(Author's POV).Mike’s footsteps echoed off the concrete walls of the office basement as he made his way to his car. It had been a long, tense day, and all he wanted was to head home to Emily. The idea of seeing her brought a sense of calm he desperately needed after dealing with Ellen earlier. He couldn’t quite shake the uneasy feeling Ellen left him with during their conversation—her persistence and the way she lingered in his mind were hard to ignore.As he approached the dimly lit parking lot, something caught his attention. A group of employees, their laughter echoing in the underground space, stood huddled together near one of the cars. He would have brushed it off as some late-night banter if it weren’t for the sudden, piercing sound of a woman’s scream.“Help!” the voice called, trembling with fear.Mike stopped in his tracks, his heart thudding in his chest. He turned his gaze toward the group, now clearly seeing a woman in the middle of the circle, struggling against thei
(Emily's POV).“Well, I’m jealous after you told me about her, but that’s your past,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady, though the pang of jealousy was still there. The thought of Ellen, a woman Mike once had a fling with, sat uncomfortably in my chest. I didn't know her, but yes, every woman who had a relationship with him back then, although they were just bed partners - I felt jealous already.Mike looked at me, his eyes soft, as if he understood everything I wasn’t saying. “I get it, Love. I would be jealous too if I were you. But I promise, Ellen’s not going to get anywhere near me again. She’s not going to try to get attention from me either.”I rubbed his arm, feeling the tension ease out of me a little. “I’m not angry. Just… jealous,” I admitted, a small smile playing on my lips. “You’re mine, Mike. I don’t want any woman thinking they can come close to you.”A grin spread across his face, and he raised an eyebrow. “Does that mean you’re serious about coming to the o
(Emily’s POV).“Turn out you're here too. It's still hard to forget me to shop here when there are so many choices of places?” It was Ben who was suddenly somehow in the shopping center as well. He was in his suit like a billionaire, looking fine.Tsk! Of course, he was fine without me, he hurt me and chose that shameless bitch. Why would I expect him to feel sad? NO WAY!“This isn't the only one I visited, I just visited another place before, just so you know,” I replied calmly.I walked away from him, but who would have thought that he would follow me, by my side? It was a good thing Mike didn't join me shopping today.“So, are you married? That ring seems to prove something,” he asked, looking curious.I looked down at my wedding ring but I didn't flinch at his question. I thought I should instead make him hot by pointing out that I'm ultimately with the guy who's on top of him.“Of course, I am.”“How come? Would a man want to be with a woman who has nothing like you?” He mocked
(Emily’s POV).As I walked down the aisle on that long-awaited day, my heart overflowed with joy and anticipation. Finally, seven years of love and devotion to Ben had brought us here, to the moment we would tie the knot. I could see the guests smile through tears of joy, celebrating our love with us.“Breathe, Emily. Breathe,” I kept telling myself, whispering.My heart was beating fast and my hands were covered in cold sweat. A panic attack came to me but it was an attack of happiness that anyone would want to feel.I was nervous and kept breathing in and out as I became the center of attention of the staring guests. But this was what I had been waiting for in seven years of loving a man.And I arrived at the pulpit with my breath caught in my throat like someone had just chased me.However, dreams could turn to dust in an instant as I stared in a direction that destroyed my happiness all at once.The screen meant to display our journey together flickered with images that shattere
(Emily’s POV).Two days passed and I was still in an inexplicable situation. I was pacing back and forth between the hospital and home just to make sure that everything was still under control even though my mind was in complete chaos.Only Linda kept me company and made sure that I was okay. She even kept offering me help by introducing me to Mike's contact.And now I was holding his business card. I heard from her that our ages were quite far apart, about 10 years. I could imagine that he might be a famous person with a wrinkled face who was quite old. It was possible, right?I started to have a dilemma and kept thinking, should I call him? Or, should I just go to his office directly?My hands were really shaking but if I thought too much, then I wouldn't be able to find a way out. Anyway, according to Linda, Mike can help me. But I didn't know how Linda could be that sure when she said she didn't know Mike very well, but she often heard that Mike had a generous heart. Really?I fi
(Emily’s POV).As soon as I kicked them out, my father was in a dying state because it turned out that he saw everything without being able to move his body.His situation made me even more frantic and afraid of losing him as my only hope. The doctor even said that it would get worse if my father experienced acute stress.I also thought that my father didn't see at all because I thought he hadn't woken up yet, but in fact, he witnessed everything.I immediately entrusted my father to Linda when she told me that Jane had called a meeting that Ben would be the temporary chairman while my father was still in critical condition. And me ... I even got kicked out of the company for having a bad reputation that they made seem real, that there were vulgar photos of me spread around that they thought the company would lose if they kept me there."They're really sneaky" I said when Linda told me."Have you talked to Mr. Mike, Miss?" she asked.I nodded and swallowed. "I was just about to go ba
(Emily’s POV)."I will never love a woman like you, Emily," he said suddenly in the silence of the car.His voice was so cold and I felt like I was being directly humiliated by him. After all, I didn't expect him to love me."I know," I replied."So I'll just emphasize that no feelings should be involved in this marriage."I sighed heavily because I was feeling so sad all of a sudden. It wasn't just because of my situation, but because I was marrying a man who had turned cold so quickly.His tone which sounded so scary left me speechless.And once at his office, we got out of the car and he looked at me and sighed. "Chris is here, so come into my office," he said.I nodded and followed him into his office where a man dressed in a suit with glasses was waiting. He smiled at us and even shook hands with me. He looked kind … I guessed.As soon as I sat down in front of Chris, I saw Mike just sitting in his own chair, looking at me intensely and that made me feel nervous. And so Chris b
(Emily’s POV).“Can you pick me up now? At my father's office?” “I will be right there.”“I'm waiting outside.”Yes, the person I called was my husband, Mike. He always told me that whenever I needed him, I could call him. And now, I was trying to rely on him.My broken heart felt like it was breaking into pieces. The life I had hoped for was not what I had planned, and I even had to marry a man who was quite far away from me.His car stopped right in front of me and when I was about to open the front passenger door, he got out and opened the door for me.“Thank you.” I got inside after giving him a small smile.As soon as the car started, my heart skipped a beat. Ben—my asshole ex-boyfriend—rarely even opened the car door for me. He did do romantic things, but it was painful to remember that it was all just a drama he was acting out.“Did something happen to you?” he asked quietly when I didn't say anything.“Yes. That nephew of yours is sneaky.” I didn't hesitate to tell him how I