Novels by Elimgold

~EmiliaI stood outside Valerie’s house, staring at the big wooden door. My hand shook a little as I knocked. Once. Twice. I waited. The street was quiet, only the faint sound of children playing far away. No response came from inside.“Valerie?” I called softly, pressing my ear closer to the door. Still nothing.I pulled out my phone and dialed her number, pressing it hard to my ear. It rang for a while, then the line went dead. I tried again, and this time it didn’t even connect. I frowned, staring at the screen like it could give me answers.I sighed. “Maybe she’s out,” I muttered under my breath. My feet shuffled on the pavement, uncertain of what to do. Standing here made me feel more restless, so I turned around slowly, heading back home.As I walked, that car I had noticed earlier kept popping in my head. The shiny black one. The loud sound of its brakes still echoed in my ears. A strange feeling twisted in my stomach. I didn’t want to admit it, but deep down, I had a t

~AdrianMy phone rang a few minutes later.The sound cut through the silence of the night like a blade. I hesitated, staring at the screen glowing on my nightstand. A wave of irritation washed over me. Who the hell was calling at this hour?When I finally glanced at the caller ID, the annoyance drained from me in an instant. Max.I sat up straight, pulse quickening, chest tight with expectation. If Max was calling at this time, it meant he had found something.I snatched the phone. “What is it?” My voice was rough, harsher than I intended.“There is something important you need to know, sir.”Something in his tone made the room tilt around me. My mouth dried up, and my hand went to the back of my neck, pressing hard as if that would steady me.“Say it,” I snapped.“It’s about your wife… Emilia.”The world seemed to shrink in those seconds, the silence pressing in until I could hear only the blood pounding in my ears.Max drew a breath. “Before she married you… she was in a relations

~EmiliaBy the next morning, Adrian’s mother had gone.I didn’t know if I should be glad she was well or worried that she would return to her games. With her, nothing ever felt simple.I found Adrian standing on the balcony, staring out at the city like he was searching for answers in the tall buildings and the busy streets below. The sunlight spilled across him, golden on his skin, making him look almost untouchable.When he turned and smiled at me, my heart jumped in my chest like it always did, but I kept my face calm.“Your mother is gone,” I said quietly as I walked closer, joining him at the railing.He didn’t look upset. Instead, he just nodded, his hand brushing against mine like he was reminding me that I wasn’t alone.“I’m sorry,” I muttered, twisting my fingers together. My stomach was in knots.“For what?” he asked, frowning slightly as he pulled me closer to him.I didn’t know how to answer. Everything felt like my fault, even though I hadn’t done anything wrong. Before I

~EmiliaI don’t know what it was about that woman, but every time she looked at me, I felt like I was standing in the middle of fire.Adrian’s mother had this sharp way of staring, like she could see through me, into places I didn’t even want to look.That afternoon, she came into the kitchen, her heels tapping the marble floor so loudly it made my skin crawl. She didn’t waste time.“Emilia,” she said in that voice of hers, firm, like she was the queen of the house. “Go on and make us something to eat. I want to taste food made with your hands.”My mouth opened, but Adrian was quicker. He was leaning against the counter, his hands in his pockets, casual, but his jaw was tight.“Mother, we have a chef for that. That’s why I hired Emilia. She manages things, she doesn’t need to cook.”I wanted to nod and hide behind him, because that was the truth. Cooking wasn’t my job. And to be honest, I didn’t even want to touch a pot in front of her—something about her eyes made me nervous.But she

~EmiliaA loud female voice interrupted my sleep the next morning.“Shut up! I am your mother and I know what’s best for you!” the voice rang, harsh and commanding, echoing up the stairs like thunder.My heart jumped in my chest. I blinked rapidly, the heaviness of sleep still clinging to my lashes. For a moment I thought I was dreaming until I heard Adrian’s deep voice responding, soft, pleading.“There is no need to raise your voice… Besides, I am an adult. I can handle my marriage issues.”“Marriage?” the voice scoffed with venom. “You haven’t even told the family where you brought that girl from!”I sat up immediately, my breath catching. My robe lay carelessly at the foot of the bed. I grabbed it with trembling hands and wrapped it tightly around me as though it could shield me from the storm raging downstairs.“Mum, can you at least bring your voice down?” Adrian pleaded, but his efforts were useless. Her anger was too strong, too raw, too sharp.I swallowed hard, legs shaky a

~EmiliaMy hands were shaking so badly that I could hear the faint rustle of the envelope against my trembling fingers. I swallowed hard, staring down at it as though the thin paper might suddenly grow teeth and bite me. My chest rose and fell in uneven breaths, my throat felt dry, and there was this heavy silence in the room—so heavy that if a pin dropped, I was sure it would sound like thunder.Adrian was sitting close, watching me with those sharp eyes of his, but I could not bring myself to meet them. My fingers struggled with the seal of the envelope until it finally tore open. The sound echoed in my ears. My stomach twisted. With a deep breath I pulled out the folded paper inside.My eyes landed on the heading, and at once my knees weakened. My whole body stiffened as though I was glued to the floor. The letters blurred before me, my mouth opened but no words came out. Heat rushed to my cheeks, and yet my skin felt cold all over.“What is it?” Adrian’s voice cut through the