He Stole My Love, Heart and My Future—But I’m Taking It Back のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 11 - チャプター 20

The city lights looked like fallen stars below the windows of Alejandro's downtown workspace. At this time, just past midnight, the building was empty except for the guard, who had nodded when Emily gave her name. The message I left with the front desk person worked, she thought. Alejandro was waiting for her.Emily's shoes made soft sounds on the smooth floor as she walked down the hall to the only door with light coming from under it. She stopped, her hand raised to knock. What she was about to do broke a rule she had kept for years: asking for help, showing weakness, and trusting someone outside the cage Carlos had built around her.Before she could knock, the door opened."Emily." Alejandro looked tired, his dark hair a bit messy, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. No jacket, no tie, just a man working late, with his work all around him. "I got your message. Come in."The workspace was nothing like the clean, cold offices at ReyCorp. Warm light from desk lamps made a golden glow

The candlelight danced across the dining room when I got back from my afternoon foundation meeting. The house was strangely quiet—no staff around, no Daniela lurking in corners. Just Carlos, waiting at the head of our fancy dining table, champagne getting cold in a silver bucket beside him."Emily." He stood as I walked in, his smile perfectly practised. "I thought we could have dinner. Just the two of us."I paused in the doorway, taking in the scene before me. Fresh flowers. Fine china. Carlos in his fitted shirt with the sleeves rolled up exactly how he knew I once found handsome. The perfect picture of making up.A trap, then."How thoughtful," I said, keeping my voice neutral as I put my purse on the side table. Inside it, the wine bottle I'd brought home waited, an expensive red with something far more valuable hidden in its cork.Carlos pulled out my chair. The wooden legs made a soft scrape against the floor. "I've sent everyone away for the evening. Even Daniela took Mateo to

The coffee in my cup was cold now, forgotten as Sofia spread papers across her dining room table. Outside, gentle rain tapped on the windows, making a soft sound that didn't match the storm growing inside me."This is bad, Emily." Sofia pushed another paper toward me. This one had what looked like my name signed on it, but I'd never seen it before. "Carlos has made a fake foundation in Argentina. Using your name."I picked up the paper, touching the fake signature. It looked almost exactly like mine, the same curvy 'E', the same small lift at the end. It sent chills down my back."When did he do this?" My voice sounded empty even to myself."Four months ago," Sofia tucked her dark hair behind her ear, worry lines showing on her usually confident face. "Right after your accident. While you were still in the hospital."The meaning hung heavy between us. While I was fighting to stay alive, my husband was making plans to ruin my life."What exactly does this mean?" I asked, though I feare

My hands kept shaking.I sat in my car in the parking lot, holding the steering wheel tightly. It had been three days since the camera caught me in Carlos's office. Three days waiting for him to say something, to get angry, to explode.But nothing happened.Carlos acted normal, distant, polite, watching me with cold eyes that showed nothing. Every meal, every time we passed in the hallway, I felt scared. When would he do something? What was he waiting for?Someone knocked on my window. Alejandro stood by my car, looking worried. I had almost forgotten we planned to visit the hospital building site today.I rolled down the window and tried to smile. "Sorry, I was just...""Lost in thought," he finished, his dark eyes looking into mine. "Are you okay?"His simple question almost made me cry. Was I okay? I hadn't been okay for years."Just tired," I lied, reaching for my bag. "Let me get my things and we can go."He held the door as I got out, his hand gently touching my elbow to help me

The dinner on the deck was perfect—too perfect. Candles burned in glass holders, making shadows dance on the white tablecloth. The sound of waves hitting the rocks below never stopped, beautiful but making me feel trapped at the same time. Carlos had done everything right, wine from our honeymoon in Italy, my favorite flowers in crystal vases, even music from when we first met."You're very quiet tonight," he said, filling my wine glass again with a smooth smile. "What are you thinking about?"I took a small sip, giving myself time to think. The wine was very good, but I was only drinking tiny amounts. I needed to stay alert, to watch everything he did."Just enjoying all this," I said, pointing at the fancy dinner setup. "It's been so long since we've done anything like this.""Too long." His hand reached across the table, fingers wrapping around mine. The ocean breeze was warm, but his touch made me feel cold. "I've missed this side of us, Emily. Before everything got so hard."It w