Devil Ex-Husband, Get Away

The sun beamed its radiance all through the glass windows, giving the house a warm and illuminated view, which rarely happens.

Emily, dressed in an apron, heaved a deep breath as she wiped the beads of sweat lurking on her forehead using her arm. But then, as she looked at the perfectly baked apple pie, she couldn't help but smile wider.

'This is going to be the best day! I am sure Roger will love it,' she thought.

"Ma'am, do you want me to help you prepare the other dishes?" A maid suddenly came and asked with a glowing smile on her lips.

Chuckling, Emily shook her head. Then, she looked at her, saying, "There's no need. It's Roger and I's second anniversary, so I want to prepare everything myself. Thank you, though."

Amused, the maid nodded in respect and left.

The sun's rays had already been intense, making Emily look at the display clock in the living room.

'It was already eleven thirty?' she inwardly asked. 'It's fine. I still have time to prepare everything until dinner,' she thought and quickly went to prepare red wine on the table she had already decorated a while ago.

Emily watched how the red wine poured and circled in the glasses as the thought of Roger coming back before dinner excited her.

Today marked Roger's arrival from a monthlong business trip. She told him she would prepare a feast for their second anniversary, and he replied, saying he would return home before dinner.

Hence, Emily exerted all of her efforts to make everything possible.

Once done, she smiled and drew herself backward for a moment. A profound sense of accomplishment lingered in her heart as she stared at Roger's favorite dishes that she had prepared and fancily placed on the table.

There was fish and chips, steak and apple pie.

Emily and Roger grew up together, and when they graduated, she finally married him.

She was living her dream!

However, as Roger gradually devoted himself to his career, he soon neglected her more and more without any known reason.

Suddenly, Emily's eyes slowly fell into her belly, wrapped and supported by her hands.

Since she was pregnant, she believed their relationship would gradually get better and that he would start treating her as his wife.

Her pregnancy, she thought, could be an excellent chance to redeem their once troublefree connection.

Emily sat at the table and placed her elbow on the surface, her dreamy face buried in her upright hand.

A smile soon flashed to her lips as a happy and warm future with Roger played in her brain.

As time passed right before her eyes, the door she had her eyes on still never opened. Hours continued ticking forward with her sitting expectantly there, waiting for her husband to come home, to eat dinner with her, even just this time after a month of being on a business trip.

After a while, Emily's eyes had already whitened. Three hours had already passed since she sat. Her lovely eyes started to become gloomy, and even the smile on her face started fading.

Her downcast eyes stared at the cold dishes on the table as she called Roger again, but he didn't answer, just like earlier.

Concerned, the maid that asked her earlier came back. "You've already waited long enough, ma'am. You need to rest. Sir Roger might not come."

Her eyes were full of worry, but Emily forced a smile on her lips. "Don't worry about me. I'll wait for him, even until morning." She chuckled and reclined on the chair, stretching her curved back from too much sitting. "Maybe he was just stuck in a traffic jam."

The maid wanted to open her mouth to say something, but she quickly stopped herself from doing so. She was just a maid, after all.

As much as she didn't want to see Emily draining herself that much from a man who had been ignoring and neglecting her lately, she was in no position to intervene.

Without any more words, the maid went back to her work.

Emily, understanding as always, prayed for her husband's safety, worried that he may have been through a lot on the way.

Halfway through her silence, a small, faint voice suddenly sounded from the porch, making her excitedly run over to the door. She smiled and was about to hug Roger tight, but she suddenly froze on the spot when she saw the woman beside Roger.

'Fannie?' The corner of her smile melted.

Questions surged in her mind, thinking, 'Why did the woman I saved and the woman whom Roger loved deeply here?'

'Isn't she being treated abroad?' Emily confusedly asked herself as her eyes couldn't stay on just one of them.

"Emily! Long time no see! Nice to see you!" Fannie smiled and gently greeted her.

Upon hearing her words, Emily was suddenly brought back to reality. She smiled at her. "Fannie... nice to see you too." Even though her heart seemed dragged down, she still forced herself to speak.

Emily was suddenly brought back to reality upon hearing the woman's words. Helpless, she smiled at her. "Fannie... nice to see you too," she kindly greeted.

Despite her heartbeat suddenly giving rise to terrible ideas in her head, Emily still composed herself and looked at her husband, saying, "Roger, I prepared a bunch of food for you. I cooked your favorites! Shall we eat—"

"No. I'm full," Roger quickly refused.

The facade Emily put on her face as soon as she saw Fannie stiffened like a corpse's look. Roger's words didn't help either as they struck her heart like sharpened blades.

Gathering all her strength, Emily gulped and stared at the man's cold eyes, then at Fannie beside him, who was noticeably too close to her husband.

"Something is not right here,' she thought.

Roger had already promised her they would eat the dinner she had prepared. However, it turned out that he had already eaten with Fannie outside.

With all the confusion going on in her head, Emily quivered to the extent of deflecting her husband's unusual cold gaze.

"Shall we talk?" Roger suddenly stated, which made her forcefully look at him.

Emily nodded and bit her lower lip to suppress her nervousness. "OOkay."

She didn't know what had happened or was about to happen, but a strange idea kept flooding her mind.

"Go upstairs and have a rest. I'll be there shortly," Roger said as he turned to Fannie. He looked at her with a gentle gaze Emily had never seen from his eyes in the two years of their marriage.

Because of that, Emily felt like all his "I love you" were only empty words. He couldn't even gaze at her as gently as he looked at Fannie.

For the last time, Emily smiled at Fannie before the latter went upstairs.

Emily, on the contrary, prepared to go to the living room but stopped midway. She turned to Roger, smiled, and asked, "Do you want an apple pie? I specially made it for you."

But then, Roger only shook his head and replied, "No." Then, he sat on the sofa without looking at her.

Emily moved and followed him, but she intentionally slowed her pace. She tried gathering her strength and courage to face the unusualness of the man in front of her.

Her heart beat so hard, not because she was flustered about having him by her side, but because of the uneasiness running through her veins.

Before she could even sit beside the man, she heard him speak, causing her to freeze right in her spot.

"Let's get a divorce," Roger coldly remarked.

He only said four words, but they were long enough to shatter Emily into pieces. Her heart fell into chaos, her jaw sagged, and she couldn't move even an inch.

Roger's voice lacked warmth, giving Emily an impression of him never taking his words back.

Still in disbelief, Emily slowly walked toward Roger and stood right before him as soon as she regained herself. "You want to divorce me? What kind of prank is this, Roger?" she asked as her voice trembled. Still, she tried to squeeze a smile on her lips.

