“Yes,” I said, though the answer felt all wrong. I didn’t know Jason well, apart from his impeccable work ethic and his loyalty to the company. Telling him anything about Eric would risk putting him in an awkward position between Emerson, Eric and me, and that wasn’t fair.“It was fine, Jason, really,” I said, brushing off his concern.He didn’t press me further, and we rode the elevator down in silence. When we reached the lobby, we walked out together, the sound of our footsteps echoing in the vast space. Just as we spotted Emerson’s car, Jason stopped, gently tapping my shoulder.I turned back toward him, confused. “What is it?” I asked himJason’s face had turned serious again. “I know today was tough, and I mean it—I’m serious about my offer. Emerson doesn’t have to know. If you need my help with anything, anything at all, please don’t hesitate to tell me. I’ve worked here much longer than you have, and I know how things work around here. If you ever need someone, just know I’
When I finally came to, I felt disoriented. For a moment, I didn’t recognize where I was, and panic began to rise in my chest. I nearly screamed, but then I felt the warmth of Emerson’s hand stroking my hair, his voice calm and steady.“Relax, Mina. It’s fine. I’m here. I am here with you. Relax,” he said softly.That was when I realized I was lying in his lap in the car. My head rested on his thighs, and his hand continued its gentle smooth pat from my hair to my shoulder. The tension in my body eased almost instantly, and I looked up at him, blinking away the remainder of my confusion.As I started to sit up, he helped me, steadying me as I adjusted to being upright. My Eyes shifted outside, and I noticed it was already dark.“What time is it?” I asked, my voice still a little groggy. “Why did you let me sleep for so long? Aren’t we going to be late?”“It’s fine,” he reassured me, clearly unbothered. “You’re not going to make us late. It’s just seven. You only slept for—” he glanced
I took a deep breath before I began. "Look, Emerson, it’s not what you’re thinking…. We weren’t discussing anything….." The words came out shaky, and I knew I sounded unconvincing. I was stuttering all over the place, unable to find the right balance between honesty and avoidance. I couldn’t meet his eyes and I was looking for something to say while running short.He watched me with those sharp, knowing eyes. “You don’t want to tell me, do you?” he asked suddenly, his tone calm but edged with a hint of something like disappointment or Frustration, I couldn't tell.“No!” I answered quickly, a bit too quickly. “It’s not that I don’t want to tell you, Emerson.”He didn’t wait for me to finish. He cut me off, his voice quiet. “We’re going to be late. It would be rude if we, as the hosts, kept Tina and her son waiting.” He opened the door on his side, stepped out, and without another word, began walking toward the house.“Oh my God. He’s mad,” I whispered to myself. The words felt foreig
I stood there, waiting. My heart was pounding as I listened to the sounds of him behind me, every small movement.Then I heard it—his swallow.It was subtle and I almost missed it but I heard it, it made me smile knowing I was irresistible to him. Then, in a gruff voice, he spoke words I didn’t catch and I held my breath, waiting for his next move.I could feel him standing behind me. My entire body went on high alert, and my senses heightened. The warmth radiating from him made me lean back ever so slightly towards him.I thought he was going to close the space between us, kiss me hard and probably throw me on the bed. I was envisioning a quicky before we went to dinner.But then, just as suddenly, he stepped back. It felt like being pulled out of a dream.I turned my head, my lips parting in confusion, but he was already walking out of the room, leaving me standing there.I took a deep breath, steadying myself before finishing the final touches of my look. My makeup was flawless, I
We had just finished our brief exchange of smiles when we made our way toward the front door. Suddenly, Madeline appeared out of nowhere, her face bright."Are you leaving?" she asked, her eyes scanning me before lingering on Emerson.Her gaze swept over Emmerson in a way that seemed more contemplative than casual. I supposed she was merely admiring the polished look he carried so effortlessly—a sight most were unaccustomed to seeing him share."You both look very good," she added with a small, appreciative smile."Yes," Emerson replied, his voice polite. "I’m taking Mina to dinner.""Oh, that’s so romantic," she said, her tone light, though there was a hint of something more to it. "I wish you would have told me. I already cooked dinner for you."Emerson’s expression remained unchanged. "It’s fine, Madeline. You can have dinner without us. I assumed Tom would’ve already informed you that we wouldn’t be dining in."She frowned briefly before she covered it with a small nod. "I don’t
The disbelief, I didn’t know how to move or what to say. I could do nothing but sit there, trapped between the past and the present that had just sliced me openIt was like he was saying that what Rita and Eric had done to me had been a good thing. That he thought what Rita and Eric did was actually a good thing. That this child they were having was some kind of fortune, a blessing in disguise because it was going to keep Eric grounded.And as he spoke, I realized—he wasn’t thinking about me. I wasn’t even in the equation. I wasn't in his mind then, he was only thinking about his son.In his mind, maybe Eric cheating, maybe Eric getting my sister pregnant while he was married to me, was ultimately for the best. Even if he wasn’t celebrating it outright, some part of him, deep down, was happy that it had happened.After all, I couldn't get pregnant. I couldn't ground him.I stared at Emerson. I could feel my pulse pounding in my ears, drowning out the noise of the restaurant. I couldn’
I felt the heat crawl up my neck as Trey’s eyes lingered on me longer than they should have. My cheeks flushed and I tried to wipe the smile on my face.Emerson cleared his throat sharply. I turned to him, and the look on his face made it obvious—he wasn’t amused by what was going on. He narrowed his eyes at Trey. But I was too angry with him for his earlier words to think anything wrong had happened here, so I looked away.Tina, oblivious to the tension at the table, leaned forward with a friendly smile. “So, Mina, are you back at work?” Her voice was warm and inviting, but there was curiosity there too.I shifted in my seat as I answered her. Emerson had told her I had quit. “Yes, I’m back,” I answered simply.“Why did you quit?” She hesitated. “I hope I’m not being too personal. It’s just…when we worked together, you were always so driven, so smart. I admired how focused you were. Hearing you left surprised me.”I forced a smile, brushing my fingers against the edge of the table.
