Emelia's POVThe man's eyebrows shot up as if he weren't expecting to see me. He excused himself from whomever he was speaking to and made his way towards me with an eagerness that could only be read from his eyes.His features only confirmed that it definitely was Mason that I was looking at."What a pleasant surprise." He greeted me warmly. "I wasn't expecting to see you here.""The same can be said for you." I returned his smile. "Are you enjoying the showcase? The art and jewelry are beautiful.""Oh, absolutely. Everyone did such a splendid job. It's events like these that show you that there are diamonds in the dirt if you're patient enough to look for them."I nodded his head. "Oh, I can agree with you on that for sure. How have you been?""I've been good, thank you for asking. Although, I should be asking you that." Mason gave me a worried look. "Last we spoke, I know you weren't in a good state. You also don't seem to be looking particularly well now."I couldn't lie—his concer
Emelia's POV"What is he doing here?" Alexis hissed under her breath.I watched silently as Victor scanned the tea shop with a hint of something else in his eyes. Apprehension? Disgust?Regardless, he didn't seem to be in a particularly good mood.As his gaze settled on the shop's window, it was then that his eyes found mine. His stare was intense as he hurried into the small tea shop.Oh great.The door swung open as Victor's head snapped to where we were sitting. He looked at me just before his eyes widened on the man sitting across from me.Even from here, I could see his jaw flexed."Emelia, are you okay?" Victor approached me and ignored both Alexis and Mason. "When I came home and saw you weren't there, I got worried.""I'm fine." I replied curtly. "As you can see, I'm enjoying tea with friends. So, you can go home now."Victor's fixated on Mason and suddenly, the air had changed. "Friends, huh?"The atmosphere became so heavy it was hard to breathe. A sharpened knife couldn't cu
Emelia's POV"I'm so sorry..." I finally said once the chaos left in Victor's wake settled. "You didn't deserve that, Mason."Victor's jealous fit left a bad taste in my mouth and really soured my mood. He had no right being so angry and hostile towards a friend who had done nothing to him personally.It baffled me that he suddenly decided that his status as my husband was so important. Not to mention how hard he tried to enforce a boundary when he hadn't considered that when it came to Lily.Just the mere thought of her almost rekindled my anger I'd been trying to quell."Don't be sorry," Mason's smooth voice pulled me from my thoughts. His smile was warm and kind. "Your husband seems to have good intentions, even if his anger is rather misplaced.""Yeah, misplaced up his ass..." Alexis grumbled beside me.Mason chuckled. "Agreed." He then turned back to me. "Will you be okay?""I will be, thank you for asking." I nodded my head. "You truly handled that situation with a lot of grace,
Victor's POVThe disappointment and anger on Emelia's face was etched into my mind. It was almost haunting just how clear I could see it—and how I could still feel it. It made my heart ache so bad that I wasn't sure there was anything that could stop the pain.And what of Mason? This so-called friend of hers. I'd never met him once, and now they were on a first name basis?Where did she meet him?Who was he?Did they plan to meet each other tonight?Was there more to them than what they were leading me on to believe?Mason's shit-eating grin was enough to rekindle my anger that I thought I'd quelled since leaving. My suspicions were growing, but I had to believe that there was nothing between them or I'd go insane.If anything, Emelia's protective stance towards her so-called friend was what left me torn. She abandoned me and chose to protect another man over me—her husband.Had I really been so deserving of this mistreatment?Did she truly not care for me?With my mind and heart feeli
Emelia's POV"P-please, d-don't leave me, Emmy… I c-can't l-lose you…"Victor mumbled those words repeatedly through hiccups and retches as if he was about to throw up. In his drunken state, he was in no condition to support himself, but I was lucky enough to have the bartender help me get him to the car. Especially since I had to be mindful of the growing life inside me, I couldn't afford to pull a muscle or anything."Thank you for contacting me, by the way." I said to the bartender."Of course, miss. I hope you have a good night. Drive safe."A wave of regret washed over me as I looked over at Victor passed out in the passenger seat of the car. His disheveled appearance and puffy eyes were almost unbearable to see.As I got into the car and buckled us up, Victor unexpectedly leaned his head against my shoulder. I couldn't lie that seeing him like this softened my heart, even though I'd intentionally hardened it to protect myself from him.It was pitiful to see him like this, and he'
Emelia's POV"Good morning, Miss Emelia." The nurse's assistant greeted me with a warm smile. "How are you doing this morning?""Doing well." I winced slightly. "Although I do have a slight headache right now.""Hm, well, I'll have to talk to the doctor to see what we can get for you. Now that you're pregnant, there are certain painkillers you shouldn't be taking for the baby's health.""I understand.""Aside from that, have you been feeling or going through anything else?" She asked as she placed the blood pressure cuff around my arm."I've been feeling nauseous, although not to the point where I've been throwing up constantly.""Mostly during the morning or evening?""It just kind of depends, really."The nurse's assistant nodded as she took my blood-pressure and temperature. It felt weird not having Alexis with me, and once the assistant was done, I sent a quick text to her to tell her everything was okay and that I was at my check-up."Hm…" The assistant looked at her vital sign ma