For once, Roger locked his eyes on her. "Do you think I'm pranking you?" The corner of his lips curved up, full of mockery and ridicule. His eyes even seemed bored to death just looking at her.

Emily seemed to lose all the energy in her body. "WWhy?"

Tangled confusion ran through her brain's neurons, scrutinizing her depths about why this suddenly happened.

For the two years of their marriage, she never, even for once, failed in her duty as a wife. She did everything he asked, so she didn't know what had gone wrong.

"Why?" Roger snickered and shook his head. "You should ask your parents about what they did two years ago!"

Emily's eyebrows arched. "What did they do?"

Roger stood up. His muscular figure blocked the light, darkening her eyes for a moment.

Emily looked up and locked her gaze on him with his brown eyes only full of disgust.

"They forced me to marry you, which was a big mistake!"

Emily quickly stepped back involuntarily upon hearing his unkind words. She shook her head and looked at him incredulously. "HHow could that be possible?"

Roger stepped forward, prompting Emily to stride back. "Do you remember when you saved Fannie? That comes with consequences—threats, Emily!" He kept walking until he finally cornered her to the wall. His nostrils were flaring, but Emily was already shrinking in her stance. "They said that they won't save her if I don't marry you! They also threatened to ruin my company—all of my business!"

Emily gulped as her eyes heated and tears lurked inside them.

"But, surprise! My business has been improving in the past two years, and the opposite has been happening to yours. It was already so close to its grave!"

Over the past two years, Emily watched how Roger strived. He worked until midnight, and he became even more of a workaholic. And as soon as he achieved his goal, he started acting differently toward her.

Roger used to come with Emily to their house, but now that she had thought about it, he had not done it for half a year.

Emily bit her lower lip as she gathered all her courage to look Roger in the eyes. "You hate my parents so much, but you kept going home to me as if nothing wrong was going on."

Lips quivering, she asked, "So, was everything a mere act?"

The warm and happy atmosphere that Emily wanted her house to have earlier became the opposite because of Roger's gaze.

"So you get it now, huh?" the latter scoffed. "For all the times I ate with you, slept with you, and even treated you nicely these last two years, didn't it even cross your mind that all of those were fake?"

Hearing no response from Emily, Roger's eyes grew even bigger and more intense. "Your parents made me lose the love of my life, Emily! How could you think I could be with you and truly love you? How, Emily? How?!"

Emily shut her eyes, trying to stop the tears from streaming down her face.

Roger, on the contrary, remained unbothered. Etching a playful smirk on his face, he drew himself closer to her and ridiculed, "Your parents used my business once against me, but now, let's see how the product of their sweat and blood throughout the years crumble right in front of your faces."

Waves of thoughts splashed on Emily's face as she quickly lowered her head.

Two years ago, Fannie had a car accident. She crucially needed a blood transfusion, but since she was an orphan, Roger couldn't find anyone that could match her blood, only Emily's.

Little did Emily know that her parents took advantage of the situation and threatened Roger not to let her donate blood if he would not marry her. Their conditions also included not allowing Fannie to return to the country and that she must be treated abroad.

Emily wanted to step backward, but because her back had already reached the corner, she could only shiver at the man's gaze in front of her.

Hell of a plot twist there was, Roger appeared to have endured staying with her for two long years until he finally had something to show off. He strived for success, thinking one day he could get rid of her and her family like rubbish.

Emily's brain fell on the verge of exploding upon knowing her parents did something like that to the man she loved.

"II didn't know," she kept on murmuring as she glued her gaze to the tiles in embarrassment.

What she only knew at that time was that Fannie was sent abroad, where there were more advanced treatments and skilled physicians to get her treated after falling into a permanent coma due to severe brain injury.

Shortly after, Roger's words finally registered in Emily's mind. So, she looked him directly in the eyes with a vast amount of confusion. "What did you say? What happened to my family's company? Roger, what did you do?"

"Your family's company is falling into pieces, Emily. If you want to see it one last time, I suggest you leave and see for yourself."

As soon as Roger finished his words, Emily didn't waste any time and shoved her husband her way. She ran outside, not minding if she was still on her slippers, which she solely used at home.

In a hurry, she went outside the villa and hysterically took a taxi.

As soon as she arrived at their family house, a crowded, seemingly unfamiliar place greeted her.

There was a pile of reporters outside their gate.

Nervous, she got out of the taxi and squeezed herself through the sea of reporters. She ran inside their house, ignoring the numerous inquiries thrown at her at once, which already clogged her ears.

When the maid saw it was her, she quickly let her enter.

"Ma'am, please hurry up inside. Your mother had a serious heart attack!" the maid nervously said as she kept her company until they reached her mother's room.

Emily strode in and saw her pale mother's complexion lying in bed. Her eyes were full of tears as her mother looked at her. "I will never forgive Roger, Emily! He's an ungrateful beast!"

Emily quickly ran beside her and knelt on the tiles. She held her hand gently and said, "Mom, I'll take you to the hospital."

However, her words fell into the air as her mother quickly dismissed her hand. "No," she said with eyes filled with worry as she saw how reddened Emily's eyes were. "Did Roger do anything to you?"

For a moment, Emily lowered her head but still raised it and looked at her mom. "What can he do to me, mom?" she stated, smiling reassuringly.

Suddenly, her mother, Elicia, grabbed her hand tightly.

Emily's eyes and voice couldn't lie to her, and even if she would, Elicia would quickly point out her facades. "What did he do to you, Emily?" she asked, but with more emphasis that froze Emily in her spot.

Seeing her mother in such a state made it hard for Emily to look straight into her eyes. Sure enough, how could she tell her he wanted to divorce her?

She was about to open her mouth to speak, but the maid's sudden intrusion abruptly made her lose all the courage she mustered up.

She turned her head, and as soon as her eyes fell on the man behind the maid, she couldn't help but feel downcast.

It was Roger's assistant.

The maid then quickly lowered her head and apologetically said, "I'm sorry, Miss Emily. I couldn't stop him."

Roger's assistant strode forward and handed out a paper to her. "Miss Emily, this is the divorce agreement that Sir Roger wanted me to give you. I hope you can sign it as soon as possible."

Elicia's eyes quickly widened as her gaze froze on Emily's face. "HHe wanted a divorce? WWhat are you talking about—"

Before her mother could even finish her sentence, her breath suddenly became heavy. Her chest rose up and down as she chased her life.

"Mom! Mom!" Emily hysterically called as she looked at her fainting mother and ordered the housekeeper to prepare the car.

