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. You know it's not like that. You know I love you very much. Who is that dumb woman? It's just that we can't be together, Lola. You have my heart, but we can't get married. I'll keep providing you with anything you want. You know you always have me", he pacified her.
I cringed as I watched him pull her to himself. They shared a long kiss that made me cry.
Is that how much I was unwanted?
I turned back sharply and began to walk in the direction that seemed a bit familiar.
It turned out the house was traceable from where he had dropped me off.
Thoughts filled my mind as I wondered, trudged home.
It was quite a long journey but I soon got home. The lights were out as everyone had probably gone to bed.
I walked aimlessly around the house and found myself in his work space at home.
Suddenly, the wave of dizziness hit me, and I saw everything in doubles till they became very blurry, and eventually, everything became dark.
****
A low groan escaped my lips as my eyes fluttered open and adjusted to the bright light in the room.
I looked around sharply.
I was in my room with a drop attached to the back of my palm.
I tapped the bed weakly to draw the attention of the lady who sat hunched in a chair by the side of my bed.
"You're awake", Anna, my only close friend squealed, and she rushed over to hug me.
I gestured to her to ask her what happened.
"You lost consciousness in Eric's workspace," she explained, wiping her teary eyes.
I gestured to her to continue, and she smiled.
"You were rushed to the room, and the family doctor was called. Emily, you're pregnant", she revealed, and my eyes widened in shock.
That explained the weird feeling I had been having.
"He did not tell the family for some reason, though, Emily. I think Cecilia would be happy to hear that she finally has a grandchild on the way"
A downcast expression flashed across my face for a moment as I thought of having to abort this precious gift of mine again, but suddenly, my facial features were hard.
"You will have to abort it again because of Eric, right?"
I shook my head vehemently.
"Why not? You know he won't let you keep it. He's that heartless. The only option you have is probably to divorce him, which might not be the best-"
I gestured to her that I had made up my mind. I would rather save this living being inside of me than kill it to protect a marriage that was dead to me.
"You're getting a divorce?", she asked, quite bewildered at my decision.
I nodded, and she sighed.
"I understand, Emily. You've been through enough here"
Tears rolled down my eyes as I thought of the pain I had gone through living with the Wilson's after grandfather Richard's death.
'I'm sorry, grandfather. This marriage was just never meant to be!'
****
After dinner, I cleared the plates happily, though, in my weak state, as I thought of my freedom from this hell.
Thoughts ran through my head as I walked to Eric's room to tell him of my decision to get a divorce. He had just returned home since the dimner last night.
He should surely be happy about the divorce. I would no longer be an obstacle to his marriage to his girlfriend.
I considered turning around as I got to the door, but I mustered the courage to knock.
As the door swung open, I met his frowning face.
"What is it, mute?", he snapped coldly, and my heart froze in fear for a moment.
I coughed lowly before gesturing to him that I would like to have a divorce. I showed him the note I had written about wanting to get a divorce for emphasis.
As I looked up to his expression, I expected to see a look of excitement on his face, but his frown was deepened.
"Excuse me?"
He pulled me into his room and shut the door. For the first time, I was in his room. It had a navy blue theme and was dark.
I repeated the gesture, informing him of my decision to have a divorce. I told him I could not take it anymore and I would like to relieve both of us of this duty.
"What the hell? No way!", he snapped, shredding the paper which my decision was written on.
My heart raced!
Why did he not want a divorce? I was exasperated.
I tried to make him see reasons, but he just held my wrist tightly.
"We are not getting a divorce. Okay?! We made a now based on grandfather's last wish and you will not break it"
Tears spilt down my eyes in frustration. I tried to gesture to him.
"Just shut up! You are my wife, and you're doomed to be my wife. There is no escape. You can't leave me", he snapped.
A sinister expression flashed across his face, and he drank in my figure with his eyes.
"Talking about duties, you have to play your role as a wife tonight."
His hands began to fiddle with the zipper of my dress.
I sobbed, shoving his hands away in annoyance, but it only made him more determined.
He lifted me like I weighed nothing and there me on his huge bed, which would have been a comfortable place to sleep under different circumstances.
I wriggled, shoving his bare chest as he hoovered above me, but he was mad as well. I wonder why.
He was not the one who had no other family left after grandfather died!
I sobbed as I felt him ease himself into me.
He was not the one who lived as a maid and sex slave in this cold mansion!
I cried as he kept thrusting forcefully into me despite my defiance.
"You are my wife, and you can't do anything about it," he snapped, holding my face in his hands. He placed a harsh kiss on my neck.
I felt like I was going to pass out when he finally released into me and rolled over.
I cried bitterly.
Seeing a pen and a notepad on his bedside desk, I wrote him a letter, pulled on my clothes, and trudged to my room with a heavy heart to pack my things.
Eric would not stop me from leaving!
