Chapter 006

I pace back and forth in the doctor’s office while I wait for the results of my pregnancy test. After that night, when I was with Gregory for the first time, my heart warmed at the thought of being truly desired and realizing that Gregory’s sharp words were just excuses to hurt me.

However, our encounters became rare and decreased as the years went by, and I could not get pregnant. Gregory’s hatred for me grew considerably, but for me, it was already too late. I had fallen in love with my cruel husband.

Gregory’s stance on all this was clear: When you give me a child and the inheritance is transferred to me, we’ll get divorced.

There were six months left until our agreement ended. I hoped that, by then, I would finally give him a child and manage to melt his stony heart, making him entirely mine. I no longer wanted to divorce or run away; I wanted to make this work, and my hopes were high. However, over time, I saw him slowly drift away from me, and our union became increasingly unsustainable.

I was still thinking about these things when the doctor finally returned with the pregnancy test results in hand. I planned to find the answer in his expression, but his face was unreadable. He sat down and finally spoke.

“Allow me to congratulate you, Miss Scott, for your perseverance.” My heart froze at those words, “You are pregnant.”

A wave of expectation and happiness coursed through my veins at the sound of those words. I held the result in my hands and imagined Gregory’s satisfaction upon hearing the news. I never imagined I would feel so happy to know I was pregnant by the man who had bought me to be his wife, the same man I had sworn to hate forever.

But there I was, hurrying toward the hospital exit, eager to tell him that we had finally managed to have our child. I quickly pulled my phone out of my bag and dialed his number. Gregory had already ordered me not to disturb him while he was working, but I wasn't concerned about the consequences—he needed to know the truth immediately.

The call went unanswered, and a flash of disappointment crossed my face.

I’ll go to his office, I murmured to myself, smiling.

My smile instantly faded as I remembered his warnings against visiting him at his family’s company. Incredibly, our marriage was still a secret. Gregory said he would only reveal he was married to me when his ailing grandfather handed over his share of the inheritance and made him president of the company. That was Gregory’s greatest desire, even greater than having a child with me.

I couldn’t bear to wait for so many hours. The clear and bright sky seemed to mock the turmoil within me. Boldly, I got into the car and headed to his family’s company.

I had never been to that place before and asked the driver to park the car at a safe distance. When my eyes fell upon the building, the sight of that immense and luxurious structure dazzled them. How could I have been married to a man for almost three years and know absolutely nothing about his life? Gregory never allowed me to be a part of his world. The only events I attended were his grandparents’ birthdays, and even then, he kept his distance, maintaining as little contact with me as possible.

I walked to the reception desk, my high heels striking confidently against the marble floor, each step echoing the determination of my decision.

“Excuse me,” I said to the receptionist, keeping my tone firm. “I am Emma Scott, Mr. Gregory’s wife, and I’m here to speak with him.”

The receptionist’s eyes blinked in surprise before her expression settled into one that wavered between pity and disdain.

“Miss Emma, Mr. Gregory is in a critical meeting right now,” she paused slightly, “and he doesn’t have a wife.”

A knot of dread tightened in my stomach. It was clear that he didn’t have a wife, as I lived in the shadows, hiding so no one would know the truth. The receptionist’s disdainful gaze didn’t waver, and I felt a blush creep up my face as I realized what I had just done.

It was too late to fix things, explain myself, or deny everything. I simply looked at the woman and informed her that I would wait until the meeting was over. I would not leave that place without telling Gregory that we were going to have a child.

Inside, I felt a growing sense of discomfort as I watched the receptionist move away and whisper to other employees about what she had heard from me. One man looked at me with contempt, and I could hear him saying that women like me made up stories like this just to take advantage of rich men like Gregory. I was tired of all of this and couldn’t wait to reveal my true identity to everyone.

When I looked back at where the receptionist had been, she was gone. I quickly stood up and wandered around the area until I saw Gregory’s name displayed on one door. That was his office.

Dazed, I heard moans coming from inside. I felt the blood drain from my veins, and the fact that I recognized my husband’s voice almost made me collapse. Summoning my courage, I grabbed the knob and turned it slowly. I had no intention of surprising him—after all, I was a stranger, just another woman in Gregory’s life.

When the door finally opened a crack, I saw their faces close together as the naked woman’s body lay on top of my husband.

“It will be wonderful when we can finally be together,” the woman whispered in his ear. “When are you going to get rid of that woman and marry me?”

Gregory turned to her, his expression soft as he looked at her. My heart felt like it was being squeezed. I had never seen him look at anyone with such affection, least of all me.

“Soon, I’ll have my inheritance, and Emma will no longer be a problem.”

I wished the ground would swallow me whole. I closed my eyes tightly, feeling smaller by the second. Not only that, but I stumbled backward, realizing I couldn’t stay there any longer.

I left. I could still hear their whispers against me. It seemed like no one knew about our marriage, except for that woman. She must have been critical to him to know such a closely guarded secret so easily.

I felt utterly humiliated and ashamed as I ran through the rain back to the car.

Should I tell him I’m going to have a baby? My husband never learned to love me during this time. He will probably just use this child to secure his inheritance. I could already see Gregory’s indifferent face when I told him the truth.

And what about my future child? My husband doesn’t love me; how could he possibly love our child? None of these matters anymore. As I ran back to the car, completely soaked, I hoped Gregory would never know I had been there.

I am decided. It’s time to do what I should have done a long time ago: leave this marriage before it’s too late.