Emelia's POV"Emelia, are you okay?"The sound of Mason's voice had been drowned out by the sound of my heart dropping to the floor. I shouldn't have been feeling this—this sadness, this disappointment, this anger.We were divorced!What did it matter what Victor was doing with Lily? Why did it matter that Lily was pregnant with his child?But then it hit me…I'd lost my child; lost my ability to become a mother because of Lily. Despite her malice and manipulations, he chose to reward her with the most precious gift of them all.A life. A baby.She of all people didn't deserve to cradle a child; to know its love, its warmth, and to be there for its firsts."Emelia?"This time, Mason's voice pulled me from my inner thoughts. I needed to not be stuck in my own head. It was too easy to get that way, and I had other things I needed to focus on.I shook my head and looked up into Mason's eyes. "S-sorry. I'm okay now, thank you."Mason gave me a wary look, but relinquished his hold from arou
Emelia's POVI sat in my car for what felt like hours. In reality, it probably hadn't been any more than a minute. My face was hot from anger, and my heart heavy from the earlier fiasco."My baby!" Lily screamed."I got you!" Victor spoke heroically.I would've thrown up in my car if I had a spare plastic bag… But I knew there was no use in staying here. Whether I liked it or not, I had to face him.Or maybe bolt for the house and slam the door in his face…When I exited my car, I walked slowly and cautiously like I was navigating a minefield. One wrong step towards him, and I'd be subjected to his horrible excuses and weak apologies.As it would seem, however, the whole damn driveway was filled with mines."Emelia…" Victor straightened his back even as I tried to give him a wide berth. "Are you okay?"As usual, anything that came out of his mouth immediately set me off. "Why the hell do you care?" My nostrils flared. "Don't you have a new baby to worry about?!"Victor flinched at my w
Emelia's POVVictor fell silent; the space between us grew thicker and heavier with the weight of the words he wouldn't speak. His silence stretched for a long time. Too long.Dread and despair settled at the pit of my stomach, swirling into something horrible. Because in this silence, I was able to recognize this for what it was—an admission.Victor knew that if he physically had to say those words out loud, then everything he said to me was just dust on the wind. All the sentiments of him caring; his sadness; his regret—it would've truly meant nothing if he admitted to being the father of Lily's child.But he didn't need to say it. I already knew.Rage and sorrow blanketed my mind like a darkness. There was no light holy or divine enough to penetrate rational thoughts. My heart quickened as it pounded against my chest like a wild animal. Blood coursed through my veins and boiled beneath my skin.I was determined to show this man the hell he dragged me down to.Without thinking, I lu
Emelia's POVMy encounter with Victor was exhausting; the weight of the words spoken weighing down my shoulders like a boulder. As soon as my head hit the pillow, sleep claimed me just as fast.If I wasn't reliving the nightmare of losing my child, then I wasn't dreaming. Oftentimes, I found relief in the black of nothingness.But this dream was still nothing short of a nightmare. Just in the way I wasn't expecting.It took me back to the days before Lily came back into the picture—when Victor and I were happy.Stolen kisses in the breakroom when no one else was around.Late dinners if one of us ended up staying late for work.Doing chores in our underwear, dancing to whatever music was playing.Sunbathing under the summer sun at our beach house.It was a nightmare of what used to be; of what could've been had Lily not come back and ruined things. It broke my heart even more to think about how Victor wasn't happy during any of it.I watched the memories unfold before me like it was a m
Emelia's POV"I'll call you back later, okay?" I spoke in a rushed tone. As much as I didn't want to end this conversation between Alexis and I, I needed to see what Lady Ruby had to say. Especially after everything that happened."Okay, but don't keep me in suspense for too long!""Trust me; the cliffhanger will be worth the wait!"I hung up on Alexis and immediately picked up Lady Ruby's call."I'm sorry," I said almost immediately. "I was on the phone with a friend of mine. I hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long."No, not at all. Is now not a good time?""I'm free to talk!" I said a little too quickly. "Is everything okay?"There was a moment of hesitation before Lady Ruby spoke up again. "I know it's rather late, but are you free right now? I feel as though this is something we may need to discuss in person."Something about that statement made me feel uneasy, but I knew it had to be something of importance if she was asking to see me so late. I looked up at the clock and sa
