Emma sat still for a moment after the call ended, the faint hum of the phone dying in her hand. Her brows furrowed slightly as she stared at the screen, trying to make sense of Leif’s sudden question and even more abrupt goodbye.Ethan, who had been quietly flipping through some documents on the coffee table, looked up the moment he noticed her distracted expression.Ever since he lied to Emma that he was now working with Mr. Matthews Wirtkov, he had been trying his best to put up the show and make it really convincing for Emma as that was the only way he could make all his excuses for always going out count.And one of the ways he made the act convincing was by coming home with documents which h worked on, as a show of his work. And the few times that Emma had asked why a delivery guy would be coming home with documents, Ethan had been clever enough to make her know that at Wirtkov’s Holdings, everyone was treated as an administrative staff.“Who was that?” he asked casually, though

Ethan stood frozen for only a fraction of a second as Nathan vanished into the darkness. Then, the headlights grew brighter — too bright, and too close.And just then, Ethan recognized the car as Leif’s car. It was the car that he had seen Lei drive into the compound just as he was stepping out a couple of minutes ago.A curse formed on his tongue as the realization dawned on him that Leif must have followed the cab that he had boarded the moment he stepped out of the Robbins’ compound, and that was trouble because if Leif saw him here — if he caught even a hint of Nathan’s presence — everything would spiral far faster than he was prepared for.Without wasting a breath, Ethan slipped backward into the shadows Nathan had just disappeared into. His movements were sharp but silent — a habit drilled into him long before he had become the man he now was. His foot hit the dirt path, and he melted behind the broken fence line, the night swallowing him completely.Leif’s engine died with a so

Ethan opened his mouth, already reaching for a ready-made excuse, one of the many he had perfected these past few weeks. But this time, Emma didn’t give him the chance.“No,” she said firmly, lifting a hand as though physically blocking his words. “Don’t. Don’t say it was work or something urgent. I’m tired of those lines.”And of course she was because that has been the excuse everything and it was almost sounding like a national anthem in her ears already.Yes, she wanted Ethan to be responsible, to have something doing do that he wouldn’t be a laughing stock to the rest of the members of the Robbins’ family. But it was all getting to the point where she could no longer deal with his excuses any longer, especially considering the fact that they’ll be getting married soon.“You know what, I’m really sick and tired of all your excuses,” Emma added.And with that, Ethan froze as Emma’s voice shook, not with anger, but with something far heavier — disappointment.“You weren’t here,” she

Jennifer didn’t push further. Instead, she simply reached out and squeezed Emma’s hand gently, offering silent support in the only way she could. And Emma held onto that small gesture longer than she intended because she needed it.By the time work hours finally crawled to an end, Emma felt drained. Not physically, but emotionally and mentally. Every thought she had led her back into the same maze with no exit.So when her phone buzzed with Mr. Blackwood’s message — “Are we still meeting today?” — she didn’t hesitate.She needed answers. About Ethan. About her father. About everything that felt like it was spiraling out of her control.And so, immediately, she texted back:“Yes. I’ll be there in 20 minutes.”And with that, she stood up and started packing up for the day. Her intentions was to finish with Mr. Blackwood early enough so she could get home on time and rest.She had fixed an appointment with a gynecologist the following day so she could know the state of her baby and too k

Emma stepped out of her car with the file still clutched to her chest. Her fingers were stiff from holding it too tightly, and her mind was still spinning with everything Mr. Blackwood had said.She could barely feel her feet as she entered the apartment building, moving on muscle memory alone. By the time she unlocked the door to her home, her heart felt like it was trapped somewhere between her throat and her stomach.But the moment she stepped inside, her steps halted.The lights were dim—soft, warm, almost golden. Rose petals had been scattered across the floor… their floor. A gentle scent of vanilla hung in the air, and fairy lights traced the curtain rails, weaving a glow through the room that transformed everything into something out of a dream.Emma blinked rapidly. For a few seconds, she genuinely believed she had walked into the wrong apartment.Her breath caught in her chest as their room had been transformed into something breathtakingly gentle. Something she never imagine