~~~~
For a long moment, I just stood there, staring at the land, the reality of it sinking in. The warmth of the sun kissed my skin, the scent of soil and fresh greenery filling my lungs.
This wasn’t just a piece of land—it was a future, a life I never thought I’d have but here we are.
I turned back to Eric, my heart still racing.
“No, I’m not joking,” he said, his voice firm. “Since you’ll be dealing with the entire company and not just me, we need to make this formal. After this, we’ll need to drop by the office—there are some documents you’ll need to sign.”
He trailed off, and then burst into laughter when he saw the expression on my face.
“So, I’m guessing you like it?”
“Like it?” I let out a breathless laugh, my chest tight with an overwhelming joy. “I fucking love it, you crazy man!”
&ldquo
~~~~~TWO WEEKS LATER“I'm tired of being too serious all the time. Nothing wrong with acting like a baby once in a while.” I let out a dramatic sigh, dropping deeper into the mattress like some tragic heroine in a period drama. Today made it exactly two weeks since Eric left for that sudden meeting.That night, after dropping me off, he called—sounding way too serious for my liking—saying the meeting had taken an unexpected turn. Apparently, he had to catch a flight to London that very night. And when I, in my most patient, understanding, and totally not annoyed voice, asked how long he’d be gone, he casually dropped two weeks like it was nothing.Two whole fucking weeks.At the time, I had sighed naturally, waved my hand, and said, “Fine, go.” Because I was the supportive wife or whatever.Now? Now, I was regretting my entire existence.I missed him—his presence, his teasing, even his stupid little smirks that made me want to both kiss and strangle him.But on the bright side, I was
~~~~I stared at her like she had grown two heads. “I don’t know… maybe some busboy or a security guard? How the hell am I supposed to know who got your bitch ass pregnant?” I snapped.She let out a dry, humorless laugh. “Hah. Very funny,” she spat, rolling her eyes. “Well, since you couldn’t guess, let me spell it out for you…” She leaned in slightly, her smile stretching wider, almost taunting. “The man who got me pregnant is none other than Eric Black—my one and only.”My stomach twisted, but I didn’t let it show.“What?” I barked. “Is this some kind of joke?” My hands clenched and unclenched at my sides. “It’s not funny.”“Oh, I wish it was,” she said, her tone suddenly shifting. “After spending a week in the hospital because the meds I normally take for my health suddenly started me
~~~~I sat there, frozen. My body felt like it had turned to stone, but inside, everything was breaking. My chest ached like someone had reached in and ripped my heart out with their bare hands. The room felt smaller, suffocating, the walls pressing in, squeezing the air from my lungs.And then—he walked in.Eric.Nora shot up the moment she saw him, relief flooding her voice. “You’re here,” she breathed out, like his arrival could magically fix what had just happened. “Can you please explain what’s going on… so we don’t misunderstand?”He didn’t even acknowledge her. His eyes were locked on mine, reading the devastation painted all over my face. In two quick strides, he was in front of me. Then, without hesitation—he dropped to his knees.“My love…” His voice was soft, careful, pleading. His hands found mine, warm and firm, as if he thought holding on tight enough could keep me from slipping away. “I don’t know what Diana told you, but please, don’t believe her lies.”Lies.That word
A Few Months Ago~~~~Eric got into his car with a heavy heart, but his gaze still remained on the towering Lockwood Empire building. Diana was right. There was a time when they had been inseparable, when no one—not even his own parents—could have torn them apart.If someone had told him back then that he’d one day feel nothing for her, he would’ve laughed in their face. But here he was, sitting behind the wheel, feeling... nothing.Well, almost nothing.He couldn't deny that he still cared for her, but that was all it was—just care, a leftover feeling that held no warmth, no depth. The love he once had for her, the kind that had consumed him, was gone. Now, her presence felt suffocating, her voice grating, her pain... an inconvenience.Still, he hated seeing her like this.Cursing under his breath, he pulled out his phone, hesitating for just a second before dialing her number."Hope I don’t regret this..." he muttered.The line rang, and then—“Wow, Eric,” Diana’s voice came through
Present Day~~~Eric slumped onto the sofa, his head in his hands. His heart pounded against his ribs, each beat packed with regret. He could still feel the haze from that night, the dizziness that crept in after taking that damn drink. Then—blackout.And then, her.Diana. In his bed. Naked.His stomach twisted at the memory. He couldn’t recall how it happened, only that it did. But the rage he felt that morning? That, he remembered clearly. The way his entire body shook when he saw her lying beside him. The way his voice broke with anger when he threatened her before storming out.And yet, here he was, drowning in the realization that his happy life was about to end.She wanted to destroy his home. His marriage. His life.His mother was right—he needed to do something before it was too late.Eric shot up from the sofa, his jaw clenched as he headed for the door. But before he could re