Emelia's POV"So what if I'm pregnant?" I snatched my medication bottle out of Lily's hands. "Get it through your thick skull that none of this is your business to begin with!""It is my concern when you're trying to use whatever tactic you can to prevent your divorce from Victor!" Lily shrieked like a madwoman.Dealing with Lily's incessant need to be in my business was beyond exhausting. There had to have been more to life than simply butting into the concerns of others. Did she not want to see the world? Take on a damn hobby?Did she ever take time to take care of herself?They rhetorical questions, of course. I knew what the answers were.Our colleagues who had just entered the building turned to look at us and the unfolding commotion.I simply glared at Lily and shoved my way past her and made my way to the elevators. It was irritating how she seemed adamant on making a scene in front of others. Hopefully to everyone else, she still looked just as crazy as she actually was.She d
Emelia's POV"Lily! What happened?! Are you alright?!"When my vision finally cleared, I craned my head to the side and saw Victor next to Lily. He had his hands around her as if to support and shield her from the rest of the world.Meanwhile, I was laid out on the ground—exposed and vulnerable. Despite being surrounded by so many people, at that moment, I'd never been so alone."Oh, Victor! It—" Lily hissed through her teeth. "It hurts so much! My leg!"Victor carefully rose to his feet with his arms under Lily. "Try and get up, okay? How bad does it hurt? Can you try—""STOP!" Lily wailed. "I think it's really broken this time! I can't stand it! It hurts!""It's okay, I got you." Victor reassured her. "Sit back down, okay?" He then looked out into the crowd. "Quick standing there, somebody, and get a damn wheelchair!""Victor…" I called out weakly.However, he was too busy having his eyes fixated on Lily's leg to notice anyone else but her."Emelia!" Another familiar voice had cut th
Victor's POVI couldn't stand to look at this place any longer. It only made me miss Emelia so much more, and holding on to the foolish hope that she'd somehow come back and forgive me was making me go mad.I needed to get out of here.So, I set the car in reverse and made the slow drive down the dirt path. Anguish coated my tongue in its thickness, and it hurt to swallow the reality of what my life would now be like without her.I didn't want to accept it; I couldn't. While she still lived and breathed, I would have a chance. I'd fight for it, too.But for now, I couldn't help but give Emelia the space she needed… Especially so I could keep her safe from whatever my mother seemed to have up her sleeve.As I was halfway down the dirt path, I spotted another car heading past me towards the cottage. I slowed my pace even more, feeling the rise of suspicion crawl up my spine.No one else was supposed to know about this place. I sure as hell didn't tell anyone, and there were only two peop
Victor's POVIt had been… what? Two years since I'd seen this place? Despite that, this little cottage hadn't lost its charm. I still thought it to be just as magical as if I were laying eyes on it for the first time all over again.However, the sight of it was bittersweet as a pang of pain pinched my heart. I was in a daze at how I got here, but maybe it was because this place was trying to tell me something.Something that I'd been lying to myself about this entire time.Lily meant nothing to me now.From when we were kids up until everything went to shit, I harbored a lot of sympathy for Lily. While her parents were indeed wealthy and provided her with many materialistic things, she never had a real relationship with them.If her mother wasn't away on business trips, then her father was away due to classified military training or missions.For the most part… She was alone.So, when she moved to my city of Blasdell and started attending the private academy I was at, for some reason,
Victor's POVA dark cloud hung over my head as I left my mother's mockery of a home. I was in a worse mood than when I showed up. Even the warmth of the midday sun couldn't penetrate my body enough to reach my cold heart.What kind of connections did my mother really have? How did she come to know about Emelia's move to Italy?And did she truly have a means to harm her?After everything that I'd put her through, I couldn't stomach the thought of anything else happening to Emelia. Back then, I wasn't able to save her from the damage that I'd directly caused.But now… I was given a second chance. Even if that meant bending and breaking myself to my mother's will.I just couldn't wrap my head around any of it. Could this not just be another manipulation tactic? Was I being deceived so she could tighten the leash she had around me?I gripped my hands tight around the steering wheel.I was no one's dog. Not a puppet to be controlled, or some pawn that was to be sacrificed in favor of the Ki
