Three years ago, Emily married Aaron out of gratitude. She truly believed he respected her, cared for her, maybe even loved her. It wasn’t until later that she realized—he had never really let go of his ex. And the craziest part? She looked just like her. Time and time again, he left her behind for that woman. And finally, Emily understood something. A thousand days and nights couldn’t warm a heart that was never hers to begin with. All along, he had only been looking through her… searching for someone else in her shadow. If he didn’t love her, then so be it. She was done trying. But after the divorce, he came back—saying she was the one he truly cared about all along. His eyes full of regret, chasing after what he lost— But Emily just laughed. She wasn’t that quiet, invisible wife from three years ago anymore.
View MoreAt the hospital.
"Congratulations, Mrs. Lopez. You're pregnant. The baby looks healthy."
Emily gripped the report tightly. The doctor's words rang in her ears, and her face went blank with shock.
Pregnant? She was stunned—and thrilled. It felt unreal.
Her health had always been fragile, making it difficult to conceive. In the three years since their wedding, her belly had remained flat. She’d carried the guilt of not being able to give her husband a child.
And now, out of nowhere, the universe had decided to give her this gift—right on their third wedding anniversary.
Seeing the joy spread across Emily’s face, the doctor continued, "I’ll go ahead and set up your file. Make sure to bring the baby’s dad with you next time. A lot of things during pregnancy, he needs to hear too."
Stepping out of the exam room, Emily gently laid a hand over her still-flat belly. There’s already a little life in here. The overwhelming emotion finally reached her eyes. She blinked quickly.
I have to tell Aaron. Right now!
She instinctively pulled out her phone and tapped the first contact in her list.
But after just one second, the call dropped automatically.
That’s odd.
She thought about texting him instead. Her fingers started moving, but halfway through the message, she stopped. Then deleted everything.
No. She wanted to tell him in person.
Walking out of the hospital, she flagged down a cab and gave the driver the address of Aaron’s office.
It was right around lunchtime—perfect timing to surprise him and grab a meal together.
When she arrived on his floor, she noticed something off. The secretary’s desk, which was usually occupied, was empty. David’s probably out for lunch?
She glanced toward the CEO's office and saw the door slightly ajar.
Without thinking twice, she headed straight for it.
She rarely came to his office like this, but today… he’d be happy to see her.
She walked up to the door and raised her hand, about to knock—when a sweet, sugary giggle rang out from inside.
“Come on, just give it to me.”
It was a girl’s voice—soft, flirtatious.
Emily froze.
Then came a lazy, low male voice.
“Be good, don’t make a fuss.”
Her pupils shrank.
That voice—she’d never mistake it. It belonged to the man who slept beside her every night.
Aaron Lopez.
Her husband.
Blood surged through her body, boiling hot.
No. No way.
There had to be some kind of misunderstanding.
She forced her emotions down, lowered her hand from the door… and wrapped it around the handle instead.
Then she pushed it open.
The big office fell into an eerie silence. Only the hum of the AC remained.
And in the very first second, Emily saw it.
A woman was perched sideways in a man’s lap, eyes wide with innocent surprise, tugging playfully at his tie.
His loose, almost-falling-off tie.
The whole scene was… intimate. Way too intimate.
Emily felt like the blood in her veins reversed direction, rushing to her head. Her voice trembled.
“What are you two doing?”
Aaron’s brows knit together instantly, his voice sharp and cold.
“WHAT are you doing here?”
What am I doing here?
Emily bit her lip and swept her gaze across the two of them, her hand still gripping the doorknob so tightly her knuckles turned white.
Aaron gently patted the woman’s waist.
“Get up.”
She pouted, clearly not wanting to, but finally slid off his lap with a reluctant, “Fine…”
Once she stood up, her full face was in view—And Emily’s heart skipped a beat.
She couldn’t believe her eyes.
This woman… looked SO MUCH like her.
Similar bone structure, Similar body type, even the same hair color.
The only difference? Their eyes. The color, the shape—slightly off. But everything else?
Practically a mirror.
A memory flashed through her mind.