TWO WEEKS LATER~~~Nora let out a heavy sigh as she sat beside Mary’s bed, watching the fragile figure that hadn't moved much in days. If she didn’t know better, she would have thought Mary had passed away—she barely ate, barely spoke, barely even reacted to anything. It had been two weeks since everything unraveled, and yet, Mary remained stuck in this same spot, lost in a silence that worried Nora more than she wanted to admit.She hadn’t heard from Eric. The only update she got was from Doctor Rex a few days ago—he confirmed that nothing unusual was found in Eric’s blood. Still, he had taken extra samples just in case something had been missed.Nora sighed again and shook her head. “Oh, come on, Mary. How long are you going to stay like this?” she asked, nudging Mary’s arm gently. “It’s a beautiful morning. The birds are chirping, the sun is shining. Get up already.”**
~~~~We stepped out of the restaurant and got into the car. He started the engine, and soon, we were on the road.Despite the cold wind rushing through the window, my insides burned. The music blared from the car speakers—so loud that passing vehicles could probably hear it—but it wasn’t enough to drown out my thoughts.No matter how hard I tried to push it aside, the pain lingered. Eric was nowhere to be found. I hadn’t asked about him, but he hadn’t bothered to come see me either. No messages. No calls. No attempts to explain or persuade me.I guess that’s how much I meant to him.I swallowed hard, forcing back the tears threatening to spill. I loved him. He was the first man—besides my father—that I had ever truly loved. My mother only ever loved one man in her life, and I thought it would be the same for me.But I guess true love doesn’t exist.I shook my head, pushing the thou
~~~Ignoring the many eyes staring at me, I sat quietly on the sofa.“Hmmm.” I sighed, scrolling through my phone. “It’s a beautiful day!” I smiled to myself.Just then, the so-called boss’s phone rang. He glanced at me, then back at the screen. After a few rings, he finally picked up.“Hello?” His voice was low and hesitant. “What? No, sir… I-I didn’t… it wasn’t—”I couldn’t hear the other side of the conversation, but with how his face kept losing color and the way he suddenly shot up, trying to explain himself, I knew one thing—Big Joe had worked his magic.For the next few minutes, there was nothing but yelling, frantic excuses, and a lot of cursing. Then, the call ended abruptly.I turned my head toward the boss, and damn—he was sweating buckets.“Wow… You look pale. Are you okay?” I asked with a forced smile.Sam, who had been watching the scene unfold, frowned. “Boss? Is everything alright?”The man let out a shaky breath before collapsing back into his seat. But then, as if jo
Continuations~~~~~~By the time morning came, I woke up feeling like I’d been hit by a truck. My muscles ached from all the running around, and mentally, I was just drained. I needed a moment. I needed to breathe.Without thinking too much, I got up and headed to the bathroom. “I’m beat,” I murmured as I slipped out of my nightwear and sank into the bathtub. There’s nothing more relaxing than soaking in rose-scented hot water. It’s heaven—like my bones were finally sighing in relief.I stayed there longer than I planned, just letting the heat melt everything away. When I finally got out, towel wrapped around me, I caught sight of the chaos I left behind the night before—twenty different outfits scattered across the bed.I sighed again.The thought of going to Black’s Enterprise had kept me up most of the night. It’s been months since I last saw Eric. And after that little stunt I p
~~~~~After that day, I spent the following week with my family—taking them out, making sure they got used to the new environment.I still needed to convince my mother that this place was far better than that dump.Although, to avoid confusion and the media, I had to take them to places where I wasn’t well recognized, always covering my face with sunglasses.Despite the fact that my family was here, and I was happy seeing the way Lisa and Lora’s eyes sparkled at the sight of the new clothes, shoes, and accessories I got for them, I couldn’t shake this feeling deep in my chest. Despite the joy of being reunited with my family, I felt... disconnected, like I was smiling on the outside but drowning inside.Since that call from Nora, my mind and heart have been a storm of confusion and guilt. I pretended to be okay for the sake of my family, but no matter how many times I told myself to focus on them, my thoughts kept circling back to Eric.I worried about his health. I wondered if he wa
Continuations~~~~~~My ring… my wedding ring.I thought I’d hidden it well.He held it out to me, his hand hovering in the air, while I just stood there, staring at it like it had grown teeth. My fingers didn’t move.Sighing, he gently took my hand and placed the ring in my palm. Then, keeping his hand over mine, he looked straight at me.“You’re grown now, Mary. And there’s a part of you—no matter how much we love you—that we no longer know,” he said calmly, but with a heaviness in his voice that only a father could carry. “Still, no matter how old you get, there are some decisions you shouldn’t make without talking to us first. You know that, right?”Shit. He figured it out just from the ring?“Yes, Papa… I do,” I murmured, nodding. “And I promise, when the time is right, I’ll tell you everything… all the parts of me you don’t know yet. But please, for now… just don’t tell Mother. Not yet.”“Of course,” he said gently. “I’ll wait until you’re ready to talk. But don’t take too long,
