Chapter 2: The Beginning

Three days earlier…

“Atish!!!”

Emily shook badly again. She had sneezed so hard she was sure that her cheek would start bleeding again. The cold, coupled with the fact that she was wearing a sleeveless dinner gown which was certainly not intended to be worn in Winter without a coat.

Around Emily, the Thorne servants scurried about as they went about their separate business. Some were preparing the house for dinner, others were busy providing whatever the doctors asked for.

Not even the head doctor had spared her a glance even though he had known her for the three years she had been part of the family. Still, he was never her doctor - - no one considered Emily good enough to warrant an expensive doctor. Emily had been a member of the Thorne family for three years, but she might as well be less regarded than Hunter’s sister's cat.

She was nothing close to Carla, Hunter's sister-in-law. Unlike his hatred for Emily, Hunter loved Carla much more than anything in the world.

An hour ago, Hunter had come running in when he heard Carla screaming. He had scooped her up from the ground and taken her into the villa without sparing Emily a glance, before ordering for the best doctor in the city to look after Carla. No one in the family even thought of Emily as they surrounded Carla.

Finally, tired, hungry, and cold with a terrible migraine and bleeding, Emily moved from the porch where she had been waiting for information and dragged herself to her room wincing as she climbed the stairs. Her legs felt like they were made of lead as she forced herself to move, every step a painful reminder of the wounds she was trying to ignore. The cold air bit at her exposed skin, making her shiver violently, but she bit her lip and pushed forward.

The servants hurried out of her way, those who once who once greeted her with polite smiles, now barely acknowledged her presence, their eyes either avoiding her or filled with a disdain that made her skin crawl, some with disgust, others with so much pity in their eyes that tears clouded her eyes. She felt humiliated. The mansion, grand and imposing, felt like a prison to Emily. The cold marble floors, the high ceilings, the extravagant decor—everything seemed designed to remind her of her insignificance. In her room, Emily tried to shower, almost yelling out as the cold water touched her sores. Slowly, she wiped herself dry and applied lotion to the wounds, biting her teeth to avoid screaming. After she was sure the wounds would not get infected, she put on her pyjamas and an old sweater and then climbed into the bed to warm herself. She was so exhausted that by the time her head touched the pillow, she was sleeping.

……..

“Get the fuck up!”

Emily opened her eyes, blinking hard as the cold hard voice brought back her migraine. She grabbed her pounding head, only vaguely aware that someone had pulled off her blanket. When she realized the owner of the voice, she sat up quickly, almost spraining her back in the process.

“Hunter, I was waiting for information about Carla, how is she doing?”

In response, his cold eyes glared at her.

Emily understood what he was thinking. “Hunter, I didn't push her, I really didn't, she was… “

“Get up and follow me,” he growled.

“Why, where are we going? Please, Hunter, believe me, you know I would never hurt her or her child.” she pleaded.

“Do I?” Hunter sneered.

Emily had seen Hunter angry before, in fact, she could not remember a time when Hunter was not angry with her. But this time, his anger, no not anger, rage, scared her. She had no doubt that he would kill her if she pissed him off further. His bloody, burning eyes were enough to warn her. Emily’s mind flashed back to the early days of their marriage when she had foolishly believed that love could grow between them. She remembered the way he had looked at her on their wedding day, with a hint of a smile that she had interpreted as affection. How naïve she had been.

“You are going to grovel for forgiveness and I'm going to enjoy every bit of it,” he snarled. Without waiting for a response, he dragged her out of the bed and the room, like a piece of dirt he couldn't wait to get rid of.

Hunter was so angry he was pulling her hard, his hand was so tight against her wrist that she felt as though she could faint from the pain. Her feet barely hit the stairs as he dragged her down, blistering them badly. She kept on begging him, all her pleas falling on deaf eyes.

Until finally, Emily had had enough. Something inside her snapped as he pulled her along. She had been silent, submissive for too long. The pain, the humiliation, the realization that Hunter would never see her as anything more than a nuisance—it was all too much. 'Let go of me,' she demanded, her voice stronger than she expected.

“Let go off me,” She mustered up all the strength she had and pulled her hand out of Hunter's.

Hunter stopped and looked at her, shocked, but still angry.

“Because of you, my brother's wife almost died. Because of you, my unborn nephew is dead.” His eyes were burning into hers.

"Hunter, please believe me….” Emily pleaded.

Giving her one last glance, he muttered, “Save your lies for the family and the police.” And then he walked away, leaving her hobbled against the wall, badly hurting.

For three years, Emily had kept on hoping that Hunter would eventually love her, that he would come to see her for who she truly was - - a woman who had sacrificed everything to be with him. But now, as she stared at him walking away, she realized the truth she had been trying to avoid, Hunter had eyes only for Carla. From the very beginning. Emily had only been deluding herself and now, she was in this mess. Right in front of her eyes, Emily’s world began to crumble.