Liam’s POV“Hey, man. Come on in,” I said, dapping up Ryan, Tim, and Louis. “Samantha, these are my friends. You already know Ryan, but that’s Tim, and that’s Louis,” I said, pointing at Tim and Louis, respectively.“Hi,” she responded, waving at them. “Hi, Ryan,” she said to Ryan, her cheeks turning visibly red. “Hey, Sammy,” Ryan responded, walking over to her and grabbing her hand in his. “Uhm, what's going on?” I asked, looking between the both of them. “Well,” Ryan started, scratching the back of his head. “Sammy and I have kind of been seeing each other since the day of the wedding,” he continued, looking guilty. I was taken aback. “You’re kidding right?” I asked. “How? I didn’t even see you guys talking that day”. “We spoke later in the evening, man. I told you. Don't you remember? When you and Emma took that walk in the garden or wherever it was that you both wandered off to. I was looking for you, so I asked her if she knew where you guys were and she told me, then we
Emma’s POV“Why’s it so bright already,” I groaned as I struggled to get out of bed. I checked the time and saw it was 11:03 am. I got in at past midnight, so seeing the time made me realize this was the longest I’d slept in a while. It’s been three weeks since the day Sammy and Liam’s friends were over at the apartment, meaning it’s been three weeks since Liam and I last spoke to each other. It’s honestly been so funny and crazy. We haven’t had a reason to be out publicly together in that time, so we’ve been able to take that time off from our pretense. Considering there’s been no reason to make any public appearances with Liam, I’ve been working later hours at the Fashion House because of the upcoming fashion show the company is hosting in three weeks, but I know within myself that the real reason I’ve been working late is so I can easily avoid Liam without having to make it seem like I’m purposely doing it. He hurt me, but I don’t need him knowing that he hurt me. It makes me lo
Emma’s POV“We need to talk about us. This thing we’re doing. I realized we haven’t sat down together to have an actual conversation to talk about the best way to go about this whole marriage thing so it works out for us until it’s over,” he started. I nodded, turned my body to face his, and took another sip of my coffee. “First off, I want to apologize for what happened that day when Ryan and the guys came over. I get now why you were upset and I’m sorry about it. Literally, everyone that day kept repeating the same thing to me, even though I didn’t want to hear it, but they were all right and I’m accepting that now. We live together now and I understand that we’re going to have our differences on some things, so I’m willing to compromise if you are,” he continued. I wasn’t sure if he was done talking so I just nodded again and kept looking at him. “Aside from this discussion of what we can do in the house to make it conducive for both of us, I feel we should also talk about what
Emma’s POV“So what’s up with you and Liam?” Sammy asked as we lay on my bed together. It was my day off and a few days till the fashion show, so Sammy had come over to keep me company while I worked on some last-minute designs. “We’re good actually,” I said, looking up from what I was sketching out. “Since the day we spoke about everything, everything’s been going smoothly with us. We’re able to have proper conversations here and there and living together isn’t as annoying or uncomfortable anymore”. “That’s good,” she said, clapping her hands together excitedly. “On that positive note, I’m happy to announce that Ryan and I are thinking of going on a trip next weekend and we would love it if you and Liam came along. It'll be like a group trip or whatever. I’d have my best friend with me and Ryan would have his. What do you think?” she asked. “Oh,” I said, putting down my sketch pad. “You guys have been together for what, two months tops, and you’re thinking of going on a trip toget
Liam’s POV“Candace,” I called out, signaling for my secretary to come into my office. “I’m not feeling too good so I’m just going to cut the day short,” I said to her as she stepped into the office. “Sorry about that, sir. Is there anything you want me to do? Should I call a doctor?” she asked. “No. It’s not that serious, don’t worry about it. It’s probably just stress, so I’m just going to head home and continue work from there,” I continued, walking over to my office door. “You’re supposed to have meetings with three of your clients today. Should I reschedule or just cancel?” she asked, following behind me. “Reschedule them for tomorrow. If I’m not able to meet up with them tomorrow, I’ll let you know then you can cancel till whenever,” I replied, stepping onto the elevator.“Alright, sir. I hope you get better soon. Goodbye,” she waved just before the elevator doors shut. Soon as I stepped off the elevator I got into my car and headed home. I was burning up and I knew I sho
Liam’s POV “So, what got you all worked up in the first place though? Work?” she inquired. “Yup. There's this murder case I'm working on right now. It’s for a high-profile client of mine so I’m trying to be at the top of my game, but it's honestly taking a toll on me. His trial is in two months and I can't wait for it to be done with,” I said. “Did he do it?” she asked, looking up at me, hopeful I'd say yes or no. “You know I can't tell you that, Emma,” I replied her, laughing. “But why?” she whined. “Because it’s a breach of my client’s confidentiality, plus it’s none of your damn business,” I said, still laughing. “Whatever,” she rolled her eyes, standing up and walking around the room. “So this is your room, huh? I’ve always wondered what it looked like in here and, honestly, this isn’t how I envisioned it at all. I expected it to be bland like downstairs but I see you took out your time to decorate up here,” she said, walking over to my collection of signed baseballs. “I me
Emma’s POVI couldn’t believe what I was hearing.What the fuck did Liam mean by Mr. Williamson is Anna’s uncle.I can’t believe I hate her this much. With just one encounter, she got me to drum up so much hate towards her, and it’s honestly so crazy.“How’s that even possible? What the hell!” I said, throwing my hands up, showing my frustration and anger. “This isn’t fair!”“Calm down, Emma. At the end of the day, if you get to know Anna, she’s not that bad a person,” Liam said, trying to convince me that that witch called Anna is an actual human being.“You’re joking, right? You’ve got to be,” I responded, laughing dryly. “Do you not remember the way she treated me that day? The way she embarrassed me? Do you not realize how humiliating that was for me?” I badgered. “And for the fact you practically took her side? Ha,” I scoffed.“I did not take her side, Emma. Don’t say that,” he said, sharply. “Don’t act like I didn’t get us out of that house immediately after she did that to you.
