Emma’s PoVThe photo showed Gregory on the ground, and the article detailed how Edward, the heir to the inheritance and the city’s new billionaire, had expelled the big loser.My heart burst in my chest. Gregory deserved to go through all of this—I knew that—but I couldn’t shake the feeling of guilt. I had caused all this mess when I decided to leave and leave only a divorce agreement with.Then I remembered Gregory’s last message. He had sent Mason to look for me. The last thing I wanted was to see my stepfather again and witness him reveling in my suffering.I was nervous in the room, dreading stepping out and running into Mason at any moment. It was safer to stay there, waiting for Edward. I turned off my cell phone, removed the chip, but couldn’t throw it away. Perhaps I would need it when my child was born. Maybe Gregory would want to meet him.Unlikely. He hadn’t asked about the child even once. The baby was merely a means to secure the inheritance, and since it was too late, th
POV GregoryPublic humiliation. Newspapers plastered my face across their pages, some even mocking me. How could I forgive Emma for making me go through this hell? She abandoned me, carrying my child. She prevented me from receiving my inheritance, and now all I have left is a mediocre job in the family business while I watch Edward rise to success.I drank the last sip of whiskey and then threw the glass against the wall. I hadn’t noticed Samantha approaching; I only heard the maid’s scream as the object shattered into a thousand pieces just inches from her face.“What do you want, maid?” I demanded, already under the influence of alcohol, my tone harsh and abrasive, making Samantha shrink, seeming smaller than she was.“You have a visitor,” she stammered, tripping over her words. She feared me.I closed my eyes. I knew I owed Samantha an apology for almost hitting her with a glass, though it hadn’t been my intention. But I didn’t like to apologize to anyone. I was a man without regr
Gregory’s PoVEdward asked for the postponement of his inauguration for the second time. It was obvious he would; he claimed to be traveling for work, but I knew exactly what he was doing. He was taking Emma to another country to hide her from me, believing I wouldn’t find her.I tried to discover where that bastard had gone, but the airline refused to provide me the information, not even for a hefty sum. Edward was clever enough to cover his tracks, but I was determined to outsmart him.I was in my office, piecing together clues about where Emma might be, when Alya walked in unannounced. I only realized it had grown dark outside when I glanced at the window and saw the night. Not only that, but I didn’t say a word to her; I merely watched, annoyed, as she approached and wrapped her arms around me.I immediately pulled away and avoided looking at her, knowing I’d see her disappointment. But Alya wasn’t the type to hide her feelings. If something bothered her, she’d say it outright, bo
Emma’s POVEdward didn’t take me out of the country as I wanted. Instead, he brought me to a farm in the countryside, less than 200 kilometers away from where Gregory was.“I won’t be able to visit you constantly,” he said, hanging his coat in the closet near the house entrance, “but you can call me whenever you want. I’ll always be available.”Certainly, my face showed my disappointment with his decision, but I knew that on my own, I wouldn’t get far from here either. I barely had enough money to sustain myself for long, which was ironic since I had been married to a billionaire for two and a half years. But Gregory purchased everything I had. He rarely gave me money and forbade me from working.I had accepted living like that all those years. I believed I could soften Gregory’s hard heart, but my kindness only pushed him further away from me. Not only that, but I desperately wished I could decide my destiny right now—to go as far away as I could from Gregory and everything that remi
Gregory’s POVI took the first flight that morning, even knowing Edward was back and his inauguration as president would happen that afternoon. I traveled alongside Mason, who was confident he had found Emma.It made perfect sense for her to be in England, the land where Edward had lived his entire life. I had to admit that Mason had been faster than expected.“You seem eager to find your woman,” came a provocative whisper in my ear.I glared at him with disdain as Mason laughed, mocking me.“How could I not be eager? I need to make Emma pay for what she did as soon as possible.”Mason shrugged, and his expression made it clear he didn’t believe me. Over the past few days, several theories about my supposed interest in Emma have emerged, both from Mason and Alya herself. No one could accept that I needed to find her to reclaim what was mine, even if it meant doing so by force.“I heard Edward is taking over the presidency today,” he teased me again. “What difference will it make if Em
POV. GregoryGregory mocked me in front of everyone. Those people seemed to believe his words. Gregory painted me as a lunatic who urgently needed treatment.“All right, the meeting is over for today,” he said, putting his hands in his pockets, his expression softening. The laughter in the room subsided, and all I heard afterward were footsteps leaving, until no one remained.During those long minutes waiting for the room to empty, I held myself back from doing something reckless. I already had too many problems and couldn’t afford to get involved in another. It was when the last person left the room and the door closed that Edward stopped being the victim and became the villain.“What did you think you’d find in England, Gregory?” I frowned. “Did you think that if I were with Emma, I’d take her to an abandoned house? Don’t you know I haven’t lived in that place for years?”He was trying to drag me into his dirty game to the point of making me believe that I was indeed the one losing
