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All Chapters of The Woman He Never Chose: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

37 Chapters

11.

EMILIAI didn’t know how long I stood there until I got the courage to open one of the boxes. I held it in my hand, staring at it as the room seemed to shrink around me.Sunny knocked again, softer this time. “Em? You are making me worried. Open the door. I’m coming in."Her voice pulled me back. I couldn’t let her come in yet.“I’m fine." I called back with a steady voice. “Just give me a minute. I’ll be out soon."She was quiet for a while before she spoke. “Okay. But I’m here if you need me. Just yell my name."I heard her footsteps as she retreated down the hall, back to the kitchen.My hands moved on autopilot, and I tore open the box clumsily. The stick felt so small for the kind of repercussions it usually brought with its results.I read through the instructions on the paper and followed them. When I was done, I laid it flat on the counter beside the sink and set the timer on my phone for three minutes.I slid down the wall until I was sitting on the cold floor, my knees drawn

12.

EMILIAThe next morning, I was numb.“Em,” Sunny called out gently as I was about to walk out of the door. “What if you take the day off? I know you said you were fine, but you don’t look okay. Maybe a break will do you a lot of good. You know, get some sleep and…”“I’m fine, Sunny." I told her with a small smile. Tears stung the back of my eyes, but I couldn’t cry. I had done enough of that at night. “Going to work is better. At least, I would be able to take my mind off it."“How would that help?” she argued, clearly frustrated with my stubbornness. “You said Bianca comes to the office almost every day. That means you still have to see them."“I’ll be fine, Sun. I’ve been through worse," I told her and left the house before she could voice any more protests.Alexander noticed my mood the moment I walked into the office, but I told him the same thing I had told everyone else who pointed out how pale I looked.“I didn’t sleep well last night." The reply had turned robotic after saying

13.

STEVENThe door had barely closed before Bianca started. I walked towards the glass windows with my back to her and let her complaints wash over me the way I had learned to deal with people like her.It was a skill I had spent most of my life perfecting.“I told you that I wasn’t comfortable with your mistress working for you, Steven. Now, look at what she did because she was jealous.” Her shoes clicked loudly against the floor as she began to pace. “I want you to fire her. I don’t want her here."I exhaled, running my hand down my face before I turned to face her. She had her arms crossed and her chin lifted up defiantly as she looked at me. It was the same way she carried herself when she decided that things would go her way and I had no choice but to accept it.I had been surrounded by women like Bianca my whole life. Beautiful and privileged women who were used to having things go the way they want.I had also known, since the moment that I walked out and saw Emilia standing with

14.

EMILIA“So?” Tommy asked, a brow raised.“Fine.” I finally agreed and fought back the smile trying to show as he grinned. “But I won’t stay long."He looked like he could barely contain his smile, which finally made me let go of mine. “I’ll take what I can get."Tommy took me to a small place that was about three blocks from the office. I had seen it a couple of times but had never gone there. We took the corner table by the window and ordered.I got a chamomile tea instead of coffee. I already had a cup in the office, and I didn’t want to risk taking any more with my condition. I had read somewhere that I had to limit my coffee intake now.When the waitress placed the cup in front of me, I muttered thanks and wrapped both hands around the mug and let the warmth ground me.“It’s funny, isn’t it?” Tommy asked, breaking the silence. “We barely met, but I feel so comfortable talking with you."I didn’t want to admit that I felt the same. It would feel too fast, and that was something I d

15.

EMILIAI didn’t sleep. Not after calling him back.Sunny had told me I didn’t have to, but I did anyway because I thought Steven would have thought I was throwing a tantrum, and now I regretted it.I had tried to hold myself together for every second of it. I couldn’t forget the surprise that shook me when he asked if I was okay. That hope that just wouldn’t die flared up at the concern in his voice, but I pushed it down until the call was over.Then I had gone to bed and stared at the ceiling until I drifted to sleep in the early hours of the morning.I had tried not to think about it, but as I drifted off to sleep, my hands rested on my stomach.His baby was growing quietly inside me.It didn’t matter how many times I said it, it still didn’t feel real to me. Maybe because I was having a hard time acknowledging it.Sunny was in the kitchen when I came out. She looked up from her coffee with an expression that told me she hadn’t slept well either.“Eat something before you go." She s

16.

