Twisted fates of love

Emilia Anderson stood in front of the mirror, smoothing down her red dress for the tenth time. Her hands were shaking. Today was her third wedding anniversary, and she had planned the most special surprise for her husband, Jason.

She picked up the envelope from her dresser. Inside was a single piece of paper. But this wasn't just any paper. It was the document that would transfer her parents' company, Anderson Industries, to Jason's name.

Her parents had died in a car accident when she was twenty. They had left her everything. The big house, the company, the money. She had been alone in the world until Jason came along.

He had been so kind. So gentle. He would bring her flowers every week. He would hold her hand when she cried about missing her mom and dad. He told her she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

“I love you more than anything,” he used to say. “I will take care of you forever.”

Emilia believed him. She believed every single word.

That was why she wanted to give him this gift. She wanted to show him how much she trusted him. How much she loved him.

She walked down the stairs of their house. The house was quiet. Too quiet. Usually, the maids would be busy cleaning. The cook would be making dinner. But today, there was no one.

She had given them the day off as she wanted the day for herself and her husband.

Emilia made her way to the kitchen as she set out to cook Jason's favorite meal for dinner. She wasn't a great cook, but she believed the thought mattered more than perfection.

After one hour of going back and forth and creating a huge mess in the kitchen, she was finally setting the table as she glanced at the wall clock at intervals.

Although Jason had been coming home late lately, she was optimistic that he would set aside work and be home for their special moments. Three years of their togetherness.

She couldn't complain, though, as he was shouldering her responsibilities for her. Jason had taken over overseeing the running of the company immediately after their marriage.

In his words, he wouldn't want his wife stressing herself over work when he could handle it perfectly.

Seeing him running the company for years made her realize her decision of transferring ownership to him was certainly the right move.

Emilia glanced at the wall clock once again and was tempted to place a call across to Jason, but she knew better not to.

He had warned her sternly in the past not to call him whenever he was at work, and she had learned to respect his decisions.

Emilia woke up with a stiff pain in her neck as she realized she had fallen asleep on the dining table.

Her eyes moved to the wall clock, and her heart sank seeing the time. Past twelve! Panic washed over her as she quickly dialed Jason's line.

During their three years of marriage, she could count the number of times she had called him, but this time she cared less about his warning.

He might be home late, but he had never spent the night outside their home, which made her extremely worried.

Emilia quickly sprang to her feet as she raced upstairs to get her coat. Jason's line had directed her to voicemail, and she couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong.

Immediately she pushed the door open, she stopped in her tracks as her anxiety was replaced with shock.

Sitting comfortably on the bed was Jason, with his attention focused fully on the system before him.

Emilia felt a gush of anger wash through her as she walked towards him. She had dozed off on the dining table, and he didn't bother waking her, and the pasta. The pasta she had spent hours making had gone cold and stiff.

“Why didn't you pick up my call?” She asked calmly despite wanting to scream at the top of her voice.

Jason glanced up briefly from the laptop before returning his attention to it. “I'm busy.” He said plainly.

“Busy?” Emilia asked in a slightly raised tone. She felt she was about to lose her mind with Jason's nonchalant behavior.

“Have you forgotten what day it was yesterday? It's our…”

“Emilia…” Jason drawled. “Don't distract me, I'm working.”

Emilia took a deep breath as she calmed herself. Technically, she wasn't supposed to get riled up, but she couldn't help it.

She moved to the bed drawer as she picked up the envelope she had prepared for him.

“I have a gift for you.” She said, walking towards him.

Jason sat the laptop beside him as he collected the envelope from her.

“Anderson Industries is now yours.” She said, beaming with happiness.

“This isn't necessary.” He said, flinging the paper.

“I know you don't mind the company being in my name, but it's my way of proving my love…”

“I already transferred everything.” He added, cutting her words short.

“Pardon?” She asked, confused.

“I've already transferred everything to my name. The company, the house. Everything.”

“Remember the documents you signed weeks ago.”

Emilia stumbled backward as she felt the room spin before her. Two weeks ago, Jason had asked her to sign some “routine paperwork.” He said it was for tax purposes, and she had signed without reading, so much for trusting him.

“You tricked me,” she breathed heavily, unable to stomach the fact that Jason could do something like that.

Though she had intended to hand it over to him, realizing he had used such shady methods hurt her regardless.

“I protected myself,” Jason corrected. “You also had plans of handling it over, so the method I used doesn't matter.” He added.

“But…”

“Emilia, please.” He said, showing his disinterest in continuing the conversation.

“I know you can't accept the fact that I was a step ahead of you, but you should let sleeping dogs lie.” He said as he lay on the bed covering himself with the duvet.

Emilia stood rooted to the ground as she watched Jason. Was this the same man she got married to three years ago?

What changed? What did she do wrong?

That night, Emilia couldn't catch a glimpse of sleep as she tossed and turned in bed, regretting her decision to sign the papers without checking.

But nothing could go wrong, right?