Chapter 2

Just as I was about to question her, the phone suddenly rang.

Emma glanced at it and immediately stood up, "I'm tired from the flight. I'll sleep in the other room tonight. You should rest early too."

She patted my shoulder, "Honey, I know it's hard for you to accept right now, but we've known each other for twenty years, been married for ten. We've been through so much together. I do love you, please try to understand me."

I desperately grabbed Emma's hand, "Let's have our own child. We can terminate this pregnancy, okay?"

Emma froze for a moment, then angrily shook off my hand, "James, I never knew you could be so cruel. He's already six months along, moving in my belly. How can you bear to terminate him? He's a living being too."

Emma finished speaking, and the phone rang again.

Emma glared at me as she answered the call. A childish voice came through, "Mommy, Arlo took Cyril's ice cream again. Daddy said to call you."

Emma's face visibly brightened, her voice softening, "Cyril, be good. When Mommy comes, I'll buy you more ice cream, okay?"

A man's deep voice sounded nearby, "Darling, it's fine. They just miss you so much, and so do I. What should we do? We've only been apart for a day."

The man's voice was light-hearted yet helpless.

Emma glanced at me and walked towards the bedroom. Although she lowered her voice, I could still hear her, "Alright, alright, big baby. Didn't I say I'd come to be with you all in a week at most?"

"Ham, don't post on my Instagram next time... Okay, okay, I'm not blaming you. Just remember to block certain people next time. Mmhmm, love you too."

I collapsed onto the sofa, my heart feeling as if it was being pricked by countless fine needles. It wasn't intensely painful, but it spread an unbearable, suffocating feeling throughout my body.

Emma and I had grown up as childhood sweethearts, recognized by everyone as the perfect couple.

When I was twenty-two, just back from abroad, Emma's parents suddenly died in a car accident.

The company was left leaderless, and Emma's uncles and cousins began eyeing the Hamilton Group greedily. Within a month, the company faced a cash flow crisis, and half the clients had left.

At that time, Emma hugged me fearfully, "James, what should I do? What can I do?"

At that critical moment, I got down on one knee and proposed to Emma in front of the entire company.

I promised never to take a single share of the Hamilton Group, and that our children would take the Hamilton surname.

My father was furious, threatening to disown me. He didn't even attend our wedding.

Within six months of our marriage, I stabilized the company, suppressed several ambitious relatives, and fired her uncle.

Little did we know that her uncle, harboring resentment, colluded with her eldest uncle to hire an assassin to kill Emma.

When the gun went off, I shielded Emma. The bullet passed through my abdomen, damaging my pancreas and leaving me infertile.

That day, Emma held me, crying uncontrollably, swearing she would love only me for the rest of her life, never to leave or betray me.

Later, her uncle was sent to prison, and her eldest uncle resigned voluntarily. From then on, we had full control of Hamilton Group.

Emma, your vows still echo. How could you do this to me?

What does your love mean? Sympathy? Exploitation?