Her life was far from a fairy tale. She was no Cinderella—no cruel stepmother or jealous stepsisters caused her misery. There was no fairy godmother to grant wishes or a glass slipper to mark a magical night. When midnight struck, no Prince Charming came to her rescue.
Instead, Emily had parents who couldn't care less about her existence. Her father only saw her as a means to pay off his gambling debts, while her mother used her to fund her luxurious lifestyle. At the end of the day, she had no one else to depend on but herself.
"Since you came into our lives, everything just went downhill." Her father blamed her for his company's downfall.
"I lost my acting career because of you." Her mother thought she brought bad luck, using her as her escape goat for her own shortcomings.
To her parents, she was the source of all their misfortune, unhappiness, and frustration. "The bane of my existence." It was her mother's exact words.
"You owed us. We fed you, put a roof over your head for years. Now, it's time to pay up." HIs father demanded as soon as she landed her first job.
In reality, she had always been on her own until Jonah showed up in her life. Her brother had become the only light in her dark cage. Jonah had become the center of her world, her hope, her only family. The only person that mattered. She would die before she let anything bad happen to him.
"It's your fault. I already told you that the money is not enough to cover his treatment." Her mother had the audacity to blame her for her brother's condition.
In truth, Emily knew that she had sent more than enough to cover Jonah's treatment. But her greedy parents couldn't put her brother's needs first before their own. If she had to guess, her parents must have spent half of it on their vices.
Now, her brother's health had worsened, sending him back to the hospital, requiring urgent surgery to stabilize his condition.
"Please, not my brother." Emily silently prayed, both worried about his condition and scared that she might be too late. "Not Jonas." She clasped her hand tightly on her lap while her eyes watched aimlessly through the thin, white clouds outside her window.
Normally, crying wasn't her usual style. Survival meant hiding all her weaknesses, especially in the world of show business, where the predators swallowed their prey whole. Typically, the only time she shed tears was in front of the cameras, while following a script.
Today was different, though, as silent tears rolled down her cheeks, smudging her carefully painted makeup. Her calm composure cracked while her usual strong demeanor collapsed, etching her pain across her face.
Nonetheless, she didn't care if she looked like a mess. Even her career could burn to the ground. It would not matter to her. But her brother's life was a different story. She had to save him at all costs.
"Oh God, take care of Jonah." She mumbled all through the silent and awkward flight, like a mantra, wishing whoever cared to listen to hear her plea.
It had been a long time since she had prayed for anything for herself. But now, she wanted nothing more than for her brother to get better. "Please, I only need one miracle." Emily never wished, believing it would never come true.
But at that moment, she was making an exception.
"Hey, are you ok?" The concern in his voice caught her off guard. For a second, she was stunned into silence. Suddenly, his overwhelming presence filled the small space around her. Then, there was just him and her.
After all the pain he had caused her, she didn't expect his sympathy. She was not even aware that he was capable of showing compassion. But there he was, feeling his gentle touch on her arms and the warmth that exuded from his nearness, offering his shoulders to cry on.
"Yeah! I'm fine, Nolan." But clearly that was a lie. In truth, she was a wreck, but she was not about to burden him with her problem. To her, even if he was her husband, he was still practically a stranger.
Even if they had signed those papers and had spoken those vows, this marriage was still a sham. Her husband had no obligation to her, nor did she have any right to demand anything from him.
"But thank you." Still, Emily appreciated his gesture and the fact that he didn't try to pry into her situation. Instead, her husband silently showed his support, providing only what he thought she needed without overstepping his boundaries.
"We are about to land in a few minutes. My car is already waiting to take you wherever you need to go." Nolan informed her. "If you need anything else, just say the word. If you want, I can accompany you." He kindly offered, not insisted, showing sensitivity to her situation.
Honestly, she had only seen her husband behave this way in the movies, but she had never personally experienced it in real life until now. Was his act for real, or just another performance?
"No. There's no need. I'm sure you have somewhere else to be." Again, Emily was not dragging her husband with her personal problem, even if he sounded genuinely concerned with her situation.
However, she could not ignore the way her heart fluttered at the change she saw in him. This was not the man that she had hated for the last three years. Actually, in the short time she had spent with him back in the orphanage, she had noticed the significant difference.
It was as if he had transformed from the obnoxious, arrogant, and self-absorbed actor she had come to loathe to this responsible, sensible, and compassionate man, who selflessly volunteered his time to the orphanage.
"I don't know if you'll believe me, but there's no other place I'd rather be than by your side." Nolan declared while moving closer until his face was just an inch from hers.
That was a line, Emily reminded herself. It was a well-rehearsed script, spoken in a carefully polished tone, delivered to produce a precise reaction. But admittedly, it was hard not to fall for his act as she found herself hanging on to his every word.
It might be her vulnerability under her current situation, but she found herself leaning into his arms, lost in the comfort that those dark orbs soothingly offered. So, unsurprisingly, when he leaned to kiss her, her body showed no resistance. Instead, she welcomed his advances with open arms.
"This is the captain speaking, please fasten your seatbelt, we're about to land."
Just like that, the spell was broken, as she realized that in the heat of the moment, she had lost her mind. Quickly, she pulled away, embarrassed with the way she had acted.
Nonetheless, she could not deny the way her body had responded to his kiss. It was addictive. If she were being honest, she wanted more.
"Damn, I want him." But she silenced her thought, reminding herself that this man was not what he seemed. It was all an act, designed to manipulate her. So, she would agree to his plan. "Don't be fooled by his performance."
Thankfully, he did not say a word. Instead, he silently returned to his seat, giving her some space until they finally landed.
Soon, Emily was escorted to a private car that her husband had provided. Then, she was on her way to the hospital to check on her brother.
On the other hand, Nolan took another car. But instead of going home or to the office, he followed his wife's car. "What have you learned about my wife?" He questioned the man sitting opposite him.
Sensing that his wife might have several skeletons hiding in her closet, Nolan had her investigated. As a famous actor, he didn't care much about his wife's background. He could not care less about what the paparazzi might dig up about her past.
However, as the new CEO of one of the largest production companies in the film industry, he had a reputation to protect. He didn't want any surprises that would put him in a compromising position.
"So far, here is a list of what we have gathered," William told him, handing him a folder with several reports and pictures inside. "Our investigators are still looking. I'll let you know if we find more."
Curious and intrigued, he immediately scanned the documents and checked the photos.
"Hmm! Let me know as soon as possible." Nolan instructed, wanting to get a better glimpse of his wife's true nature. At that point, his wife undoubtedly piqued his interest.