Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 25883 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25883 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
"I'm so sorry, Emerald. I'm sorry."
He had hurt her so, so much that not once had she allowed herself to imagine he would ever apologize. But now that it was really happening, she just didn't know what to do.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I'm sorry."
Hearing him say the words should've healed her, but the pain inside of her only seemed to swell more and more and more...
Until it burst out of her, and Emmy found herself breaking down in the arms of the same man who had destroyed her.
Rowland whitened at the way his wife suddenly collapsed against him.
God, what have I done?
"I'm sorry..." It was all he could think of saying. "I'm so damn sorry—-"
"I don't need your pity—-"
"I'm the one you need to take pity on," Rowland asserted tautly. "I fucked up, Emerald. I was never ashamed of you—-"
A cry escaped her at his words, and Rowland wanted to kill himself at the way his wife was now staring at him.
Was this how she had looked at Charlotte when he had made the other woman tell Emerald he had changed his mind about having a stable girl for a wife?
"I d-don't know what game you're p-playing this time," Emmy choked out. "Just p-please...please stop it. I p-promise you won't ever see me again. I'll s-stay away—-"
"I'm not playing any kind of game," Rowland cut in hoarsely.
"Please just s-stop—-"
"I made Charlotte say those words to you," Rowland gritted out, "because I wanted to hurt you...before you can have any chance of hurting me."
Emmy could only shake her head as an endless stream of tears wetted her cheeks.
Desperation gripped his heart at the way his wife was staring at him. It was as if she was completely done with him, and there was nothing he could ever say to change her mind.
"Listen to me, sweetheart. Just please, just fucking please listen."
It was the first time in his entire life that Rowland was bereft of his usual composure and confidence, with the fear of losing her for good gnawing at his insides.
"I wanted you the first time I saw you. But I couldn't admit it to myself. I was terrified you'd change, and I knew from the start that I wouldn't be able to survive it. You had the power to break me the way no one else could, and it was only when you were gone, and I realized I was wrong about you..."
He cupped her face, but she was still staring at him with eyes that no longer seemed to care he was standing in front of her.
And that...
That scared the fuck out of him.
"I'm in love with you, Mrs. Asherfield," Rowland said rawly. "I love you because of how you think trimming hooves is more exciting than shopping. I love you because you always smell like mud in the afternoon. I love you because you own more coveralls than anyone I know. I love you because—-"
"S-Stop."
Desperation faded into a numbing ache when he heard his wife's whispered plea.
"Just p-please stop..."
It's over between us, Rowland realized dully as his hands slowly fell away from her face. He had hurt her too much, and she could no longer rust him.
"Because it's m-my turn now..."
And this time, it was Emmy who reached up to clasp his handsome face with shaking hands.
"I l-love you for always looking at me like I'm s-sexy even when I'm covered in mud—-"
Rowland's heart slammed against his chest. Was he hearing her right?
"I l-love you because you d-don't mind it when I'm t-thinking of horses all the time—-"
The rest of her words faded as Rowland crushed her mouth with his kiss, and all she could do was cry and throw her arms around him.
By the time he released her, all of the VIPs and two hundred-plus employees working at the ranch were clapping and cheering for Rowland and Emmy. It was quite, quite obvious to everyone that rather than feeling ashamed of having a stablegirl for a wife, the billionaire's feelings were the opposite.
Rowland suddenly went down on one knee, and the applause became deafening as he took something out from his pocket.
Emmy started crying again when she realized he was holding out his mother's old wedding ring.
"Will you marry me, sweetheart? Will you be my wife, this time for eternity?"
And of course, Emmy being Emmy, she was about to say yes when her nose suddenly started itching, and before she knew it, she had already sneezed at Rowland's face.
Oops.
The crowd laughed as Emmy turned red, but Rowland only grinned as he rose to his feet and swept up in his arms.
"I'll take that as a yes."
Epilogue
ANITA WATCHED IN SILENT amusement as her boss impatiently flipped through the final draft of a contract.
"It's good," Rowland said as he handed the document back to his secretary. "Anything else before I go?"