She said Aaron didn’t want the baby…
Francie sat slumped in the waiting area, hands covering his face, Emily’s desperate tone still echoing in his ears. In the end, he hadn’t been able to bring himself to make that call to Aaron.
Why wouldn’t Aaron want the baby?
That thought kept circling his mind. He wanted answers—but he also didn’t want to cause Emily more grief. That baby… was his niece or nephew now. Family.
“You're sister’s okay, right?” Ruth rushed in, nearly breathless.
Francie looked up, frowning. “You shouldn’t be running like that, your heart…” he started, then softened. “She’s fine. Everything’s fine.&rd
Married life with Emily turned out better than I expected. My grandfather and mom both liked her, and she was willing to go along with everything I planned. I don’t know when it started exactly, but every time she listened to me—every time she followed my lead—I felt this deep, satisfying sense of control.Whether it was her quitting her job to be a full-time housewife, or how she tried so hard to get pregnant because she knew I wanted a big family... it all felt like everything in my world was perfectly in place. Coming home was peaceful. Safe. She felt completely mine.And truth is, I did my best to meet her needs too. The things she asked for were simple—more time together, dinner with friends, just stuff like that.One night, after having dinner with her friend Georgia and Georgia’s husband, Emily was wiped out and fell asleep right away when we got home. A text came through on her phone. I was just gonna put it on silent—but I saw it was from Georgia, and something just told me t
Aaron's POVI still remember—it was winter that year. Miserable and grey as hell. Second year of college. That was when my dad passed away.It was sudden. By the time I rushed to the hospital, he was already under a white sheet.I couldn’t say a damn word. I just remember my mom standing there in all black, calm as stone. Her expression didn’t look like someone who had just lost her husband. She was so cold, it was like the man lying in front of her was just some stranger she barely knew.I hated her. Honestly, I did.She never said it outright, but I always knew she thought my dad was useless. To her, he was a man who spent his life painting instead of making money, someone who added zero value to her business empire.But to me, he was everything. He was the only one in the family who ever knelt down to talk to me. Who sat beside me while I painted. Who let me choose my own likes and dislikes. While my mom was always busy running the company, it was my dad who raised me. He gave up
In the CEO’s office, an empty coffee cup sat on the desk beside a half-drunk energy drink. From a distance, Aaron looked composed, seated upright like always. But up close, the red veins in his eyes and the dark shadows underneath gave away the truth, who knew how many nights he hadn’t slept properly.Mera was one of the few people who still approached him like everything was normal. She handed over a thick document. “Here’s the proposal for next season. Need your sign-off.”The words next season hit Aaron like a slap. Emily had been gone for over two months. Two damn months. She’d fooled him into signing those divorce papers and vanished right after.He’d turned the city upside down trying to find her, but she hadn’t left a single trace. Not a photo, not a note, not a single scent of her left behind. Just gone. Like she never existed. So much for giving him a chance to make things right.The document in front of him suddenly felt like a brick. He pushed it away. “Whatever. You decid
Aaron froze for a few seconds when he found out Emily had checked herself out of the hospital without telling him, but he quickly forced himself to calm down.She’s still mad at me, he thought. This is just her way of scaring me a little, giving me a wake-up call. Once I find her and smooth things over like before, it'll all be fine.He turned to Leo and ordered, “Find out where Emily’s staying now. I don’t care what it takes—just do it fast.” He paused, suddenly remembering something. “And don’t spook her. Keep it low-key, got it?”He wasn’t willing to risk ticking her off again.While Aaron sat in his office trying to catch up on days of backlogged work, Leo came in, hesitating at the doorway.“What is it? Where is she?” Aaron asked casually, not even looking up. He was actually in a pretty good mood—he’d just secured a stunning sapphire necklace he knew she’d love and had someone rushing it over.Leo glanced at the man still buried in his paperwork. After a long moment of internal
Aaron thought Ruth’s softened attitude meant she’d accepted his apology, that must be why she let him go in to see Emily first. Emily looked much better than earlier—still pale, but stable. Her face, however, remained expressionless.Aaron stepped toward her bedside, wanting to talk.He swallowed hard, fists tightening.“Emi, there’s so much I need to say to you. First... I know I was wrong. I let the past cloud my judgment, let old memories mess with my head, and I ended up hurting you—deeply, and repeatedly. I see that now. Please, just give me a chance to make it right.”Emily took a slow breath, carefully keeping her expression unreadable. She didn’t say yes, didn’t say no.That tiny glimmer of response gave Aaron hope.“I’ve figured out my feelings. From the beginning to now—it’s always been you. I’ve never cared for anyone like I care for you. If you’ll just give me one more chance, I’ll give you everything.”“Everything?” Emily’s voice was calm, cold.Aaron’s eyes lit up. “Of
Leo reported everything that had happened in the parking garage to Aaron. Then, after a slight pause, he asked for confirmation.“So… do we proceed as Miss Emily instructed? Hand her over to the police?”Aaron’s gaze darkened. He didn’t respond.Leo continued, “Also, the International Fashion Association made an announcement this morning. They confirmed the winning design belonged to Miss Emily. And it’s now public that Miss Amelia bribed an internal staff member to steal her work. It looks like there will be legal action against her.”Aaron should’ve felt indifferent by now, after everything he’d learned about Amelia’s true nature. But hearing these things stirred a deep, frustrating unease inside him—one he couldn’t fully shake.“Anything else?” he asked curtly. “Say it all now.”Leo hesitated. He had more, but he’d held back—Aaron’s reactions were too hard to read lately. But since he was now being given permission, he laid it all out:“Online backlash against Miss Amelia has been