We finally arrived at Blackwind Mansion, the sprawling estate where Emmerson, the patriarch of the Blackwinds, lived. The place was huge. The size of the estate was overwhelming, with its vast gardens, two pools, one inside, one outside, a mini-golf course, and a staff quarter tucked away behind the mansion. Despite all this huge space, it always puzzled me how Emmerson managed to live here by himself. Technically, he wasn’t entirely alone, he had his staff, but still, it seemed a bit crazy to have all this place and be here on your own.As we sat in the car, neither of us made a move to get out. I glanced at Emerson, as we sat there watching the house in front of us. "I always wondered why Eric didn’t want to stay here," I said with a thought that had crossed my mind a few times. "I mean, he moved out when we got married. Why didn’t he just stay here?"Emerson raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean? He told me you were the one who refused to live here because you didn’t want to live
The staff was clearly shocked. Madeline's eyes widened as she kept blinking rapidly. I had never seen someone blink their eyes so fast. And Rose? She just opened her mouth, with no words coming out. Tom was the only one who looked normal, although I couldn't read his facial expression. It was clear, though, that we had managed to shock the living hell out of them. I mean, I would have laughed if this wasn't serious, given the way they were acting right now. But since this was serious and true, and not something to laugh at, I had to maintain my composure. "You two... you're getting married?" Madeline was the first one to regain her voice."Yes, she's going to be Mrs. Blackwind," Emerson said, affirming our union and holding me tighter."Again?" Rose chimed in. I guess she finally found something worth saying. I stared at her, not saying a word. "Yes.“ Emerson answered, I could tell he didn't like where the conversation was going.“…but she was married to Eric." Rose continued"Yes
He took a deep breath as if he was preparing himself for something hard."Look, Mina, I don't want us to get lost in what we're doing, and this way we get to separate reality from make-believe. We get to put some distance and a limit somewhere.""Yes, but we're supposed to be convincing people that we are married….""Yes, and a lot of couples are married and living in different rooms. It's not unheard of. Some people like their own spaces.""What about the staff?"“What about it?“"They will know that we are not sharing the same bedroom.""Stop worrying about the staff. They're here to work; that's their job." He said dismissively"Yes, but what about Eric? I'm sure he's going to come to the house, and he'll know that we aren't sharing a bedroom." I kept pointing out"Like I said, personal space. It's so simple to answer."But I knew he understood my hesitations.“ I was married to Eric, and I didn't need my own space. He will see through it, and then I'll be…""Okay, stop it, Mina. T
I walked into the dining room and found Emerson already seated with dishes laid out before him. He was waiting, arms resting on the table, looking out toward the windows. I moved towards him and placed my hand on his shoulder, before sitting down on his right."You haven’t started eating yet?" I asked, surprised."How could I eat without the woman of the house?" he replied playfully, reaching for my hand across the table. I leaned in, letting our fingers touch, as a smile crossed my face. His playful charm was always there, but now it felt different, there was a warmth that I hadn’t noticed before. Our eyes met, and I looked at him, feeling something settle between us.We ate silently for a while, exchanging smiles and throwing each other knowing glances across the table. There was no need for words. The silence felt comfortable, even intimate. I felt happiness in that moment I hadn’t expected. A sense of peace that I had been craving for so long.I was happy. I didn't think I would
Emerson and I sat in silence, the dining room still and our food untouched. I looked toward him hesitantly, sensing the emotions swirling inside him. I knew how much he loved and cared for his son, and seeing the conflict in his eyes, I understood just how difficult this was for him. He had just kicked Eric out of the house. Eric’s childhood home and that decision must have been so hard. To be honest, I was shocked when Emerson agreed to my crazy plan in the first place. I didn’t think he would actually follow through with it and agree to marry me. But he did. And now, here we were, with Eric no longer welcome in his father’s home. I could see the war raging inside Emerson.I feel so guilty for the way he must feel although it sent a zing of pleasure inside me to see Eric's face when he realized he had lost this round.“I’m sorry,” I whispered softly, my voice low.He turned his attention towards me, and he blinked as if surprised by my apology. “Why are you apologizing?” he asked,
The Black Wind scandal was plastered across most of the headlines. Everywhere I looked, the story seemed to be the same. Some of the headlines were vicious, accusing me of being a gold digger, sinking low and a social climber. Scattered among these were pictures of Emerson proposing to me yesterday, and people were astonished. They couldn’t believe that Emerson, the father, had suddenly gotten engaged to his son's ex-wife. The speculation about the Blackwinds was everywhere.The rumours were going hard with the news about, ThE FATHER-IN-LAW AND HJS DAUGHTER-IN-LAW.Some articles focused on the scandal creating a rumour between Emerson and Eric, suggesting that the two of them had shared women in the past and they probably continued with this behaviour after Eric's marriage to me. One particularly outrageous headline read, "This doesn’t surprise us. We’ve always known they share women. Eric would bring them home, and he and his dad would have threesomes with these women." I was livi
Emerson chuckled as he pulled me back towards him on the bed. "We are not at war. There is no war going on," he said, his voice teasing.I frowned. "It feels like there is."" There is no war, okay? This is all in your head," he said gently, tapping his finger slowly on my forehead. "You see? No one is at war with you...""They are! Have you seen the news?""I’ve seen it," he replied with a shrug. "But you're the only one on this path for revenge. Whoever wrote this nonsense probably knows nothing about what's actually going on. I don't think they did this to start a war with you, it just happens to be a juicy headline."I shook my head. "But the rumours, the speculations… Saying that you're sharing women with Eric? It’s ridiculous!""Nonsense," he agreed, a smile on his lips."I know, right? I mean, there’s no way they could think that, right? And then all the stuff about us going behind Eric's back, it's… it's absurd!""It is absurd," Emerson said, still smiling. "People will say wh
Emerson sighed, looking at me, and there was some flicker of vulnerability in his eyes. I hated doing this, turning his idea down, he probably planned a whole day, but I was being practical. I didn’t even know where this sudden idea of a date came from.“Fine,” he said after a moment, his tone defeated. “You know what? Focus. On your revenge, focus on what you have to do. I... I just thought maybe you needed to relax, and have some fun. I thought maybe we could spend some time together. But it seems like you're not in the mood for that right now, so... whenever you change your mind, I'm here."I smiled, feeling a bit sad inside, I did want to spend time with him…. but I had to put on a brave face. “I understand, a lot. I just know that when I go back to work, with everything that’s been said... and knowing Eric, I have to be ready for it. We'll do it another time, maybe next weekend? After we get through this first week back at work.”He nodded, though there was still a hint of disap