"Please take your seat, Eric," Emerson tells him, his voice calm but edged.Eric, still chuckling, ignores him.As the waitress approaches, Eric grins like a child who’s just thought of the perfect prank. He turns to her and asks, "Hey, beautiful. Now I need your help with something and all you have to do is look and tell me the truth. Your honest opinion. Who do you think these people are?" Eric says as he gestures towards the four of us The waitress blinks at him, startled, her eyes shifting nervously. “Excuse me? I don't understand what you mean”“Come on. Honestly,” he says, gesturing broadly at our table. “Who do you think we all are? Who are they to each other, how are they connected to each other?”Her gaze darts between us. She is nervous and anyone can tell she doesn't want to be on the spot. “I...I don’t know.”Eric presses on. He’s never been one to back down from anything once he’s started.“Come on, take a guess. I’m serious. It’s just for fun. We are just playing a l
She looked at me with that twisted, dark smile, the one that told me she thought she had won. As if she had accomplished exactly what she came here to do. But she was still standing in my room, still breathing the same air as me, still existing in my space, and I couldn’t take it. The anger, the pain, the years of resentment came over me. My voice came out in a scream, raw and filled with fury. "Get out! Get out, get out, get out!" The door burst open. A nurse rushed in, followed closely by Trey. His eyes darted between me and my mother, concern into his face. "What’s going on?" he demanded. "Mina, what happened?" I pointed a shaking hand at Kristy. "I don’t want to see this woman ever again in my life!" My voice was hoarse, but I didn’t care. "I’ll get a restraining order if I have to. If I ever see you again, I swear I will make you regret it." The words cut through the air.
She looked at me for a long moment before speaking again."I am willing to give you another chance." She announced.A surprised cough escaped my lips. "A chance?" I repeated, narrowing my eyes. "A chance to do what, exactly?""A chance to prove that you have wished no ill for your sister," she said firmly. "To prove that you actually are part of this family."A disbelieving chuckle slipped past my lips, but my mother didn’t flinch. She pressed on as if she truly believed she held all the power in this conversation."You’re going to call Eric," she continued. "You’re going to tell him that everything that happened with Trey was wrong. You're going to talk to Trey and convince him to tell Eric that maybe he was lying. Just… find something. Make up anything. But make sure that Eric calls Rita, apologizes, and takes your sister back home where she belongs."She said it as if the matter was settled as if she had the final say.