In the hospital, the gloomy atmosphere made Emily bury herself in her mother's bed. Her gaze remained glued on her ill mother until she caught a glimpse of her father, Lynden, from the glass window of the ward.

Concerned, Lynden entered the room with dull eyes. His exhausted face made him look older than his actual age.

Wordlessly, Emily instantly stood up. "Dad," she weakly greeted.

"How's your mother?" he asked and sat beside her vacated seat.

"She's already in a stable condition, but, Dad…." She heaved a deep breath as she looked her father in the eyes. "TThe company..."

Upon hearing the word, Lynden lowered his head, his eyes full of grief.

Seeing his father's reaction only confirmed what Roger said earlier. Depressed, Emily bit her lower lip and tried to suppress her heart from permanently breaking into pieces.

"It was all my and your mother's fault," Lynden remarked regrettably, his voice dropping off as he tried to raise his head to look at his daughter. "We thought everything was good and that Roger soon learned to love you. But your mom and I didn't expect him to have been enduring it all the time and waiting for the best time to get back at us."

His eyes were full of reminiscent of what he had said to Roger from the very beginning, where it all started.

Fascinating as it might sound, Emily had a gist of what her father was thinking. Suddenly, the day Roger asked to marry her flashed before her eyes. That day, she was so petty, asking only three questions and falling into the trap.

"Roger, can you hear yourself?"

"Don't you have someone you like?"

"Are you sure you want to marry me?'

Those were the exact words she asked that she didn't know would lead to everything happening to them now.

Now that she thought of it, Emily found herself a fool who wasn't thinking right. She let her heart handle everything and ended up being thrown up like rubbish.

Sure enough, how could a man who had always loved someone quickly change his heart?

That was indeed impossible, but she still slid into the pit.

Emily, however, couldn't blame everything on her parents. As someone who had received nothing but genuine care since childhood, she knew her parents did what they did because they loved her so much. They just wanted her to marry the man she always dreamed of— the man she always loved.

So, how could she be mad at them when all they did was go to such lengths for her sake?

"Dad, how's the company?" Emily asked as she mustered all her courage to look at her father, even with sorrowful eyes.

Dejected, Lynden heaved a deep sigh and shut his eyes. "It's all Roger's now."

Emily froze as her father's words struck a flash of lightning in her brain.

'HHow?' she asked herself and bit her quivering lips. Mad, she averted her eyes from her father and lowered her head. 'That's the company dad has founded! It was one of the biggest companies in the city. There was no way it could be Roger's right way!'

"Emily," Lynden called in an indescribable tone. "Roger will certainly not let you go. I still have savings in my bank account, so use that and go abroad. Leave us here. You need to live away from him, or else you'll suffer."

Emily hysterically shook her head at what her father said. "Dad, no! We'll divorce, so I'll be fine."

"He wants to divorce?" Her father was surprised for a moment before he heaved a deep sigh and nodded. "Then I guess that's for the better."

Emily forced herself to smile. "Yes."

Roger, however, seemed firm and decided not to let them off.

Not long after Lynden arrived at the hospital, the housekeeper came and bolted with the news, saying their house had been taken away by the bank. She stated that Lynden owed a lot of debt and needed a mortgage.

Unable to take it anymore, Lynden wailed after trying so hard to restrain himself.

Emily's eyes became downcast, but she neglected him for a while and headed directly to where Roger was.

She came to his villa and ran upstairs. However, as she opened the bedroom door, two people hugging each other came into her sight.

Roger gently kissed Fannie's cheek while the latter bit her lower lip.

As soon as Fannie saw her, she quickly pushed Roger away. Then, she looked at Emily and smiled. "Emily," she gently greeted.

Emily ignored her and glared at her husband for doing such a thing in their bedroom. "How could you be so heartless, Roger?"

"It was just your house mortgaged to the bank, and you can't stand it already? I'm afraid you will lose yourself sooner or later if I go all out. You might not be able to see your father anymore."

Emily gritted her teeth as she drew herself closer to the man. "What are you planning to do to my father?!" she asked, her words full of emphasis.

Roger sneered and playfully looked at her. "He might be on his way to prison."

"What the—" Emily's eyes widened, and she planned to stride away. However, when her gaze fell on the red mark on Roger's neck, she drew closer and put all of her strength into her clenched fist.

She hit him with her steel fist without thinking twice, and his face forcefully sided right.

"What the hell, Emily?!" Fannie exclaimed as she looked at Roger, feeling sorry.

Emily's life had gone havoc in a day.

As Roger told Emily that her father would be in prison, she didn't waste any second and turned around to leave. But she hadn't even taken two steps away when he grabbed her by the arm.

"Emily!" Roger shouted in a menacing tone. His hands held Emily's arms firmly, not wanting to let go.

Although Emily wanted to escape from Roger's tight grip, she couldn't get away quickly. He was a man – a lot stronger than her physically – so she struggled hard, pulling her arms until she lost her balance and fell to the ground.

Roger looked at Emily in disdain as she almost cried, holding her lower abdomen nervously. Suddenly, blood dripped down between her legs, causing her to stop moving momentarily.

"Roger…. My baby," Emily said with her trembling voice. "Our baby! Save our baby, Roger! I'm pregnant!" Frightened to her core, she touched the red viscous liquid flowing out of her with her quivering hands.

With his blank thoughts, Roger bent over and carried Emily.

On the other hand, Fannie, who had been standing and watching the scene from aside, clenched her hand and followed them.

…

Without anything in his mind, Roger took Emily to the hospital. He couldn't help but worry about her deep inside. After all, she was innocent. And the words she said, about the child being his, had pierced his conscience.

Slowly, the room's door opened. "Roger, I just went to ask the doctor about Emily's condition. He said she was fine. She just needed to rest for a while," Fannie said and walked near him. When her gaze went from Emily to him, whose eyes had unspoken admiration for the woman in front of them, her hands clenched again, and the rage inside her kept increasing.

Roger just nodded. He already knew it as he had just talked with the doctor earlier, but she didn't tell Fannie about it.

…

Late at night, Emily woke up and looked at the man sitting next to her. Under the bright light of the hospital, she could clearly see Roger's darkened aura. He looked like statuary with his arms crossed, looking straight at her as if waiting for her to wake up.

Emily's forehead creased. Slowly, she met Roger's deep glares and sat down on the bed, trying to register in her mind what was happening.

"Abort the baby and get out of the house," Roger said sternly. Gone was the care he had felt a while ago, and his demeanor changed into a cold one.

