All Chapters of MY HUSBAND LOVED ME TOO LATE: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Emma's POVAfter waiting for hours, my husband finally showed up on the night of our third wedding anniversary, just to tell me he's leaving to pick Sophia Bennett from the airport.I stared at him, wondering if I'd heard him wrongly.The candlelight between us flickered, reflecting off the untouched dinner I’d spent all afternoon preparing. His favorite steak had already gone cold. The cake I had ordered sat in the center of the table, its three tiny candles still waiting to be lit."I'll make it up to you," he said, already straightening his jacket. "Sophia doesn't know New York well. She has no one else to pick her up."‘No one else.’The words hit me harder than they should have because I knew exactly who Sophia was.His first love. The woman he had never truly gotten over. The woman he had once promised to marry before life pulled them apart. The woman Lucas had loved long before he met me—the one everyone believed should have become Mrs. Ashford.For three years, I’d convinced m

Emma's POVMy fingers trembled as I picked up the notebook and slowly opened it.The first page held a carefully drawn sketch of a beautiful seaside house with floor-to-ceiling glass windows, a wide balcony, and a garden overflowing with flowers. Beneath it, in Lucas's familiar handwriting, were the words: Our forever home. Sophy will love watching the sunset from here. My breath caught. Swallowing hard, I turned the page. More sketches filled the notebook—a cozy nursery, a warm family living room, and a spacious backyard with swings. Beside one drawing, he had written, First son… Alexander. On another, our daughter… Isabelle. She'll have Sophy's smile. My vision blurred as tears moistened in my eyes, but I couldn't stop. I kept turning the pages, each one revealing another piece of the future he had dreamed of.There were honeymoon plans for Italy, Paris, and Santorini, restaurant recommendations, hotel reservations, and little reminders to surprise Sophia with flowers. One page w

Was he trying to get intimate with me?Three years ago, I would have turned around. Three years ago, I would have melted into his touch and told myself this was enough that this was as close to love as I'd ever get from him. I used to convince myself that small moments like this meant something, that if I was patient enough, gentle enough, understanding enough, they would eventually turn into something real.Not tonight.I caught his wrist before his hand could go any further and pushed it away."Don't," I said quietly.Lucas went still behind me. "Emma""You spent the whole night defending her." My voice came out steadier than I felt, though my heart was pounding so hard I was sure he could feel it through my back. "And now you want to touch me like nothing happened?""That's not what this is.""Then what is it?" I turned to face him, and even in the dark, I could see the confusion in his eyes as if he genuinely didn't understand why I was upset. That, more than anything, told me eve

Emma's POVI didn't go back to bed.The drawer wasn't empty. There was something else under the notebook. I felt it before I saw it flat, stiff, folded too many times.I pulled the drawer open again.A slim folder. No label. My hands shook as I opened it.Inside were copies of papers. Share transfer forms. My grandfather's signature at the bottom of one. The date made my stomach drop three years ago, the same month I married Lucas.Transfer of Carter Holdings shares 40% to Ashford Group, effective upon completion of marriage contract.My grandfather's old company. The one everyone said was worth nothing. He never once mentioned Ashford Group. Not in twenty years of raising me. Not one time.But there was his signature. Three days before my wedding.My hands went cold.I flipped to the next page. A letter, typed on Ashford letterhead, sent to him.Once the marriage is finalized as agreed, the remaining shares will transfer as discussed. Please advise Emma only what is necessary. V.A. V

Emma's POVHe didn't blink. Didn't take it back."Say something," I whispered.Henry didn't. He stared past me, jaw locked, phone forgotten in his hand."You think Lucas called his father?" My voice cracked. "He didn't even know what was under my coat twenty minutes ago.""I know." Henry's eyes still hadn't moved. "That's the problem."Someone had moved fast. A driver at the school gate before sunrise, before I'd even made it out of the house. Someone had talked, and they'd talked within minutes.I ran the timeline again in my head, the way I'd been running it since the hallway. Five fifty-eight. That's when I'd slipped into the study, the house still dark, still asleep. By six-thirty, a man in a gray coat was standing at Lily's school gate, telling the front desk he'd come to collect her.Thirty-two minutes. That was all the time between me finding the folder and someone acting on it.Thirty-two minutes wasn't enough time for gossip to travel through a house this size. It was enough