One of Aaron’s friends once joked that his ex looked a lot like her. She’d laughed it off at the time, never thinking twice.
After all, he married her. That meant he’d left the past behind.
And the past three years? Their marriage, their bond—It couldn’t have been fake… could it?
Aaron used to say how good she looked with brown hair. She’d dyed it again and again, even though she was naturally blonde.
In bed, he always blindfolded her. She thought it was just kink.
But now?
A wave of nausea slammed into her. She barely managed to slap a hand over her mouth.
“What’s wrong?”
Aaron’s voice, and the woman’s startled gasp, came at the same time.
Hold it together.
Emily repeated it to herself, again and again.
Stay calm. You’ve got a baby now. You need to be calm.
Aaron came over and tried to guide her to the couch.
He still cares. It was just a misunderstanding.That thought clung to her like a lifeline.
The second she looked up, she caught the woman’s gaze—sharp, smug, arms crossed over her chest.
That fragile little act from earlier? Gone.
She was behind Aaron. He couldn’t see. But Emily could.
Emily tore her eyes away and looked at Aaron, “Who is she?”
Her voice was low but steady. She locked eyes with him—desperate, clinging to the tiniest hope.
Just SAY it was nothing. That it’s not what it looked like. That he’s STILL the father of the child inside her.
But…
Aaron’s expression was unreadable. “You’re pale. I’ll get my assistant to take you to the hospital.”
The last thread of her sanity snapped.
Emily raised her voice, “I asked you—WHO IS SHE?!”
She stood, pointing toward the corner, her hand shaking. Her feet moved on their own, taking her closer and closer.
The woman blinked, startled for a second. Then her brows pulled together and she slipped back into her innocent act.
“Aaron…”
Her eyes welled with tears almost instantly.
Aaron, who had been standing behind Emily, moved fast—rushing between them with his arms spread out, facing his wife like a shield.
Like he was protecting the other woman.
“Emily, calm down.”
Calm down? He never called her that. He always said Em.
Now it was Emily?
Emily watched as the woman behind him reached out and touched his arm.
Her chest burned.
She let out a bitter laugh, “Is it really that hard to answer one question?”
Just yesterday, this man had been in bed with her—holding her, loving her.
Now? He looked at her like she was insane. Confused. Cold.
“It’s not what you think,” he said flatly. “Stop making a scene. Ami just accidentally sat on my lap. It wasn’t intentional. You’re overreacting.”
Ami…
Emily felt her heart freeze, piece by piece.
He waited until she snapped before offering an explanation—barely even that. He wasn’t worried about her. He was worried about that woman.
“You guys, please don’t fight over me… it’s all my fault…” Amelia tugged at Aaron’s sleeve, her voice soft and self-blaming.
Aaron sighed, turning toward her, “Don’t worry about it. Go home for now, alright?”
Emily’s fists clenched so tight her nails dug into her palms. Every word out of their mouths made her stomach churn.
She glared at them, her voice like ice, “You don’t need to leave. I’LL GO.”
