~ Emmerson ~

I'd always dreaded this day and always hoped it would never come. But as it turns out... it did.

"I just heard from one of my sources that you'd gotten one of Beatrice Chan's daughters pregnant." I froze hearing my grandpa's words.

"How... did you find out?"

"You think I wouldn't find out how reckless you've been ever since I had given you the option of either breaking up with Sally and losing your inheritance."

He was right in a way.

Weeks ago, Grandpa had suddenly announced that the five years of freedom he'd given me were now over and I now had to make a decision between being stripped of my inheritance and breaking up with Sally.

But how could I choose between either of them when they both rightfully belonged to me?

But apparently, Grandpa hadn't cared about that... and knowing what he was capable of... I'd ended up at the bar to relieve myself a little.

And somehow ending up in a one-night stand... with a stranger.

I'd woken up shaken and exited the bed to head into the bathroom without checking the face of who I had slept with.

The guilt I felt on realizing that I had just cheated on my one and only girlfriend, Sally, was unbearable.

When we'd gotten together years ago, we'd made a huge promise to each other to love, cherish, and stay faithful to each other.

And now? Not only had I not managed to do that. I also ended up getting a stranger pregnant.

"I've told my secretary to arrange the paperwork. You'd have to get married to her in three days."

"I won't get married to anyone besides Sally," I said, gritting my teeth. How could he not understand that Sally was the love of my life, and I saw no future elsewhere outside of her?

"And you know what I did to your brother, didn't you?" How could I ever forget how he'd dishonored Isaac and stripped him of his rightful inheritance in less than a week... just because he'd refused to marry the lady he'd chosen?

"We are not even sure the baby is mine."

"Do you think my men are so incapable of doing their jobs?" He stared at me through his glasses, and I suddenly felt stupid for even asking.

Gabriel Winters never participated in a game; he wasn't confident about winning... and in this case? I was afraid he'd already won... before he even started.

I took a long sigh and bowed my head.

Grandpa took that as a signal and rang his personal assistant.

I couldn't believe that I was actually agreeing to an arranged marriage.

How could I have been so stupid as to have fallen into grandfather's traps? Because as it seemed... This looked too planned to be ruled off as a coincidence.

And the smug smile on Grandpa's face was more than enough to let me know what I needed to know.

But why?

What does he gain for causing us to act as a pawn in his games? Exactly what?

Even Susan, his favorite granddaughter, hadn't been spared. So why had I assumed I'd be?

....

"Why are you so quiet, Emmerson? You are always so excited whenever I talk to you about the shows I'd be on." I looked up from the edge of the bed, where I had my head bowed to stare at her. Sally Hayden, the love of my life... she was dressed in a gold satin mermaid dress that flaunted her curvy body.

On a normal day, I'd be going crazy with lust.

But not today; the past few weeks have been far from being normal.

"I'm not in the mood." My words were followed by a long sigh from her, and I could bet she was starting to overthink. Maybe even blame herself for my sour mood.

"I spoke to Grandpa today."

"And...?"

"He'd picked a wife for me."

"Is she pregnant?" I stared at her in shock, totally not expecting that response from her.

"No, she is-"

"You didn't just spend the night at that bar two weeks ago, did you?"

"What do you mean...?" I asked panickly, seeing the look of betrayal slowly take over her features.

"You think I wouldn't find out about how you got a girl pregnant behind my back?"

"But-" She walked out on me before I could complete my sentence, and I didn't hear from her until after the wedding, if I could call it that.

....

Weddings have always been sentimental to me, an occasion that I never joked with.

But who would have thought that I'd end up having to say, "I do" To a stranger, who'd not only walked in to ruin not just my life but my girlfriend's?

Her delicate features did nothing but annoy me even further.

I had no doubt that she'd planned it all out and was happy; she was getting married to a rich tycoon.

But I couldn't be deceived.

I had her sign a prenup right after the wedding and abandoned her right there at the reception.

After all, it was her wedding and not mine.

.....

I'd just stepped into my room... when I noticed the decorations and the veiled bride who was now seated in the middle of the bed.

Angrily, I closed the distance between us and yanked off the pink veil on her face.

She mustn't have expected my rough move, as I felt her shudder under me.

Without giving her the time to react, I grabbed her delicate cheeks fiercely, not minding that they could get bruised under the force of my hold.

"Listen to me, and listen well... Ugly Preggy! You are not my wife and will never be!" I say, staring deep into her now watery eyes. Her tears made my heart tighten, further infuriating me. How dare she think she could use her vulnerability against me? That's definitely not happening!

"You are here just to give birth to the thing in your womb, and once that's done... you get lost." When I heard no response from her, I grabbed her tightly... feeling my nails slowly digging into her skin. "Do you get it?"

"Yes, yes." I let go of her face and grabbed a handkerchief from my pocket, wiped my palms, and dumped it into a trashcan nearby.

