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113: The Morning I Let Go
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2025-04-07 10:03:17
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Married To The Billionaire I Hate   114: Everything I Couldn't Tell Emily
Cole's POV.I waited until Emily was fast asleep before walking down to the living room. The penthouse was quiet, just the soft hum of the central system and the occasional creak of the old hardwood floors beneath my feet. The city outside glittered through the massive glass windows, but inside, it felt calm. Almost still. For once.I didnât expect anyone to be awake, but there she wasâĶEvelyn, Emilyâs mother. She was seated on the edge of one of the couches, a glass of red wine in her hand. She looked up when she heard me, offering a faint smile. The same kind Emily gave when she was trying not to show she was tired.âCouldnât sleep?â I asked.Evelyn shook her head gently. âNot really. Been thinking too much.âI paused, then walked to the bar and poured myself a drinkâĶjust whiskey, neat. I didnât need anything fancy. Just something to take the edge off.âJoin me?â she asked.I nodded and took the seat across from her, setting my glass down on the table first before settling back into
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-04-07Married To The Billionaire I Hate   115: Therapy
Emily's POV.The room felt too quiet, too odd for my liking. I couldnât focus on the soft hum of the air conditioning or the click of the clock on the wall. All I could focus on was the therapistâs eyes, calm and steady, staring back at me like she could see every single layer of my pain, of everything I was trying to bury. Cole had suggested therapy. He wasnât trying to fix meâĶhe wasnât trying to âfixâ anything. He just thought I needed someone else to talk to. Someone who wasnât him.I was afraid of what this might bring out. Afraid of what Iâd have to face.Dr. Goldstein had this way about herâĶsoft, yet firm, like she knew exactly what I needed to hear, even if I didnât. I donât know why I agreed to come here. Maybe it was the constant ache in my chest, or maybe it was because Cole kept looking at me like he wanted to help, but couldnât.âSo, Emily,â Dr. Goldstein began, her pen resting against her notebook. She looked at me, patient, waiting. âWhatâs been on your mind lately?âI s
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-04-07Married To The Billionaire I Hate   116: Unfinished Business
Emily's POV.The letter came in the middle of the afternoon, slipping through the mail slot like it didnât belongâĶno return address, no identification at all. I didnât even have to open it to feel the weight of its presence. My stomach twisted. I didnât need to know who it was from; I already had a sinking feeling in my gut.I reached down and picked it up slowly, holding the plain envelope in my hands. The paper was thin, the kind that felt wrong between your fingersâĶalmost too soft, too delicate. It didnât fit. Not with everything that had happened. Not with everything Iâd gone through.I ripped open the envelope with shaking hands. A photo slid out, hitting the counter with a dull sound that echoed in my head. I didnât have to look at the face to know who it was. Vanessa.She was still out there.My heart skipped a beat. The photo was recentâĶtaken within the past week, maybe even days. She stood in front of some half-lit building, her expression as cold and calculating as ever. But
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-04-07Married To The Billionaire I Hate   117: On Alert
Cole's POV.I didnât sleep that night. Couldnât. My body was lying in bed next to her, but my mind was already at war.Emily, as usual, slept like a damn hurricane had passed through her. Arms sprawled, lips parted, hair a tangled mess against the pillow, breath steady. I watched her, eyes tracing the curve of her back under the blanket, her hand curled protectively over her belly.Two months.She was carrying our child. And Vanessa knew.The photo still sat on my desk downstairs, the back of it burned into my brain. "We're not done yet, Emily."I got out of bed, careful not to wake her. Her nose twitched a little when I moved, like she sensed it even in her sleep, but she didnât stir.By the time I reached my office, it was past 2am. I didnât turn the lights on. I liked the quiet. The dark. It let my thoughts run.I poured myself a drink but didnât take a sip.The room felt too empty. Too quiet for what I was about to do.I pulled the blackout curtain. Tapped a code into the wall. A
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-04-08Married To The Billionaire I Hate   118: To Protect Her
