تسجيل الدخولIt's been five whole days since Emily signed the agreement that changed everything. Five days of pretending and reminding herself that this was temporary.It was just two years.That was what she kept telling herself every morning when she woke up in his mansion, which never for once made her feel comfortable because no matter how beautiful the house was, it still felt like a cage. And the only reason she remained inside was Ethan.Her son was playing upstairs, unaware that his mother was signing away two years of her freedom because she was terrified of losing him.Edward had offered her an advance payment after the contract was signed.He claimed it was part of the agreement, but Emily had looked him straight in the eyes and refused.She didn’t want his money and she definitely didn’t want to feel indebted to him.Two days after signing the contract, she had flown to Texas to get some of her belongings and Ethan’s things from her apartment. She had packed quietly and paid her rent i
Edward acted deaf to her question.For a minute, she couldn’t hold the documents properly. Her mind felt blank.Full child custody for what? Her throat tightened.Her eyes slowly lifted and drifted towards Edward who sat comfortably as if everything was fine.“Are you deaf? I said, What is this?” Her voice came out boldly.“You already saw it.”Emily looked back at the papers again, then at the lawyer seated between them.“No…” she muttered, shaking her head slowly. “No, you can’t do this.”The lawyer adjusted his glasses.“Mrs. Carter…”“I’m not Mrs Carter,” she interrupted him instantly.A smirk crossed Edward’s lips at her reaction, but it disappeared when her furious eyes landed on him again.“What exactly are you trying to do?” she asked.“I want my family back.”Emily let out a bitter laugh.“So threatening me with custody is your solution?”“It’s not a threat.”“It is!”Her voice echoed through the living room.Edward’s expression hardened.“You think I’ll sit back and watch a
Her fingers tightened around the phone while her heartbeat slowly began to rise.“Emily?” Benjamin called again from the other end.She quickly swallowed the panic rising from inside her throat.“Y…yeah, I’m here.”“Are you okay?” he asked softly, his voice sounding concerned.Emily closed her eyes briefly. The guilt was already eating her alive.“I’m fine,” she lied to him.There was a small pause before Benjamin spoke again.“Where exactly are you?” he asked again.Emily’s chest tightened instantly.Her eyes unconsciously drifted towards the dining area where Ethan’s laughter echoed with Edward’s deep voice mixing with it.For a second, she almost told the truth but she couldn’t not now.“My aunt is sick,” she said calmly.The lie came out smoother than she expected and somehow that made her feel even worse.Benjamin immediately sounded worried.“What? Since when?”“Just recently,” she replied quickly. “I had to travel out of town to see her.”Benjamin sighed softly.“You should’ve
Emily stirred in her sleep, her brows furrowing as warmth surrounded her body. The blanket wrapped around her felt heavier than she remembered, and a familiar masculine scent lingered around her, making her pause unconsciously to catch her breath.She stayed still for a moment, then slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she noticed was the large bedroom and the second thing she noticed was the familiar ceiling.Her heartbeat immediately skipped.Emily’s eyes widened as she realized that it was Edward's room. She jerked up instantly.“What the…”Her gaze drifted to the bed beneath her before panic struck her entire body. She clearly remembered falling asleep on the sofa downstairs.So how on earth did she end up here?Then another realization hit her.Edward was beside her.He was lying comfortably beside her with one arm resting behind his head while watching her quietly, as if he had been awake the whole time.A smile tugged at the corner of his lips.“Good morning, Cupcake.”Emil
She folded her arms tightly.“I am not sleeping in the same room with you.”Edward’s smirk only deepened.Emily’s eyes widened slightly.“You’re impossible!” she whisper-yelled immediately, scared of waking Ethan up.Edward chuckled.“But you’re still here.”Emily glared at him angrily while he looked completely amused by her frustration. Without another word, she turned around and stormed out of Ethan’s room.Edward followed behind her looking completely unbothered.Emily marched down the hallway, heading toward the nearest guest room. The moment she reached for the handle and twisted it, her brows furrowed. It was locked.“What?”She quickly moved to another room and tried again, but it was still locked. Her irritation immediately increased.“No way…” she muttered under her breath.She rushed toward another door and tried to open it, just like the others.Her jaw slowly tightened.One after another, she checked almost every room downstairs and upstairs and every single one was locke
The more time passed, the more Emily realized Edward had meant every single word he said. At first, she thought it was one of his usual games, something temporary, something he would eventually get tired of, but hours had passed already and nothing about him seemed like he was changing his mind anytime soon.She had even thought about leaving forcefully. Different ideas crossed her mind from threatening him, sneaking out with Ethan, or even calling someone for help, but the longer she stayed in that house, the more she realized there was truly no way out.Edward had planned everything carefully.And somehow, she walked right into it.Emily sighed heavily as she sat on the couch, trying to calm her restless thoughts.She could survive one week.After that, she would take Ethan and leave California for good, and this time she was never going to allow Edward back into their lives again.Ever since he went upstairs, Edward had locked himself inside his study.The entire house had gone str