EMILIAMy head snapped to the door where Bianca stood, and for a second, nobody moved. Her eyes moved, narrowing on the space between Steven and me. Or the lack of it. She eyed Steven’s fingers curled around my arms and the expression on his face.I watched her take it all in and rearrange it into something else.Steven straightened, and his hands dropped. The walls went up immediately, and his mask slid into place as he stepped back and retreated into that man I hated.“She nearly fainted. I caught her before she could fall," he said, walking back to his chair.Bianca shut the door behind her and stepped into the room. Her eyes were fixed on me, and they were cold. I knew this was going to be another vicious encounter.“How convenient," she said softly, coming to stand in front of me. “It’s amazing how you always find a reason to be around him. "It's a skill you have to teach me," she said, her voice turning hostile with the last word."Bianca," Steven warned, but she ignored him, not

17.

EMILIA“I don’t want him to think I’m avoiding him." I told Sunny and then answered the call.Sunny refused to leave and sat across from me with the expression on her face telling me that she didn’t like it, but she would be there for me regardless.“Mr Riorson," I answered, trying to hide that I had been crying from my voice. “Is anything the problem?”“Ms Jones” His voice came through controlled, like he always did. I couldn’t blame him. He had no idea that he was turning my world upside down. That he was the reason that I felt like I wanted to end it all.“I’m calling for the quarterly review documents for the gala. I forgot to ask Alexander to tell you about it.” He said. “I need the updated version on my desk tomorrow morning."I almost laughed. Why did I think he would call for something other than work?“I’ll have them ready," I said and waited for him to end the call, but he didn’t.Sunny arched a brow, and I shrugged. I didn’t know what else there was to be said. “Mr Riorson?

18.

EMILIAThe pre-gala planning meeting was held on Thursday afternoon in the large conference room on the executive floor.Alexander had told me to attend so I could take minutes, so I sat at the far end of the table with my laptop, ready to write down every important detail.Steven was at the head of the table with Alex beside him. The event coordinator, PR lead, head of corporate relations and everyone who held important roles were present. I think this was the first time so many heads were in one room together since I started working here.My eyes fell on Bianca. She didn’t hold any official roles in the company, but she insisted on being here and had stationed herself beside Steven as though they managed the company together.She had a smug smile when she sat beside me, her eyes reminding me that at the end of the day, she was the one who mattered. I tore my gaze from them when I noticed Steven looking at me and pinned my eyes to the laptop for the remaining forty minutes that the m

19.

EMILIAI sat up with a loud gasp as a painful cramp twisted my abdomen. My hand pressed flat against my stomach, as panic wrapped around me.“No,” I whispered, my heart pounding as the pain faded to a dull ache.I threw the sheets back, checking for any sign that my baby was in danger, but I couldn’t feel relieved when I saw no blood, as the fear remained.It didn’t matter that the pain had dulled to a quiet ache, but I was already out of bed and slipping my clothes on.I didn’t wake Sunny as I slipped out of the house quietly. The clinic two streets away opened at 6. I knew because I had looked it up the night I took the pregnancy test.The waiting room only had about two people when I arrived. I sat in a chair at the corner and waited for my turn.I was terrified.“Please be okay,” I said, my hands shaking as I rubbed my stomach gently.I had not let myself want the pregnancy. It had arrived as a complication rather than a blessing. A problem to be managed alongside all my other pro

20.

EMILIAI was on my way home when my phone rang. I didn’t want to answer when I saw who it was that was calling, especially after everything that had happened two days ago.I ended Tommy's call, but he called back immediately, so I decided to answer and see what excuses he would come up with this time.“I know you don’t want to hear from me," he said immediately after I answered. “But I just need a few minutes of your time. I want to explain why I did that."“You have two minutes. "Start talking," I demanded coldly.“I shouldn’t have done what I did," he said. “I was wrong and made our friendship seem like it meant nothing when I asked you to choose. That wasn’t what I wanted.”“Really?” I scoffed. “Then what was the plan?”“I was going to tell you the truth, or part of it," he said, his voice turning quiet. “I didn’t go into this willingly, Emilia. When Bianca came to me with the plan, she told me she was doing it to get the man she liked back because she was desperate that his mistre

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