~~~~But of course, my mother wasn’t done. She never was. She always loved having the final say.Just to confirm my suspicion, she turned back to me, arms folded and tone firmer than ever.“Yes, I’ll say it again… we’re not settling here,” she stated with finality. “After we’ve saved enough, we’re going back home—and that’s final.”“Okay, I know I’m not supposed to interrupt when the elders are talking, but…” Lisa cut in, raising her hand a little.“Sorry, but I’m not going back to Chicago,” she announced plainly.“Me too,” Lora added quickly. “I like it here.”“Enough,” Mom snapped at them, her voice sharp. “This isn’t up for discussion.”I turned to my father, desperate.“Dad! You’re not saying anything. Are you seriously going to let all
~~~~For the first time in years, I felt safe, loved, and at ease—this was truly where I belonged. In my mother’s arms.“Mother… Mo… ther… Oh, Mom!” I wailed, like a child who had been abandoned, even though I was the one who had left.The years of separation, the pain, all of it came rushing back, and I couldn’t hold back anymore. Slowly, I lifted my head from my mother’s chest, and I saw Lara and Lisa frozen in place, both of them crying, smiling through their tears.“Hey…” I managed to choke out, raising a shaky hand toward them. “Don’t leave me hanging,” I whispered through a tearful smile.“Sis…” Lisa and Lara cried, their voices breaking as they rushed toward me.And then, we cried together, the weight of all the years apart crashing over us like a wave.Then there were heavy footsteps, and my heart lurched at the sound. “What’s going on? I heard screams,” my father’s voice rang out, followed by the door bursting open. His worried expression turned to confusion as he looked from
~~~~As I got closer to the top of the stairs, I could hear laughter and chatter coming from one of the rooms—the twin bedroom. The room I had specially prepared for Lisa and Lora. I should’ve felt joy, but instead, all I felt was fear.Funny how I felt more scared seeing my family again than I did standing in front of the whole world defending Eric Black’s unfaithfulness.I paused for a moment, catching my reflection in the windowpane. I had never felt so small, not even when I was still the innocent little Mary.Yes, I looked more beautiful now—refined, mature, confident—but for some reason, the thought of meeting my mother’s eyes made my knees weak. She was my mother, the woman I grew up watching, learning from, and admiring. But if she found out what I had done—how I’d gone against everything she and Dad raised me to believe in... I couldn’t even imagine what would happen.Worse still—
~~~~Sam took a deep breath. If it hadn’t been for the fact that he witnessed how she overpowered his boss with just a single call, he wouldn’t have believed her to be connected to a powerful man like Eric Black of the Black Empire, let alone being his wife.Of all the celebrities he had come across, who seemed to control wealth without needing to be told—just from their appearance, their cars, and the guards surrounding them—you could tell they held wealth beyond your wildest imagination. That was why, when he first saw her and heard that she was a Black, Sam had questioned it and even thought she might be a scammer. How could someone with so much wealth to rule the world be so simple? He would never understand.While Sam was still deep in thought, Mrs. Johnson appeared out of nowhere, scaring him out of his thoughts.“So, how long do we have to wait here?” she asked.“Jeez, woman, don’t do that!&rdq
~~~~Lockwood Mansion“Hahaha! Oh my God! My stomach—ha-ha!” Ruth, Diana’s secretary, laughed so hard she collapsed onto the floor, clutching her sides. “I swear, that woman is a superwoman! Jesus—did you hear everything she said?” She gasped between breaths, turning to Diana.But Diana was far from amused.“How dare that bitch!?” she roared, her face contorted in rage. She stormed around her lavish apartment, knocking over a glass from the coffee table. “I’M NOT A DAMN DRUG ADDICT!” she screamed.Still laughing, Ruth wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “Did you see the way she flipped everything on you and that reporter? I mean—damn! That was brutal.”Diana whirled around, her glare sharp enough to cut steel. “You’re not helping,
~~~~For crying out loud, where should I even start? I questioned myself as the eyes around the room seemed to be pressuring me into saying something. This is what everyone’s been waiting for, no doubt. Even though I promised to make Diana pay, I never expected her to reveal this much.What should I do?“Mrs. Black?” Berry called, smiling that smug smile.I turned to her calmly. “Yes?”“You’re silent?” she said, her tone sharp.“That I am!” I replied just as calmly.“Why? Is it that you don’t have anything to say, or should we just count your silence as you agreeing with it being true?” She added, her words dripping with sarcasm. “Not that it is not.”Take a deep breath, Mary. You’ve got this.“You don’t have to count my silence for anything,” I said, my voice steady. “I was just wonde