That same evening, Weston took Emily back to the house and told Roger to come with him. Although Roger did not intend to disobey his grandfather, he took Fannie with him.

While lying in bed, Emily observed Roger's grandfather as he sat in front of her, wiping his tears.

"I'm really sorry, Emily." He continued apologizing for what Roger had done to her and her family.

"No, grandpa. It's also my fault. My family was wrong to pressure Roger like that," she replied regretfully.

However, it undeniably surprised her that Roger's grandfather knew about the forced engagement. But unfortunately, this time, he no longer had any authority over their situation. He couldn't help her anymore.

"Emily, all I can do now is to stop Roger from divorcing you," Weston said, utterly dejected.

As soon as Emily heard these words, she felt her world shattered. She finally confirmed her suspicions that Roger no longer cared about her.

'Is it still worth it to stay in a marriage with a man who clearly does not feel the same way?' she thought to herself.

That night, both Roger and Fannie also stayed at the house. Although it pained her, she had no choice but to accept it.

Emily had been wide awake the entire night, pondering and fretting. She felt like she was about to suffocate despite the cool night air blowing through her open windows. Eventually, she decided to go outside for some time. She slowly made her way downstairs and came to the yard. Under the soft illumination, she took a deep breath of the clean air.

She was startled when she heard a voice not far from where she stood. Emily continued walking along the trail. She took a step further after spotting the recognizable figure and overheard Fannie talking with someone over the phone.

"Okay, Dad, I get it. I'm going to marry Roger as soon as I can. Nothing to worry about that. I know exactly what I must do. His business will be yours in no time." Fannie finished her call, turned around, and noticed Emily standing there.

Emily completely forgot to run away, and she had no choice but to confront Fannie instead. When Fannie approached her, she stepped forward and said, "What did you just say? You want to take Roger's company?"

Clearly, Fannie didn't anticipate Emily overhearing this conversation.

"Emily?" she called out.

"Who were you talking to just now?" Emily said as she grabbed Fannie's arm and shook her. "Who wants Roger's company?

"Huh?" Fannie pretended to be confused. "What are you talking about?"

She tried to leave, but Emily held her arm tightly. She frowned at her and said, "Emily, let me go! This is none of your business!"

"No!" Emily retorted back. "Anything that concerns Roger is my business." Despite being on the brink of getting divorced, she still chose to protect her husband.

"Your business? Emily, you seem to have forgotten that he wants a divorce from you and that he ordered the abortion. But you're still helping him out like this?" Fannie sneered at her with mockery in her eyes.

Emily couldn't even utter a sound. She knew Fannie was correct, but she didn't want Roger to suffer. Despite their current situation, she had been in love with him since she was a child.

Because of that, Emily refused to let her go until she got the answers she wanted. "Who were you talking to?"

In the distance, Fannie could hear out the sound of approaching footsteps. Despite not knowing who it was, she chose to be prepared. Swiftly, she hit the ground hard with her body. Fannie struggled to free herself from Emily's grip and ultimately decided to just collapse on the ground. However, Fannie made it seem as though Emily had shoved her down.

Hearing Fannie's cry, Roger immediately walked over to where she had collapsed and checked her. "Fannie, are you okay?" he asked as he raced over to pull her up from the ground.

Emily couldn't see Roger's eyes in the dim courtyard, but she could tell how anxious he was from the tone of his voice.

"It's fine. Don't worry about it. Everything is fine here." Fannie gazed up at Roger with a bright smile on her face. However, all of a sudden, Fannie yelled in agony. She picked up her hand and examined the blood on her palm. A gloom instantly spread on Roger's face.

"Don't worry about it. Emily didn't mean it," she said.

Roger continued to ask Fannie, "What happened?"

Fannie pretended as if she wanted Emily to explain, but Roger took the lead and remarked, "Fannie, tell me!"

Fannie suddenly cried, "A little while ago, Emily came to me and asked me to leave you. She urged me to leave the country and never contact you again. She said that Grandpa wouldn't let her divorce you."

Hearing this, Emily realized how good Fannie was at lying. She finally concluded that Fannie was indeed a fake.

Not wanting to get accused, Emily immediately said, "Roger, she was just on the phone a minute ago talking to someone about your company's affairs..."

But before she could finish her sentence, Roger yelled at her. "Emily!" He arched a brow and remarked, "Really? You think I wouldn't dare divorce you just because Grandpa wouldn't let us?"

Emily recoiled and responded, "What I'm saying is true."

"Ridiculous!" Roger abruptly declared, "Why would she come here if she's just talking on the phone?"

Roger reached out to give Fannie a hug. In the dark, Emily could see the look on her face.

Earlier, while Roger was in the shower, Fannie went out of the house. Unanticipatedly, Roger came to look for her. Suddenly, everything became a perfect time for such a dramatic performance.