Emma’s POVIt’s finally the day of the fashion show and I couldn’t be more excited and relieved.I mean, it’s been all that I’ve been looking forward to and had my mind on for the past couple of weeks. Of course, something, or should I say someone else, had also been occupying space in my head for the past few days.Liam. After he told me that he and Anna were together a few days ago, it’s been practically eating me alive.I mean, why her? Why Anna? Couldn’t he have just found someone else? Of all the girls out there, she was the one he chose.Those are just a few of the questions that have been roaming through my mind since that day, and it’s low-key been driving me crazy. The fact I don’t necessarily even have the headspace to think about this, but it’s still there at the top of my mind.My goodness.Since that day, I’ve been ignoring Liam. Not on purpose, but things between us have just been so awkward. He tried to make conversation with me and all, but it’s clear he’s trying to i
Liam’s POVIt had been a week since Emma had made her choice to be with me and for this last week, I’ve probably been the happiest man on this earth. Now, our first anniversary was in three days, and I had no idea what to do. Before we got married, I remember while I was having one of the pre-wedding discussions with my mother, she said she would love for Emma and me to throw a party or a ball or something in that regard to commemorate the milestone, while also making sure we appear as a happily married couple in the public light. However, with how things are going in the family right now, with my dad’s sickness and the rift between Emma and my parents, that party that my mother would have wanted us to have just doesn’t seem probable. And to be honest, I haven’t even had a talk with Emma about this anniversary of ours, so God knows if she actually remembers that it’s even coming up or not. “Liam! Where are you!?” Ryan yelled, pulling me out of my thoughts as he stepped into the apa
Emma’s POV“Hey,” I finally breathed out after minutes of us staring at each other while I stood out there in the doorway. “Hi,” he responded, then shook his head as if he had just been overcome with a sense of realization. “Come in,” he gestured for me to come into the house. “Sorry about that. I didn’t realize I had kept you standing there”. “It’s fine,” I dismissed it with a small smile. “I was lost in thought too, anyway”. “Right,” he replied, his lips drawn up into a tight smile. “Here,” he gestured to my bag that was still slung over my shoulder. “Let me get that for you”. “Oh. Thank you,” I said as I handed the bag to him. “No problem,” he replied, walking over to place the bag down on the couch while I took a seat on one of the stools surrounding the kitchen island. “So,” he started as he came back into the kitchen and took a seat on the opposite side of me. “How’d it go over there at Maywood?” he continued, his eyes focused on mine as he eagerly awaited what I had to s
Emma’s POVIt was now Sunday, so it was time for me to head back home. As I packed up the last of my toiletries, my mind wandered back to the events of the past few days. The emotional rollercoaster I'd been on since my trip to the cabin with Liam, followed by the heart-wrenching conversation with Tony, left me feeling both drained and oddly liberated.I zipped up my bag and took one last look around the hotel room that had been my sanctuary for the night. After leaving Tony's apartment yesterday evening, I couldn't bear the thought of going back to the home I shared with Liam. Although Liam and I were in a good place, it just felt unfair to me to immediately run back into his arms after what had just gone down with Tony. So, I needed time to process everything, and to gather my thoughts before facing him.As I wheeled my suitcase towards the door, my phone buzzed with a text from Sammy - ‘Hey, girl. What’s going on over there? Call me when you can’I smiled, grateful for her constant
Emma’s POVHis words hit me hard, even though I knew he was probably right. “Tony, I—”He held up a hand, cutting me off gently. “It's okay, Emma. I'm not angry with you. Hurt, yes, but not angry. You can't help how you feel”.I felt a fresh wave of tears spill over. “You're too good, Tony. You deserve someone who can love you wholly, without any doubt or confusion”. A sad smile played at the corners of his mouth. “Maybe. But I fell for you, Emma. All of you, complications and all”. We sat in silence for a while, the weight of unspoken words hanging between us. Finally, Tony spoke again. “So, what are you going to do about Liam? You want to be with him, right?”I hesitated for a moment, thinking about my answer, until I eventually nodded my head. “Yes I do,” I sighed. “You know, this is honestly the first time since that day that I’m actually saying it out loud that I want to be with Liam, and it’s so crazy because even after running to Sammy’s house the moment we got back home, I s