Confused, Emily asked, "What are you talking about?" She felt like she had become deaf when he heard what he said, so he wanted to ensure she had heard it correctly.

"Abort the baby," Roger replied forbearingly.

"But…" Emily's voice trembled. She couldn't understand where Roger was coming from when she had already told him she was pregnant with his child. "This is your baby… And you wanna kill it?" She asked in disbelief.

Quickly, Roger stood up. He looked at Emma with contempt. "My baby?!" He scoffed. "Emily, I was on a business trip!" Then, he reached out for the stack of photos at the bedside table and threw it all to her.

Emily's eyes followed the photos that abruptly flew into the air and slowly landed on the floor and her bed. Her eyes darted to the picture that showed her records of checkedin of a hotel and a strange man she didn't know.

Thinking about a hotel, Emily was confident that the last time she went to one was to check in for Daniel. At that time, he had just returned from abroad, precisely the day of Roger's business trip.

"No… No, you misunderstood it. It's not what you think," Emily said, starting to defend herself. "The baby is yours!" She grabbed his arm, getting his attention, wanting him to believe in her, but all she got from Roger was a deadly glare.

"You've been pregnant for a month! How dare you say it was mine when I didn't even touch you a month ago?!" Roger thought the baby should be at least two months old, but the obgynecologist had already talked to him and informed him that the baby was only a month old.

In grimace, all the conscience feeling he had a while ago vanished instantly. He was unsure what to feel the first time he received the photos, but now, anger had consumed him. Merely thinking that he would be helping in raising another kid that was born out of her wife's disgrace made him want to puke.

"No… You were drunk that day! Don't you remember?" Emily asked with her eyes full of hope. "You were drunk that night, and you forced me! Don't you remember that?"

Tears streamed down Emily's eyes as to what Roger had just said. It rumbled her heart and crushed her to pieces.

When two bodyguards opened the door, Emily quickly shrunk her body to the corner of the hospital bed. She looked at Roger, asking for help. "No, no! Roger, please, this is your baby! It is yours!"

Without looking back at Emily, Roger gestured for the guards to come in and take her.

With just one look, the bodyguards already knew what Roger wanted to happen, so they dragged Emily out of the room.

Emily cried, following the two guards that were holding both of her arms. Her neck craned to look back at Roger. "Roger, please… No…"

But all Roger did was watch her cry, hear her protests from his right ear, and then let it pass from his other ear.

In the hallway, chattering and hearsay went on from mouth to mouth. Patients, even nurses, were whispering, asking why two bodyguards were dragging Emily and why she was crying. Some of those who had heard a story from others had shared it with others, saying, "She's shameless. I heard that she cheated on Mr. Roger. It was all reported by many relevant journalists!"

And so the other person replied, "Yes! And she even bears a child! It is really for the best to abort it!"

Emily was in despair, she could hear their speculations about her, but she didn't care about it. What she was most worried about was the baby that might not be able to see the world.

Fannie barged in as Emily forcedly lay down on a frigid surgical table in the operation room.

Thinking Fannie would save her, she cried for help as she saw her. "Fannie… Please, help me. I don't want to kill the child. Please, convince Roge. This child is his…."

"Give us a second. I just have to talk with her," Fannie said, shooing the guards away.

Emily thought she would be safe with Fannie, but her hands registered on her face. The loud slap echoed at the four corners of the room as the room was theirs alone.

"Of course, I know that the child is his," Fannie said smugly. "Do you know how much time, money, and effort I spent to make everything foolproof?" She walked towards Emily and touched her reddened face as if mocking her.

"The man you didn't know testified that he impregnated you because I told him to do so. Now, how would you let the child live when Roger's about to divorce you and marry me," Fannie said, looking at Emily ferociously.

Emily's eyes were full of questions, and when she had the courage to ask, she looked at her with doubt. "What are you talking about? You did all this?"

"You think I am joking? Who else do you think would be behind all this? For the past two years, your good friend, Daniel Harris, has always been abroad, and you always stay at home. However, fortunately, you went out a month ago, so I grabbed my one and only chance!" Fannie laughed frantically, taking the time to confuse Emily.

She wanted the child gone as she saw in Roger's eyes that he cared for the child. Obviously, she hated that Emily's baby might be a reason for him not to continue the divorce.

"Why? Why are you doing this to me?" Emily struggled again to escape from her clamped wrists and ankles, but the more she resisted, the more it hurt her.

Fannie scoffed. "Why? You dared to ask me why when you took advantage of my car accident?!"

Fannie became an utterly different person in front of Emily. She was in sheep's clothing a while ago, but now that Roger was not in front of them, she showed Emily her real wolf nature.

"If it weren't for your parents, you would never even get married to Roger," Fannie said, looking straight at Emily's eyes with a grudge that she had been keeping for years. "Roger is mine, Emily! He's always been mine! Did you expect me to sit down and do nothing once I woke up? Or perhaps, you didn't even think I would wake up?!" She asked with contempt.

Fannie was mad at Emily even before, but after seeing Roger's eyes glistening with conscience upon his decision to kill the innocent child, she had become frantic. "You're so stupid! Did you honestly think Roger married you because he loved you when I have always been the love of his life?! Now that I am here, everything should fall to its place, which means you are out in our lives!"

Just remembering how Roger's eyes flashed with a trace of happiness about having kids fanned Fannie's anger toward Emily.

Dumbfounded, Emily failed to fathom what words to say. All she could think about now was that Fannie wasn't the woman she used to think she was. Suddenly they heard the door open, and a doctor came in. With an evil smirk etched upon her lips, Fannie walked to greet the doctor and said, "You can start now, Doc."

The rush Emily felt a while ago came back. She tried to get up, pleading with the doctor. "No! No, doc! Please, I beg you! This woman!" She said, trying to point her finger at Fannie. "She framed me! This baby's father is Roger. Please, I beg you, tell him!"

"Emily, don't do this. Roger has already investigated this matter, and you are lying. Don't worry. After the operation, I would help you talk with him," Fannie said in a completely different voice from a while ago. Still, the smirk on her face did not fade as she stared at Emily, who showed helpless gazes toward the waiting doctor.

Fannie nodded at the doctor and walked out of the room, leaving Emily with a victorious smile.

Emily still wanted to scream and shout, but two nurses came in and calmed her down by injecting her with the anesthetic. Before closing her eyes unwillingly, Fannie's sneer was the last thing she saw.

