The CEO's Empathy Pregnancy Pains

When Emily got home, she noticed Michael still wasn't back. Sure, she made Sophia pay today, ruining her reputation, but the Smith Corporation's stock was tanking, and that left Emily feeling uneasy. Revenge didn't feel as sweet as she thought it would.

She figured she'd be happy once Sophia was disgraced, but nope, not even close. And to top it off, Michael hadn't kept his promise to take her out for steak. Lying on the bed, she closed her eyes, lost in thought.

She wondered if Michael would hate her enough to kill her if he found out she was behind all this. Their relationship was already hanging by a thread, and if he knew, he might just snap. But she didn't regret it. Despite the inner turmoil, she stood by her actions. Compared to what Sophia had done to her, this was nothing.

It was late, and Michael still wasn't home. Emily checked the time-1 a.m. She figured he wasn't coming back tonight. 'Forget it,' she thought, 'just go to sleep. If he comes back and we argue, it'll ruin the whole night.' Just as she was about to drift off, she heard Michael's car.

She opened her eyes. "Michael's actually back?"

For some reason, she got dressed and went downstairs. There he was, just coming in. Michael's face, which had been cold all day, softened a bit when he saw her. He seemed surprised she was still up.

He walked over, rubbing his temples tiredly. "Are you waiting for me? It's been a busy day. I'll take you out for steak next time." Emily didn't expect that to be the first thing he'd say.

She shook her head and asked, "How's the company? Is it serious?" She really wanted to know how much damage had been done to the Smith Corporation. If it was bad, she'd be the main culprit and too ashamed to face Mason, who had always been good to her.

Michael was taken aback. 'Doesn't she usually not care about me? Why is she suddenly concerned about my company today?' he thought.

He took off his coat and tossed it on the sofa. "Shouldn't you be gloating over Sophia's downfall? Why do you look so worried? I thought you'd be too happy to sleep."

Emily got a bit angry and snapped, "Yeah, I should be gloating. I wish she'd stay disgraced forever. But she's dragged the Smith Corporation down with her. What are you going to do about her?"

She didn't know why she cared about how Michael would handle Sophia, but she secretly hoped he'd be disappointed in her. Yet, she was also scared he'd help Sophia.

Michael had been dealing with this mess at the company all night and didn't want to talk about it anymore. Then, out of nowhere, that nauseous feeling hit Emily again.

Emily and Michael locked eyes, both in disbelief. They turned and ran to the bathroom. Emily had felt something was off while arguing with Michael.

She couldn't understand why she was throwing up again, but she thought it might be because of him. Michael watched her vomit over the sink, and he couldn't help and started to retch as well. The sudden sickness and chest tightness left them both too drained to keep arguing.

Before heading upstairs, Michael said, "It's not your fault. How I deal with her is none of your concern."

Emily felt another wave of nausea hit her. Michael's face softened; he couldn't even talk to her without making her sick. He gentled his tone, "Alright, you're tired too. Get some rest. I'll handle the company's issues. Your main job now is to take care of your health and stop looking so pale from all the vomiting." He didn't say the part about feeling sorry for her out loud.

Emily didn't respond, just turned around coldly and went upstairs. 'I shouldn't have come down. What does the Smith Corporation have to do with me? At most, I'd be too ashamed to face Mason. I don't care about Michael. If Sophia drags the Smith Corporation down, so be it,' she thought angrily.

Michael figured everyone was exhausted and decided to talk about it tomorrow. But when he heard Emily slam the door, the sound stinging his ears, he shook his head, wondering why her temper flared up so easily. 'Did I say something wrong? Isn't taking care of her health the right thing to do?' he wondered.

The next morning, while having breakfast, Emily saw Michael come down with a grim face. She heard he'd already taken numerous calls early in the morning. She felt a bit guilty.

Last night, they had parted on bad terms. Emily wondered if she should say something to ease the tension, but then thought, 'Why should I? We're getting divorced anyway, so what's there to ease?'

But seeing the dark circles under Michael's eyes, she suddenly felt a bit bad for him. She muttered to herself, 'Serves you right.'

Then Michael came over and asked in a condescending tone, "Emily, let me ask you, did you have anything to do with what happened yesterday?" After thinking it over all night, he finally figured out that Emily was probably involved.

He remembered what Emily had said to him before the press conference. Yesterday had been such a chaotic day that he hadn't had time to dwell on her words, but it didn't mean he would put them aside forever. Yesterday, it seemed like Emily knew everything.

Emily's heart skipped a beat, and she choked on her bread. She quickly took a sip of milk. 'Did Michael figure something out?'

She pretended to be relaxed and answered, "What does it have to do with me? Do you think that just because something happens to Sophia, it has to do with me? Why don't you just send me to the police station?"

Then she angrily scolded Michael, "You've always believed in Sophia and never in me. So what matters if I did it or not? You've already decided it was me, haven't you?"

Michael was stunned by her barrage of questions. He had only asked one question, but Emily's strong reaction made it seem like she was really involved.

Michael suppressed his emotions and said calmly, "I was just asking. If it has nothing to do with you, then don't worry about it. Just stay home for the next few days." Emily's expression hardened. "What do you mean? Explain yourself."

Michael didn't want to argue with her any further. He just replied, "Emily, you can't just mess around as you want." Then he walked out. He could let her off this time without exposing her, but it didn't mean that she could keep causing trouble under his nose.

Emily stood there, stunned. She didn't know if Michael had found out. But from his tone, she guessed he probably knew. But Michael's reaction was surprising. 'Shouldn't he be furious and drag me to Sophia to force an apology to her?'