dropped. “If your grandmother considers that leaving fifty percent of the inheritance to Edward was a mistake, she can reverse the situation and return your share of the inheritance.”I scoffed, disappointed, and then smiled. What the lawyer was telling me wouldn’t change my grandfather’s d
EmmaMason’s threatening eyes staring at me, fixed in an obsession, wouldn’t leave my mind. How could I forget that Gregory had hired him to look for me? When I thought about the possibility that Mason had found me, a shiver ran down my spine, causing chills.I wiped away my tears because it was useless to remain in that state. I watched as Samantha approached and, in a whisper, said that she would stay by my side that night. At least she truly showed that she cared for me, unlike Gregory, who only took care of me for his interests.“Worried about his reputation.”“What did you say?” Samantha’s voice made me realize that I had spoken the words too loudly.I felt the muscles in my face ache from the tension weighing on me. I closed my eyes and, shaking my head, said to Samantha,“It’s nothing,” I said, and when I looked at her, Samantha didn’t seem convinced. “I’m just thinking out loud.”“It concerns Mr. Gregory,” she declared so certainly that it startled me. Whispering to the wind,
Gregory.“For what service should I pay?” Though my body trembled, I laughed, showing disdain for his words. “Or should I remind you that you ran away like a coward and left me to find Emma alone?”Mason heard my words, and a smile tugged at his lips. Had I told a joke? What was so funny about him coming to the hospital to charge me for a service he never provided?“We had a deal.”“One that you didn’t fulfill,” I said, already impatient, and my voice rose in tone.“Are you saying you won’t pay me?” he asked as he stepped closer to me.That was the moment I realized it had been a mistake to hire Mason to find Emma. He, of all people, had delivered her to me unconsciously, her face swollen from an assault he had committed. Even though Emma never spoke about it, I knew she would have a hard time forgiving me for that mistake.“I won’t pay,” I answered bluntly. “Now leave because it wouldn’t be good for Emma to see you walking around here.”Mason’s eyes widened, as if what I had just sai
GregoryEmma was now giving me a questioning look, with all the courage and boldness that had remained hidden throughout our marriage, and that was revealing itself now.She didn’t seem tired of confronting me, and her question felt like a punch to my stomach. It bothered me to know that she believed Edward more than she could believe in me.“I’m not going to answer that question, Emma.” She blinked, a hint of disappointment flashing through her beautiful eyes.“Then I can give Edward the benefit of the doubt,” she replied, narrowing her eyes with pure contempt.Why was she still standing in front of him, preventing me from dragging him out of here? After what Edward had done, Emma still had the nerve to defend him. A satisfied smile on Edward’s face made me change my plan. I wouldn’t let him win this time.I pulled the hospital receipt from my pocket and handed it to Emma, clenching my jaw and holding back my rage through gritted teeth. Edward narrowed his eyes and swallowed the lump
Emma.When Gregory finally left me alone, I realized that keeping silent had been a huge mistake. Everything I had kept inside, all the words, had accumulated, causing an unbearable pain within me.Now alone in the room, I could finally cry in peace. Pretending to be strong all the time was an almost unbearable task. Even worse was having to stay by Gregory’s side, knowing that he was still the same man I had once met and fallen in love with.I quickly wiped my tears when the room filled with nurses and the doctor appeared to talk to me for a bit.“Are you in pain, Emma?” he analyzed my face, noticing that I had been crying.“A little,” I said, forcing a smile.The pain I felt had no cure, no medicine capable of easing it, but I had promised myself that I would not waste a single minute of my life lamenting or suffering over anything. I had already lost two long years of my life suffering and waiting for redemption from my husband; I would not waste my last days doing it again.“I’m g
After hours of pain and sadness, I finished the task of mourning my mother’s body and burying her with her siblings. A feeling of despair enveloped me as I stared at the newly laid headstone, alone in the cemetery. A grumble of protest tore from my throat. There was no one but me to say goodbye to her, not even that horrible man she had called her husband for so long. “At least you’re free of that monster, Mom,” I muttered as I wiped the tears that insisted on falling from my face. I’m going to have to learn to live on my own and face the punishment you left for me.” I was just getting home when hurried footsteps came towards me, making me twist my neck. My heart raced as I came across the figure of some men walking towards where I was. I knew one of those faces well, and I didn’t like seeing him there. “Mason,” my voice escaped in a whisper just as I slowly stood up to look into his eyes. He came closer and closer. “What the hell is that bastard doing here at this hour?” My eye...
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