As Fannie exited the room, the doctor eagerly checked his phone. He smiled in great enthusiasm under the surgical mask he was wearing as he looked at the money the lady who had just left sent to his bank account. Then, he slid his phone back into his pocket and approached the nurses assigned to assist him that day.

“I’ll leave this one to both of you,” he instructed them. He couldn’t hide in his voice the delight he was feeling. The nurses nodded, and there, the doctor went out.

The nurses prepared all the necessary equipment and tools on the metal tray. After that, they raised Emily’s legs on a lithotomy position on a platform they attached on both sides of the bed. One of them positioned herself and was about to start the procedure when a man entered the room.

“SSir, you’re not supp—,”

“Who’s in charge here? Call him!” The man ordered the two without letting the nurse finish what she wanted to say. They, of course, knew who he was. He was not just an ordinary citizen, and because of that, both of them stiffened. They could not afford to risk going against the man as they could lose a job with his authority.

“You!” he shouted while pointing his finger at one of the nurses because none had moved even an inch yet. “Call him!”

Frightened by what the man would do once they disobeyed his order, the nurse rushed outside to search for the doctor.

She saw him inside his office, and he was ready to go.

“Done?” He asked the nurse, but after she told him who was looking for him, the doctor put down all his things and ran as fast as he could to meet the man who just came.

“SSir, what brings you here?” the doctor asked the man right after he entered the room. He was smiling, but he couldn’t hide the nervousness in his voice. He was trembling in fear as he walked near him. The man turned to face the doctor, and everyone inside the room was shocked after the doctor received a hard slap on his cheek.

...

In the ward, Emily woke up disoriented. Her vision was still blurry, and her mind was still in a haze when the door suddenly opened. When her eyes adjusted, she realized that Roger was already walking straight to bed. Her eyes instantly became teary, her heartbeat went erratic, and the thought of her unborn child consumed her emotional being. The man she had loved for many years had just killed their child and was about to marry another woman. She could not think of anything worse.

"The most regretful thing that I did was to marry you," Emily said, trying to hold back her tears and completer her sentence.

When Roger finally reached the side of her bed, he said, "So did I. The most disgusting thing that I have ever done was marrying you," he sat down on a chair near her bed as he said everything sternly.

"I admit that my parents have done wrong things, but you can't do this to my family… You can't tear down my family…."

"I can't?" Roger scoffed, "Your family threatened me from the start! If we got divorced, I would lose nothing. In fact, I would even benefit from it. But you? You will have nothing, and that is because of your family. Letting them do things because you will gain from it makes you as guilty as they were." Roger looked at her with deep eyes, "It was fine, but I didn't expect you to cheat on me while I was away. For years, I thought you really loved me," he added.

"I didn't cheat on you," Emily said. She didn't care about everything Roger had told or accused her of. What mattered to her was the way he saw her. She could never cheat on him no matter what, but insisting that to him was no use as the latter had seen enough evidence of her socalled guiltiness.

The door opened again, revealing Fannie carrying a tray of food. She looked kind, placing the rectangular metal tray on the bedside table. Upon seeing her, Emily remembered all the things she had revealed to her.

"Roger, it's fanny!" Emily exclaimed. "She made it all up! Ask the man on the pictures, and he would tell you that Fannie told him I went with him," she added, looking straight at Roger, wanting him to believe her.

But Fannie was a great actress. Since Roger was present, she became the innocent sheep once again. "Emily…" She said in a trembling voice, tearyeyed. "How could you say that? How can you frame me up like this? You know I've been good to you, and I was really grateful to you for saving my life!" She then shed pitiful tears, looking back and forth between Emily and Roger.

Emily stretched out her hand, trying to reach for Roger's hands, but since the latter's eyes remained staring at Fannie's tears, he didn't even realize that. Then everyone's attention landed on the food that met the floor as Fannie threw it, acting as if Emily had pushed it to fall off the table. "Emily, if you don't want to eat, please just tell me. You don't have to act like this." There goes her voice that irritated and hurt Emily. The woman's fake cry was Roger's weakness.

Furious, Roger grabbed the neck of Emily's hospital gown. He was mad after seeing Fannie's tears, and he reached the limit of his patience when he thought that Emily was disrespecting her by throwing away the food the latter had brought.

Fannie did an excellent performance indeed, and even if she intended to let Emily be hurt, she had to act kindly in front of Roger, so she stopped him. "Stop it, just let her go. I'm fine. I just hate that she has to waste the food. But please, let her go already."

"But I didn't even touch the tray!" Emily protested. She didn't want Fannie to fight for her as it would mean she would let her throw all the rocks at her, saying she threw it to herself.

"Then sign the papers," Roger said, moving away from Emily.

Emily sighed in defeat. Knowing that Roger had been in love with Fannie for a very long time, she couldn't win his heart anymore. No matter what she does, Fannie would remain good in his eyes. "Okay…"

Upon agreeing, the door of the room opened once more. "I disagree!" A familiar voice said, making Emily look as to who it was.

Emily's eyes widened as she quickly tried to stand up from the bed, but the old man gestured for her to remain seated. In distressed eyes, he asked her, "Are you okay, Emily?"

"Grandpa! Why are you here?!" Roger asked his grandfather, who didn't even give him a bat.

The old man shook his head, and his crutch tapped the cold tiles, making a sound that stopped all three of them from speaking. "If I didn't come, you would divorce Emily and marry another woman," he said, finally throwing a glance toward Fannie.

If one person was devoted to Roger and Emily's marriage, it would be Roger's grandfather, Weston. Since he didn't like Fannie, he was glad that Roger had married another woman.

"Grandpa, Emily is not what you think she is. You don't know what she has —" Weston immediately stopped him from talking by raising his right hand in front of him.

"I know. Still, I disagree," he said trivially. Upon hearing it, Emily had an idea that hoaxes and speculations were going around already. When the guards dragged her, the chatters from the corridor probably started to reach other people outside the hospital.

Emily sighed, "Grandpa… I didn't cheat," she said, extending her hands to reach the hands of Roger's grandfather.

"It doesn't matter. What matters is that I am here," he said, proving Emily's inward allegations that he did believe the rumors about her. "Now, I don't want you to divorce her."

"Grandpa!"

As soon as Roger raised his voice, his grandfather faced him. "Don't call me grandpa if you divorce her! Her family and I have been friends for a long time, and you did things without considering what I would feel! That's enough. Emily has nowhere to go. What else do you want, huh?"

Listening to what Roger's grandfather said, Emily realized he was just sympathizing with her. But it was okay; she was thankful for that as she had really nowhere to go.

"If you insist on divorcing her, that would mean I am no longer your grandfather, and I don't have a grandson like you anymore!"