Cole's POV.The room was dark except for the soft glow of the city lights peeking through the windows. My eyes blinked open slowly, groggy at first, then sharp the moment I heard her.Emily.She was twisting under the covers, a soft whimper escaping her throat. Then another. Her fists clenched the sheets, legs tangled. Her face was wet, mouth trembling, brows pulled together like she was in pain."No... no, please... don't..."My chest clenched.I sat up instantly, pulled the covers off her slowly, careful not to startle her. Her breathing was shallow, fast. She turned her face into the pillow, still trapped in whatever nightmare had her.I slid my arms around her waist, pulling her carefully into me, like she might break. Her body was warm but cold sweat stuck to her skin. I pressed my lips to her temple. "Shh, baby, you're safe," I whispered. "I'm here. It's just a dream. You're home."She jerked slightly, breath catching in her throat. I rubbed circles into her back slowly, kept my
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-04-08Married To The Billionaire I Hate   119: Her Rage
Vanessa's POV.I didnât need anyone to tell me something was wrong.The knock came slower than usual. Three soft taps. Not urgent. Careful. I already knew what it meant before I pulled the door open.Nico stood there with that faceâĶthe one he wore when something had gone terribly wrong. Like everything had changed.My stomach twisted."What?" I asked, voice dry.He hesitated, his eyes moving toward the small, dim lamp in the corner of the abandoned office space we now used as a safehouse. This place stunk of bleach, old dust, and regret. The carpet was torn. The windows sealed with thick curtains. It was the kind of place where ghosts would feel at home. A fitting place for a fugitive like me."Itâs done," he said. "They caught him."My heart stalled.I took a slow breath, stared at him. "Who?""The guy feeding us Coleâs movements. The driver. The one you bribed days ago."I shut the door and turned around. My fingers trembled, just a little. But I walked with purpose. Sat down on the
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-04-08Married To The Billionaire I Hate   120: Three Shots, One Heart
Emily's POV.I knew what Cole was doing, even though he didnât say it out loud. He wasnât the type to spell things out when his actions already screamed what his heart was trying to say. He saw the way my eyes were drifting too often to the windows. He caught how my fingers always hovered over my phone screen. The nightmares. The way I snapped at him over breakfast yesterday because the eggs were too salty when they werenât. I knew he saw it all.So when he knocked on the bathroom door and said, âYouâve got ten minutes or Iâm dragging you out in sweatpants,â I smiled. It was a genuine one. Not forced. Not rehearsed. Just a small smile that told me... he was trying to bring me back.And maybe I needed that.I stepped out of the bathroom, hair still damp, wrapped in a towel. He looked up from where he was tying Smithâs shoelaces, and the second our eyes met, his face softened.âHey,â he said, standing.âHey,â I murmured back, letting my towel drop to the floor to grab the outfit I laid
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-04-08Married To The Billionaire I Hate   121: The Price Of Love
Emily's POV.I didnât even remember how we got into the ambulance. Everything happened too fast. There was blood everywhereâĶon my hands, on his shirt, on the floor of the van. Coleâs blood. His body was limp on the stretcher, eyes shut, lips pale. My hands were still clutching his like if I held on tight enough, heâd open his eyes and smile at me and tell me he was okay. But he wasnât.âColeâĶ pleaseâĶplease donât do this to me,â I whispered, barely breathing, tears rolling down both cheeks. âYou said youâd protect meâĶ but not like this. Not like this.âThe paramedics were talking over each other, one pressing gauze against the wound, another yelling into a radio. I couldnât keep up. My chest was burning. I felt like I was going to throw up.Smith sat beside me, his face frozen like a statue. He had stopped crying. He just kept staring at Cole with wide, terrified eyes, like he couldnât believe what was happening. Like he couldnât believe the man who hugged him this morning and teased h
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-04-08
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Married To The Billionaire I Hate   131: The Dance That Stopped Time