Emily's POV"The clients whose wedding we just designed for said to thank you personally, ma'am," Rachel called from the door of my office, and I lifted my head to face her.A pleasant smile broke out on my face. My customers' satisfaction was my satisfaction.I nodded at her in acknowledgement. "No problem, Rachel. It's a pleasure doing business with them", I replied dismissively, returning my attention to the papers I had been attending to on my desk."They sent me this for you, ma'am. They put in a good word for us to a family who have a huge wedding coming up", she said excitedly.She placed a copy of the wedding invitation on my desk and I stared at it briefly."Alright. Get stated on the research for aesthetics", I replied.She nodded and was about to exit my office when she turned back quickly."They also paid beyond the price we told them. They were that pleased, Ms Emily" she said, sounding excited."Oh! Okay", I said with a warm smile and she nodded excitedly before l leavi
Eric's POVI adjusted my jacket as I strode briskly across the large living room with my leather briefcase in my hand and a permanent scowl etched on her face."Eric, darling. Are you off to work?"My mother rushed over to me, placing her two hands on my arms as she tried to get me to slow down."But-We have not even talked about the wedding preparations," she argued, pulling me to a seat.I sighed.A wedding. That has been all that has been on her mind since Emily left. It made a splitting headache break out in my head.Lola could not have been happier when I had been made to propose to her and introduce her to the family. Her wish was finally granted, but it felt like my hopes had just been dashed.Any hope of being free from my mother's controlling grip would be dashed when I get married to Lola, who seemed to be under her spell. Any hope of finding and reuniting with Emily would be dashed, and the thought of that alone made my facial expression harden.I could not take it."I ha
Emily's POVI stared around in a daze at the buildings and the streets where I was once familiar with as they fleetingly disappeared.Nothing much had changed in the past five years.I recognised the street where the Wilsons mansion was as the cab drove past it. I was not planning to stay with them for the event. I would rather die than stay in the same house that held all my bad memories that I had locked away."Ma'am, we just passed the street you talked about. Where would you like to get off, please?"I thought about it for a while before giving Jim a pleasant smile. "Take me to the nearest guest house to this place," I ordered with a firm voice, and he nodded, stepping on the gas of the car.Thoughts of my daughter consumed me as i watched the houses and buildings on the side of the road disappear as we sped past them.Mia had made a fuss when she heard that I was leaving for work. She cried a lot, making me cry as well. I had never spent a day away from her. This was a new expe
Eric's POV"The cake has to be perfect; nothing like you have ever created. It has to be the most spectacular thing anyone has ever seen. It has to be talk-of-the-town gorgeous", my mother went on describing to the small but first-class baker who sat opposite her."Yes, ma'am. We deliver only the best, and yours won't be an exception. ""Listen to me, it was to be huge. Very tall. We are using a hall with large ceilings, so it has to be much taller than the couple or even the entrance to the hall. It will be bought in through the roof. It must have a grand entrance", she kept describing.The woman nodded, swallowing hard. "Of course"Lola interjected. "Make it pink, please. Pink and white with gold edges. Pink is my favourite colour. ""Pink," the woman noted audibly while writing into a book in her hands."Also, please add some tiny gold bells..."I zoned out of their conversation, which was going on in the li
Emily's POV I scoffed for the umpteenth time as I sat in the restaurant waiting for Max, who was running late. He had sent me a text to inform me of something which came up. He was twenty minutes late already. I drummed my manicured fingers on the table. I was grateful for the text from Ceclia Wilson that informed me of her change of plans. According to her, the groom would not be around. I was so glad that I did not have to go to the house that haunted me with bad memories that morning. It had been postponed to later that evening. "Hey, Emily," Max greeted hastily, plopping into the chairs with a sigh. "You're welcome," I drawled with a hint of sarcasm in my sweet voice. I did not appreciate being delayed like that. I would have probably drawn up some designs to show to the bride if I did not have to be here as Max had pressured. "I'm sorry I'm late. I had to finish up a couple of things at the office. It was urgent", he explained, and I nodded with a smile. "Okay
Eric's POVSnap!My pen snapped in half as I applied intense pressure to it with my thumb.Dammit!That lying and manipulating witch!My brows were scrunched as I glared at my laptop screen, seeing nothing but red.It was funny to think that I actually loved Lola and was willing to try to work the marriage out if I never found Emily.I couldn't believe I had not noticed the signs earlier. All her sickly sweet tones, her persistence, her pressure, her 'I love you's'. They were all fake.She was just a damn puppet in my mother's hands.My mother had gone far this time. She would really go to any length to ensure that she could control me and make me live according to her wishes and rules, but this was just the height!I had returned back to work the previous night immediately after I overheard their conversations. I just did not want to hear from or see either Lola or my mum anymore.My office was a rather satisfying place to stay than to stay anywhere close to those manipulating and s
Emily's POVI blew out a sigh as I went over my sketchpad, recalling the incident with Cecilia and Lola.(Flashback)"Emily?!"I stared her right in her eyes, which was something I would have been to scared to do five years ago. I did not give her a response. I just stared.She stared at me for a long while, expecting me to flinch or look away but I held her gaze with equal determination. I was not going to back down.Her face grew hard with frustration and then she looked away with a sigh. She shook her head."Your designs?", she asked with her hands stretched out, and I handed her the sketchpad confidently.She hummed as she went through it skeptically, her eyes narrowing and widening.She handed it over to me and swallowed. "You have quite good designs", she forcefully admitted and I smiled.Of course, I knew my designs were just the best.It had been my passion right from when I was under her nose five years ago. Those years of torment and hardship, I found solace in drawing from
Cecilia's POV"Good morning, Mrs Cecelia", my private investigator greeted from the other end of the line but I skipped the pleasantries."I need you to look up the profile of the CEO of Lily's designing empire, the woman planning my son's wedding outfits!"The anxiety and curiosity gnawing on my inside, caused me to snap at him. I heard him clear his throat on the other end."Of course, ma'am", he replied sharply."And I need it before the end of today. It is very urgent""Sure, ma'am. You can trust us"Crash!I just wanted to be sure of what was going on. I shoved the flower vase on my desk down in rage.How could it be possible the Emily is back? How could she speak? What was going on?I dialled Eric's line for the sixth time but he refused to pick. He had the nerve to busy my call at such a critical time.A knock came through and I felt my blood boil."Who is it?""It's me, mother", Lola announced with a soft voice."Come in"The door creaked open lowly and she walked in."Is ever