We went around the wedding reception greeting people, and saying hello to the guests at the party. Half of them were the company’s employees anyway. And since Emerson was the boss, the CEO and owner of the company, people couldn't help themselves as they came toward us, congratulating us on our engagement. We both knew that everybody invited here was either in the business, wanted to get into the business, or was some sort of associate. And since I was with the top dog, they might or might not agree with our engagement, but they couldn't help but congratulate us with a smile. They congratulated us with plastered smiles on their faces, saying how happy they were for us, but I could see in many faces they weren't exactly overjoyed over our engagement.Some were probably more jealous than happy, wondering how I managed to land a man who had been single for more than fifteen years of his life ever since his wife left. And then all of a sudden, he was getting engaged to me, after divorci
When I got into my hotel room, I thought that the first thing I would do was get a bubble bath and then go to sleep, but it wasn't. Yes, I did have a long, soothing bubble bath, but after I went to bed, I couldn't fall asleep. I tried falling asleep in every angle and every corner, but it didn't work. I was too high on adrenaline, and I decided to throw myself a celebration.I called room service and ordered myself two bottles of wine, a two-layered chocolate ice cream cake, and some much-needed food. I had lost contact with most of my friends when I got married to Eric because he always pressed me about my nosy friends and told me we should be focusing on building our family and the company. He wanted to prove to his father that he was capable so his father would retire early and let him run the company and I wholeheartedly supported him. What a fool I had been.The truth was I didn’t really mind distancing myself from those friends because Rita was there, and she was always the fri
Emerson looked away, rubbing the back of his neck and wiping his face as if to clear whatever confusion was clouding his mind. "I’m sorry," he said, his voice softer now. "I know how much you loved Eric, and it wouldn’t be the first time people got divorced only to realize they were still in love with each other. So yeah... I considered it." He admitted sheepishly.I was stunned, staring at him in disbelief. My mouth opened, but no words came out. A part of me wanted to scream, to yell that he had no idea what he was talking about. How in the hell would he think that?But instead, all that came out was a soft, "No.""No, please don’t tell me that you thought that," I said, "Please don’t tell me that you thought I would get back with that cheater, with that 'asshole.' Seriously, Emerson, give me some credit."I couldn't believe what I was hearing. The sheer audacity of it made me want to scream. "You think I would have married him if I knew what kind of man he would turn out to be? D
After I took a shower, I started folding my clothes and putting them into my bag. I didn’t know that it took too long until Emerson came in. He knocked twice on the door and then got inside.“What are you doing?” he asked me.“As you can see, I’m folding my clothes. You did come to pick me up, right? So, I’m folding my clothes so after we’re done, we can leave.”“Yes, but I was actually expecting you for breakfast. It’s getting cold. Come on, let’s go.”“I’m just about to get finished” “I’ll help you later,” he said, as he took my hand in his.The gesture made me feel so loved and cared for. I smiled at him as I let him lead me to the table. I sat down, and then we had a quiet breakfast. When we were done, I asked him, “Okay, so are you going to help me with my clothes?”“Yes, I think as we do that, we can continue our conversation.”That’s when I remembered what he had said yesterday. “Yes, that talk.” I sighed. “Alright.”As we walked towards the bed, he casually asked, "So, ho
We sat in silence for a moment, until Emerson finally spoke, his voice more serious than before. "What I really wanted to talk to you about is this marriage," he began. "I know that we’re not in love with each other….you’re not in love with me….and this marriage isn’t real. You’re only doing this for revenge."I nodded, unsure of where he was going with this."But I also want you to know," he continued, "when you make that vow and you’re married to me, you represent me, the Blackwind name, my company, everything that comes with it. I can’t have you making me stand there in public with my dick in my hands."His words made me smile, but I quickly stopped when I saw the look on his face. "Yeah, I understand. And I would never think of tarnishing your name. Or hurting you for that matter""I know," he said with a slight nod. "But it’s good to talk about these things. To have them out in the open, so there’s no confusion or misinterpretation later.""Okay, I get it," I replied, appreciat
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 can't believe this, but I know that it is true. It had all been right there, right in front of my face. Madeline's love for Emerson was so obvious. And her hatred for me. There were so many times she showed me how she hated me. But I chose to ignore that. I chose to ignore the things that I hated about her. The things that irritated me about her. I chose to solve it to feel good. I chose to try and find a relationship with her. Because my relationship with my mother was dead. So I tried finding it in this woman. This person I thought I knew. She had shown her disdain for me from the start, And when she wanted to hush things down with me, I was so happy. I felt like I had gotten my mom back.But when I was thinking that, this woman was planning my death. She was planning my downfall. Mine. And she didn't even care about this baby. This poor baby hadn't done anything towards her. She is dangerous. Who does that? Who hates you so much and smiles on your f
She lets out a long sigh. "So I went back into the kitchen to find the pudding. I met the waitress who needed help at the back of the house. I showed her where everything was, and when I came back inside… the pudding was gone...I thought maybe someone else had taken it."I nod slowly, the realization settling deeper within me. “That must have been when Treyson arrived and had taken it,” I tell her, my voice steady but shaking inside.“Yes, it must have been,” Rose agrees, her eyes wide. “But I didn’t know that at the time. So, I started rushing outside, thinking that you had already eaten it. And then I find you, you know, eating the pudding. I don’t even think about it. I just flash towards you and throw the ball away..."" And then you tell me not to eat it.”“Did I say that?” she asks, surprised.I nod, her face pained as she continues. “Yeah, maybe I did. But I don’t remember saying that either. I was just so focused on