Wanting to meddle and butt in to support Roger, Fannie took a step forward, but the deadly glares of Roger's grandfather stopped her in an instant.

'Grandpa, I am old enough. I know what I am doing, and I can no longer be with that woman!' Roger wanted to voice out, but he did not dare to talk back about his grandfather's decision anymore.

When Roger's parents were framedup and died, his grandfather raised him. Therefore he respected him the most.

"I'll take Emily home today," Weston said with finality.

That same evening, Weston took Emily back to the house and told Roger to come with him. Although Roger did not intend to disobey his grandfather, he took Fannie with him.

While lying in bed, Emily observed Roger's grandfather as he sat in front of her, wiping his tears.

"I'm really sorry, Emily." He continued apologizing for what Roger had done to her and her family.

"No, grandpa. It's also my fault. My family was wrong to pressure Roger like that," she replied regretfully.

However, it undeniably surprised her that Roger's grandfather knew about the forced engagement. But unfortunately, this time, he no longer had any authority over their situation. He couldn't help her anymore.

"Emily, all I can do now is to stop Roger from divorcing you," Weston said, utterly dejected.

As soon as Emily heard these words, she felt her world shattered. She finally confirmed her suspicions that Roger no longer cared about her.

'Is it still worth it to stay in a marriage with a man who clearly does not feel the same way?' she thought to herself.

That night, both Roger and Fannie also stayed at the house. Although it pained her, she had no choice but to accept it.

Emily had been wide awake the entire night, pondering and fretting. She felt like she was about to suffocate despite the cool night air blowing through her open windows. Eventually, she decided to go outside for some time. She slowly made her way downstairs and came to the yard. Under the soft illumination, she took a deep breath of the clean air.

She was startled when she heard a voice not far from where she stood. Emily continued walking along the trail. She took a step further after spotting the recognizable figure and overheard Fannie talking with someone over the phone.

"Okay, Dad, I get it. I'm going to marry Roger as soon as I can. Nothing to worry about that. I know exactly what I must do. His business will be yours in no time." Fannie finished her call, turned around, and noticed Emily standing there.

Emily completely forgot to run away, and she had no choice but to confront Fannie instead. When Fannie approached her, she stepped forward and said, "What did you just say? You want to take Roger's company?"

Clearly, Fannie didn't anticipate Emily overhearing this conversation.

"Emily?" she called out.

"Who were you talking to just now?" Emily said as she grabbed Fannie's arm and shook her. "Who wants Roger's company?

"Huh?" Fannie pretended to be confused. "What are you talking about?"

She tried to leave, but Emily held her arm tightly. She frowned at her and said, "Emily, let me go! This is none of your business!"

"No!" Emily retorted back. "Anything that concerns Roger is my business." Despite being on the brink of getting divorced, she still chose to protect her husband.

"Your business? Emily, you seem to have forgotten that he wants a divorce from you and that he ordered the abortion. But you're still helping him out like this?" Fannie sneered at her with mockery in her eyes.

Emily couldn't even utter a sound. She knew Fannie was correct, but she didn't want Roger to suffer. Despite their current situation, she had been in love with him since she was a child.

Because of that, Emily refused to let her go until she got the answers she wanted. "Who were you talking to?"

In the distance, Fannie could hear out the sound of approaching footsteps. Despite not knowing who it was, she chose to be prepared. Swiftly, she hit the ground hard with her body. Fannie struggled to free herself from Emily's grip and ultimately decided to just collapse on the ground. However, Fannie made it seem as though Emily had shoved her down.

Hearing Fannie's cry, Roger immediately walked over to where she had collapsed and checked her. "Fannie, are you okay?" he asked as he raced over to pull her up from the ground.

Emily couldn't see Roger's eyes in the dim courtyard, but she could tell how anxious he was from the tone of his voice.

"It's fine. Don't worry about it. Everything is fine here." Fannie gazed up at Roger with a bright smile on her face. However, all of a sudden, Fannie yelled in agony. She picked up her hand and examined the blood on her palm. A gloom instantly spread on Roger's face.

"Don't worry about it. Emily didn't mean it," she said.

Roger continued to ask Fannie, "What happened?"

Fannie pretended as if she wanted Emily to explain, but Roger took the lead and remarked, "Fannie, tell me!"

Fannie suddenly cried, "A little while ago, Emily came to me and asked me to leave you. She urged me to leave the country and never contact you again. She said that Grandpa wouldn't let her divorce you."

Hearing this, Emily realized how good Fannie was at lying. She finally concluded that Fannie was indeed a fake.

Not wanting to get accused, Emily immediately said, "Roger, she was just on the phone a minute ago talking to someone about your company's affairs..."

But before she could finish her sentence, Roger yelled at her. "Emily!" He arched a brow and remarked, "Really? You think I wouldn't dare divorce you just because Grandpa wouldn't let us?"

Emily recoiled and responded, "What I'm saying is true."

"Ridiculous!" Roger abruptly declared, "Why would she come here if she's just talking on the phone?"

Roger reached out to give Fannie a hug. In the dark, Emily could see the look on her face.

Earlier, while Roger was in the shower, Fannie went out of the house. Unanticipatedly, Roger came to look for her. Suddenly, everything became a perfect time for such a dramatic performance.

"Apologize to her now. Then, I'll forgive you," Roger demanded as he stared at Emily intently.

Emily was taken aback by what he had said. 'Me? Apologize?' she thought to herself. 'I'm the one she should be apologizing to.'

Emily turned to see Fannie crouched in his embrace. When she saw the grin on her face, she immediately replied, "I didn't do anything wrong, so I won't apologize to her."

"Do you believe I would just let you do what you want? I'm pushing through with this divorce, and I will marry Fannie!" Roger declared before he took a step forward, accidentally bumping shoulders with Emily. She hit the floor, but he didn't even bother to look back and went inside with Fannie.

The following day, Roger assured his grandfather he would not divorce Emily. However, his condition included her leaving and returning to her own home. That very day, Emily returned to the villa.

After Weston had left the house, Emily discovered that Roger had lied to him about not going through with the divorce. But she refused to agree. First, she needed to know the truth.

Inside their house, Emily's eyes followed Roger as he led Fannie into the bedroom. She felt a crushing pain in her heart as she watched the scene, but she could only sigh and head towards the guest room. As the door slowly closed, a large hand reached out and stopped it. At that moment, Roger pushed open the door and walked in.

When he came over to talk to her, Emily immediately saw the divorce papers he was carrying.

