Lahat ng Kabanata ng MARRYING My FATHER-IN-LAW : Kabanata 151 - Kabanata 160

I wake up to find Mina already wide awake, watching me. I don’t know if it’s just me, but something seems to be wrong. I don’t like how she’s looking at me right now. There’s a shift—something different in her, in us—but I can’t quite put my finger on it.I choose to ignore it.I smile at her. And as I do, I can see it aggravates her. The tight smile she had before vanished, replaced by something sharper. She’s angry. Visibly angry.Without a word, she suddenly stands up and starts throwing on her clothes.I sit up in bed, using the sheets to cover half of my body, just watching her. She moves quickly, pulling on her panties, then her pants. By the time she’s fastening her bra, she snaps."Stop smiling at me."I raise an eyebrow. "Why?""Because," she says through clenched teeth, "I don’t like it."I smirk, leaning back against the headboard. "Well, I do. I like looking at you. And I don’t think you can control how I react to you."She exhales sharply as if my words make her even ang

I can’t help it. The words he said, the look in his eyes, the anguish in his voice—I never want to hear it again. I never want him to feel that way again. Before I can stop myself, I rush toward him.He looks at me, startled, as I come toward him, but he opens his arms, letting me fall into his embrace. His arms close around me, holding me tightly, and I bury my face against his chest. For whatever reason, tears are in my eyes, and I feel the dampness of his tears against my forehead. We cling to each other, sobbing into each other’s shoulders, sharing everything we’ve both been carrying.After what feels like forever, our emotions finally settle. I pull back slightly, just enough to see his face. His eyes are searching mine, full of questions. Is this goodbye? Is this the last time he gets to hold me?I shake my head, tears slipping down my cheeks. “No. No, I’m not leaving you. I can’t leave you.”Relief floods his features, but there’s still uncertainty there.“You might not know

I open my mouth, but my thoughts are spiralling too fast."This is about the fact that—" I stop myself. "Okay, you’re confusing me right now.""No, don’t filter yourself. Just say it." His voice is steady. "Say it exactly how it is. We’re just talking."I swallow, my pulse hammering. And then—"This is about the fact that you think what Eric did to me is okay."Emerson’s eyes widen slightly, but he doesn’t interrupt."I think…" I take a breath, forcing myself to say the words that have been eating at me. "I think that some of the things you just said to me right now prove that you believe what Eric and Rita did to me is fine. That they deserve to go scot-free."Emerson shakes his head instantly. "No, Mina. That’s not—""Why?" My voice is rising now. "Because he’s your son? Because when I was married to your son, I couldn’t give you grandchildren? Is that why? Because now that he’s with her, he can finally make you a grandfather? Because now your bloodline has a chance to grow?"His f

I want to say yes. I want to believe that no matter what, we would have ended up together. But he doesn't give me the chance."I don't know," he whispers.A lump forms in my throat. "You still regret it, don't you?""Regret what?""The first time we slept together," I say, studying his face. "You regret that night. I always knew you felt guilty about it. That’s why you agreed to marry me, isn’t it? Because you felt guilty. And now, I realize you never forgave yourself for that night."His jaw tightens. He looks away."It’s not like I regret that night," he admits after a long pause. "I just think I could have done better.""But you did," I argue. "That night, I was lost. I felt like my life was over. I acted strong, but inside, I was breaking. And then, you—" I swallow hard, my voice shaking. "You gave me hope. You made me believe there was something to hold onto. That night was special, Emerson. And I will always cherish it. I just wish you would see it the way I do."His eyes search

"I'm just wondering what you're going to say next," I murmur, my voice sharp with unspoken accusations. "Am I about to sign an NDA?"His head snaps up, and for the first time, Emerson looks truly caught off guard. He wasn’t expecting this. He wasn’t expecting me to say this. I see it in the way his jaw tightens, in the flicker of something—shock, maybe even guilt—in his eyes.I give him a sly smile, though inside, I feel like I’m crumbling."Mina…" he exhales, shaking his head. "I'm not talking about this. I think you need some rest. I'm going to let you be now."He shifts to stand, but before he can take a step, I stop him."What?" I say, my voice laced with bitterness. "No papers for me to sign? Isn’t that what you want to rush back to?"His expression hardens. His voice drops."Mina," he says, his tone a quiet warning. "I'm not talking about this with you.""But why not?" I challenge.He runs a hand through his hair, exhaling roughly. "I was open with you when we started this, was