Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 25883 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25883 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
Her gaze flicked back to Rowland, whose attention another female guest was brazenly doing her best to ensnare. But it was as if the billionaire was made of stone, and his eyes...
They were completely lifeless, Charlotte observed uneasily. It almost seemed as if his divorce had destroyed him just as much as it had destroyed his wife, and Rowland was now simply going through the motions of living.
Rowland was about to turn away when he heard Charlotte blurt out, "I thought I'd hate you, you know."
The billionaire turned to face her again, but this time his dark gaze was completely unreadable.
"But right now I just feel sorry. And I really am sorry...about your parents' death. I'm sorry that they died early, and I'm sorry for all those relatives who failed you again and again. But...most of all, I'm sorry to say that having a terrible childhood doesn't give you the right to break someone else's heart to protect—-"
"I'm sorry as well," Rowland cut her off harshly. "I'm sorry that you and I both want her to be something she's not, but the fact remains that my wi—-" Rowland almost swore when he realized what he had almost let slip. Why was he still thinking of that woman as his wife, dammit?
Charlotte's frustration grew when she saw how the billionaire refused to even refer to Emmy as his wife. "How can you hurt her like this?" Her raised voice had Rowland's lips tightening, but all Charlotte cared about was making him see the truth. "You could have chosen to break things off gently, but you wanted to be cruel and callous—-"
"Stop making her sound like a fucking saint," Rowland gritted out under his breath. "That woman still accepted the divorce settlement—-" His words crashed to a stop when he saw the stricken look on Charlotte's face.
"Didn't your lawyers tell you what she wanted changed?"
Charlotte was looking at him like he had confessed to shooting himself in the foot.
"She asked for nothing, Rowland," Charlotte choked out. "That's why they needed your signature again. She asked that there be no settlement at all..."
Rowland could feel his lungs suddenly struggling to function.
"And can you blame her?"
No. Fuck. No.
Emerald was supposed to be like the rest.
"After what you asked me to say?"
I don't want a stable girl for a wife.
That was what he had made Charlotte tell his wife...because the other woman was also right about him.
Rowland had wanted to protect his heart at the expense of breaking hers.
God, no.
Only now when it was too late did he realize what his heart had always known.
She was different.
My wife...was different.
And she had loved him.
And he...
He had loved her.
God, what have I done?
Chapter Twenty-One
"I'M SORRY, EMMY. YOU were the only one I could think of calling about this."
Emmy had dropped everything she was doing the moment Jonas mentioned Princess' name over the phone. She had missed all the horses terribly, and the possibility that her babies believed she had abandoned them had Emmy crying every night.
She knew how much it hurt to be abandoned herself, and although two months had already passed since her divorce, her heart was still as foolish as ever. Just thinking about him made her heart ache, but now that she was back at the place where it all started between him and her—-
Emmy's heart threatened to shatter as memories of her stupidity started taunting her.
She remembered how he had made her clean his cheek and how they had made love in his office.
She remembered the liberties he had taken with her body and the things he had made her do.
She remembered how she had convince herself none of it was wrong because he was her husband...
But now that she knew Rowland had always been ashamed of having a stable girl for a wife, those same memories now made her feel dirty and pathetic.
"Are you alright? You're not thinking of backing out, are you?"
Emmy quickly shook her head in response to Jonas' panicky tone. "Sorry, I was just reminiscing."
She forced herself to take another look at her surroundings. It hadn't been all bad when she was working here, and a smile wobbled over her lips as she finally started soaking in the familiar smell of hay and pellets and the sound of horse hooves clopping on different types of surfaces.
She missed all of it so, so much.
But was she truly ready to go back?
Emmy's steps slowed into a hesitant stop when Jonas was about to take her through the inner hallways reserved for authorized personnel. "Are you sure I can go in?"
Jonas couldn't help wincing at the question. When news of Emmy quitting had been leaked, no one had really believed it, himself included. It was just plain bad luck that Emmy kept getting into the worst accidents with their boss around, and so everyone also believed it was only a matter of time before Mr. Asherfield would have her fired.