Not waiting for Roger to say anything, she quickly proclaimed, "I'm not getting a divorce."

"This is not a choice for you to make!" He creased his brows and demanded impatiently, "Sign it now!"

"I won't sign it. If you force me with what you want, I will make sure Grandpa would know about this!" Emily said firmly with her determined eyes and unwavering voice.

Hearing her answer, Roger scoffed and mockingly looked at her. "Are you threatening me?"

"No. I'm just saying. I'm not going to sign it," Emily replied, emphasizing her last remark.

She had already decided to find out who was on the phone with Fannie, so she must stay in the house.

"I won't sign it."

In anger, Roger raised his hand and almost hit Emily. "You!" But he stopped midair, seeing the firm look in her eyes. All he could do was unconsciously crumple the paper he was holding. "Let's see how long you could say that," he smirked. "From today on, you will be a servant of this villa."

When Roger turned his back on Emily, her shoulder fell. She had already accepted their marriage was already a lost case since Fannie entered the picture. And it was her own decision not to leave him, so if she had to serve him to stay, she would. What choice does she have, anyway?

Processing everything that had happened, Emily couldn't help but cry all her frustrations out. She was about to close the door when Fannie's hands stopped her from doing so. As much as she wanted to slam the door, the latter's hands had already pushed the door open.

"Is it worth it?" Fannie asked in jeer with her arms crossed in front of her chest. Her eyes were smiling as she raised her head like a winner, widely opening the door of Emily's room. "I don't understand you."

Quickly, Emily wiped the tears from her face. "It's none of your business," she said sternly, trying to hide her tears. She tried to close the door again, but Fannie stood against the door frame and leaned toward it, mocking her.

"So you wanna know the person I was talking with, eh? That's why you stayed." Fannie remarked. "You know what? I admire you. You're still here, staying, and even willing to be a servant. Have you forgotten already that your mother is in the hospital, your father is in prison, and oh!" She exclaimed, looking at Emily's belly. "Your baby was gone. How could you go to such length of staying here when you can just sign the papers and leave immediately? If you want money, I can give that to you."

Surely, Fannie knew where to put the salt in Emily's injured body.

Provoked, Emily clenched her fist in anger. But then, even if she wanted to refute, what Fannie had just said was all true. "It's none of your business!" She bit her lip until it bled; that was all she could say after a minute.

Staying was her decision, so the blame could only be on her if she ended up more bruised than she already was. Though their company's unfortunate fate was her parents' fault, to begin with, heavens knew Roger was partly at fault. Still, Emily's conscience told her not to make him suffer even though he hurt him in different ways.

When Fannie spoke, Emily instantly snapped back to her senses.

"I'll watch how long you could stand on your decision," Fannie said and left her after giving her a cold glare.

Emily's body felt weak the instant that she closed the door. She sat decadently on the cold floor and leaned against the wall as her tears began rapidly falling from her eyes. In a daze, she remembered a scene from her childhood. Only by that time was she happy.

...

Young, naive, and vocal with her feelings, Emily asked Roger, "Will you marry me when we grow up?"

"Yes," young Roger answered.

But then things changed, and Roger had already forgotten what he told young Emily when they grew up. Even though Emily reminded him about it, he said it was just a joke, "We were kids. You don't have to take that seriously."

Although it was a joke for Roger, things were different for Emily. She took it seriously, and it made her persistent in pursuing him for many years.

As time passed, Emily thought marrying Roger, the man she loves, had already become a fairytale dream come true. But her family was ruined by him. And now she was still staying with him, despite everything he did.

...

Later that afternoon, Emily decided to go to the hospital to visit her mother. However, Roger stopped her. A pile of sundries to clean welcomed her instead, and the housekeeper told her not to leave until she finished it all, as per Roger's orders.

Rather than following what the housekeeper told her, Emily looked for Roger inside the villa. "Roger! I'll leave!" She informed him, keeping in mind her mother's condition, who might be alone at the hospital since no one would be there to take care of her.

Quickly, Roger responded, "No! Finish what I've told you to do, or just sign the papers already!" He offered.

Emily strolled and faced him. "I can do it later. I just have to go to the hospital now," she insisted.

As soon as Emily walked towards the door, Roger blocked her way. He looked at her with nothing in his eyes like he did when they were still kids when he pointed out that the promise of marriage was just child's play. "Either do it now or sign the papers."

If Roger was persistent, Emily was stubborn. "I said I would do it later, but for now, I have to go to the hospital first!" She walked past him and reached the door.

When Roger ran after her again, his grandfather greeted him coming inside the door. Surprised, he halted walking and greeted his grandfather. "Grandpa, why are you here?"

Emily stepped aside to let Roger's grandfather continuously walk inside the house. "I came here to see if you're doing something against Emily's will," he said as his eyes wandered and landed on Emily.

"Grandpa, I want to go to the hospital to see my mother," Emily told Roger's grandfather as soon as their eyes met.

"Don't worry, dear. Your mother is fine. I've already asked someone to take care of her," Weston said and patted Emily on the shoulder. With what he informed her, Emily's mind relaxed a little, but she still wanted to go to the hospital.

Upon Roger's grandfather's approval, Emily finally left the house to see her mother.

...

Emily's mother had already lost significant weight, her face was pale, and her body tolled from all the stress she had experienced.

Seeing her mother's condition, Emily couldn't help but feel guilty about her decision. Slowly, she walked toward her mother, who was staring at the ceiling, and called her to get her attention. "Mom…"

"Have you divorced him?" Elicia asked as soon as she heard her. She steadily moved her head to look into her daughter's eyes. "You haven't, right?" She asked anxiously, getting the silence she received as an answer.

"I've been thinking. I have a plan. Divorce him, and we will rent a house where we can live peacefully. Then, I will ask your grandfather to find a good lawyer for your father. All you have to do is leave him as fast as possible."

Not wanting to disappoint her mother, Emily reluctantly nodded. "Yes, mom, just give me a bit more time."

Just thinking about leaving Roger without finding out who wanted to steal his company stopped every rational decision she had in mind. 'I have to know Fannie's accomplice first!' She said inwardly.

"Why are you still stubborn?!" Emily's mother struggled to sit on the bed. "He killed your baby!" She reiterated that she saw the article had been all over the newspaper, and she happened to read one.

It was not new to Emily anymore, although it hurt her. "Stop, mom… I know what to do." She walked near her mother and stroked her back slowly, wanting her to continue lying on the bed. "Take a good rest. I'll see you again tomorrow."

