Chapter 1 Have You Ever Liked Me at All?

"You've been married to Emma for three years now, Trevor. Perhaps you two should consider having children." The old person's grumble sounded muffled as it came from the back of the study door. An icy, masculine voice responded after a while. "Why should I have children with a woman I don't love?" Emma Yates was just about to knock on the study door when she heard his words. Her footsteps came to a halt as the color drained from her pleasant-looking face. The man spoke up again, but this time with a hint of annoyance. "Let me clarify myself again, Grandpa. Emma and I will never have children. You should give up on this idea of yours," he uttered. "You brat!" The old man began to lose his temper. Moments later, a teacup was smashed onto the ground before a man's footsteps edged closer to the door. Out of reflex, Emma hastily hid in the bathroom next door. She had been too flustered, which then resulted in something unfortunate happening next. A sharp object was sliced across her waist as she hurried to hide; the stinging pain spread from the slit of her skin, then straight to her heart while tears of agony gathered in her eyes. Emma had just received a notification on her phone a few days ago. It was a message from Crystal Sanders, the romantic interest of her husband, Trevor Bateson. Along with the message was a sarcastic remark from Crystal. 'Trevor has yet to develop feelings for you even after you guys have been married for three years. You sure are going places in life, Emma. You can own him physically, but you can't win his heart over at all. You're the only one who can achieve something so pathetic and shameless. If I were you, I would have jumped off the building to end my misery.' The truth was that Emma only found out about her husband's infidelity after their marriage. During the night of their wedding, she received news that her husband was staying in a hotel with the well-known actress, Crystal. Back then, Emma still had hopes of winning Trevor's heart over, therefore, she quit her job to become his full-time wife. Yet, three years later, all of her hopes turned out to be nothing but a joke… She was still hiding in the bathroom when someone shoved the door open. She stumbled a few steps back and saw a stern man through her teary vision. It was her husband, Trevor. His expression was icy cold and his black suit made him seem even more unapproachable than ever. The moment he stepped into the bathroom, he pressed his fingers against her chin without any hesitation. "Did you try to convince Grandpa into rushing me to have kids with you? Your tactics have been improving in recent years, huh, Emma?" Before she could say anything, his gaze darkened as he continued speaking, "You tricked me and turned yourself into Mrs. Bateson three years ago. Are you trying to use our offspring as an excuse to cling to the Bateson Family forever?" Emma's expression changed as she bit her lower lip. "That's not what I'm doing!" "Then, why did you eavesdrop on my conversation with Grandpa if you're not plotting something?" His eyes seemed to mock her as he spoke, "Well, now you know what I think about you since you overheard our conversation. You have no right to have babies with me, Emma!" His harsh words made her clench her fists with her nails digging into her skin. She had always known that Trevor did not love her, but the fact that he said she had 'no right' to have his children made her heart ache more than ever. It had been three years; she had cautiously fulfilled her duties as his wife without making any mistakes. She thought that her efforts would eventually dissolve his ice-cold heart, but she realized that his heart was like an iceberg that she could never melt. "It has been three years, Trevor. Have you ever… liked me at all?" Her voice was barely audible from all the energy she was using to stop herself from trembling. An odd feeling surfaced in her chest as she questioned him in such a weak manner, but the feeling disappeared almost as soon as it came. "What do you think?" His eyes were utterly emotionless. All Emma could do was to swallow all his sarcasm and disdain poured at her, which had ultimately destroyed every last bit of hope within her. Her heart had practically turned numb from all the pain she felt.