Back when Emily had just graduated, she landed a job at Aaron's fashion brand. As a junior employee, there was no reason she'd ever cross paths with the CEO-

But six months in, at a company anniversary party, she accidentally ran straight into him... and spilled a glass of red wine all over his suit.

Emily was fresh out of school and nearly scared to death. If he asked her to pay for it, there was no way her tiny paycheck could cover the cost of that custom, high-end suit.

But Aaron didn't get mad.

He just asked her to leave her contact info-clearly just an excuse. When he did reach out later, he never mentioned compensation. Instead, he started asking her out to dinner, taught her how to play golf, and even took her out on his yacht.

What did she know back then? Only that a successful, good-looking man-five years older, charming and mature-was showing interest in her. Her heart didn't stand a chance.

Later, when her grandma suddenly fell critically ill and needed emergency heart surgery, Aaron didn't hesitate. He had her transferred to the best suite at a private hospital and flew in one of the top specialists from overseas.

That same year, she said yes to his proposal. She stopped wondering if she was "good enough" for him. When a man does that much for you... what's left to question?

She was completely swept away by LOVE.

And with her grandma needing long-term care-which Aaron took full responsibility for-

she willingly let herself become his porcelain doll.

But that dream? It shattered yesterday.

If she wasn't someone's replacement, maybe she could've kept lying to herself. Maybe she could've kept living in the fantasy.

Looking back over the past month, Aaron had been coming home late way more than usual. He told her he was busy launching a new fashion line at work, and she hadn't doubted him.

But now that she thought about it...Amelia probably came back a month ago. She just didn't find out until yesterday.

So stupid.

After their fight, Aaron had slammed the door and stormed out. He didn't return to their room all night. The maid had told her that morning he'd slept in the study.

"You don't need to tell me next time," Emily said coldly.

Mia blinked, caught off guard, but nodded. "Okay."

Emily looked down at the breakfast on the table. She was starving-stomach practically eating itself-but she couldn't bring herself to pick up the fork.

"Oh, and going forward... keep it low-oil. And no cream-based stuff."

"Ma'am, are you not feeling well?"

Emily lowered her gaze, "Just some stomach issues. No need to tell him."

Of course, chances were it'd reach Aaron before noon. He had a grip on everything. Big or small, nothing in the house escaped his control.

Was that called being attentive... or just obsessive?

But with changes in her body...he hadn't noticed a thing.

She finished the fresh avocado toast Mia had brought over. The maid took her plate but left the usual glass of milk behind.

That glass of milk had become one of Aaron's habits of control too. He always said it was for her health. 

Back when he was still home in the mornings, he'd sit and watch her drink it. But ever since his schedule changed, the job fell to the maid-who now had to gently encourage her to drink it instead.

Emily didn't hate milk...But somewhere along the way, it started tasting bitter. Maybe it was the pregnancy-Not just cream, but anything dairy made her queasy now.

Still, she didn't want to make things difficult for Mia.

"I'll take it upstairs."

Mia looked like she wanted to say something. After all, Mr. Lopez had personally instructed her to crush up a vitamin B tablet every morning and mix it into the milk-saying it was for stress and fatigue.

And if he wasn't around, it was her job to make sure his wife drank it. That rule had been in place since Mia first started working here.

But if Mrs. Lopez said she'd drink it in her room, there was no room to argue. She'd been doing it this way for weeks now, and nothing had happened.

Later, just like always, Mia would go up to collect the empty glass from her room.

Emily carried the glass of milk upstairs, poured it down the sink, then set the empty cup aside. 

She changed her clothes, and when she glanced up at the mirror, she noticed her face looked a little sunken. She ran her fingers through her hair-the same brown shade that resembled Amelia's-and felt a wave of disgust.

Too bad she couldn't dye it. In the first trimester of pregnancy, it's best to avoid hair dye-hormones make the skin more sensitive. She could only endure it for now.

She put on a long-sleeved dress. It was still a bit chilly in February, so she threw on a coat. After slipping into flat shoes, she stepped outside-only to be stopped by security at the gate.

"SORRY, ma'am. Mr. Lopez said you can't leave the house without his permission."

Emily didn't even bother to lift her eyes. She kept walking.

"Please, ma'am," one of the guards said, clearly uneasy, "don't make this harder on us."

She let out a cold scoff. "What, I need approval now just to visit my grandma?"

The guards looked awkward but stayed silent.

"FINE, you want his permission? I'll call him right now." She pulled out her phone and dialed.

Unlike yesterday, the call connected quickly.

"Em? What's going on?"

The background was quiet. His voice echoed slightly-it sounded like he was in a meeting. Still, he picked up. And this time, his tone wasn't as stiff as yesterday.

"I'm going to see my grandmother. Tell your people to let me out." Emily wasn't in the mood to circle around the point-she said it straight.