POV: GregoryOne hour later, I was standing in front of the police station, surrounded by journalists pointing their microphones at me. What did they want me to say? That I was responsible for the explosion? If I told the truth, no one would believe me.My hunt for Emma was becoming far too dangerous, and I questioned during the drive whether it was even worth it. Edward’s words lingered in my mind—there had to be a bigger reason than just recovering an inheritance that was no longer mine. I owed myself an explanation as to why I wanted Emma by my side.I walked into the chief’s office and only then realized how disheveled I looked. My reflection in the mirror startled me. My beard had overgrown, and my hair was messy. I was a far cry from the handsome and charming man I once was. Since Grandpa’s death and Emma’s disappearance, my life had never been the same.I sat down under the watchful eyes, but it was someone else’s presence that caught my attention. Edward entered the room with
POV EmmaAfter Edward left, I felt like someone had thrown me into a life that wasn’t mine. A woman like me, who grew up facing hardships and had to learn to work early to help my mother support our home, didn’t know how to lead a fleet of employees.Edward had left over twenty people around me to manage and give orders to, and I didn’t know how to do that. It felt strange to be served and not even get up to wash a glass.When I married Gregory, I realized I needed to go back to my old habits to keep from going mad in that marriage. I would lock myself in the mansion’s kitchen, washing pots and cooking. It became my favorite pastime in the prison I lived in.I couldn’t go out alone, do my shopping, or choose my shoes. Gregory had governed my entire life for two and a half years, and it was as if I had forgotten how to take care of myself.I thought that running away would set me free, but now I felt like I had just moved to another cell. The story was repeating itself. I watched those
GregoryI noticed when Edward kissed Emma and when she pushed him away, confessing her love for me. That was what frozen my legs at first and stopped me from going at him. I saw Emma’s ability to defend herself, to handle the situation on her own, and I felt proud of her, but now it was my turn to defend my family and put Edward in his place.I intended to break every tooth in that bastard’s mouth. Not only that, but I had been holding on to resentment against Edward for a long time. He blamed me for our parents’ deaths and said I would pay for it when he made my life a living hell. And he had been doing that ever since our grandfather died.Now he was saying he would take Emma from me, the only good thing I had left. But Edward didn’t know my dark side—not yet. He was mistaken if he thought I would let that happen.“Stop this, Gregory.” Emma held my arm, her eyes filled with tears, fear hovering over her beautifu
Emma.I looked around to see if any faces were familiar. Then I looked at Gregory, who had a bloodied forehead. Who would want to kill him, and why? We were in Spain; no one knew us or had any reason to hate us.Maybe I was too innocent, or perhaps I couldn’t think clearly in the face of adrenaline and the fear of something worse happening to Gregory. When the ambulance arrived, the police came along. I didn’t speak their language and couldn’t understand what they were saying.“Ma’am, what he’s trying to ask is whether you noted the license plate or recognized the driver.” One officer spoke my language, but I didn’t know exactly how to respond.“I didn’t see anything. I didn’t even see when the vehicle approached. You should talk to my husband.”My hands were trembling, and I felt like I wouldn’t be able to stand for much longer. I looked at Gregory, covered in blood, lyi
Before the accident.Emma.I entered Gregory’s dark room, and he dressed without any ceremony in front of me, calm and calculating, knowing exactly what that action would cause in me. This time, I didn’t turn my face away—I looked at every detail of his body, every curve, every muscle moving as he put on his clothes.Once dressed, he approached me again, and there was a distinct glow in his eyes, something I had never seen a trace of before.“We need to talk,” he said while buttoning up his white shirt, and I kept thinking that maybe those words should have been mine.“Talk about what?” I asked when his eyes locked onto mine.I could barely breathe when Gregory got too close, only a few centimeters away, and I felt that his mouth would touch mine at any moment. Deep down, I wished it would happen.“Are you asking for my help just out of fear?” he whispered, and it was as if my legs
