After divorce, He regretted

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."