"Apologize to her now. Then, I'll forgive you," Roger demanded as he stared at Emily intently.

Emily was taken aback by what he had said. 'Me? Apologize?' she thought to herself. 'I'm the one she should be apologizing to.'

Emily turned to see Fannie crouched in his embrace. When she saw the grin on her face, she immediately replied, "I didn't do anything wrong, so I won't apologize to her."

"Do you believe I would just let you do what you want? I'm pushing through with this divorce, and I will marry Fannie!" Roger declared before he took a step forward, accidentally bumping shoulders with Emily. She hit the floor, but he didn't even bother to look back and went inside with Fannie.

The following day, Roger assured his grandfather he would not divorce Emily. However, his condition included her leaving and returning to her own home. That very day, Emily returned to the villa.

After Weston had left the house, Emily discovered that Roger had lied to him about not going through with the divorce. But she refused to agree. First, she needed to know the truth.

Inside their house, Emily's eyes followed Roger as he led Fannie into the bedroom. She felt a crushing pain in her heart as she watched the scene, but she could only sigh and head towards the guest room. As the door slowly closed, a large hand reached out and stopped it. At that moment, Roger pushed open the door and walked in.

When he came over to talk to her, Emily immediately saw the divorce papers he was carrying.

Not waiting for Roger to say anything, she quickly proclaimed, "I'm not getting a divorce."

"This is not a choice for you to make!" He creased his brows and demanded impatiently, "Sign it now!"

"I won't sign it. If you force me with what you want, I will make sure Grandpa would know about this!" Emily said firmly with her determined eyes and unwavering voice.

Hearing her answer, Roger scoffed and mockingly looked at her. "Are you threatening me?"

"No. I'm just saying. I'm not going to sign it," Emily replied, emphasizing her last remark.

She had already decided to find out who was on the phone with Fannie, so she must stay in the house.

"I won't sign it."

In anger, Roger raised his hand and almost hit Emily. "You!" But he stopped mid-air, seeing the firm look in her eyes. All he could do was unconsciously crumple the paper he was holding. "Let's see how long you could say that," he smirked. "From today on, you will be a servant of this villa."

When Roger turned his back on Emily, her shoulder fell. She had already accepted their marriage was already a lost case since Fannie entered the picture. And it was her own decision not to leave him, so if she had to serve him to stay, she would. What choice does she have, anyway?

Processing everything that had happened, Emily couldn't help but cry all her frustrations out. She was about to close the door when Fannie's hands stopped her from doing so. As much as she wanted to slam the door, the latter's hands had already pushed the door open.

"Is it worth it?" Fannie asked in jeer with her arms crossed in front of her chest. Her eyes were smiling as she raised her head like a winner, widely opening the door of Emily's room. "I don't understand you."

Quickly, Emily wiped the tears from her face. "It's none of your business," she said sternly, trying to hide her tears. She tried to close the door again, but Fannie stood against the door frame and leaned toward it, mocking her.

"So you wanna know the person I was talking with, eh? That's why you stayed." Fannie remarked. "You know what? I admire you. You're still here, staying, and even willing to be a servant. Have you forgotten already that your mother is in the hospital, your father is in prison, and oh!" She exclaimed, looking at Emily's belly. "Your baby was gone. How could you go to such length of staying here when you can just sign the papers and leave immediately? If you want money, I can give that to you."

Surely, Fannie knew where to put the salt in Emily's injured body.

Provoked, Emily clenched her fist in anger. But then, even if she wanted to refute, what Fannie had just said was all true. "It's none of your business!" She bit her lip until it bled; that was all she could say after a minute.

Staying was her decision, so the blame could only be on her if she ended up more bruised than she already was. Though their company's unfortunate fate was her parents' fault, to begin with, heavens knew Roger was partly at fault. Still, Emily's conscience told her not to make him suffer even though he hurt him in different ways.

When Fannie spoke, Emily instantly snapped back to her senses.

"I'll watch how long you could stand on your decision," Fannie said and left her after giving her a cold glare.

Emily's body felt weak the instant that she closed the door. She sat decadently on the cold floor and leaned against the wall as her tears began rapidly falling from her eyes. In a daze, she remembered a scene from her childhood. Only by that time was she happy.

...

Young, naive, and vocal with her feelings, Emily asked Roger, "Will you marry me when we grow up?"

"Yes," young Roger answered.

But then things changed, and Roger had already forgotten what he told young Emily when they grew up. Even though Emily reminded him about it, he said it was just a joke, "We were kids. You don't have to take that seriously."

Although it was a joke for Roger, things were different for Emily. She took it seriously, and it made her persistent in pursuing him for many years.

As time passed, Emily thought marrying Roger, the man she loves, had already become a fairytale dream come true. But her family was ruined by him. And now she was still staying with him, despite everything he did.

...

