Would he be a good father?

It was a question Emily had asked herself just days ago-and now, she had her answer.

No. Aaron would never be a good father.

His need for control was too strong. All it took was one threat of divorce, and before she could even make another move, he'd already tightened his grip on her, like it was effortless.

Convincing her to quit her job had been the first step. Emotionally and practically, she lost her independence, leaving her with no choice but to rely on him.

Did she regret it?

Regret letting herself get too comfortable, letting her wings get clipped?

Yes.

But none of those feelings mattered anymore.

She and Aaron had, once again, ended things on a sour note.

On the way home, she was about to call her younger brother Francie when another call came in-this one from the police. They asked her to come down to the station.

As soon as the driver was informed, he immediately called Aaron for approval.

After a quick summary of the situation, Aaron gave the green light. He didn't come along himself this time-clearly, the two hours he'd just spent at the hospital were already more than he was willing to give.

The reason for her visit was-unsurprisingly-Francie again. He'd gotten himself into trouble, and for once, Emily was glad Aaron wasn't with her.

The driver waited outside. One bodyguard followed her in but kept a two-step distance behind. Emily walked up to the front desk.

"I'm Francie Caulden' sister. He was brought in this afternoon for a traffic violation..."

The officer checked her ID and handed it back. "He's giving his statement right now. Please have a seat over there."

Emily walked over to the long bench like she'd done it a dozen times before. This wasn't her first visit.

The last time, it was because Francie had gotten into a bar fight-punched someone over a dumb argument.

Before that, he'd trespassed onto a construction site to film a video for social media, violating public safety regulations.

Too many incidents to count.

He was seven years younger than her-already twenty-but still impulsive, reckless, and immature. Zero sense of responsibility.

After a while, another officer brought him out. Francie looked physically fine-no visible injuries-but his head was down and his whole vibe screamed defeated.

The officer turned to Emily. "He was speeding well above the limit and ran a red light. Luckily, no one got hurt, but it was extremely dangerous. Also, the motorcycle shows signs of illegal modifications. It'll be confiscated."

And just like that, Emily knew why he looked so miserable.

Francie feared nothing and no one-but that motorcycle? That was his baby. Losing it crushed him.

After explaining the fine, the temporary license suspension, and the requirement to attend a traffic safety course, the officer finally let them go.

The second they stepped out of the station, Francie flipped a middle finger toward the building and muttered angrily, "I'll take the damn fine, whatever-but why the hell are they taking my motorcycle?"

Emily shot him a cold look. "NOT enough punishment for you? Want to head back in for another round?"

She glanced back at the bodyguard, who was now standing farther away-far enough to give them some space. At that distance, he probably couldn't hear what they were saying.

"WHAT? They're being dramatic. I was just testing out a corner! Nothing even happened!" Francie snapped, totally unapologetic.

"That's enough. Are you only gonna regret it once someone gets hurt?" Emily's head was pounding. "Have you even thought about your family? About Grandma? She's not young anymore-she can't take any more stress."

Francie mumbled under his breath, "Well, if you don't tell her and I don't tell her, how would she even know?"

"You-" Emily's anger flared. "You're twenty, for God's sake. Can you grow up already? You're acting out because you've got too much time on your hands. No job, no goals-of course you're making trouble."

Francie scoffed. "And you've got room to talk? You DON'T HAVE a job either."

That was like tossing gasoline into fire. Emily's tone dropped. "What did you just say?"

Francie realized he'd gone too far. He bit down on his tongue and looked away, refusing to meet the glare she was giving him.

"Do I get into this kind of shit every few weeks like you? You in and out of police stations like it's your second home?"

He knew he was in the wrong and kept quiet.

Emily had always been more than just a sister to him. Their parents died when they were young, and their grandmother had to work three jobs just to support them. Emily, being older by several years, had practically raised him.

Francie let out a slow breath, figuring like always, he'd just ride out her lecture and this whole thing would blow over.

"You're not a kid anymore," Emily said, voice softer but tired. "At the very least, visit Grandma more. She misses you."

He leaned against a tree trunk nearby, noting how this time her tone felt different-like she was actually trying to reach him.

But just as she started saying, "You can't depend on other people forever," he sprang upright and grinned playfully, "Nope. I plan to live off my brother-in-law forever."

Emily's face instantly flushed with anger.

