Gregory.The first entire night beside Emma, sleeping without touching her. I couldn’t describe the feeling because I immediately fell asleep as soon as I lay down. That exhaustion felt strange until I remembered that I had searched the entire city for Emma. The fear of losing her had completely drained me.I woke up startled. The sky was slowly brightening outside, and when I looked to the side, Emma was still sleeping. With her body turned toward me, I could admire the delicate curves of her face. Her hair shimmered as the daylight gradually filled the room. When the thought of her illness came to my mind, a shiver ran through my body. It was my duty to ensure her survival, and regardless of what the doctors said, Emma was going to recover.My heart felt like it was being squeezed, and things got a little worse when she opened her eyes and stared at me, catching me admiring her.I immediately got up, trying to cover up what I was doing, but Emma remained still. She should have been
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
Suddenly, I found myself alone in that room with more questions than answers. I let a tear run down my eye and soon found myself desperate to get away. How could I be married to a man I didn’t know? I would never accept such a situation in my life. I decided that I couldn’t allow the consummation to happen; after all, I was unable to bear any man touching me again. I wiped my face and, when I stood up, I realized I was wearing new, clean clothes. The mirror’s reflection startled me. My nose was red and all the swelling was even in one of my eyes. I barely remembered what had happened, but Mason had hit me so hard that I had fainted. Carefully, I walked to the door, hoping it wasn’t locked. The night breeze caressed my face as I opened it. I quietly left the room, slipping down the wide, dimly lit corridor. I had no idea where I was going; the place was simply enormous. I spotted a giant staircase, and my light steps took me there, making sure that no one would see me slip away.
The days dragged on as I spent most of my time locked in the bedroom. The only familiar face I saw was Samantha’s, who occasionally appeared during the day to bring me food. Other times, a younger maid would come to her place, but she said nothing and wouldn’t even look me in the eye. She would enter, leave the food on the table, and leave immediately.The bruises on my face were almost healed, which made me quite apprehensive. I knew that as soon as I got better, Gregory would walk through that door and demand that I fulfill my role as his wife.I still found his behavior of not seeking me out very strange. Since that night, when he caught me trying to escape, I hadn’t seen him again.Some nights, I heard his voice and his footsteps descending the stairs. Then, I’d go to the window and see him get into a car and leave, rushing. Occasionally, Gregory returned at dawn or only the next day. That man’s life was a mystery to me. However, I had nothing to complain about; he stayed away, as
Immediately after saying that, the old man turned his back and left. Gregory tried to catch up to him, attempting to convince him to stay for lunch, but the old man only glanced at me with disdain and said Gregory needed to produce a grandson as quickly as possible if he truly wanted the inheritance.I covered my face with my hands and immediately regretted trying to help him. Why had I wanted to be kind to a man who had bought me like a cheap commodity? That was my greatest flaw—helping those who didn’t deserve it.I was so consumed by my worries that I didn’t notice when Gregory approached. I only felt him grab my arm and drag me upstairs. An indescribable fear gripped my chest.I muttered the entire way, questioning what he intended and where he was taking me, but all I could hear was Gregory’s labored breathing, as if he were holding his anger between his teeth.Then he opened the door to my room and threw me onto the bed. My heart sank, and I feared the worst. After all, the idea
I could see Gregory’s indifferent face as he told me I needed to give him a child. A smile played on my lips—why was I laughing? Out of desperation because of all the things Gregory had said to me in the short time we had been married, those words were the worst.There was a brief and heavy silence between us. I felt a knot tightening in my throat as I considered the possibility of having a child with that man. I couldn’t bear for any man to touch me again. The images of Mason on top of me, forcing himself on me while I begged him to stop, came flooding back, nearly pushing me into a panic attack.“Find another way to get your inheritance because I won’t have a child with you.”My defiant words forced me to display determination, even as his sharp gaze bore into me and fear of what Gregory might do next gripped me.“I’m not giving you an option, Emma; I’m telling you.” Gregory’s response was short and cold, and I felt there was nothing I could say to change his mind.“Are you going to
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 unsus
I was approaching the car when I felt an icy hand grab me. Before I could lift my eyes, I noticed an umbrella being placed over my head, and the rain that had once fallen so steadily ceased as if by magic.My eyes rose, and I saw a man standing before me. He was handsome, with his sharp jawline and eyes as dark as the night. He looked very concerned, but I had no idea who he was or what he was doing there. Just what I needed—someone to bring me more problems.“Are you okay, Emma?” His mention of my name surprised me. Where did this man know me from?“I’m fine, thank you?” I tried to recall if I had seen him somewhere before, but nothing came to mind.He held the umbrella above our heads while opening the car door for me. He noticed my puzzled and frightened look as I stood still before the open car door, trying to understand what was happening.“I apologize; you certainly don’t know me,” I watched as he removed one hand from the suit he was wearing and extended it toward me. “I’m Edwa
Gregory.The first entire night beside Emma, sleeping without touching her. I couldn’t describe the feeling because I immediately fell asleep as soon as I lay down. That exhaustion felt strange until I remembered that I had searched the entire city for Emma. The fear of losing her had completely drained me.I woke up startled. The sky was slowly brightening outside, and when I looked to the side, Emma was still sleeping. With her body turned toward me, I could admire the delicate curves of her face. Her hair shimmered as the daylight gradually filled the room. When the thought of her illness came to my mind, a shiver ran through my body. It was my duty to ensure her survival, and regardless of what the doctors said, Emma was going to recover.My heart felt like it was being squeezed, and things got a little worse when she opened her eyes and stared at me, catching me admiring her.I immediately got up, trying to cover up what I was doing, but Emma remained still. She should have been
Gregory.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