Later that afternoon, Emily decided to go to the hospital to visit her mother. However, Roger stopped her. A pile of sundries to clean welcomed her instead, and the housekeeper told her not to leave until she finished it all, as per Roger's orders.

Rather than following what the housekeeper told her, Emily looked for Roger inside the villa. "Roger! I'll leave!" She informed him, keeping in mind her mother's condition, who might be alone at the hospital since no one would be there to take care of her.

Quickly, Roger responded, "No! Finish what I've told you to do, or just sign the papers already!" He offered.

Emily strolled and faced him. "I can do it later. I just have to go to the hospital now," she insisted.

As soon as Emily walked towards the door, Roger blocked her way. He looked at her with nothing in his eyes like he did when they were still kids when he pointed out that the promise of marriage was just child's play. "Either do it now or sign the papers."

If Roger was persistent, Emily was stubborn. "I said I would do it later, but for now, I have to go to the hospital first!" She walked past him and reached the door.

When Roger ran after her again, his grandfather greeted him coming inside the door. Surprised, he halted walking and greeted his grandfather. "Grandpa, why are you here?"

Emily stepped aside to let Roger's grandfather continuously walk inside the house. "I came here to see if you're doing something against Emily's will," he said as his eyes wandered and landed on Emily.

"Grandpa, I want to go to the hospital to see my mother," Emily told Roger's grandfather as soon as their eyes met.

"Don't worry, dear. Your mother is fine. I've already asked someone to take care of her," Weston said and patted Emily on the shoulder. With what he informed her, Emily's mind relaxed a little, but she still wanted to go to the hospital.

Upon Roger's grandfather's approval, Emily finally left the house to see her mother.

...

Emily's mother had already lost significant weight, her face was pale, and her body tolled from all the stress she had experienced.

Seeing her mother's condition, Emily couldn't help but feel guilty about her decision. Slowly, she walked toward her mother, who was staring at the ceiling, and called her to get her attention. "Mom…"

"Have you divorced him?" Elicia asked as soon as she heard her. She steadily moved her head to look into her daughter's eyes. "You haven't, right?" She asked anxiously, getting the silence she received as an answer.

"I've been thinking. I have a plan. Divorce him, and we will rent a house where we can live peacefully. Then, I will ask your grandfather to find a good lawyer for your father. All you have to do is leave him as fast as possible."

Not wanting to disappoint her mother, Emily reluctantly nodded. "Yes, mom, just give me a bit more time."

Just thinking about leaving Roger without finding out who wanted to steal his company stopped every rational decision she had in mind. 'I have to know Fannie's accomplice first!' She said inwardly.

"Why are you still stubborn?!" Emily's mother struggled to sit on the bed. "He killed your baby!" She reiterated that she saw the article had been all over the newspaper, and she happened to read one.

It was not new to Emily anymore, although it hurt her. "Stop, mom… I know what to do." She walked near her mother and stroked her back slowly, wanting her to continue lying on the bed. "Take a good rest. I'll see you again tomorrow."

Her mother still wanted to say something, but Emily started to walk out the door without looking back. When she was out of the ward, her feet suddenly stopped walking. She could still hear her mother's shoutings. 'Why are you so stubborn, Emily!' She scolded herself.

Thinking how stupid she was, Emily chuckled at herself and leaned against the wall as her tears dropped. 'Why do you have to make it so hard?' She was having her monologue when someone tapped her shoulders.

"Long time no see."

The familiar voice led her to believe it was the one and only Daniel Harris.

Written all over Daniel's eyes was affection as he looked at Emily. She, of course, immediately felt warm in her heart with those familiar and soothing stares. He was, after all, her only friend.

Daniel had been Emily's friend since they were still kids, but after she refused his proposal, he went abroad, and she married Roger soon after.

"Are you okay?" Daniel thoughtfully inquired after hearing about what happened. "I can talk to Roger and tell him you booked a hotel for me that day."

Fannie altered the evidence to frame Emily. Faithful as always, Emily only helped book a hotel for Daniel that day, but the truth was she didn't meet him. After checking him in, she went home, and then, later on, she received a message from Daniel saying he was already at the hotel.

So what happened was that Fannie knew all about it and talked to a random guy that Emily crossed paths with at the hotel and faked the evidence.

"No… Don't," Emily said.

The damage Roger had done in Emily's life exceeded what she could handle. And yet, as a martyr as she was, she still opted to stay beside him to protect him, as what happened could no longer be undone. Moreover, she knew that if she let Daniel explain what actually happened to Roger, the latter wouldn't believe it all. Fannie, after all, had already brainwashed him.

Frustrated, Daniel took a step backward. "Come on, Emily! He doesn't deserve you. Why don't you go with me instead? I can take you anywhere you want," he said as he stared at her tantalizing eyes. It was the eyes of the love of his life, but gone was the light in it as it was full of sorrow.