The moment I learned the truth, it felt like something cracked open in my lead-heavy brain—shattering all that weight into pieces.Relief rushed in, wiping out everything else. We have a kid. Our kid. Sixteen weeks old, growing inside Emily.What the hell was I doing all this time? I felt sick with guilt. She dropped hints—twice—and I didn’t take them seriously. She must’ve been devastated, especially during pregnancy, when emotions run wild. And I, her husband, gave her nothing. No comfort, no support.So yesterday when she purposely didn’t tell me the baby was mine, I get it. She has every right to be mad. If she still feels anything enough to be pissed at me… that means she still cares.And if there’s even a little chance she does, I’ll give her everything I’ve got. Whatever punishment she thinks I deserve—I’ll take it.Thank God I found out before our divorce hearing. I still have a chance to make this right.I rushed over to her office building. This time, I didn’t go in—I just w
When I saw her standing next to another man, jealousy twisted me into someone I barely recognized. I snapped—I said things I didn’t mean, lashed out just to pull her attention back to me. I just wanted Emily to look at me again.She frowned, lips parted, but no words came. I pressed again, reminding her that we weren’t even officially divorced yet. She was still my legal wife!The air turned ice-cold between us, and just then, Amelia came out from the nurse’s room, all bandaged up. That’s when I remembered—she’d said she was hurt too.I glanced over. Her hands, her knees… she looked like she’d been through hell. She gave me a tearful look, saying she'd gotten hurt trying to save Emily.Whether it was true or not, I didn’t understand how Emily could just walk away without saying a word. She didn’t explain a thing, didn’t clear up the situation.So I stopped her.Before Emily could speak, Theo cut in, turning on Amelia: "Helped? Or pushed?"I froze. What were they even talking about? Th
At that moment, Leo came in to tell me Francie’s bar was opening soon. I suddenly remembered—right, I still had that card up my sleeve.I leaned forward, elbows on the desk, fingers laced together, and after thinking a moment, told Leo, “Pick a few nice bottles from my wine cellar and send them over. Clear one day next week—I’ll drop by.”After Leo left, David came in with updates on the new VP candidates. Two profiles. One had only worked locally; the other had spent the last few years abroad and even served as regional CEO of a fashion brand. She’d come back for family reasons. I paused on her résumé. Clean background. Solid experience. And most importantly, she came home for her kid’s education—people like that tended to be stable and responsible. I told him to bring her up for an interview.Mera made a good first impression right away—calm, observant, said little but took everything in. I locked it in: she’d be Lopez’s new Vice President.A few days after Francie’s bar opened, I
Regarding that front desk staff issue, I told HR to deal with it. If there really was any rude behavior, they’d know exactly what to do.At the same time, I got a letter from the court—a formal notification asking the divorce and to confirm our marital status.Of course I don’t agree to the divorce. So I just tossed those papers aside. I’ll drag this out for as long as I can. Time’s on my side.Meanwhile, the contract for the bar was finalized. I gave it a quick once-over—looked good and told my assistant to get Francie to sign it.The bar was originally a joint venture between Francie and his friend Jett. I had someone go chat with Jett—just hinted at a few “collab opportunities” and the guy folded like paper. No hesitation. Sold his friend out on the spot.He handed over his proxy rights for his shares, which meant I now had full control over that investment.It was just a $200K deal—basically pocket change to me. I didn’t want to resort to this, but I just wanted a way to get Emily
But Frank didn’t buy it. He even looked kind of pissed. Said, “You’re telling me everything you’ve done for Amelia is just out of gratitude?”To me, yeah. That’s all it is.I dragged on my cigarette, puff after puff, listening to them talk. They started saying they never expected Emily—who always seemed so soft, to be this firm about divorce.I muttered, not willing to accept it, “She just hasn’t thought it through yet.”Emily’s just pissed right now. Once she’s out there long enough, hits a few walls, realizes how harsh the world can be—she’ll start missing the quiet days of being a stay-at-home wife.Coming back is just a matter of time. There’s no way she’s living comfortably in that old, busted apartment.Frank said he was gonna call her, see if she’d come pick me up. I didn’t stop him.The phone rang in the private room. I held my cigarette, trying to look casual, chill. But when I heard her voice on the other end, my hand trembled just slightly.And just like that, whatever flic
But she said she didn’t need my consent anymore—I’d already signed it.I froze. What do you mean I already signed it?! I snatched the papers and flipped to the last page. There it was. My signature. Clear as day in the bottom right corner.How…?That thing she got me to sign last night—that was the Statement of Intent to Divorce?She had this planned all along. I actually fell for it. Was I a goddamn joke to her last night? Did she hate me so much that she could give herself to me like that—pretend everything was fine, just so she could slide the blade in quietly and walk away for good?She even said she didn’t want a cent, just that old apartment I bought her years ago. I couldn’t even process the rest of what she said, my eyes were glued to that damn paper.She said being my wife for three years meant something to her, that she’d put real love into this.And what about me? Like hell I didn’t! Every part of me in those three years was real.I stared at her—so calm, so empty. How the
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