"And yes... don't let me catch a whiff of your scent here when I come back in an hour." Saying my piece, I walked out and banged the door behind me.

~ Isabella ~

....

"Who would have thought that a saint Mary like you would get pregnant before marriage?" Emily snickered as she made her way into my room, if I could call it that.

It could as well be called a storage unit, locked in the fartherest part of the mansion.

"And would you like to tell me how that got to do with you?" I wasn't stupid enough to believe that all that happened was purely coincidental and Emily had nothing to do with it.

"Smart, as expected." She began pacing in front of me. "Turns out, the number of hours you spent studying your godforsaken course didn't go to waste."

"Don't you dare... I'm a graduate!" I say, hoping to turn her expression grim, and it did. But she wasted no time in coming up with a comeback.

"A graduate who wouldn't be attending her own graduation ceremony." Her words hit home, as she hoped they would. Call it my trickiest luck, but the marriage was fixed on my graduation day. Not like I could attend it if it were fixed before or after anyway.

Junie had tried talking me into letting her attend my wedding. So we could both miss the graduation ceremony. But I wouldn't bend.

Partly because she deserved to wear her graduation gown and walk down the aisle to receive the degree she'd labored long and hard for. But also because I didn't want her within Mom's line of sight.

Though I was sure Beatrice wouldn't go back on her word. But I couldn't be too careful.

"At least I am getting married into a powerful family, and you are not!"

"Oh... you think you are?" She smirked. "It's high time you snapped out of your fantasy and embraced the reality that Emmerson Winters will never love nor accept you as his wife!"

"And yes, you really don't have to worry about me..." She flaunted her diamond-ringed finger in front of me. "Zach proposed, and not only will I be becoming Mrs. Rogers in three months, but I will also be the only heir to Mom's empire."

"And you? You will have nothing to show but a love-less marriage of convenience." She snickered, leaving me alone to my misery.

....

I've imagined my wedding day in so many ways, but none of them involved me having to wear a pink wedding dress and walk down the aisle alone. And most importantly... have to say "I do." To what? A stranger?

I had found it weird when I was asked to go first and almost feared I'd be dumped right at the altar.

But that didn't happen, as Emmerson's silent mutter of 'I do' saved the day.

The priest, who probably knew this was arranged, saved us the embarrassment of mentioning the bride should be kissed. He simply declared us man and wife, and Emmerson walked out right after.

Not like I had been expecting him to stay and pretend any of this was planned anyway.

....

The master bedroom felt like a royal king's room, and I couldn't help but marvel at its decor as I was led in.

Surprisingly, the maids that had been assigned to me by Rebecca Winters, his grandma, had been quite nice.

Though Rebecca was obviously not nice and made sure to remind me of the sole reason why I was here. Which, well... was to provide an heir for the family. What I found interesting was how unspecific they were about the gender of the heir.

Or maybe they weren't really as archaic as I was deeming them to be.

I sat on the bed, with my veil covering my face, whilst I waited for the said groom.

To me, it all felt unnecessary since I was already carrying a child... but the maids insisted that some traditions had to be followed and I was no exception.

Had I been expecting Emmerson to be gentle with me when he came in? No.

But what I hadn't expected was how rough and harsh he'd be.

And by the time he finally left me alone... I couldn't hold back the tears I'd been holding ever since my life turned upside down.

I always thought I had my life all figured out before now. Graduate uni, get married to Zach, apply for a master's, then a PhD before we start planning to be parents.

It wasn't just a plan I had in my head, but rather something that had been premeditated and frequently visited by Zach and me.

But well... as it turns out, it was all in my head.

....

I'd just finished a retching session when my hair was suddenly yanked from behind, and before I could react... my face was being struck twice in succession.

My skin stung and I suddenly felt more nauseous than it previously did.

But before I could give in to the tiredness that followed, Sally's harsh voice followed.

Who would have thought that the very first encounter I would have with her would be in the bathroom where she'd abused me, a pregnant woman?

"You slut! How dare you come into our lives and try to ruin it?" She grabbed my now fragile body and shook me violently.

I saw stars as I tried to keep myself from falling.

Though it's been barely a month since I found out I was pregnant... The pregnancy had not only taken a toll on my mental health but mostly on my physical health.

My energy levels were dangerously low and ninety-nine percent out of the time. I felt like a complete mess.

"I didn't–" Even though I knew my words wouldn't matter at this point. I still tried to defend myself. Though I was cut off before I could continue even further.

"Listen well, and listen good, Slut. I plan to make your already hellish life full of darkness and pain." I winced as her long nails dug into my skin. This should be illegal in every way. But who was to decide that anyways?

"If you know what's good for you... you'll pack your bags and disappear from my sight before I can even catch you." That was impossible. There was no way I could escape Gabriel's tight security, and she knew that.