Emily scoffed, "Go with you?"

Emily had long clarified that she could only look at him as a friend and nothing more than that. She, of all people, was aware that coming with Daniel would only give him false hope, and she didn't want that. "You know I can't…."

She smiled, and her eyes dodged his gazes, "I can't leave."

Slowly, Daniel bent to capture Emily's eyes. "You want to protect his company, don't you?" He asked calmly.

"How did you know?" Emily replied in surprise. "Do you have any idea about this matter? What is it? Who was Fannie's accomplice?"

Among all the questions Emily had asked him, Daniel only answered the last one. "Her father."

Shocked and confused, Emily's brows furrowed. "What are you talking about? Fannie is an orphan, and she grew up in an orphanage." This time, Emily was the one who took a step forward and looked at Daniel incredulously.

Left with no choice, Daniel sighed and told her everything he found out.

Roger's family and Fannie's family were rivals long ago. Since Roger's family was more remarkable and did better in business, Fannie's family went bankrupt. Left with nothing, Fannie's father had to go abroad, leaving Fannie in an orphanage.

Although Fannie's father was away, he never forgot what Roger's family had done to them. He hated Roger's parents to the point that he killed them, keeping everything through a fake car accident. Still, Fannie's father didn't stop there. He wanted Roger's company as compensation for what he had lost long ago through the help of his daughter.

Daniel had heard all about it when he was abroad. He was curious about Emily's disappearance, so he dug deep about it and unexpectedly discovered that Fannie had already returned. Perplexed with what was happening, he continued seeking answers behind Fannie's sudden return.

"Fannie's goal is to marry Roger and take his company away from him. That was the reason why she came back," Daniel concluded with utmost confidence and certainty.

Shocked by everything she discovered, Emily did not waste any second and left the hospital without even saying goodbye to Daniel. She didn't look back, no matter how loud his voice was calling her. All she had in mind was to be back at the villa as soon as possible.

"I have to hurry. I have to tell Roger everything about Fannie!" she inwardly exclaimed in nothing but determination.

Quickly, Emily fetched a taxi and urged the driver to hurry up and bring her to the address she told quickly.

...

Finally arriving at the villa, Emily ran inside and went straight to the second floor. As soon as she entered the second floor, she saw Roger's grandfather, Weston, sitting on the couch with Fannie in the living room. She was curious about what they were talking about, so she stopped to eavesdrop.

"I haven't seen you for a long time, Mr. Frank! I don't know if you can still remember the Cole family, but maybe you remembered the people who ruined my father's company?" Fannie looked at Weston with contempt. A while ago, she received an order from her father to take down the elder Frank, as he would surely be the first person to hinder her from taking the seat once she and Roger got married.

Fannie didn't like Roger's grandfather in the first place, so she didn't feel any guilt about getting rid of him.

In her peripheral vision, Fannie noticed Emily. Seeing her was a great opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. 'You really want to know who I was talking with, huh?' The side of her lips rose to a smirk.

Picking up something from Fannie's words, Weston stuttered. "Y-you… You are…"

"So you remember? And yes, if you are thinking about it now, my last name is Cole."

Weston's pupils were dilapidated, his hands trembled, and he pointed his finger to Fannie. "You are his daughter! Your father killed Roger's parents! Where is that man now, huh?!" His teeth gritted with rage, and his loud voice resonated in all four corners of the room.

Fannie's smile widened at Roger's grandfather's rattled and anxious look, but her eyes were like a sword piercing him already. "Where is my father?! And what? My father killed Roger's parents? You remember those things, but you cannot remember how Roger's parents treated my father? They ruined him!"

With that, Weston sat up straight. "Your father was the first who wanted to ruin my family's business! Roger's father only did what he had to do!" He said as he knew what happened that year better than anyone.

"Shut up!" Fannie stood up. "Your grandson loves me now, so how could I stay still? What do you think is the smartest thing I should do?" She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Of course, marry him and get his company."

After saying her last sentence, Fannie immediately took out a dagger she was hiding.

Then, everything turned into slow motion in a blink of an eye. The cold dagger pierced through Weston's body, which Emily failed to stop even though she tried to step in. She, unfortunately, was a few steps late.

"Grandpa!" She exclaimed, pushing Fannie away. Then, she squatted on the ground and watched the blood gush from the old man's chest.

Leaving the bloody scene, Fannie smiled when Emily touched the dagger with her hands. Then, she quickly took off the gloves she was wearing that complimented her outfit as a facade as to why she wore it.

"Grandpa, hold on, please! I will call an ambulance," Emily's hands were trembling as she took out her phone and dialed 911. Before someone could answer the phone, she heard the faint voice of Weston.

"Emily, I beg you. Please... protect Roger. Help him win the bidding and get the land in the east of the City —"