Edward.The scene of Gregory causing trouble at the company on the day of the board meeting made my blood boil. I ordered security to go after him, but they came back empty-handed. That memory kept coming and going as the meeting went on, and I couldn’t think of anything else except whether Gregory would take Emma to lunch.My initial plan was to have Grandpa’s inheritance in my hands. I knew the old man would die soon, so I returned to my parents’ hometown. That was when I saw Emma.I had hired a private investigator to look into Gregory’s life as soon as I found out he was married. No one in the media knew the woman’s face, and that sparked a giant curiosity in me. When I first saw Emma’s face, I thought Gregory had good taste. She was beautiful, but she didn’t look happy by his side at all.I knew the entire story—at least I believed I did. I knew Gregory needed to have an heir to secure the inheritance. Not only that, but I knew Emma had been trying to get pregnant for years. And
Gregory.My feet automatically carried me in Edward’s direction to get him out of there, and I didn’t see when Emma got up and approached him.“Let him stay,” she said, and my feet froze instantly. It was the loving look Edward gave Emma that made rage consume me.“Emma,” Edward’s sudden gesture of holding Emma’s hand interrupted me. I wanted nothing more than to rip her hand away from his. After everything Edward had done, it was unacceptable for Emma to smile with him around.“If he stays, I stay too,” I declared when she pulled her hand away from Edward. “I am still your husband, and I am here to protect you.”Edward smiled provocatively. Emma closed her eyes and staggered toward the bed, and I rushed to catch her. The vulnerability in her body almost brought me to my knees. I wanted nothing more than to hold and protect her. Before I realized it, Edward had been faster than me, holding her and laying her down on the bed.His action made the blood stop flowing in my veins. Seeing h
Emma.I kept looking at Gregory for a long time, simulating his question and the answer I should give. My throat went dry, and the words simply wouldn’t come out of my lips.“Why are you asking this question?” My thoughts suddenly came to life.“Just answer what I asked.”Now, he was looking at me with that icy stare, and there wasn’t a trace of emotion on his face. I became even more confused.“There has to be a reason for the question.” I crossed my arms over my chest and stared at him firmly.Gregory lowered his head and remained silent. A few days ago, I noticed that he seemed as if he wanted to tell me something. He had been restless; sometimes, I would catch him looking at me so intensely that I even thought Gregory was about to strip my soul bare. I noticed something different about him, but I refused to believe this change concerned me.This question only fueled my doubts even more. I had never hated anyone, so why would Gregory think I hated him?“I already told you my reason
Gregory.Emma disliked what happened. I was still holding her, but she struggled to break free from me.“I didn’t say any of that,” she kept refusing.“I heard you very well say that you love me.” I pulled her even closer against my body.I had no intention of letting her go. My body was begging to kiss her lips again, and I mentioned that I would do so when I tilted my face toward hers—but Emma turned her face away.“Why are you doing this?” She stopped fighting against me, but she didn’t look into my eyes when she asked the question.I had the words on the tip of my tongue, but they never came to life. They hid in my mouth, forcing me to retreat. I let go of Emma and regretted no longer feeling the warmth of her body. Who was I trying to fool? How long would I refuse to accept my attraction to the woman I had bought like an object?She looked into my eyes, and I saw a flicker of disappointment escape from them. She would never forgive me for the harm I had caused her heart. What cha
Emma.I was standing, leaning against the bed, looking at the closed door through which Gregory had just passed? I kept hearing his voice in my head all the time as he repeated the words, “I love you.”My defensive system was on high alert now, and my messy thoughts told me that Gregory was lying. I had lived beside him for two and a half years, and that man had never shown any affection for me—only disdain. And now he was saying he loved me? What were the odds of me believing that?I saw Lia enter the room, and something forced me to erase my worried expression. She came toward me smiling, as if she knew something I didn’t. Her gaze remained fixed on me until I lay down and closed my eyes.“Don’t pretend you’re sleeping,” she pressed her mouth to my ear and whispered, “Why do you act like this every time you see your husband?”I jumped out of bed, my heart racing, and looked into her eyes. The aroma of coffee filled my nostrils as she sipped the liquid.“What did Gregory say to you?”