Emma’s POV“Oh,” he said, suddenly sounding dejected. “We need to talk,” he repeated after me. “That can never be a good thing,” he chuckled bitterly as he loosened his grip on my waist until he eventually let me go completely.“Can we sit?” I asked, still looking up at him.“Of course,” he smiled slightly. “After you,” he said, pointing to a couch behind us for us to sit on.“Thank you,” I said as I sat down, my eyes still trained on him, watching his every move.“Mhm,” he nodded as he walked over to the couch, sitting down on the spot not too far away from me.“So,” he clasped his hands together after heaving out a deep breath. “What's going on, Emma?”I was silent. Not because I didn’t know what I wanted to say, but I was trying to figure out the best way to say it such that I would seem like a person and not a completely horrible one.I sighed, letting out a deep breath as my shoulders fell further than they already had.“Okay,” Tony chuckled, bitterly too, if I might add. “What’s
Emma's POVSaturday had finally come, meaning that it was time for me to go to Maywood to see Tony. Luckily for me, Maywood from Los Angeles wasn’t far at all, so I didn’t have to leave home early or anything. As I packed my overnight bag, stuffing my charger into it, it dawned on me properly that I hadn’t actually been to Maywood to see Tony before. Since he and I started talking, the only times we’d seen each other here in L.A. was when he’d come over here for business. Obviously, it worked for us, and so we’d meet up, but that has happened just two or three times now. So, thinking about all of this, it was quite sad that the reason I was going to Maywood to see him now was to let him know of my situation with Liam. Stepping out of my room, I bumped into Liam who was on his way back into his room. “Oh. Hey. Good morning,” I greeted him, a bit startled by his presence. “Morning. How was your night?” he responded, sounding rather chipper. “It was good, thank you. And yours?” I ask
Emma's POV“Hey,” I greeted Liam as I walked into the apartment. “Oh, hey. I didn’t hear you come in,” he said, standing up from his spot on the couch, as he walked over to me. “Yeah, I’m not surprised. The volume of the TV is quite loud,” I chuckled softly. “Right. Sorry,” he snapped his fingers and rushed back to the living room to turn the TV off. “Alright,” he clasped his hands as he walked back over to me. “Hey,” he hugged me. “You good?” he asked as he released me from his embrace. “Yeah,” I nodded, then sighed. “Just tired”. “Sorry,” he said with a pitiful look on his face. “So, did you get to see what it was that caused the traffic?”“Yeah actually. It was an accident. Nothing too serious though. I mean, I wouldn’t actually know, but from what I saw, it didn’t seem like there were any casualties or anything”. “Okay. Well, that’s good,” he nodded. “Mhm,” I said, making my way into the living room, as I dropped my keys on the dining table. “What was it that you stopped
Emma’s POVFollowing my whole issue with Liam last night and our awkward encounter with each other at breakfast this morning, I think it was safe to say that I’ve been rather uncomfortable throughout my time at work so far today. With the way the air is between us right now, I just feel weird and uneasy. Sadly, this is how I feel anytime he and I have a disagreement or a fight or whatever. The man just has too much of a hold over me and it’s very annoying sometimes – like now. Trying to get work in this moment is mad difficult because I simply cannot get him off my mind. During my lunch break, I contemplated giving him a call so we could work things out, but I decided against doing that for two main reasons. The first and most important reason was that if I did that, even though he would deny it, I would most certainly come off as desperate and probably even clingy. The second reason was that, at the end of the day, he and I would still meet each other at home, and it would be far be
Emma’s POV“Well?” Liam chuckled as he looked at me expectantly. “Are you going to tell me what it is or what?” he asked. I let out a deep breath because I knew the next words that were going to come out of my mouth weren’t going to be pleasing for him to hear. “I’ll be going to Maywood this weekend,” I gulped. “Maywood?” he asked with furrowed brows. “What’s in Maywood?”“Tony,” I replied, my voice barely above a whisper. “What? I didn’t get that?” he asked with a look of clear confusion on his face. I sighed. “Tony,” I said, my voice still low but audible enough for him to hear me this time. “Oh,” he responded, his jaw tightening. “And why exactly are you going over there?”Uhm, okay. I definitely did not expect that kind of attitude. “Uh first of all, could you please fix your attitude?” I asked. I mean, I didn’t expect him to be jolly when I mentioned this, but I didn’t exactly expect him to give me a dirty-ass attitude either. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “Why are you going to se