Victor's POVThe full moon hung high and bright in the night sky tonight, but not even its soft light could penetrate the darkness in my mind. I took another swig of alcohol, hoping its bitterness would distract me from my thoughts, but even that was a useless attempt. Ever since Emelia told me to leave, I’d been clinging on to the way her voice sounded; to the image of her brown hair falling in waves past her shoulders; and how the scent of her vanilla-strawberry fragrance lingered onto my clothing when she’d grabbed me by the collar. She may have sent me away, but I wanted nothing more than to see her again, and to hear her voice. I even toyed with the idea of showing up at her doorstep on my knees. But what could I possibly say to her now? What more could I do to convince her to let me back in, even if it was just for a little while? I’d secluded myself in my room for the last few hours after my mother had been relentlessly pestering me about marriage. It was all she ever spoke
Victor's POVFor the last three days, I'd banished myself from my home and lived within the confines of my office. It made me grateful that I took the contractor's consideration into renovating a small, bachelor's penthouse in the space above my office when he'd offered it.It seemed like he knew a thing or two about needing to escape one's house from time to time.Over the course of those few days of respite, I hadn't responded to a single message my mother or Lily sent me. A part of me knew it was unfair to treat them like this, but I truly couldn't bring myself to care.My mind and heart were caught up in a storm, and I couldn't see a way to save myself from the damage it was inflicting. There was no making a rational decision when there was only one thing—one person—I could think about.And she wanted nothing to do with me.To prevent myself and my mind from spiraling again, I decided to drown myself in as much work as I could. Especially since there were still matters of the plagi
Victor's POV"What the hell is this?!" My voice boomed within the workspace. The speculating whispers and chitter chatter halted, and everything and everyone froze. "Is this some kind of joke?!"My gaze burned into the eyes of those who dared to meet mine. No one had an answer; many of them looked away under the weight of my fury. They were all quiet, and perhaps they truly had no idea what this was supposed to be. But I didn't care. I wasn't looking to spare anyone with how much of a horrible mood I'd been in for the past few days—hell, more like a little over a month at this point.My heart was torn to pieces with the loss of my child and the divorce.I didn't want to remarry!I didn't want to claim a child I had no recollection of even conceiving!No one was taking my thoughts and feelings into consideration, which pissed me off even more! I'm considered one of the wealthiest CEOs in this region. So why in the hell was I being coerced into doing things I didn't want to do?No one i
Victor's POV"What are you talking about?" My mother's tone showed more annoyance than concern. She spoke to me as if I was just a toddler again. "Done with what, exactly? And you better watch your words next time! I'm—""I'm done with you." I emphasized the last word. "I'm tired of the lies, the manipulation, and the disrespect; especially from you of all people. My own mother!""What I've done was for your own good!" She yelled. "You were too infatuated with that horrible ex-wife of yours and too cowardly to do what needed to be done. If anything, you should be thanking—""I already told you to stop bringing Emelia into this." I growled. "You've done your fair share of damage to my marriage when I was with her, and you definitely don't deserve to even speak her name!""You ungrateful brat! You should be ashamed of how you speak to your own mother! Watch your tone next time, if you know what's good for you…" Then, in a lower tone, she hissed, "...and for Emelia, too…""I'm not giving
Victor's POVMy adverse reaction to Lily's presence, I realized now, wouldn't wane no matter what. There was no mending the relationship we once had, nor pretending that it would ever be fine again. Too many lies and bad blood tainted my outlook on her, although it seemed to her as if it were one-sided and I was being unreasonable. But of course, it was my fault for allowing her to get away with so much. I was simply reaping what I'd sown. "Victor!" Lily yelled for me again. "I know you're in there! Stop ignoring me, or I'm telling mom!" I let out a loud, intentionally audible groan of frustration as I stomped my way towards the door. It didn't matter how apparent I made my displeasure with her—simply put, she didn't care about my feelings. It was a nauseating realization at just how much I really did fuck up. I ran my hand down my face as I took a deep breath to put on a somewhat neutral expression. All the emotional turmoil I was experiencing from reading Emelia's blog wa
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