EmmaMy hands were trembling. I stared blankly, wavering between anger and the urge to see Gregory again. I didn’t understand him. He said he loved me, and the next second, he disappeared.As I searched for an answer, Samantha entered the room, looking concerned.“Emma, are you okay?” She approached, examining my face. “You look different.”I smiled nervously, trying to hide how upset I was.“I’m great! She stared at me.”“I have no idea,” she said, then looked away. As if remembering something important, she added, “Mr. Gregory already spoke to the doctor about that. You don’t need to worry.”“Gregory is here?” I stammered in shock. “I mean, he’s at the hospital?”Samantha tilted her head, then looked back at me strangely, as if my words were incomprehensible to her.“Mr. Gregory has been here the whole time.” She moved closer again. “Are you sure you’re okay?”I slowly nodded, confirming her question. But deep down inside of me, everything was confused. Samantha insisted that Gregor
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
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
Emma.An hour ago, Lia snatched the phone from my hands and disconnected every screen device in the house. She said the order had come from my husband. Her face was heavy, like someone hiding a big secret. Immediately, I fought against my nurse. I lunged at Lia so she would give me the phone back, and she didn’t resist.The news was there, with a photo of Gregory and Helena being placed in an ambulance.The company appointed Gregory as its new president today amid many controversies.“What the hell is going on here?” My tearful eyes reached Lia. “Is this what you were trying to hide from me?”It was unfair of me to blame Lia. She was only following Gregory’s orders. I wanted to run to him and demand the truth, but something held me back, telling me to stay because Gregory would soon show up.And it didn’t take long for him to appear. Half an hour later, Gregory was standing in front of me, his eyes filled with pain. He knew the mistake he had made and he also knew the consequences tha
Gregory.I was able to see the exact moment they rushed to help Helena and take her to the hospital. If Edward intended to cause chaos, he had succeeded. I abandoned everything to go with her. In the past, I wouldn't have cared about leaving her in a hospital under someone else's care, but now I do. Helena was the only living family I had.The only one—because to me, Edward was nothing. He was born to make my life unbearable, and he was succeeding. He would only rest when he had taken everything from me and then some. I tried to forget all the confusion and help Helena. I knew that my presence would only worsen her condition, but I couldn’t leave her alone at that moment.When I got into the ambulance, she looked into my eyes and said, her voice trembling:“I always suspected that you and Emma didn’t truly love each other.”“Let’s save that conversation for later.” I turned my face away from hers. “You need to focus on your health now.”“Later, when, Gregory? When I’m dead? Do you pla
Gregory“Sir, we installed the cameras,” the head of security reported, entering my office to complete his task.“All of them? Are you sure?” I looked into his eyes, scrutinizing him. I couldn’t let anything slip by.“Positive, sir. If anyone enters the mansion, we’ll know.”I didn’t feel safe or at ease. Now that my grandfather gave me his entire inheritance, I could imagine Edward’s fury. His goal had always been to destroy me, even before our grandfather passed away. Now that the game had shifted, and the situation seemed to be in my favor, Edward wouldn’t just stand by watching me win.“Great!” I grabbed my briefcase from the desk and took one last look at my reflection in the mirror, noticing that I was ready to go take my place.Strangely, I wasn’t as happy as I thought I would be. The feeling of deceiving Emma burned inside me. I had already learned, in the cruelest way, the price paid for the wrong choices we make.“Keep an eye on Emma twenty-four hours a day. Don’t let her le
GregoryI still couldn’t believe that the inheritance I had fought so hard for was finally mine. The message I received that morning said I needed to sign the documents, and everything my grandfather had denied me would be passed on to me.I looked at Emma and felt that nothing seemed to make sense anymore. I would trade everything I had achieved to save her life. Even though I had fought bravely for that money, if Emma wasn’t with me to enjoy those benefits, nothing would be worth it.She asked me if there was something wrong, and cowardly I denied any information. I was still looking for a way to tell Emma the whole truth until I found that solution. I kept lying, deceiving her, knowing that when Emma found out, she would never forgive me.Anyone would understand that I had used her and the illness to gain Helena’s kindness, but I never once asked for the will to be changed. Helena was doing it more for my wife than for me, but Emma wouldn’t understand. It was because of that inheri