Smithâs POVThe Hart Enterprise 50th Anniversary Gala was perfect.Every inch of the ballroom screamed success. The walls, lined with art and gold accents, reflected the soft shimmer of crystal chandeliers. The air smelled faintly of expensive perfume and fresh flowers, the latter arranged in massive, white-topped vases at every corner. I surveyed it allâĶtook it in from the balcony before stepping down to join the crowd below.It was a night that I had meticulously planned. Years of hard work, of seeing opportunities and risks like no one else, and now, it all led here. Every seat in the room was occupied. Every person invited was a mover, a shaker, an influencer. The type of people who understood what it meant to be at the top.I adjusted the cuffs of my black tuxedoâĶcustom-made, obviously. Not a thread out of place. My watch gleamed under the soft lighting as I looked out at the sea of faces below. The night was unfolding as I had imagined. Every detail was perfect. Every piece in p
Married To The Billionaire I Hate   130: The Seduction Strategy
Stevie-Louâs POVThree days.It had been three days since we lowered my father into the ground.Three days since I stood beside his casket, dressed in black, staring down at the man who raised meâĶsilent and still beneath a polished wooden lid. Three days of hearing strangers murmur things like âHe was a good manâ and âSo sorry for your loss,â as if their condolences could glue together the splintered mess inside my chest.They couldnât. Nothing could.The grief was a living thing. It clung to me like a second skin, heavy and suffocating, curling around my lungs every time I tried to breathe. I sat curled up on the sagging couch in my apartment, wrapped in my fatherâs old flannel shirt, my knees tucked under me like a scared little girl. A single candle burned on the coffee table. SandalwoodâĶhis favorite scent. The flame danced, throwing shadows against the walls, soft and flickering. It was the only light I could stand. The overhead bulbs were too harsh, too alive.Jeremy, my boyfrien
Married To The Billionaire I Hate   129: The Cost Of Detachment
Smith's POV.I leaned back in my chair slowly, the leather squeaking. I didnât speak. Just stared at James.His hands were twitchy. Fidgety. Like he didnât know what to do with them."Is that all?" I finally asked.He blinked. Like he expected me to say something else. Anything else."Yes, sir. I just thought... you should know."I scoffed. "Why?"He flinched. "Well, he worked here since before you were born.""Exactly," I said, cutting him off. "Which means he had years to prepare. Retirement fund. Family. Friends. A damn GoFundMe if he wanted."James didnât speak."You think it was my job to save him?" I asked, eyes narrowing.He shook his head quickly. "No, sir. Of course not.""Good. Because it wasnât. This isnât a charity."The silence in the room tightened. James looked at the floor."He was desperate," he mumbled.I stood up slowly. Walked around the desk until I was a few steps from him."Let me ask you something, James. If I give 1.3 million to a dying man with a bad heart, h
Married To The Billionaire I Hate   128: Deadlines And Dead Men
Smith POV.I was 27. Young. Cold. Successful. Ruthless.CEO of the Hart Enterprise.People feared me. And that was fine. Fear keeps people in check. I didnât have time for emotions or second chances. Not in this world. Not in business. One mistake could bring it all crashing down.I sat behind my office deskâĶblack, cleanâĶjust like everything else in my life. The skyline of New York stood outside my glass window. Everyone out there had a dream. I was already living mine. But it didnât come easy.I wasnât even supposed to be here. I wasnât meant to exist.My father, Richard Hart, never wanted me. He wasnât married when he met my mother, Lena. His first wifeâĶEmilyâs motherâĶhad already left him. Walked away. No cheating involved. That chapter had ended.Eight years later, he met my mother. It was just a one-night stand. Nothing more. A stupid decision. When she found out she was pregnant and told him, he turned into a monster.He tortured her. Pressured her. Told her to get rid of me.But
Married To The Billionaire I Hate   127: Part 2
Married To The Billionaire I Hate Part 2Synopsis:Stevie-Lou Parkerâs world shattered the day her father, a loyal employee of Smith Hart, died after being denied a loan for his treatment. Smith Hart, the ruthless billionaire, refused to help, and her father paid the price. Consumed with rage, Stevie-Lou swore revenge on the man who caused her familyâs downfall.To get close to him, Stevie-Lou went undercover, hiding her true identity. She lied about her name and used a disguise so Smith would never suspect she was the daughter of the man whose death he had caused. Using her beauty and talent as a skilled dancer, Stevie-Lou captivated Smith with a performance that left him wanting more. He fell in love, believing she was just another woman to add to his collection.But for Stevie-Lou, this was never about loveâĶit was about revenge. She married him, planning to strip him of everything he held dear: his wealth, his power, his empire. What Smith didnât know was that Stevie-Lou wasnât alo
