Chapter 2

“I was...”

The two simple words made Emma’s heart skip a beat, she still saw hope. 

She saw a hope to change his mind about divorce. All was not in vain, if she could move his heart even once, she could do it again and she was willing to do it no matter how hard it was.

She knew he wouldn’t discard her like this after 5 years of companionship. 

Or would he?

“...when I took you to bed. I am still a gentleman, I wouldn’t use just any women. After all, you were a goat who willingly came to her slaughter, how could I refuse? But I made sure to never impregnate you, I couldn’t be unfaithful to Stella now, could I?”

“What?”

Just when she thought her heart couldn’t break anymore it did. So, all the time when she was thinking there was a problem with her for not being able to get pregnant, it was never possible because he never allowed it? 

How stupid has she been, to not even realize this?

A feeling of foreboding engulfed Emma, as one by one everything fell into its place. The truth was always in front of her but she being a blind fool in faith and love never saw it. 

She looked at Shayne as he chuckled in mockery, as he disdainfully glanced at Emma, before continuing. 

“Any commoner entering the high society through marriage would be a headless chicken, an easy target. That too in a family full of snakes like mine? I would be a fool to let the love of my life suffer here just because she is in love with me.”

“So...”

“So, I made Stella escape the night before our wedding, letting you know about it at the last moment so that in the moment of panic, you would agree to marry me without thinking too deeply about it, as you cared too much about us for my good.”

“You...”

Anger choked her throat, as unpleasant words were ready to rain down on the scumbag who sat in front of her, so nonchalant, as if he just hadn’t ruined her life, just because he didn’t have the guts and wasn’t able enough to protect the woman he loved from his own family.

The fact that he used her as a stand-in, as a bait, so that when Stella returned he could easily divorce her and marry Stella stating they couldn’t get pregnant and he couldn’t marry another heiress as he was already once married, and Stella was ready to marry him.

He would then make some stupid story about how she escaped her death and how she didn’t run away gaining sympathy from the high society, then live their happily ever after like nothing happened, like she never existed in their lives. 

“Do you know what surprised me?”

Shayne asked, interrupting her train of thoughts, as she looked at him, eyes nonchalant and full of self-mockery. The image was so clear to her, that she even felt like laughing at her foolishness. 

“What?”

“It was the fact that even after so many years of our marriage, you never thought of what happened back then, but I guess you were so blind in love that you never saw a problem.”

Emma chuckled bitterly; it wasn’t so surprising to her. 

For a woman who has longed for attention and love all her life, to even accidentally receive some was a gift greater than her life. So the two people who were genuine to her were in a crisis, she didn’t think twice before jumping to rescue. 

“Alright, quickly sign the papers. I don’t have all day with me. I entertained you so long because of the 5 years you spent serving me like a perfect slave.”

Shayne said with a voice full of disdain, as he couldn’t bear to look at Emma a moment more or it would cause him to wrench his guts out.

He stood up from the bed, easily towering over her, as he side-stepped her and walked towards the bathroom, before stopping briefly.

“Also pack up by tomorrow morning. Stella will be here, I don’t want her to feel uncomfortable with your presence.”

Saying this, Shayne continued ahead with his chores, Emma stood there, rooted like a statue, as even tears refused to flow out of eyes at her will.

She was numb would be an understatement. As she thought back to 5 years back, to the day of their wedding.

Indeed, it was so blatantly visible to the naked eye that even a toddler could figure out something was fishy but she couldn’t, maybe it was because of her panic and worry for the couple of the day, that she was blindsided. 

There was no way Stella would run away from the wedding after all she also belonged to a middle-class family like her, and for her to get the chance to marry into an upper-class family was already a blessing but to get married to an old money like Watson’s was a fantasy come true.

So when she did, it was not possible unless Shayne asked her to because she listened to him and only him back then.

Oh, how foolish she was to trust Stella ran away from the wedding and even ended up dead because of a car accident and because she was newly married, she couldn’t attend the funeral to not jinx their marriage.

What a joke!

There was no funeral to even begin with, and then what mourning was there to do? With these thoughts, Emma looked down at the papers in her hands, which were now crumpled because of her clutching them in a death grip.

With a small smile full of pain and self-mockery, Emma picked up her mobile from her dress pocket, before making a call.

The call was picked up after a few rings, as she spoke into it.

“Mr. Grayson, I would like to make an appointment with you, regarding the divorce. When can I meet you?”

“...”

“It would be just me.”

“...”

“Sure, thank you for accommodating me at the last minute.”

Emma spoke in a calm and gentle tone which felt like the soothing morning breeze of spring, even if her heart felt like the desolate winter night storm. 

This is also one of the reasons why she could easily find common ground with everyone and effortlessly mingled with different socio-economic groups with ease, she could easily mask her emotions in her voice, something even Shayne hadn’t mastered even after growing up around hypocritic high society people.

After completing the call she placed the documents back in the envelope and then into her side of the closet before heading back down to greet the rest of the families and get the breakfast started serving.

Soon Shayne joined the breakfast as well, with no signs of what transpired upstairs, as Emma barely held her composure at the sight of his nonchalance.

“Hello, everyone!”

A cheerful voice came from the entrance of the dining room, making every head snap in that direction. All faces except one bloomed into bright, welcoming smiles, as a young woman in her early twenties started making her way towards the table.

Dressed in a floral one-piece that showed off her hourglass figure, paired with white wrap-up pencil heels, her hairstyle into beach curls, Stella exuded every bit of the charm of a woman in her early twenties unlike, Emma whose face had taken the toll of all the stress of managing household affairs for the last 5 years. 

“Stella, weren’t you supposed to come here tomorrow? How come you are here today?”

Madam Watson, a prominent figure in the high society and a perfect example of ‘aged like a fine wine’, was Shayne’s mother in her late forties. 

Her expression was pleasant as she gently smiled at Stella something Emma never received all these years and even Stella did not while she was engaged to Shayne before. 

So what changed now? Was the lingering question as she saw the welcoming look on Madam Watson’s face. 

“Am I not welcome here today, Aunty?”

Stella asked with a pitiful expression as her face was painted in surprise, her cheeks turning red in embarrassment. Making anyone pity the woman, even Emma momentarily opened her mouth to comfort her but closed it shut when she realized, it was all an act. 

An act which she was just starting to see, and knew how well she used it on her many times in the past to get her things done from Emma, while she was out enjoying her life with Shayne. 

“Silly child. I was just asking in surprise. Come have breakfast with us. Emma quickly set up a plate for Stella.”

Madam Watson consoled Stella gently before directing the latter sentence at Emma in her usual cold and disdained voice. 

“Yes... Madam Watson.”

Emma responded with practiced ease, as she quickly motioned the servants to bring the cutlery and plate to set it up on the empty chair beside Shayne’s younger brother, Spade. A seed of doubt sprouted in her heart. 

‘Were the Watson family already in known of this deceit all along? Which is why they never treated her seriously?’