There was a beat of silence. Then she heard the scrape of a chair, the sound of a door opening, then closing.

"I said I'd go with you, but I'm tied up today. Tomorrow-"

"AARON." She cut him off, voice rising. "Is it really that hard to just let me leave the house? You seriously want to control even where I go now?"

"Em, I don't want to argue with you." His voice was tight, like he was holding back frustration.

"Great. Neither do I. So just one thing-let me leave."

"NOT today."

The second the words left his mouth, Emily hung up.

Absolutely absurd. 

He just wanted to keep her like some caged canary, locked away from the world.

This wasn't a life-it was a prison. They weren't even speaking like people anymore. Just anger. Just control.

Emily walked back into the house, her hand drifting instinctively to her belly. She couldn't just think about herself anymore-she had someone else to protect now.

Pulling out her phone, she typed a message to Aaron:

"Come home earlier tonight. There's something important I need to tell you."

At 6:30, she heard the front door open. Aaron stepped in, draping his coat over his arm. He showed up earlier than she expected.

Emily was already seated on the couch, waiting for him.

Even though he was still pissed about being hung up on earlier, he honored her message and came back sooner than usual. 

He walked over, long strides steady, and sat down beside her.

"What did you want to tell me?" he asked.

SUDDENLY, she felt nervous. 

She'd meant to tell him yesterday. But after everything-the way they spoke to each other, the way they fought-whatever joy she once had about this news was long gone.

Still, she'd thought it through.

No matter what happens between them-whether they stay together or not-he's still the baby's father. He deserves to know.

And maybe, just maybe, if he found out... he'd loosen his grip on her a little.

Emily clutched the fabric of her dress, licked her dry lips, and looked up at him.

"I'M PREGNANT."

Her heart pounded in her chest. She stared into his eyes, watched his pupils widen-just a fraction-then shrink right back down. Like nothing happened. Like it meant nothing.

Then, suddenly, his lips curved.

A quiet laugh followed.

"That's NOT possible."

Not possible?

Emily felt the blood in her veins freeze. It was like being dropped into a snowstorm-her ears went numb, her mind blanked out. Nothing registered.

She stared at him in disbelief. WHY was he so sure?

Sure, her health had always been fragile, but that didn't mean she couldn't get pregnant. They'd been sleeping together regularly, and since they'd both agreed to try for a baby, they hadn't used protection...

For a second, she questioned her own memory. But she had just seen the doctor yesterday.

There was no way she could be wrong.

Then his hand gently covered hers, resting on her skirt. His voice still carried that soft, almost teasing tone.

"I know you're trying to fix things, but you don't have to pull something like this just to get my attention."

Pull something like this?

To get his attention?

Emily felt like her whole world cracked open. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

She had thought about their three years of marriage. Thought carefully before deciding to tell him about the baby-because she didn't want to make this choice alone.

But this... this was what she got in return?

Aaron seemed to notice her blank expression, finally realizing she wasn't playing coy. His smile faded a bit as he shifted his tone to something more "concerned."

"WHAT'S WRONG? Are you not feeling well? Maybe that's why you're thinking like this?"

Emily couldn't even process it. She shook her head instinctively.

"Didn't your period just end, like, a week ago? Even if you were pregnant, there's no way you'd be feeling anything this soon."

Aaron reached out and ruffled her hair like he always did, like she was just his clueless little wife making silly mistakes.

Her dull, lifeless eyes stared straight at him.

That was the kind of husband he was-attentive to a fault. He even remembered her cycle. But this time, he got it wrong.

Her period hadn't come.

She was usually like clockwork. That's why she'd tested so early. Just to be sure, she'd even waited a few extra days before going to the doctor-she hadn't wanted to cause a fuss if it turned out to be nothing.

Maybe he mixed up the dates because he'd been out so much lately. Or... maybe there was another reason. Emily felt her breath catch in her throat. She didn't want to keep thinking.

Right then, she had the urge to pull out the report and slap it in front of him. Prove to him that he was the one who was wrong.

But something inside her held her back. Some instinct stopped her.

Aaron noticed how long she'd gone silent, saw how hollow her expression had become. His brows furrowed.

"Should I go with you to the hospital tomorrow? Just to make sure?"

"NO NEED." Her voice was drained, flat. 

His touch suddenly made her feel sick. She turned her head away from his hand.

His arm hovered awkwardly in the air before he pulled it back and rested it on his thigh, his face twitching for a second before going blank again.

Emily took a quiet breath, staring at her nails, trying to pull herself back together.

"You promised to go with me to visit my grandma tomorrow."

Aaron looked up, like he'd forgotten. After a beat, he nodded, "Right. I'll come back at lunch and we'll go together, okay?"

"No," she cut in, voice hard.

The tension in the room thickened instantly.

Catching the shift in his mood, she added casually, "You're busy. No point running back and forth. I'll just meet you at the hospital."