Emma.The illness had given a truce.Gregory and I didn’t discuss the illness anymore during the days we spent in Spain. Everything was so perfect that I didn’t want to go back home to that reality where Mason, Edward, Ayla, and so many other people I no longer wanted to see existed.I cuddled up with him in bed, listening to his heartbeat, when his phone vibrated beside us. Gregory didn’t move. He was sleeping so deeply that even if there were noise, he wouldn’t wake up to answer. I stretched out my arm and picked up the device. On the notification tab, there was a message from Gregory’s lawyer saying he needed to return to sign the documents.Gregory stirred, and I immediately put the phone back. We didn’t have the habit of going through each other’s things. Gregory didn’t check my phone, and I didn’t check his. In the past, I wouldn’t have even dared to touch that device. I remember Gregory always keeping it out of my reach while exchanging intimate messages with Alya—or at least,
Emma.Cutting my hair wasn’t the same as losing an arm or a leg, but cutting it felt like I was losing an important part of my body. I knew it would grow back, that if I were lucky enough to live another year, it would be long again, just as beautiful as it was now. But seeing the scissors cutting through my locks and, right after, the clippers running over my scalp made me shed tears.No one should be forced to shave their head, but the illness wouldn’t leave a single strand behind, and I couldn’t bear to watch my hair fall out slowly without being able to do anything. I tried to be strong, to see the bright side—the one where there was hope of watching it grow back like a plant—but the pain I felt was inevitable.When I looked in the mirror, I saw Gregory’s reflection right behind me. His eyes shone with deep sadness, but he tried to smile to show that everything was okay. I never imagined I would feel bad seeing Gregory suffer, especially knowing that I was the reason for his pain.
Emma.I glimpsed Gregory as soon as I woke up the next day. He was lying beside me, his icy eyes fixed on me so tenderly that I thought I wouldn’t be able to look at him for long. A smile played on my lips. Last night had been a mixture of feelings I couldn’t explain.During those years of marriage, it was the first time Gregory had given me all his love while we slept together.He leaned in and kissed me, then covered me a little more before getting up and saying:“Stay in bed.” He got dressed quickly, and I could feel the cold creeping into the room. “The weather in Spain is simply bitter. You’d better stay covered from head to toe so you don’t catch a cold.”“I would rather not spend the day in bed.” I threw the blanket aside and got up.That was when I looked back and noticed many strands of hair on my pillow. I froze for a moment, just staring at them as if they weren’t real. I tried to raise my hand and place it on my head, running my fingers through my hair as more strands fell
I admired Emma in silence as she ate, wishing that moment could last forever, until my phone vibrated in my pocket. I ignored the first call, but it didn’t stop after that. Not only that, but I should have turned it off—that was my truest intention—when a message from Helena lit up my screen.“Answer the phone, Gregory. I’ve changed the will.”I jumped from my chair. Emma’s distraction that day prevented her from noticing. She only saw when I stepped away to the other side to take Helena’s last call.“You should have called me and told me what happened.”Her voice was trembling on the other end of the line. I turned my head to look at Emma, and she was watching me intently. It was impossible to pretend normalcy in the face of what was happening.“Emma and I are fine.” I closed my eyes and massaged my temples. “There was no need to change the will just because of that.”But what the hell was I saying? I had desired that inheritance for nearly my entire life, believing it should be mine
Emma.When we arrived at the hotel, it was like another bomb exploding in our minds. Gregory paced back and forth in the room, his face red as he gestured while speaking with his lawyer about the situation. We should be enjoying ourselves now, but I felt trapped, unable to do so.“We can’t leave the city,” he threw his phone onto the bed and ran a hand over his face. “We can’t go back home either, not until the Spanish police clear us.”“This could take months,” I said, feeling discouragement wash over me. “Then let’s drop the complaint.”“Things aren’t that simple, Emma,” he huffed, lifting his head toward the ceiling as if pleading for help from the heavens. “Let’s make the most of our trip. I won’t let Edward take this from me, too.”Bravely, Gregory took my hand and pulled me out of the room. I didn’t question him, trusting his decision, though my heart pounded uncontrollably in my chest, fearing that Edward would appear again to finish what he had started. On the way to the build