Married To The Billionaire I Hate   126: Epilogue
Emily's POV.Six years later.I couldn't believe how much everything had changedm..and how much I had changed. I used to be a woman who could take on anything with a smile, fighting tooth and nail for what I wanted, getting my way, keeping my guard up. Now, I was a wife, a mother to two wild kids who were way too much like me for comfort, and I was somehow still trying to find the balance. Cole and I had two little monsters. I meant that in the most loving way, of course. A five-year-old girl who thought she knew everything, and a three-year-old boy who was already calm enough to be mistaken for a mini version of his father.I looked over at Mia, our daughter, as she flipped through her book on the couch, muttering to herself. âMom, you know you canât just say things like that. The truth is likeâĶâ She paused, squinting up at me, â...itâs like a key. It opens doors. And if you donât have the key, well, youâre locked out. Simple logic. Honestly.âI blinked, my fork halfway to my mouth
Married To The Billionaire I Hate   125: The Endgame
Emily's POV.I could feel the tightness in my chest as I walked into the hospital room. The usual weird smell of the hospital hit me instantly, but it didnât matter. My feet were heavy, like each step took more out of me than it should. I didnât know what I expected walking in here, but seeing him like thisâĶinjured, bruised, bandagedâĶwas almost too much.Cole was sitting upright in the bed, his broad shoulders hunched slightly as he adjusted the position of the IV that was attached to his arm. His face, though familiar, looked a little different. His skin was pale, almost sickly, and his hair was messy, falling loosely across his forehead. His eyesâĶthose eyes that could melt anyone with a single glanceâĶwere narrowed at the screen in front of him. His left hand was holding a small tablet, and I saw the footage of the trial. It was the video of what happened in court âĶVanessa, shackled, dragged in like she was nothing. I saw the shot of her standing in the courtroom, struggling to keep
Married To The Billionaire I Hate   124: Five Life Sentences
Vanessa's POV.They brought me in through the back. Shackled. Dressed in orange. I could feel every damn eye in that courtroom the moment the doors opened.Phones were out. Cameras. People whispering. Judging. Hating.I used to walk through halls with power in my step, people hanging onto my words, afraid to cross me. Now, the guards shoved me forward like I was nothing. Like I wasnât the Vanessa Monroe.The courtroom was colder than I remembered. The lights too bright. Too many people. Too many eyes. My throat was dry, and not a soul here gave a damn.The judge didnât look up as I was led to the defendantâs table. He was flipping through a fileâĶmy fileâĶthicker than a Bible.I sat. Hands cuffed. Ankles chained. Heart racing. Face burning.And then I saw her.Emily.Sitting there in the front row like she owned the damn place. Like she wasnât two months pregnant with the child I tried to erase along with her.Her head was high. Shoulders back. Lips painted blood red. Her arms crossed l
Married To The Billionaire I Hate   123: A Good Sign
Emily's POV.Hours passed. Again.The ICU lights didnât dim. Nurses kept coming in and out. Adjusting tubes. Checking monitors. Writing things down without saying a word to me. One of them offered me a blanket. Another brought me water I didnât touch. I couldnât drink. Couldnât eat. My stomach was twisted into a hundred knots.Cole hadnât moved.Not even a twitch.I kept waiting for something. A flick of his fingers. A twitch of an eyelid. A miracle.But the machines kept beeping the same way. Monotonous. Cold. Consistent.My fingers stayed laced with his. Even though he couldnât squeeze back.The door creaked open again.Footsteps. Not rushed. Not hesitant. Just... steady.I turned, and there she was.Lena.Smith's mom.She looked like sheâd driven straight from hell to get here. Hair in a bun that had long since given up. Dark circles under her eyes. Clothes wrinkled, boots dusty. Her eyes locked on me, then flicked to Cole. Her jaw clenched."Is heâĶ?" she didnât finish the question