Her mother still wanted to say something, but Emily started to walk out the door without looking back. When she was out of the ward, her feet suddenly stopped walking. She could still hear her mother's shoutings. 'Why are you so stubborn, Emily!' She scolded herself.

Thinking how stupid she was, Emily chuckled at herself and leaned against the wall as her tears dropped. 'Why do you have to make it so hard?' She was having her monologue when someone tapped her shoulders.

"Long time no see."

The familiar voice led her to believe it was the one and only Daniel Harris.

Written all over Daniel's eyes was affection as he looked at Emily. She, of course, immediately felt warm in her heart with those familiar and soothing stares. He was, after all, her only friend.

Daniel had been Emily's friend since they were still kids, but after she refused his proposal, he went abroad, and she married Roger soon after.

"Are you okay?" Daniel thoughtfully inquired after hearing about what happened. "I can talk to Roger and tell him you booked a hotel for me that day."

Fannie altered the evidence to frame Emily. Faithful as always, Emily only helped book a hotel for Daniel that day, but the truth was she didn't meet him. After checking him in, she went home, and then, later on, she received a message from Daniel saying he was already at the hotel.

So what happened was that Fannie knew all about it and talked to a random guy that Emily crossed paths with at the hotel and faked the evidence.

"No… Don't," Emily said.

The damage Roger had done in Emily's life exceeded what she could handle. And yet, as a martyr as she was, she still opted to stay beside him to protect him, as what happened could no longer be undone. Moreover, she knew that if she let Daniel explain what actually happened to Roger, the latter wouldn't believe it all. Fannie, after all, had already brainwashed him.

Frustrated, Daniel took a step backward. "Come on, Emily! He doesn't deserve you. Why don't you go with me instead? I can take you anywhere you want," he said as he stared at her tantalizing eyes. It was the eyes of the love of his life, but gone was the light in it as it was full of sorrow.

Emily scoffed, "Go with you?"

Emily had long clarified that she could only look at him as a friend and nothing more than that. She, of all people, was aware that coming with Daniel would only give him false hope, and she didn't want that. "You know I can't…."

She smiled, and her eyes dodged his gazes, "I can't leave."

Slowly, Daniel bent to capture Emily's eyes. "You want to protect his company, don't you?" He asked calmly.

"How did you know?" Emily replied in surprise. "Do you have any idea about this matter? What is it? Who was Fannie's accomplice?"

Among all the questions Emily had asked him, Daniel only answered the last one. "Her father."

Shocked and confused, Emily's brows furrowed. "What are you talking about? Fannie is an orphan, and she grew up in an orphanage." This time, Emily was the one who took a step forward and looked at Daniel incredulously.

Left with no choice, Daniel sighed and told her everything he found out.

Roger's family and Fannie's family were rivals long ago. Since Roger's family was more remarkable and did better in business, Fannie's family went bankrupt. Left with nothing, Fannie's father had to go abroad, leaving Fannie in an orphanage.

Although Fannie's father was away, he never forgot what Roger's family had done to them. He hated Roger's parents to the point that he killed them, keeping everything through a fake car accident. Still, Fannie's father didn't stop there. He wanted Roger's company as compensation for what he had lost long ago through the help of his daughter.

Daniel had heard all about it when he was abroad. He was curious about Emily's disappearance, so he dug deep about it and unexpectedly discovered that Fannie had already returned. Perplexed with what was happening, he continued seeking answers behind Fannie's sudden return.

"Fannie's goal is to marry Roger and take his company away from him. That was the reason why she came back," Daniel concluded with utmost confidence and certainty.

Shocked by everything she discovered, Emily did not waste any second and left the hospital without even saying goodbye to Daniel. She didn't look back, no matter how loud his voice was calling her. All she had in mind was to be back at the villa as soon as possible.

"I have to hurry. I have to tell Roger everything about Fannie!" she inwardly exclaimed in nothing but determination.

Quickly, Emily fetched a taxi and urged the driver to hurry up and bring her to the address she told quickly.

...

Finally arriving at the villa, Emily ran inside and went straight to the second floor. As soon as she entered the second floor, she saw Roger's grandfather, Weston, sitting on the couch with Fannie in the living room. She was curious about what they were talking about, so she stopped to eavesdrop.

"I haven't seen you for a long time, Mr. Frank! I don't know if you can still remember the Cole family, but maybe you remembered the people who ruined my father's company?" Fannie looked at Weston with contempt. A while ago, she received an order from her father to take down the elder Frank, as he would surely be the first person to hinder her from taking the seat once she and Roger got married.

Fannie didn't like Roger's grandfather in the first place, so she didn't feel any guilt about getting rid of him.

In her peripheral vision, Fannie noticed Emily. Seeing her was a great opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. 'You really want to know who I was talking with, huh?' The side of her lips rose to a smirk.

Picking up something from Fannie's words, Weston stuttered. "Yyou… You are…"

"So you remember? And yes, if you are thinking about it now, my last name is Cole."

Weston's pupils were dilapidated, his hands trembled, and he pointed his finger to Fannie. "You are his daughter! Your father killed Roger's parents! Where is that man now, huh?!" His teeth gritted with rage, and his loud voice resonated in all four corners of the room.

Fannie's smile widened at Roger's grandfather's rattled and anxious look, but her eyes were like a sword piercing him already. "Where is my father?! And what? My father killed Roger's parents? You remember those things, but you cannot remember how Roger's parents treated my father? They ruined him!"

With that, Weston sat up straight. "Your father was the first who wanted to ruin my family's business! Roger's father only did what he had to do!" He said as he knew what happened that year better than anyone.

"Shut up!" Fannie stood up. "Your grandson loves me now, so how could I stay still? What do you think is the smartest thing I should do?" She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Of course, marry him and get his company."

After saying her last sentence, Fannie immediately took out a dagger she was hiding.

Then, everything turned into slow motion in a blink of an eye. The cold dagger pierced through Weston's body, which Emily failed to stop even though she tried to step in. She, unfortunately, was a few steps late.

"Grandpa!" She exclaimed, pushing Fannie away. Then, she squatted on the ground and watched the blood gush from the old man's chest.

Leaving the bloody scene, Fannie smiled when Emily touched the dagger with her hands. Then, she quickly took off the gloves she was wearing that complimented her outfit as a facade as to why she wore it.

"Grandpa, hold on, please! I will call an ambulance," Emily's hands were trembling as she took out her phone and dialed 911. Before someone could answer the phone, she heard the faint voice of Weston.

"Emily, I beg you. Please... protect Roger. Help him win the bidding and get the land in the east of the City —"