By the time we turned back towards the room, we noticed that the doctor had already left. I guess there had been too much crying in the room. I found myself laughing. "I'm so happy, Emerson." He grinned, his excitement evident. "I'm even happier. You don’t know how I’m feeling right now. I want to—" He let out a breathless laugh. "I want to dance. I want to jump with joy. I want to scream it from the top of this building. I'm going to be a dad, Mina!" "And I'm going to be a mom," I said, my voice breaking as fresh tears welled in my eyes. Emerson's expression softened. "Oh my God, why are you still crying? I don’t think it’s good for the baby to cry so much." "I know," I sniffled, wiping my eyes. "I’m going to try. I really am. But I don’t know how to stop—I’m just so happy." At that moment, my stomach let out a loud rumble. Emerson chuckled. "Looks like our baby is hu
The doctor’s expression remained calm. “Did you drink every day?”I shook my head quickly. “No, not every day. Just occasionally.”Guilt flooded me. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry. I—I didn’t know I was pregnant.” My voice cracked, and the tears returned, burning the back of my eyes.The doctor placed a hand on my shoulder, squeezing gently. “Mina, it’s okay. You didn’t know.”I hiccupped on a sob. “But what if I—”“Listen to me,” she interrupted firmly, “You and the baby are healthy. Tomorrow, we’ll do a full examination, and so far, everything looks good. The important thing is that you know now. And because you know, I trust that you’ll take better care of yourself from here on out.”I sniffled, nodding, still feeling the weight of my mistakes.“But I need you to stop panicking, Mina,” she continued. “Stress will raise your blood pressure, and that’s not good for the baby. Right now, I just need you to focus on resting and
I just sat there, staring at Emmerson. My tongue felt heavy like it was weighed down by all that I couldn’t bring myself to say.“Come on, what is it?” Emerson urged, his voice softer now, careful. “Tell me whatever it is. We can go through it together.”But there was fear in his eyes. A fear that told me he was bracing himself for the worst.I opened my mouth, but no words came out.Before I could even attempt to find them, Trey spoke up. “We’re still waiting for the results. There hasn’t been a concrete answer yet.”Emerson exhaled, his shoulders losing a fraction of their tension. “What do you mean, concrete answer? What did the doctor say? What could it be?”“It’s fine,” I said quickly, nodding as I squeezed his hand. “Just wait for the results.”He looked at me, then at our intertwined fingers, and for some reason, my hands were trembling.Then he turned to Trey. “Treyson, can I talk to you aside for a minute?”Panic spiked in my chest. I clutched Emerson’s hand tighter. “No.
Trey looked at me, his expression unreadable, but there was something in his eyes—sympathy, maybe even sadness. His voice was quiet when he spoke again.“You’re pregnant, Mina.”I stared at him. The words didn’t make sense. They bounced around in my head, refusing to settle.“It’s not possible,” I said, a hollow laugh escaping my lips. It carried no joy, only confusion. “What are you saying, Trey? I can’t be pregnant. I… It’s impossible, okay?”I didn’t even know what I was saying anymore. My mind scrambled for explanations, for reasons..... This couldn't be true.Trey didn’t argue. He simply took my hand and placed it gently on the bed between us. His grip is grounding.“The doctors just confirmed it. You’re a hundred per cent pregnant.”“But how?” I whispered, shaking my head violently, as if denying it hard enough would make it untrue. If I accepted it if I let this idea take root in my mind, only for it to be ripped away later… I wouldn’t survive that. I couldn't.“They’re wrong,
I exhaled and looked at him. "Eric, you're just a bad human being. You slept with my sister, got her pregnant, and you were about to marry her. And not once did I attack you. Not once did I go to the papers and say, 'I broke up with Eric Blackwind because he slept with my sister.' That would have made headlines. I could have made a lot of money from your Betrayal. But I didn’t."I shook my head, disbelief coursing through me. "But the minute you found out I was with Emerson, you—" I scoffed. "You acted like I had committed murder... As if I had done something that deserved a death sentence. You acted like the real person that, deep down, you really are."Eric bowed his head, his voice barely a whisper. "I'm sorry. I know I'm not a good person. I'm selfish and arrogant. I'm all those things. I'm evil. I am all that you accuse me of and more"His fingers curled into fists, his jaw tightening before he spoke again. "And you know I didn’t want to divorce you.
"You!" Rita’s voice sliced through the air like a dagger, her finger trembling as she pointed at me. "This is all your fault!" She accused, her voice filled with bitterness.I blinked, frozen. "What did I do?""You did this to me!" she screamed, her face filled with rage. "You turned Trey against me! And now you’re turning Eric against me too! You’re turning everyone against me!" She cried bitterly.I stared at her in shock and disbelief. "Are you serious?"Her chest heaved. "It was always you. Always you!" she spat. "Mom always complaining about you. Dad would always talk about how smart you were, and how nice you were. It was always Mina this, Mina that! It was almost like I was invisible."Oh. So that’s what this was about.I exhaled sharply, shaking my head. "So this is about our childhood?" I asked, arching a brow. "About how you felt ignored while mom never spared me a glance? Did we have the same childhood? Mom adores you.
"Don't say that," Rita cried, her voice cracking with desperation. "Please, don't say that."Eric’s face remained cold, without any emotion. "You destroyed my life." His words were sharp, cutting through the air. "You told me you loved me. You promised me a family because you knew how much I loved talking about having a baby of my own, about having a family. But you? You were never who you pretended to be."Rita shook her head violently. "No, Eric, please—""What were you after, really?" Eric went on, his voice filled with disdain. "Always speaking ill of Mina behind her back, always trying to turn me against her. Now I see your true colours. I don’t know if it’s the hate you have for her or if it’s the money you were after. Because you spent more money than Mina ever did while we started dating until we got married, you spent ten times more. And I let you—because I wanted you to be happy. But to realize this about you now....?"His jaw clenched as he exhaled."No, Eric, stop saying t