Emelia's POV Against my better judgement, I observed him from afar. It shouldn't have mattered to me what he was doing out at this hour—especially since I'd been doing anything and everything to avoid him like the plague. Yet, when I caught him staring longingly at the night sky above, I couldn't help but wonder what was going through his mind. Even though I knew exactly what he was thinking about. Especially since he'd made it painfully obvious every time we ran into one another. Two years... Two years should've been more than enough time. He got to marry the true love of his life and bore a child with her. Why was he still so consumed by the idea of us? It was like this time apart only made him realize how wrong he treated me. Did he maybe realize his true feelings for— I shook away the thought before it completed itself. No, it shouldn't have mattered. Victor could apologize to me as many times as he wanted, but it wouldn't make up for what he put me through. And even tho
Emelia's POVI should've known better.Known better than to think that even grandpa's word would've been enough to dissuade Victor from being here. Known better than to think I would've had any kind of relief from his presence.Luckily, our sail to the resort we were staying at was only about an hour away. Plus, we were both busy mingling with the other CEOs and meeting those with the DeMarco Business Association. For the most part, the cruise ride was simply our onboarding time.Sixty minutes of peace was all I was granted because before I even knew it, our ship had docked and everyone was getting their belongings together to move into the resort.I didn't even have time to grab my bags since Victor had slipped away at some point to get them for me. He carried them in his arms like they were nothing, even though it should've at least taken one other person to help."Are you ready? You'll love the resort, Em. It's absolutely beautiful, and I'm not saying that because I'm biased.""You'
Emelia's POVGrandpa Antonio and I sat uninterrupted in my office for quite some time. We spoke of how things unfolded over the last two years.While my time away in Italy seemed to have brightened my days, it seemed that my absence dimmed his…"I don't mean to tell you that to make you feel sorry for me, my dear." He offered a lighthearted chuckle. "I just missed you… Things were different after you left.""I know, I get what you mean…" I sighed. "You and Alexis were the only two people I didn't really want to leave behind… but I had to do what was right for my mental health.""And I understand that wholeheartedly. All a grandfather ever wants for his grandbabies is for them to be happy. Italy offered you that peace that you needed after your nasty divorce… I'm just sorry that it came to that."I shrugged my shoulders. "Sometimes we learn our lessons the hard way. I'm just glad to be home, and that I get to see more of you and Alexis."Grandpa pulled me in for another hug and smiled.
Victor's POVMy work office was becoming more of a sanctuary than my own home. How pathetic was that? To be run out of the place that you bought with your own hard-earned money by people who merely saw you as a pawn than for someone to love?My life had already fallen apart the moment Emelia decided to divorce me. It wasn't until now that I'd noticed that I'd been walking on broken glass shards the entire time.For the last two years, I'd carried this pain with me, but I thought seeing her again meant that I could begin to heal again. But I was still just as broken as the day when she left.And now everything around me was breaking apart and cutting me up in the process.This was probably what I deserved after all the hurt I'd caused Emelia. This was my karma for putting the woman I was supposed to protect through the most unimaginable pain possible.But enough had to be enough at some point, right?Before I could sink even further into my despair, my phone went off.It was my grandfat
Lily's POVAfter what I'd done to Victor, the last place I should've fled to was his house. But with his mom there, I knew I could count on her to keep me safe. She loved me like a daughter.Things would've been okay.Except, I wasn't expecting Victor to come home as soon as he did.I'd just stepped out of the shower when I heard his voice boom throughout the whole house. I scrambled quickly to get dressed, doing so quietly and hoping he wouldn't come into the bedroom we now shared.I held my breath as my heart stopped beating. When I pressed my ear to the door to listen in on their conversation, I couldn't believe that I was going to hear what I did next:"But my marriage to Lily? It's OVER. Especially since she's UNFIT to be a mother anyway!"The world around me was reduced to nothing but static noise as I dropped to my knees.Victor was really going to divorce me! I thought it was a bluff back at the store! But now…Panic began to rise in my chest, but I couldn't afford to make a sc
Emelia's POVA tightness coiled itself inside of my chest to the point that it was almost making it hard to breathe. I didn't feel like this because his sorrow was making me feel bad.No.This was just sheer discomfort.If anything, I only pitied him because he'd held onto this for so long. I thought two years would've been more than enough time to get over us; especially, given the distance between us. I wanted him to move on in the same way I did; to find happiness elsewhere since he clearly hadn't found it in our marriage.But to hear him beg and plead for another chance… To hear the anguish and regret in his voice…It was saddening.Too bad it wasn't my problem to fix."I have to go…" I finally broke the silence after what felt like forever. "I need to go. I want to go, Victor. There's no point in me staying here any longer."Victor couldn't even bring himself to meet my eyes. His lips parted, but then closed again. He knew there was nothing else he could say to keep me in this roo