Emelia's POV"The team and I did everything we could, but the damage was too severe. Your baby couldn't be saved." The doctor's expression was grief-stricken. "I… I'm so incredibly sorry, Miss Emelia."The silence that came next was so much heavier than anything I'd heard before. It was crushing and debilitating, and like every hit of oxygen was being stolen right from my lungs.My baby. My sweet bundle of joy that I never got the chance to meet was taken from me.No, I killed them with my stupidity and stubbornness.A wave of numbness crashed over me; a bitterly cold, and empty sorrow flooded my body that sent shivers throughout.The physical pain that I'd felt some odd hours ago had transcended into something far deeper and darker than I thought imaginable. I felt its claws sink into my flesh and latch onto my soul. The weight of this loss was my horrible anchor into the terrible reality of what I never got to experience.My mind screamed in anguish, but nothing was coming out of my
Emelia's POV"How could I be so heartless?" I yelled back, the pain in my chest tightening to the point where I couldn't even breathe. "How can you even look at me and say those words?!"Victor's accusatory question felt like he'd thrown a dagger at my already bruised and shattered heart. I'd just lost my damn child! Was he out of his mind?! How could he do this to me while I was going through the worst pain of my life?"Don't act like you're innocent in all this!" Victor fired back. His anger was palpable as heat radiated off his body. "Lily's leg is broken because of you!""And that's what you believe? Is that what Lily said happened? Can Lily never lie to you? How about the time she lied to you while we were gone on our trip to Blasdell? Did you forget about that?!" I fired the questions in rapid succession like they were bullets—and Victor was my mark.His face flushed red. "I was only doing what I thought I needed to! I thought her injuries were serious then! Just like now… Can yo
Victor's POV"Due to the fall your wife endured, since Miss Emelia was only ten weeks along, the severity of this situation was far more dire." The doctor began to explain. "Amniotic ruptures lead to infection, and fetal distress, but in the worst case scenario, they can lead to miscarriage.""M-miscarriage?" My eyes widened as I darted from Emelia, to the paperwork, and to the doctor. "W-what do you mean by that? What are you saying?""Your wife was pregnant. My team and I did everything we could to save that baby, but… we weren't able to save it." Dr. Williams stated.My world stopped at that moment; everything stood in a cold stillness that froze me at my core.The news hit me like a bombshell; the details shredded my heart into a million pieces. When I'd checked Lily into the hospital, I had every intention of confronting Emelia and getting to the bottom of what happened back at the office.This was the last thing that I expected out of this encounter.I could only stand there and
Emelia's POVSeeing the pain reflected in Victor's eyes and feeling it as his hand trembled in mine gave me an odd sense of satisfaction. As heartless as that made me seem, at that moment, I didn't care. At the end of the day, this child was also his. This pain and suffering shouldn't have just been mine to feel. After what he put me through, he needed to feel this, too. He needed to feel the emptiness and sorrow that I did—to understand how his mistreatment of me cost us the life of our child.I just wished it was enough to bring the child back to me. I wanted nothing more than to shower them with the love and affection they deserved. It filled me with even more rage knowing how I'd been robbed of the beauties of motherhood.When I looked up to meet Victor's gaze, I saw a multitude of emotions flicker through the blue eyes I once loved. Pain. Sadness. Anger. It was the most emotion I'd ever seen him display.Suddenly and without warning, Victor paced back towards the wall and punched
Victor's POV"Tell me the truth, Lily. I won't accept anything less." I stood up and faced her. My voice was low, almost to the point that it sounded dangerous.After everything Emelia told me, it was almost too hard to stomach looking at Lily now. It was almost like I wasn't looking at my best friend—but a total stranger."What do you want to know?" Lily's voice trembled slightly, but she was still able to keep relatively calm."You knew Emelia was pregnant, right?""I-I mean, yeah, but—""So why did you lie to me? Why did you tell me it was her who pushed you down the stairs?" I interrupted her, not wanting to hear her excuses.Lily was hesitant then, but not for too long where it'd piss me off even more. "I mean, I didn't know for long—""DON'T BULLSHIT ME!"She flinched away. "I-I swear! I just found out! Same as you... I had my suspicions because of how emotional—""Watch. Your. Mouth." I snarled."I-I mean s-she'd been so sick, a-and I saw her run into the bathroom to throw up!"
Emelia's POVEven with my eyes closed, all I could see ahead was a long road of pain and misery. While the events only recently occurred, the grief of losing my child made it feel like years had gone by.I wasn't even sure that there was a light at the end of this long, dark tunnel.The only kind of warmth and comfort that I had left was my best friend, Alexis. She sat next to me as she traced soft circles on the back of my hand."Thank you," I finally managed to say after a long stretch of silence had grown between us. "For everything.""There's nothing you need to thank me for. I told you I was going to be here with you every step of the way. I just wish that this wasn't one of the steps that we had to take…""I… I don't know how I'm going to get through this.""You don't have to know right now." Alexis's tone was soft and reassuring. "Let your heart feel what it needs to, then we'll take it from there."I nodded my head and closed my eyes again. I truly had no idea what I would've d
Emelia's POV"Oh, come on, Em! Don't look at me like that." Alexis laughed. "You can't say that that isn't a good idea!"Actually, the idea was crazy! Mason said he was working for the LuxeLionness Vault, and they're THE biggest competing company against Victor's.At this point, it wasn't about Victor's feelings either. I didn't care about that. What I did care about was making the right choice.The LuxeLioness Vault was an extremely difficult company to join, and I still needed time to recover and think things over… Besides, could I really trust joining THE rival company?Still, Alexis was right—I had to think about finding another company to work for. I definitely didn't want to work for Victor, much less see him. I just wanted to cut all ties with him as quickly as I could.Maybe this could give me the opportunity to finally move on and focus on myself and my career."Well, I think it's a good idea." Mason chimed in. "I think you'd fit right in with the LuxeLioness Vault, Emelia."I
Emelia's POV"I don't want to hear anything from you, Victor. No negotiations, no questions—nothing. Just sign the papers, and let's be done with this." I told him sternly.It was honestly so exhausting to constantly be in this back and forth with him. There was nothing I wanted to hear from him.No more empty promises.No more begging.He'd made it abundantly clear that I wasn't the person who really held his heart, so what was the point in him being so adamant on us staying together?The way I saw it, our marriage shouldn't remain solely because of duty. There needed to be trust and love—neither of which were there."When are you finally going to get the hint?" Alexis sneered. "Just do as she says for once—"I held up my hand and shook my head at Alexis. As much as I appreciated her standing up for me, it needed to come from me just how serious I was about this divorce."It's fine, Alexis." I smiled at her. "I've got this. Just get the car, please."Alexis gave me a worried look but
Victor's POV"T-Thank you, Alexis." I stood up immediately and hastily pulled in the woman for a hug. "I don't think you understand how much this means to me." Alexis wiggled out of my arms and shoved me away with such force it nearly knocked me to the ground. "You touch me like that again and I won't hesitate to actually kick your ass." "I'm sorry... I'm not exactly thinking straight." "Yeah, I can tell." She rolled her eyes. Then surprisingly enough, her expression softened, even if only slightly. "Personally, I hope Emelia never gives you the time of day again, but maybe this will actually make you see what you missed out on, and you'll learn to never take advantage of good people like her ever again." "It took learning the hard way to realize that Em was really the only one who had my best interest at heart." I admitted in a moment of weakness and vulnerability. "Having trouble in paradise?" That got a flat, humorless chuckle out of me. "More or less." "Hmph, well, g
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