"I literally just said you need to rely on yourself. Why the hell would you say something like that? You think your brother-in-law and I are gonna be together forever? What're you gonna do then?"

Francie chuckled. "That's not even gonna happen. Aaron's crazy about you. Unless you're bored out of your mind or looking for drama, there's no way you two are splitting up."

He said it like it was some kind of joke.

Emily took a deep breath.

Aaron's carefully crafted image had fooled everyone-friends, family... including herself. Three whole years. And she fell for every bit of it.

"What if he's got another woman?" she asked, looking him straight in the eye.

Francie's expression shifted. After a beat, he leaned back against the tree again. "Come on, you know Aaron's not like that. He's always been loyal."

When she didn't respond, he started getting nervous. "WAIT-don't scare me. You're just making that up, right? That's not real, is it?"

"Whether it's real or not," Emily said quietly, "what I want you to understand is this: don't be like me. Don't put everything you have into someone else's hands."

Francie's expression twisted, clearly not taking her words to heart.

Instead, he mumbled, "Well... if you guys are really having problems, what's gonna happen to the bar?"

Emily froze. "What bar?"

She grabbed his sleeve. "Francie, what are you talking about?"

He blurted out, "Aaron said he'd help me. Said he'd back me and my friends to open a bar."

What?!

"YOU-" Emily grabbed his cloth tightly, furious. "Open a bar? Have you completely forgotten the last time you got into a fight? The only reason you didn't end up in jail is because we spent months with lawyers to clean up your mess. That was just a few weeks ago! And now this?!"

Francie yanked her hand off him. "You're the one who told me to get a job! Now I try to start a business and you're pissed about that too?!"

Emily was so furious at her brother's constant backtalk that she felt like she was going to pass out. A sharp pain twisted in her stomach-a warning. There was still a baby inside her. She couldn't let anger take over.

"I told you to find a real, stable job-not to mess around PLAYING entrepreneur with your friends."

"Mess around?" Francie shot back. "I've got a whole plan, okay? And Aaron's already said yes! He's a business genius. If he thinks it's a good idea, what makes you think you know better?"

His smug tone made Emily's blood boil. A mix of betrayal, disappointment, and rage surged through her. Aaron had never once mentioned helping Francie open a bar. What-was her opinion just completely irrelevant now?

And Francie's reaction when she hinted at her and Aaron splitting up? It wasn't concern for her. He didn't care if she was being mistreated. He only panicked because it might mean his funding would get cut off.

Her own brother-closer to Aaron than to her. She was beyond disappointed. And now he was yelling back at her like she was the problem?

"You need to remember who your actual family is!"

Francie snapped, "All I know is real family supports you no matter what!"

"That's blind support, not love!"

"You keep saying it's for my own good-but it's always 'no' to this and 'don't do' that. How is that good for me?"

Their voices kept rising. The bodyguard who had been keeping his distance now started walking back toward them, sensing trouble. Emily caught the movement from the corner of her eye-she didn't want this entire conversation ending up in Aaron's ears.

She locked eyes with her always-reckless brother. "I'm going to talk to Aaron. That bar? Forget it. It's not happening."

"What?! No-Emily, I already told my friends! You're seriously screwing me over!"

Francie shouted, visibly pissed but desperate too. He stepped toward her.

The bodyguard quickly extended an arm, blocking his path. "Please don't get too close."

Francie glared at him. "Do you even know who I am? I'm her brother-why the hell can't I get near her?"

The bodyguard replied calmly, "Mr. Lopez instructed us to keep Mrs. Lopez safe. Your emotions are running a little high, sir. Please calm down."

The moment Aaron's name came up, Francie deflated just a bit. His tone turned sarcastic, bitter. "Wow. Must be nice, sis. Having a husband who's always there to protect you."

No matter how mad he got, Francie wouldn't actually lay a finger on her. Still, having to sit through her lectures always rubbed him the wrong way.

Emily gently pushed the bodyguard's hand aside. "It's fine," she muttered.

Was this protection... or surveillance?

She looked at Francie's sulking face. "If you've got that much time on your hands, go visit Grandma."

"For what?" Francie rolled his eyes. "All she does is praise you anyway. What's the point? Might as well not go."

"When did you become like this?" Emily's voice was heavy. "She worked herself to the bone raising us. And now that she's sick, you can't even bother to check in? You've visited once in six months."

"She's living in luxury. VIP suite, best meals, best care-thanks to Aaron. What exactly do you need me there for?"

