Gregory.There was a lump of anguish stuck in my throat, suffocating me to the point of killing me. Seeing Emma like that and having to give her this news was one of the worst things I had ever had to do in my life.I needed to leave and call the doctor so that he, with his complex words, could explain to her what I couldn’t. I had to leave her alone for a while because I would rather not show how much that news had drained the meaning out of everything.Not only that, but I had barely stepped out of the room when Robert caught up to me, questioning.“Why did you tear up the divorce papers again, Mr. Gregory?” He was intentionally pressuring me, unaware of what was happening. “I told you I have other copies and that it’s useless to destroy them.”My defeated posture unsettled Robert. He fell silent the moment he saw me dragging my feet and collapsing into the chair in front of me. Still eager to show how competent he was, he came over, sat beside me, pulled out yet another copy of the
Everything was sad. The memories of my life were sad; the last days lived were almost unbearable to remember. Gregory had walked out that door and had not returned for minutes. And time inside this room did not seem to pass. It was as if life had slowed its pace so I could savor it before it emptied completely.This realization hit me painfully, stirring a feeling of self-pity and anger for no one explaining things properly and for stripping away my will to live. I stared at the blank, empty wall before me as if it were a screen projecting a movie in which I was the protagonist.I only noticed the doctor when someone turned on the light, making my eyes burn. He walked slowly toward me, smiling, and finally cast a meaningful look that seemed to say everything would soon be fine.“Where is Gregory?” My eyes darted to the door, but there was no sign of him.“I thought he would be with you,” he replied, looking at the medical chart. “But tell me, Emma, how are you feeling?”He looked at m
GregoryI dragged Edward out of the room like an animal, without any consideration for him or even for Emma. He didn’t react, allowing me to take him, which was strange since he never allowed such humiliation.“I told you to stay away from Emma.” I shoved him against the wall, and he hit his back but remained there as if nothing had happened. “Why don’t you go back to your work, to the company you fought so hard to have?”Edward lifted his gaze to me, looking exhausted, as if he had fought a battle.“Do you think I could work knowing that Emma is sick? What kind of man do you think I am?”Edward’s theatrics astonished me—how well he could pretend, even in a situation like this. If I didn’t know him, I might have believed in the sorrow written all over his face, but I knew how skilled he was at pretending to deceive people.“Do you think I’m going to fall for your game?” I stepped closer, staring into his eyes. “I will take her out of this hospital, and you will never see her again.”“
The gossip pages recently reported the news, and I was surprised to find a crowd of journalists at the hospital door when I left. The flashes bothered me; the microphones and cell phones pointed at me in an attempt to capture my statements, almost completely covering my face.Gregory stepped forward as if his body were a protective shield, and with his hoarse, tired voice from yet another sleepless night, he declared, “Please, do not bother my wife. Please let us pass. At the right time, I will personally tell you everything you need to know.”Gregory had a sharp mind for dealing with those people, but it was the way he declared that I was his wife that awakened something dormant inside me. I felt his warm hand holding mine, and his affectionate gaze reached me. He smiled—he never smiled when he was with me—when he wrapped me in his arms and protected me all the way to the car. He opened the door, placed me inside the vehicle, and then got in, sitting beside me.Samantha interrupted m
Gregory.What is happening to me?That question haunted me the entire way back home while Emma slept peacefully in my arms. I carefully slid her onto my lap so she could sleep better. This need to protect Samantha’s gaze, who kept looking at me through the rearview mirror whenever she could judge her, consumed me inside as me.I looked at the wedding ring that was still on my finger. Even though Emma had abandoned me and left her ring behind, I still wore mine intact on my finger, as if taking it off would also take Emma away from me. I shifted my gaze to her, with her head resting on my lap and my fingers running through her soft, light hair. Emma sighed—maybe she was having a pleasant dream, and that slightly eased the pressure inside me.I was taking her home, and I felt I had accomplished my mission. I would take care of Emma and keep her alive—I was excited about that. What I didn’t expect was to walk into my house and find Alya talking to Emma.My ice-cold eyes locked onto Alya.
Emma.It was a bitter subject, and I left the room with a horrible taste in my mouth. I had imagined that conversation with Gregory countless times, with a relentless urge to throw the truth of his betrayal in his face, and in the end, I acted with a composure that most women wouldn’t have.Hearing him say that fidelity wasn’t part of our agreement made me realize that arguing with him was completely useless. This was how Gregory had treated our marriage all this time, and things weren’t going to change.What did I think, after all? That my illness would soften his stone-cold heart? The only thing Gregory felt for me now was pity, and the weight on his conscience made him want to treat me well. That was the only reason.I threw myself onto the couch, the pain returned, and I started coughing uncontrollably. Hearing all of this, Samantha ran toward me with a dish towel over her shoulders, and with wide eyes, she knelt in front of me, asking if I was okay.“I just want to sleep for a wh
GregoryI watched Emma descend the stairs, and she looked so fragile now. I then remembered that Samantha had told me she hadn’t touched the food served last night.She cast a look of disdain at me, and I knew she was trying hard to stand tall and show that she was fine, but I could see in her eyes that she wasn’t. She tried to walk past me when she tripped on the rug, and I had to catch her. One arm wrapped around her, and her scent invaded my senses. She quickly jumped away, putting considerable distance between us.“I said I would go to the hospital alone.” She looked at me as if she wanted to say something more.“I don’t like being told what to do, and you know that.”Avoiding being near me at all costs, Emma moved toward the door when I grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the dining room.“Before we go, you’re going to have breakfast.” I felt Emma trying to pull away as she murmured under her breath. “Samantha told me you didn’t eat anything last night.”“Why? You never cared a
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 go
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