I broke down.I cried heavily, sobbing as if I were at a funeral as if someone had just died—because, in a way, it felt like they had. My whole life was breaking apart, shattering into pieces I didn’t know how to pick up.When I divorced Eric, I had a plan. I threw myself into work—divorce, take revenge, move on. That was the pattern. The process. And after I got through it, I had a clear direction, a goal.But right now? Right now, I had nothing.Because Emerson had broken me in a way I couldn’t even explain.How do I explain it to someone else when I can’t even understand it myself?And it hurts. It really, really hurts.So I cry. And I cry until I can’t anymore.And then, right there on the floor, I just stay there. My body is still. My eyes open. Tears already dried up. Just lying there, staring, but not really seeing anything.Then—A knock on the door.Madeline."May I come in?"She usually just bursts inside after knocking, so something must be different this time. Maybe she he
I start walking past him, determined, but he doesn’t move. He just stands there, blocking the doorway.I sigh, frustrated. "What is this? What do you think you're doing?" I ask. "Are you going to stop me? What are you going to do? Hold me here against my will? Keep me hostage in your house?""No, that’s not what I’m doing," he says quickly."Then please," I say through clenched teeth, "get out of the way."He steps aside, but his eyes are pleading, his hands slightly raised in surrender. "Wait."I stop and look at him."Okay, fine," he says. "If you want to leave, fine. You can go. I won't stop you."I scoff. "Emerson, I thought that was obvious. I came here of my own free will. I will leave here of my own free will. I wasn’t asking for your permission.""Just… hear me out. Please."I fold my arms. "Okay, what is it?""You want to leave? Fine. But you don’t have to leave this way. It’s late," he says, glancing at his watch. "It’s the middle of the night—one in the morning. There’s no
"Mina, I don't want you to leave," Emmerson says,I lift my face, looking at him in surprise. Did I hear that right?"I don't understand," I say, confused. "Are you going back on the words you said to me yesterday?""No," he says quickly. "I really think we need some time apart. Not just you—me too. I need time to think about everything .""So, you were lying yesterday?""What?" he asks, clearly caught off guard."Yesterday, when you told me this was all about me, you were lying." I narrow my eyes at him. "So it’s not just about me. It’s about you too. You don’t know how you feel about me, and now you need to step back and figure it out? So this has been all about you the whole time.""No, no. That’s not what I meant." He exhales sharply, rubbing his temple before looking at me again. "What I meant was, I realized a lot of things about you, about us. And those realizations have nothing to do with how I feel about you. Because what I feel for you—it cannot be challenged. I have no doub
Emerson’s jaw tightens, but he holds his ground. "Yeah, I get it, Mina. You don’t want my money. But you can count it as a loan if that makes you feel better."I shake my head, "It’s not about feeling better, Emerson.""But listen," he presses on. "You want to leave this house and go look for a hotel? How long will that money sustain you? And a motel? Come on, Mina. Then what? You’re going to rent a place? Do you have enough for the deposit and the first month’s rent? You’d probably need a roommate to afford it. Or are you planning to move into some rough neighbourhood just so you don't have to stay here?" He pauses, his voice dipping lower. "Or what? Are you going to go home to Mommy? Move in with your sister?"I snap. "How dare you?" My voice comes out sharp, cutting through.But before I can unleash everything boiling inside me, he cuts me off, "Mina, you’re a smart woman. We both know that. Just think about what I’m saying. You know I’m right."I scoff, shaking my head in disbel
"Okay, just calm down. You're getting a little ahead of yourself here." Emmerson says halting my thoughts and dismissing what I said.I stare at Emerson, my blood boiling. "Do you really think so? I'm getting ahead of myself here? Is that what you think now?" I let out a bitter laugh, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, please, just tell me what's next. Since you're the one in control of everything, why don’t you go ahead and tell me what I feel? What I think? What I should do?" My arms fly up in frustration. "You’re just going to plan my whole life out for me, aren't you? Even though you don’t want me, even though you’re not with me anymore, you still want to control me!" I find myself raising my voice with every word.Before he can respond, there's a knock at the door.Knock, knock.We both freeze, our argument hanging heavy in the air. My breathing is uneven, my chest rising and falling as I glare at Emerson.Knock, knock.And then—Madeline’s voice.“Mina? Emerson?” Another pause
EmmersonAs Mina left, angrily, not sparing a glance or looking back towards us, I was still down on my knees. But this time, I wasn’t filled with desperation—I was filled with relief.At least she wasn’t leaving.At least I would be sure she was close and taken care of.I knew how her mind worked. When she was angry, she just did things and acted on impulse. I just needed her to cool down and understand what I was saying to her.I was doing all of this for her.Even if it killed me in the end.If we got married now, I would keep asking myself—did she truly have real feelings for me? Or would she always have Eric in her heart?Even though every part of me wanted to ask her to come back, to take her back so everything could return to normal, so I could hold her in my arms again and be with her, I knew this was the right choice for both of us. This would be good for us.And if she did decide that she wanted me, if she chose me in the end, then that would be the best thing to ever happen
I wonder if Eric ever really saw it—how happy I had been with Mina.I wonder if he could tell that the fact there is no wedding, whether that means I’m with her or not, is tearing me apart inside.And I wonder if he even cares.Does it matter to him if what Mina and I had was real? Does he care that she made me happy? Or is he only focused on himself, on what he thinks he’s won?The thought lingers, heavy in my chest.But I don’t want to entertain him, so I say, “I’m glad that you’re happy. Can you leave now?”Eric grins wider. “I brought you a gift.” He pushes the box closer to me. “I knew you weren’t going to marry her. I just knew. I was like, my father? To do that to me? Hell no! And I tried to tell people that you wouldn't actually marry her, but they didn’t believe me. Can you believe it? I just knew it. Thanks, Dad.”He stands up, still shaking his head, convinced of his own delusion. “I just knew you were always going to be on my side. I just knew you wouldn’t choose her ov
I know Tomas here under the title of a butler, but in reality, I hired him as security. He started as a bodyguard, but having visible security inside the house made things uncomfortable. So, he took on the role of a butler to keep people at ease.No one expects a butler to be security. No one suspects that he watches over everything—over the house, the estate, the staff.He's the real manager of this place, the one who keeps it all running.And over the years, we’ve formed a kind of friendship.I wouldn’t say I have many real friends, people I can truly talk to, be my true self. But Thomas—he’s different. Sometimes, when I have things weighing on my mind, I talk to him. And over time, he’s proven to be very wise and have very good advice.So, yes. He became family. A friend. Someone I trust.If I were asked to name my closest confidants, Thomas would be one of them.Now, as he steps into the office, his face is grim.He doesn’t need to ask why I called him here.He already knows.And
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