Emily could barely recognize the boy standing in front of her. Every other word out of his mouth was Aaron, Aaron, Aaron.

"Forget it," she said coldly. "I'm done arguing. Go think about what kind of person you're turning into."

She turned and signaled for the bodyguard to follow. Francie still wasn't finished-he kept yelling at her until she climbed into the car. But she didn't look back. The car pulled away, and she let the distance swallow his voice.

At around eleven, Emily finally heard the sound of Aaron coming home. She closed the book she'd been pretending to read-she'd been forcing herself to stay up just to wait for him.

"You're still up?" Aaron asked as he walked in.

After the tense conversation they'd had earlier that afternoon, he wasn't showing any lingering emotion. His tone was casual, like everything was normal.

Emily pulled her cardigan tighter around her shoulders. "Do you have a minute? I want to talk about Francie."

Aaron paused. Usually, when she waited up for him, she'd help hang up his coat, ask about work, check if he was tired. Not tonight.

She didn't do any of that.

She was pulling away.

Reining in his thoughts, Aaron tossed his coat aside and loosened his tie. "You mean the speeding ticket?"

"It wasn't just speeding," Emily said, her voice firm. "He illegally modified his Motorcycle. And I also heard he said you agreed to help him open a bar."

Her eyes were locked on him-accusing, searching.

Aaron sighed and sat down on the couch. "He came to me last month. And yeah, I agreed."

"You didn't think to talk to me first?" Emily sat beside him, angling her body toward his. "He just got in trouble at a bar. Did that slip your mind?"

"Francie asked me not to tell you," Aaron said. "He wanted to make something of himself first. Thought he could surprise you once it started working."

Emily frowned. "So what-you thought the money was pocket change, so it didn't matter?"

Aaron's brows pulled together, but his tone stayed even. "I'm not just handing it to him. It's a loan. He said he'll pay me back once they start turning a profit."

"YOU believe him?" she muttered, pressing her fingers to her temple. She couldn't understand why Aaron was being so lenient with her brother.

Aaron blinked, his eyes dry. He reached over and gently patted her hand where it rested on her thigh. "He's not the same kid he was three years ago. He's grown. Maybe give him this one chance, yeah? He's your family. I just want to help take care of you both."

Emily's thoughts were spinning. How was she supposed to trust someone who was still getting into trouble this afternoon?

"I know you see him like a little brother too..."

Before she could finish, Aaron's phone started ringing. He glanced at the screen, and his expression shifted instantly-serious, sharp.

"Hold on," he said quickly, and picked up.

Emily stared at him, stunned. Who would call at this hour?

She watched as his face tightened. He spoke low, in fragments: "Don't cry... Tell me where you are... I'm coming."

The call ended in under a minute.

Before she could say a word, Aaron stood up abruptly, grabbing his coat.

"Sorry-I have to deal with something. We'll talk when I get back."

Emily rushed over and grabbed the hem of his coat. "It's almost midnight. What kind of 'something' is this?"

She didn't want to care.

She shouldn't care.

But in that moment, she couldn't help herself.

"Em, don't do this. I really have to go." Aaron looked genuinely anxious, but he didn't yank his coat free from where Emily was gripping it.

"We were in the middle of talking about Francie. Didn't you just say we're family? That you wanted to take care of us?" Her voice was tight, almost pleading. She already had a good idea who was on the other end of that call-she just wanted to see if Aaron would stay.

Even with that hope in her eyes, Aaron didn't change his mind.

"Your brother's NOT in any danger. Ami fell. I NEED to check on her."

Emily let out a cold, hollow laugh. She fell, and that was enough to make him run out the door at this hour? She stared into his tired eyes, and still-he didn't hesitate. Not even for a second.

"She's hurt, but it's not life-threatening. WHY do you have to go yourself? Can't you send someone else?" Her tone was icy, laced with something even she didn't fully realize-jealousy.

"I WON'T feel right unless I go. Ami just got back to town-she doesn't know her way around, and she won't feel safe with someone she doesn't know." He checked his watch again.

Emily's gaze dropped. He was making her sound unreasonable. A strange, choking emotion started twisting around her chest, tangling tighter and tighter. Her grip on his coat tightened. "Don't go."

Aaron froze.

Emily had never asked that of him before. No matter how late he came home, how often he left, she'd always smiled, told him to come back soon, maybe pouted a little, asked for a makeup dinner or an extra hug. But now, her eyes were filled with something else-something desperate-and it made him hesitate.