That seemed to calm him a little.

"Alright. Whatever you want."

Trying to smooth things over, he reached out again, lacing his fingers with hers, "It's been a while since we had dinner together. Come on, let's eat."

Something about his touch made her skin crawl. Emily bit the inside of her cheek and pushed down the wave of revulsion. She let him lead her to the dining room.

She just wanted to see her grandma-soon.

Maybe to avoid repeating the awkwardness from earlier, Aaron didn't say anything about how little she ate. After dinner, she excused herself, saying she felt dizzy, and headed back to the bedroom.

Before he could come upstairs, Emily pulled the medical report from her purse and tucked it deep into the bottom of her lingerie drawer.

After her shower, she lay in bed, pretending to sleep, leaving only one small lamp on. She heard Aaron's quiet footsteps enter the room.

He came to her side, close enough that she could feel his breath. Then he reached out, gently brushing a strand of hair off her face. 

After a moment, when he seemed convinced she was really asleep, he turned and walked to the closet.

The walk-in closet had been designed with an entrance on her side of the room, for convenience.

Even the softest sound carried-and Emily heard it clearly.

Aaron was going through her purse.

A minute passed, the noise stopped. Then came his footsteps again. He paused at her bedside for a moment... before finally leaving the room.

Emily had planted the seed of doubt the moment he reacted the way he did downstairs. That's when she decided to keep the pregnancy to herself-for now.

She knew Aaron.

Even if he said he didn't believe her, someone as suspicious as him wouldn't just let it go. He'd definitely try to find proof.

But she'd already moved the report. He wouldn't find anything.

Still...What about in another month?

The next day at noon, when she headed out again, the bodyguards didn't stop her this time. One of them followed her car as it pulled away, trailing behind as they made their way to the hospital.

Traffic was light, and they arrived ten minutes earlier than expected. Her grandma had been placed in a private room in this hospital, receiving top-tier care. Emily knew full well-on her own, there's no way she could've afforded this kind of medical treatment for her grandma.

She took off her sunglasses and pushed them up onto her head, then headed toward the reception desk like she always did.

VIP rooms didn't have strict visitation limits, but every visit still had to be registered-no exceptions. The log sheet was filled mostly with her and Aaron's names. The rest were rare, barely one or two visits each.

Her useless brother, Francie, had only shown up once in the past six months. She sighed and shook her head, signed her name, then handed the sheet back to the nurse.

"Mrs. Lopez, please wait here for a moment." The nurse gestured to a nearby chair.

Emily frowned. "I can't go in?"

Registration was usually just a formality. She came by so often that nearly every staff member here knew her-she never had to wait. But today, she caught a flicker of hesitation in the nurse's eyes.

"What is it? Is something wrong with my grandma?" she asked, voice suddenly tense.

"She's doing well, physically. It's just that..."

"What?" Emily cut in, brows knitting-just as a familiar voice spoke above her head.

"What's going on?" Aaron's voice came from behind, his large hand settling on her shoulder.

Emily's heart skipped a beat. She looked up and noticed the nurse immediately stiffen.

"No issue," the nurse said quickly. "You can both go in now. Mr. Lopez, please just come back and sign the register afterward."

"But earlier you said-" Emily started to protest.

Aaron gently patted her arm, cutting her off,  "Your grandma's probably been waiting a while. Go on, she'll be happy to see you."

Three and a half years ago, Grandma Ruth had undergone major heart surgery. Her right coronary artery had been completely blocked-her complexion so pale she looked like she'd lost all her blood. 

Emily had been shaking all over, terrified she wouldn't get the chance to repay the woman who raised her... terrified Grandma wouldn't live long enough to enjoy any peace or happiness.

The doctors had initially said she might need open-heart surgery-a huge risk. But the moment Aaron found out, he stepped in without hesitation. He had her transferred to a private hospital and brought in a top international cardiac specialist. 

Instead of traditional surgery, they opted for a minimally invasive catheter procedure using imported stents. Three were placed in total, and it saved her life.

Three years after that procedure-just six months ago-her stents had started narrowing again due to tissue buildup. She'd begun experiencing chest pain, shortness of breath, and extreme fatigue. Aaron immediately arranged for her to be hospitalized for observation... and she'd been there ever since.

Her room was huge-more like a suite than a hospital room. It had a living room, dining space, private bathroom, and even a companion bed. It looked nothing like a typical ward.

Even though Ruth could move around just fine on her own, Aaron had still hired two caregivers to rotate 24/7. Emily had never seen the bills, but she didn't need to-they had to be astronomical.

She softened her expression and forced a smile before stepping inside. Aaron still had his arm around her shoulder as they walked in together. The bed was empty, so they naturally headed toward the lounge area.

The curtains were drawn, and the midday sun was pouring in.

"Granny!" Emily called out.