"Just the thought that Emmerson had laid a finger on you... makes me want to disfigure your face." And she did; at least she tried when she pushed me to the floor with such force... that I felt like I'd have a concussion, but I ended up with more than that when I passed out.

But just before then... I felt a sticky liquid gush out of my body and for a moment there... I prayed that I'd miscarry. That way, my pain would cease.

~ Isabella ~

"Ma'am... the fall you had was great, and you'd lost a lot of blood as a result. We'll have to perform an operation on you to bring the baby out." I nodded, feeling a tidbit of gratitude at being told what would be done to my body.

My consciousness soon began floating after I was shot with the anesthesia, and I couldn't help but reflect on the last eight months of my life.

Apparently, Emmerson and Hayden hadn't been joking when they'd said... they'll make my life a living hell.

Not only had I been made to move into the servants' quarters and eat less nutritious meals than was required for my pregnancy. But I also had to watch them make out every time I bumped into them.

Emmerson chased away all the servants in his house and made me do all the chores, excluding cooking... despite my condition.

So many times, I'd regretted even stepping into the bar that night.

Would things have been different if I had gone somewhere else that night? I could have had a good cry at the beach and, better still, just gone and sobbed in Junie's comforting arms.

But no, I had ended up at a bar and ended up having a one-night stand with the ruthless Emmerson.

While Emmerson didn't physically assault me as long as I stayed out of his way. He never stopped Sally from doing so.

I'd lost count of the number of times, I had been struck by Sally in front of him.

It was almost like, he didn't care that I was carrying his child.

Or maybe he saw her as a mistake and a burden, like I was to him.

Sally had pushed me down the stairs after she'd caught me conversing with Junie Via on a phone call while I was vacuuming the stairs.

She hadn't spared me even when I began bleeding and rather kept slapping me and hurling hurtful words at me.

She didn't stop until I passed out and only woke up now... right before the operation.

.....

"Hurry, get the incubator ready; her life is in danger!" I heard panicked voices after I felt something being lifted out of my cut-out stomach.

'Is she okay?' was the first thought that passed through my mind at the reminder of my child.

Though her pregnancy was unplanned, it didn't mean I hated her.

She was my child, and I wanted her.

More than I can imagine.

"I just hope I get the chance to hold her." Those were my last thoughts as the ECG machine began to beep loudly, as my vision slowly went black.

....

The next time I awoke, I was in a different room, and my body felt lighter than usual, reminding me of something I'd forgotten: my baby.

I sat up with little to no effort and looked around the hospital room in search of her but found no glimpse of her.

I looked down at myself through the hospital gown and realized that my wound had started healing... How long had it been, actually?

And where was my daughter?

I hadn't expected a dramatic congratulations message after giving birth... But I had expected to have my daughter in my arms when I awoke. So where was she?

"Looking for someone?" Sally floated into the room in a body-hug red jumpsuit, and my mouth suddenly felt dry at the sight of her.

"Where's my daughter?" Though I hadn't been told the gender. I had a hunch that she was a she and not a he.

"Your daughter? Which of them?" She stared at me, like I was going crazy. But how could I be?

"Tell me what you've done to my daughter!"

"Nothing...." She said, before her smile turned evil. "Nobody knew you were pregnant to begin with... and just a tiny piece of information.... She is my daughter." Her words didn't make sense at first until the tiny pieces I hadn't taken note of previously began to come together.

During the course of my pregnancy, I hadn't been allowed to step a foot out of the house, nor was I allowed to use any social media without supervision.

And so many times, I'd caught Sally walking around the house with a fake belly, which I would have fallen for... if I hadn't seen her without it multiple times.

She and Emmerson acted all lovey-dovey while she showed off her fake pregnancy on livestreams.

I never thought much of it, but what if...?

My heart ached at the thought of it.

"But she's my-"

"She's my daughter, and if you know what's good for you. You'd take that money and get out of our lives." She said, dropping a wad of cash on the bedside table.

I was surprised, as I hadn't expected her to be least generous. But apparently, she wasn't done.

"And... listen, if I catch you anywhere near this city. I'd make your daughter's life more hellish than I made yours." Her tone was filled with malice, and I had no doubt she'd do so.

But the realization that I was being threatened twice made my heart ache.

First it was by Mom.

And now by Sally.

It sucked.

....

The hospital discharged me two hours later, and I managed to walk out of the hospital under the pity gazes of the nurses who had refused to say a word more than necessary to me.

I wouldn't be surprised if Sally had ordered them to.

I moved aimlessly around the unfamiliar neighborhood while feeling like I was going to pass out any second.

I'd just stepped into the middle of the road when I was rammed into by a fast moving vehicle.

My body collapsed as my head hit the ground with a full bang, and I felt my features would never be the same again.

But just before the entire world went blank, I heard a familiar yet unfamiliar masculine voice calling out to me.