Then his phone rang again.

This time, the voice on the other end was loud enough that even Emily could hear it clearly. A girl's voice, crying. "Aaron, where are you? I'm so scared..."

And Aaron answered instantly, "I'm almost there. Hang on, okay?"

Emily froze.

That tone-so gentle. So tender. She used to think that voice was reserved just for her. But not anymore. Something inside her cracked open, sharp and raw. 

Her hand slowly let go. She felt the fabric of his suit slip through her fingers. Her lashes trembled as she looked down.

Aaron quickly straightened his clothes, reached out to brush her hair back. "I'll be back soon."

What time did he actually come back? Or did he ever?

All Emily knew was that he didn't return to their room the entire night.

All because of one phone call from Amelia-he dropped everything like he was under a spell.

He'd told her before that Amelia was married, told her not to overthink.

If she ever had the chance, she would love to meet Amelia's husband-just to ask how the hell he managed to be so... forgiving.

Aaron had been so distracted lately, he didn't even bother having the bodyguards restrict her movements anymore-which, honestly, was a win for her.

Emily stared blankly at her contacts list, her finger hovering over one name: Georgia. She kept tapping in and out of the screen, hesitating... and then finally, she gathered the nerve and hit Call.

Georgia had once been her closest friend-before she got married. About a year into her marriage, their contact slowly faded.

Aaron had suggested more than once that she spend time with the wives of his business partners. Emily tried. But their conversations were always about the latest luxury bags, who got the rarest gift from their husband, or where they were going for spa weekends. She never fit in with any of that.

And honestly, she knew those women talked behind her back. Called her the "lucky Cinderella," and said Aaron only kept her around because she was harmless. None of them were real friends. Just fake smiles and shallow clout.

Thinking of Georgia... she couldn't quite pinpoint why they'd grown apart. She wasn't even sure if Georgia would want to hear from her after all this time.

But as she sat there debating, the call suddenly connected-and the first thing she heard was a baby crying.

Then came Georgia's voice: "Hello?"

The sound threw Emily off so much she momentarily forgot what she meant to say.

"Hello? Emmy?"

Emily blinked. "Gigi... was that your baby crying just now?" she asked, surprised.

Georgia laughed softly. "Yeah. Just turned three months."

"Oh my god... it's only been a little while and you've already had a baby?" Emily blurted out, skipping right over any formal greeting.

"Yeah... it's been almost two years since we last saw each other."

That hit Emily hard. Two whole years. And she hadn't known anything-not about the pregnancy, not the baby. Some friend she'd been.

She spoke, a little embarrassed, "Sorry, I got carried away. Honestly... I called because I've been wondering how you've been."

The line went quiet for a second.

"Emmy... did something happen?"

The sudden concern cracked something inside her. Emily'd thought she'd hidden it well. Worn her mask like armor. But even someone she hadn't spoken to in years could sense something was wrong.

"Yeah... I haven't been doing too great lately," Emily said, voice soft. "I was just thinking about our school days. You popped into my head, and I wanted to talk."

She'd wanted to suggest meeting up, but it felt selfish-like she was only reaching out when she needed someone. That wasn't fair to Georgia.

Just hearing her voice again felt like enough.

But then-Georgia beat her to it.

"Hey... are you free today? Wanna meet up?"

The world lit up. Emily's lips parted in surprise, a little caught off guard by how fast her heart fluttered. Her fingers trembled slightly against the phone. "I'm free! Where do you wanna meet?"

"I've got to swing by the library around three. We could meet out front afterward?"

Emily's eyes welled up. "Perfect. I'll see you there."

Her heart was pounding by the time she left the house, nervous but full of hope. And when she saw Georgia standing quietly in front of the library, it all came rushing back-memories of university days, of the same girl waiting so they could walk home together.

"Gigi!" she called.

The woman with a low ponytail turned around and, as soon as she saw her, broke into a soft, familiar smile.

Emily had braced herself for coldness, some distance. But Georgia was just the same as always-gentle, like a breeze in early spring.

"Emmy... it's been forever. I didn't think you'd actually call. Honestly, I thought you were still mad at me."

Emily was so caught up in the joy of seeing her again, she didn't even register the odd tone in that sentence. "What? Gigi, what are you talking about? If anything, I thought you were mad at me."