Ruth, who had been sitting with her back to them, turned around, her eyes crinkling into a smile. "Oh, you're here." She reached out to pull Emily over.

She'd just finished lunch and was relaxing on the couch while the caregiver tidied up. Aaron followed behind and greeted her as well, settling into the armchair across from them.

"Good, good," Ruth said warmly, her gaze shifting from him back to Emily. "Last time you said you weren't feeling well-how are you now?"

She was referring to Emily's visit last week.

A flicker of discomfort passed through Emily's eyes, "I'm fine now, just a bit dizzy that day. Nothing serious."

She quickly changed the subject. "Enough about me. What did the doctor say about you?"

"Same as usual," Ruth replied with a sigh. "Honestly, I could've been discharged ages ago. This place is starting to feel more like a retirement home."

She still wasn't used to being watched 24/7-it felt excessive. But at Aaron's insistence, and because Emily had been worried, she'd reluctantly agreed to stay.

"Are you feeling bored staying here?" Emily asked. "If the doctor says it's okay..."

"If you're feeling cooped up, we can bring you books or something to keep you busy," Aaron chimed in.

Emily looked up at him. He was smiling kindly... but it didn't feel like warmth to her. Not anymore.

"There's not much to do around here," Emily said.

"Granny, remember that mystery novel series you mentioned last time? I bought the whole set-it'll be delivered this afternoon," Aaron said.

Ruth's eyes lit up as she nodded happily.

That was the second time Aaron had interrupted Emily. She frowned slightly,  "It doesn't have to be in the hospital. Grandma could read just as easily at home."

Ruth blinked in surprise. "You're the one who always insisted I stay here, and now you're siding with me?"

"You mentioned wanting to see your old friends, remember? And you're doing fine physically. As long as you're careful, I don't see why not," Emily explained.

She'd thought a lot about it last night...

Before Ruth could respond, Aaron stood up and walked over to Emily, "Granny wants to go out and you're just letting her? She's got the best doctors looking after her here."

If it were before, Emily would've thought her husband was being thoughtful-caring for her family like his own.

But now?

Now it felt suffocating. Less like concern, and more like control.

She couldn't tell anymore-was she just being overly sensitive lately, or was this something more?

Sensing the shift in mood, Ruth chuckled softly. "I know you both care about me. Honestly, it's not so bad here. Look..."

She reached into a basket beside her and pulled out a ball of yarn, "I've gotten back into knitting."

She held up a half-finished vest and held it against Emily, measuring, "Not sure I'll finish this before the weather warms up."

Emily forced a smile. She didn't want to start a fight in front of her grandma, "If you're the one knitting it, I'll wear it no matter the season."

She stayed with grandma for another two hours. When Ruth said she was ready for her afternoon nap, Emily finally got up to leave.

Aaron had stayed by her side the entire time-which meant she still hadn't gotten the chance to speak to her grandma alone.

Outside the hospital, just as Emily was about to get back into the same car, Aaron reached for her arm.

"Em," he said, "I know you weren't thrilled with what I said in there, but you know I'm only doing this for your grandma's sake."

Emily closed her eyes for a moment, "I didn't argue with you in front of her because I didn't want to upset her... but you do know she could've been discharged ages ago, right?"

"The doctor never said she couldn't leave," Aaron replied, "but isn't it better having someone look after her around the clock? And this place is close to home."

Nothing he said was exactly wrong-and that made it harder for Emily to fight back. She knew taking back control over her life wouldn't happen overnight.

The Aaron she used to know-the one she trusted without question-was now using that very love and care like a leash around her neck.

"Forget it," she exhaled. "I don't wanna fight with you. You'd win anyway. You've got power, money... in the end, you always get to decide."

"Emily," his tone tightened, "do you HAVE TO talk like that?"

"If you really care about us," she said quietly, "then stop making all the decisions on your own."

"CAN you stop being unreasonable for once?" he snapped. "I've been crazy busy lately, but I still made time to be here-for you, and for her."

"Unreasonable?" Emily let out a short, bitter laugh. "I never asked you to come. But tell me-why wouldn't the nurses let me in unless you showed up first?"

Why, after just a few days, did it feel like even her movements were being monitored?

She stepped closer, voice low but sharp.

"Aaron, do you think just because I haven't worked these past three years, I've gone STUPID? Or is it that you really think I'm that naive-easy to lie to?"

Aaron paused, caught off guard by her sudden confrontation.

"I've never thought that," he said, his voice tightening. "But your emotions lately... they've been all over the place."

He turned his face away, clearly done with the conversation, "I'll arrange for a therapist to come tomorrow."

Emily took a slow breath, stunned by how neatly he could spin everything. In just a few words, he'd managed to shift all the blame onto her-like everything was just her being "too emotional."

"Well, right now I feel very calm," she said coldly. "I just think you're terrifying."