Joanne’s POVI sat by Emily’s bedside, my eyes fixed on the slow rise and fall of her chest. The rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor was the only thing that reassured me that she was still here, still fighting. My sister, one of the strongest people I knew, had been through so much. But this… this was different. It felt as though she was slipping further away with each passing hour.“Emily, please,” I whispered, squeezing her cold hand. “You have to come back to us.”I hadn’t left her side since she’d been admitted. It was sad that Eric had to rush off without seeing his wife hit it was for a good cause.Lola and Rico had to be stopped no matter what. I was glad that Tont and Eric were finally closing in on them. I just hoped to hear the good news that they had apprehended those sneaky snakes.Mia was asleep after I had lulled her with a lullaby. The last thing I needed was for her to see her mother in this state.Suddenly, the sound of her crying baby reached my ears, and I felt
Eric’s POVLola’s grip on Dante was ironclad, her hand steady as she pressed a knife to his kneck in a swift turn of events. Her face was a mask of cold determination, showing no trace of fear or doubt. The room was filled with Dante’s bodyguards, all standing frozen, unsure of what to do. The air was thick with tension, the weight of the situation pressing down on everyone."What the hell is going on here?" Dante gritted out unable to free himself from her choke hold.“Let me go, or I’ll blow his brains out,” Lola hissed, her voice low and menacing.I stood a few feet away, watching the scene unfold. My heart pounded in my chest, but I forced myself to stay calm. I had never seen anyone so cold and mean in their resolve, and it was unsettling. Lola wasn’t bluffing; I could tell by the way her hands wrapped tightly around the knife and edged closer to his skin, the sharp edge of the blade graxing his neck. This wasn’t a game to her. It was life or death.Dante’s bodyguards exchan
Eric’s POVI sat by her bedside, staring at her, and a sigh of relief escaped my lips, but when suddenly, her eyes dimmed. They didn’t light up with recognition. Instead, she squinted at me as if trying to place who I was.“Who are you?” she asked, her voice flat and cold.I frowned, thrown off by her question. “Emily, it’s me. Eric.”She tilted her head, her eyes bright with confusion. “Eric? Do I know an Eric?”For a moment, panic gripped me. Was this some kind of lingering effect from the coma? Had she forgotten me? My mind raced, trying to figure out what was happening, until I caught the twitch of a smile at the corner of her lips.Then, it hit me—she was pretending. This was probably her way of getting back at me for what I’d done to her months ago when I had pretended not to know her when I had awoken from my own coma, thinking it was the only way to protect her from the danger surrounding us. Ithad been a cruel thing to do, even if my intentions were to keep her safe. Now, s
Emily's POV Six months after.It was a warm and cozy evening when Eric walked into the room.I stared at his empty hands and my mouth tilted downwards in disappointment. "I thought you were coming in with my food," I pouted, my arms folded across my chest.He smirked and walked to my bedside and placed a quick kiss on my forehead, sitting beside me on the bed."I see I've become so good at cooking that you want me to be your private chef," he teased, poking my nose slightly and I rolled my eyes.I leaned closer and wrapped my arms around his necks while he wrapped his around my waist. This had become a new normal for us every evening."Let's eat out tonight," he offered. "A friend is opening this new restaurant and wants us to be one of his first customers."I pouted. "Then their food had better be as perfect as yours."His nose flicked mine and we both laughed. As out laughter died down, we leaned into each other with our eyes transfixed, but we were suddenly interrupted by the lou
After the ceremony, the reception was filled with laughter, music, and dancing. Mia twirled around, delighted to be part of it all, while Eric and I mingled with our guests. It felt like a dream, but I knew it was real. This was the life we had built together, after all the hardships, after the struggles.During the toasts, there was another surprise in store. Tony, who had been promoted for his incredible work in turning in Rico and Lola, stood up to make a speech. But instead of the usual brotherly words, he turned to Alicia.“Alicia,” he began, his voice uncharacteristically nervous, “you’ve changed my life in ways I never expected. You’ve become everything to me, and I can’t imagine a future without you.”There was a collective gasp as Tony dropped to one knee, holding a small ring box in his hands. “Will you marry me?”Alicia’s eyes filled with tears, and for a moment, she was speechless. Then, with a soft laugh, she nodded. “Yes, Tony,” she whispered. “Yes.”The room erupted in
Emily's POV. I felt the strange wave of dizziness hit me suddenly again as I went about my daily routine in my room in the mansion that I had come to know as my home. A wave of chills washed over me as I recalled the familiarity of this feeling. It was a few minutes past six am. I had woken up later than I should have. I rushed into the bathroom in a flash and emptied the content of my stomach. My hair stuck to my face as small beads of perspiration formed on my forehead. I dabbed my face with a small face towel and rushed back to the room. With weak hands, I picked up the hair brush that had been going through my hair before to resume, brushing my hair and packing it in a bun. Mrs Wilson, my mother-in-law, had instructed that my hair be styled before I stepped out of my room. It made me wonder if I was such an eyesore for her. She could barely stand my presence sometimes. I rushed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for the family. The table has to be set by six thirty. I
Eric's POV.We were to have dinner, a family tradition we held regularly, at a fancy five-star restaurant that screamed luxury and class.I walked towards the table we had reserved with Emily in tow.I tugged on the edge of my navy blue Armani tuxedo and raised my hand to look at my golden wristwatch. We were just on time for the dinner despite the mild traffic."Welcome, son", my mother greeted chirpingly and I nodded in greeting to her."Did you have to look like you just fell from a rose bush?", my sister, Alicia, snidely remarked, giving Emily a thorough once-over.Emily turned beet red and kept her head down, as she took a seat beside me.We had some extended family members around a as well. My mother's sister and some aunts were also around."Eric, dear, give your aunt Melinda a kiss", aunt Melinda cooed from her seat.I felt reluctant. Mushy reunions were not my thing. Nonetheless, I placed a soft kiss on her cheeks, keeping my expression blank."It's so good to see you. Look a
Emily's POV.I was downtrodden!He asked me to get out of his car so late in the night.I stood outside the car with its door wide open, and Eric's girlfriend sauntered over to the seat I formally occupied, brushing my shoulder harshly.The chilly air hit my skin, and I shivered slightly, standing beside the car."I don't know why you won't just divorce her!", the lady's voice was carried through the air to my hearing, and my heart shattered even more.It hurt enough that his mother was talking about our divorce already, but hearing this stranger talk about it as well made me want to scream in frustration."Baby, you know I can't. Not yet at least", Eric explained desperately, and she huffed in annoyance."You've probably fallen in love with her and spent want to be associated with me anymore," she snapped. I caught sight of her arms folded across her frame.Eric's face as he tried to make her see reasons with him made my stomach churn with an unexplainable feeling."Come on, babe. Yo