Edward.“Mr. Edward, that beautiful woman would like to meet you,” the heiress of one of the wealthiest families in the city, was smiling at me. She was just as pretentious as she seemed. Eager and desperate to make a connection with me. I smiled, but suddenly, my mind betrayed me, and the beautiful woman’s face transformed into something else.I shook my head, thinking I was going crazy. Why, after all, was I seeing Emma in that woman’s face?I looked at my wineglass and considered that it might be time to stop drinking so much. I shoved my hands into my pockets and looked around. The charity gala was in full swing. Filled with champagne glasses, beautiful women, live music, men in their expensive suits, and thousands of dollars circulating around the tables. This place was full of hypocrites. No one really gave a damn about the cause—except, of course, my grandmother Helena.Before going to the event, my lawyer had made som
What did Gregory mean by that? I spent most of the trip thinking about it until I finally fell asleep. There was no answer to his audacity; Gregory was truly determined to make my days more difficult.At least, I wanted to believe that. I wanted to create a bad image of him inside me so that it would be easier to forget him.I felt a hand caressing me. Not only that, but I thought I was dreaming, but when I slowly opened my eyes, I saw Gregory, standing with his face just inches from mine, smiling. The way he seemed happy by my side sent a shiver down my spine.I pulled away immediately when I realized the plane had already landed. How many hours had I been asleep? I would rather not ask Gregory that the less we talked, the better it would be for me.“We need to go,” he said, standing up and extending his hand for me to lean on him.I refused his help, getting up on my own and walking past him without giving him any attention. Gregory s
Emma.Bringing Masson back into my life felt like an unforgivable mistake. I cried in secret in the bathroom because I was tired of fighting this feeling inside my heart. I kept wondering why Gregory did this to me—one moment, he seemed to love me, and the next, he seemed to want to slowly kill me with his betrayals.Not only that, but I wiped my face, and when I left the room, I saw Samantha closing my suitcase and gripping its handle, ready to leave.“How long have you been there?” She looked at my face and knew at that moment that I had been crying, but she said nothing.“I just came to get your suitcase for the trip,” she smiled. “Mr. Gregory is waiting for you in the living room so you can leave.”I had even forgotten that I would be traveling with Gregory, and now it seemed too late to back out of this trip. I thought about how torturous it would be to spend a few days by his side without remembering his mistakes. The feeling I had was that death would come before Gregory and I
Gregory.A trip for me and Emma.I didn’t understand why I was excited, but I started packing my clothes to leave. I could hear Emma’s voice coming from the living room—she sounded happy, and her laughter filled my ears.When my phone rang, I didn’t feel like answering. I just wanted to keep listening to her voice, but the name on the screen made me stop everything and pick up the call.“What do you want?”“I’m at your doorstep waiting for you,” Mason’s voice was threatening. “And if you don’t come out, I’ll break into your house. I’m sure that Emma won’t like to see me.”I dropped the phone on the bed and rushed down the stairs, slipping out the door. It had been days since I last saw Mason—I had even thought he had forgotten his threats—but there he was again, making my life a little more difficult. There was no security around; I had dismissed all the staff, so I had to deal with Mason alone this time.My urgency in leaving the house caught Emma’s attention—not just hers, but also
EmmaGregory lifted me and held me in his arms. I sighed, startled. He carried me up the stairs until he stopped in front of our room, opened the door, and gently placed me on the bed. Thereafter, he looked at me as if calculating his words and finally said,“I’m going to call Samantha to help you take a bath,” he said, agitated, turning his back to me.“Gregory…”“Don’t say that near me again,” his eyes widened as he turned to look at me. There were tears in them. “I would rather not hear you say you’re dying when I’m here doing everything possible to save you.”I realized how much my words had hurt him. Immediately, Gregory turned his back and left. I remembered Helena’s words, saying that Gregory was committed to finding a cure for me. And he really was, even though I didn’t believe it was possible.Maybe by accepting reality, the pain would become smaller.Samantha entered the room a few minutes later. She had a strange expression on her face, as if she had seen something but coul
GregoryHelena had gone to visit Emma. She asked me to stay outside and wait because she had something important to tell me. I did as she asked, even though I felt like an idiot for not going into that room and making sure Emma was okay.Lia said she was fine, but she seemed moody. It was certainly because of me. I had spent the last few hours dedicated to researching the best hospitals and specialists who could save Emma’s life, using that as a perfect excuse not to have to see her.“Cancer treatment is the same all over the world, Mr. Gregory,” the doctor from Spain told me via video call. “There is not much to be done in these cases other than surgery and treatment.”There was no one who could guarantee Emma’s survival, and that was killing me. I wouldn’t give up so easily. I didn’t want to lose Emma now that I had realized how much I wanted her by my side.Not only that, but I glued my eyes to the laptop screen, and I sat on that hard bench for hours, so I didn’t see my grandmothe