"I tried to talk to her," Rose continues, her voice filled with regret. "I tried to tell her to forget about it. You were pregnant now. The two of you were planning to get married. After the pregnancy, Emerson was clearly taken by you. He was in love with you, and it was so obvious. He doted on you. You were so happy, and there was no question about the two of you being in love, about being a family."She pauses, looking down at her hands as if replaying the events in her mind."I tried to tell Madeline to see that. I tried to tell her to give up on this competition with you. I tried to tell her to forget about Emerson. He obviously didn’t love her. I mean, if they had been dating all those years, and he’d never shown her how he felt about her, then he probably didn’t feel for her that way."I try to process her words, but a knot tightens in my stomach."She wouldn’t understand," Rose murmurs. "And that’s one of the reasons she started shutting me off. I kept telling her that she shou
I shake my head. "Excuse me? You're wrong. Madeline and Emerson? No.... They can’t—he would have told me."Rose gives me a knowing look. "Would he, really?" She raises an eyebrow. "Do you realize how weird that would be? ‘Oh hey, honey, by the way, I was sleeping with the woman who works in my house before I decided to propose to you.’ Yeah, that would go over well."I shake my head again, more forcefully this time. "No. It can't be."She exhales sharply. "It is what happened. Why don’t you ask Madeline? Or better yet, ask Emerson. I’m sure one of them will fess up and tell you the truth."I feel my world tilting, my mind racing. This is too much. It doesn’t make sense. I keep thinking about Emerson. I keep thinking about Madeline. There were no signs. I would have seen something...I swallow hard. "It can’t be right."But a nagging voice in my head whispers—Would Emerson lie to me about something this big?Because if it is true, then I already know why Madeline would want me dead.R
"Yes, Mina. Yes, yes, yes," Rose hisses, leaning forward. "You know that Madeline hates you. She hates you more than anybody else in the world. Her hatred for you burns—it’s an inferno. Nothing can ever tame it. She hates you like I have never seen before. That’s how much she hates you."I clench my fists. "Now you’re trying to destroy my home, my family. After trying to kill me, now you’re going to try to destroy my home?" My voice trembles, my mind racing. "Madeline has been there for years. She has never done this. You just want to get in my head and alienate me from people who care. Why? Just because I’m not with Eric anymore? Because I’m dating Emerson now? That’s why she suddenly wants to kill me?" I shake my head. "I’m pregnant. I’m carrying Emerson’s baby. If she wanted to kill me, she had all the chances to. Why would she want to kill me now?"Rose scoffs. "Oh, I see. I must be lying to you, right? That’s what you think? After all, I want nothing good for you. All I want is
Rose starts laughing again, the sound hollow and sharp."Even if I tell you, you're not going to believe me.""Why wouldn’t I believe you?""Because I already told the police. I already told Tom. I told everybody. But nobody listens to me.""Tell me. I'll listen." I say calmly."Really?" She tilts her head, her eyes narrowing. "So I just tell you and then what? You don’t have any evidence against them. All the evidence points to me, doesn’t it? I’m going down for this.""Just tell me. Okay? Stop going around in circles. If you didn't do it and you know who did it, just tell me who did it."Rose’s eyes meet mine, dark and unreadable."You know what I can't believe, Mina?" Rose’s voice is sharp, her eyes burning. "It’s the fact that I actually saved your fucking life. And instead of being grateful, instead of thanking me for saving your life, I ended up in jail...."I swallow, my throat dry."I think the only reason I’m here is actually because I fucking saved you. If I had let you fini
Emerson sighs. I can see that he doesn't want to take me to see Rose, but he relents as he tells the driver to take us to the police station.We reach there, and Emerson goes through all the procedures, talking to the police and everything until we are given a chance to talk to her. I sit there waiting for them to take her to a room so I can see her, but after a while, the police officer—the detective working on the case—comes in and says that Rose doesn’t want to see me."Well, I want to see her," I tell him. "I want this."The detective exhales. "We’re already going out of our way. You aren’t even allowed to see her. We’re breaking protocol letting you see her, so if she doesn’t want to see you, we can’t force her."I look towards Emerson, who is standing beside me. "I want to talk to Rose," I tell him again, my voice firm.He sighs, then turns to the detective. "Detective, can we talk for a minute outside, please?"The detective looks at me, then at Emerson, before nodding and step
Mina rested her hand gently on her stomach, the other reaching for mine. Her fingers were warm and comforting, but the pain in her eyes still lingered."Please, Emerson, don’t blame yourself for this, okay?" she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "I didn’t know it could have happened, and you didn’t know it either."I shook my head, frustrated with myself. "I know, but I was just so surprised... I knew she didn’t like you, then all of a sudden, you came back, and she was all over you, pretending to care, acting like she was so happy about the baby. It should have been a red flag, but I didn’t know that. I didn’t know at the time, but I should’ve looked into it. I could have lost you if that idiot Trey hadn’t eaten your pudding."Mina’s expression softened as she reached up, cupping my cheek gently. "It’s okay," she said, her voice steady but filled with warmth. "I’m here, we’re here, the baby’s here. I just hope that we can be fine."
EmmersonMina was in and out of it, but by the next morning, luckily, she woke up. She was totally disoriented, her face scrunched up in pain, but the moment I saw her eyes open, relief crashed over me I immediately ran to the doctor, who came in and explained everything to her slowly. I watched her carefully, knowing exactly when her mind caught up with what they were saying. The moment they mentioned the baby, her entire body tensed in fear.She freaked out. Her eyes welled up, panic overtaking her pain.But the doctors reassured her. They told her that she and the baby were fine, but she would have to stay at the hospital for further monitoring. They needed to make sure the poison hadn’t caused any long-term effects on her or our unborn child.Mina broke down, tears streaming down her face.I hated seeing her cry. I leaned in, took her trembling hand in mine, and whispered, “You have to be strong, baby. You’re body