Victor's POVThe drive was silent as I dreaded the familiar street names that spelled me getting closer to my mother's home. She was the last person on this damn planet I wanted to see. Even if she may have not been the sole reason for what was wrong in my marriage, she sure as hell played a big fucking part in it.There was no forgiving her for the way she treated Emelia; especially since she'd tried so hard to win her affections. The disrespect, the insults, the snarky remarks.I was too damn blind to see the damage it was causing. Emelia didn't deserve that treatment. And she sure as hell didn't deserve a spineless husband who did nothing to prevent it.I gripped the steering wheel harder once I turned onto the driveway of my mother's multi-storied home. The blood in my veins ran cold. I didn't want to be here.A few minutes passed while I continued to sit in the car. Its engine hummed since I still had the key in the ignition.I could just leave.It's what I wanted to do.I should
Victor's POVThe walls that surrounded this meeting room were nothing short of a fucking prison. Despite the people that were around me, it felt like I was in solitary confinement. And I wanted nothing more than to break out.For the last hour, I've sat here and endured the mindless drabbling of my subordinates. The atmosphere was so thick and heavy from the storm that raged in my mind, that none of them dared to even address me.It allowed me to brood at the head of the table in peace. Or relatively so. It would've been better if it was silent.In truth, I had no idea what this meeting was supposed to even be about. Not like I cared; and haven't done so in the last few days. Luckily for me, Rosalie was attentive and never spared the details she wrote in her notepad or clicked on on her keyboard. She'd send me the details later anyway.My mind was in shambles and ruin; left in disarray due to the betrayal of someone I least expected.My grandfather.I just couldn't believe it. A part o
Emelia's POVI shook my head, trying to ground myself back to this reality as I took the phone from Mason. It was Lady Ruby."H-hello?" I croaked, not realizing that my throat had gone dry."Is everything alright, sweetie?" Lady Ruby asked. "You don't sound too well."I cleared my throat and composed myself. "Y-yes, everything's fine. I just still need to adjust to the heat of this place."Mason snickered, but I pinched him."You'll grow to love it for sure. That Italian sun will do wonders for your skin!' Lady Ruby laughed. "But the reason I called was to check up on you and relay some information about the new project.""I love it here already, don't worry." I smiled. "But I'm ready for whatever it is you need from me! I'm excited to finally be able to start working on this project with you!""That's the spirit!" Lady Ruby enthused. "Well, more of the finer details are in the works, but an old friend and colleague of mine has plans to hold a wedding in the gardens of Isola Bella for
Emelia's POV"Last time I checked, yeah." Mason laughed. "I've got my driver's license and passport if you need to check. No birth certificate, though. That'll cost extra to get sent here."I scrunched my face in disbelief. "I-I don't understand. W-what are you doing here? Why are you here? When did you get here?""Oh, I'm sorry, officer." Mason teased. "I didn't realize I was being brought in for questioning!""Mason!""Just kidding! I'll tell you everything you want to know, I promise. But can I come in?" He smiled sheepishly as he wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. "I don't know how you've adjusted to all this heat! I feel like a vampire in need of shade!"I ushered Mason into my home, climbing the stairs to the top floor where the kitchen was. Sitting two glasses onto the marbled island, I pulled out a pitcher of fresh lemonade and some ice trays.I then walked back to the fridge, staring idly at the ingredients. In truth, I knew I wasn't looking to make a meal. If anything, I wa
Emelia's POVThree days have passed since I arrived in Italy. Accommodations for me were already made, but I wasn't expecting something as luxurious as this! Even though Lady Ruby tried to pass this off as modest, I didn't believe her in the slightest.Glass stairs separated each of the three stories that divided the living area, bedroom and master bath, and the kitchen. Smaller balconies accompanied each floor that could sit a small garden for plants and herbs or a sunbathing area.The real treat, however, was the expansive open terrace where I was greeted by the scent of fresh sea salt and the sound of gentle waves. The bright overhead sun bathed my skin in its warmth, and for the first time in so long, I felt happy.Grandpa Antonio was right—I LOVE Italy!I sat my laptop down on the outdoor table, raising the accompanying umbrella since I'd intended to do a video call. Luckily, work hadn't started for me just yet, so I wanted to take this opportunity to call home and update everyone
Victor's POVMy grandfather didn't know it, but a storm was fast approaching his estate. Lightning, thunder, heavy rains, and damaging winds were ready to tear apart the legacy he'd built. Because I knew that he had to have known about Emelia leaving. There was no way he couldn't have. She was the only one on this planet he probably loved more than me.Which was enough to convince me that he knew about this all along.I sped down the highway with reckless abandon, hardly heeding to the horns that honked at me or the few sheriff's cars I'd whizzed by. I was on a mission to get answers.And I would get them—one way or another.Once we arrived, I shot Rosalie an icy glare. "You're coming inside. Either way, I'll find out you're lying to me."Rosalie nodded her head. "Y-yes sir…"I didn't even dignify my grandfather with a knock on the door as I stormed through his front doors and marched straight for his office. His butlers that would've normally greeted me, or in this case, apprehended