I stared at the text message on my husband Ethan’s phone, my heart sinking like a stone in a bottomless ocean. The words blurred together, but the meaning was clear: "I’m back. I know you missed me. I can’t wait to see you tonight. -S."
My mind reeled as I tried to process what I was seeing. Who was S? And why was my husband making plans to meet her behind my back?
I felt like I had been punched in the gut. My marriage, my supposed perfect life, was a lie. I thought back to all the times Ethan had claimed he was "working late" or "out with friends." Had he been with S all along?
Tears welled up in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Not yet. I needed answers.
"Ethan!" I called out, my voice shaking with a mix of rage and hurt.
He walked into the room with a smile on his face, but it faltered when he saw the look on mine.
"What’s wrong?" he asked, avoiding my gaze, perhaps feeling guilty.
"Who is S?" I demanded. Suddenly, I saw his expression shift from guilt to anger. "Have you been snooping around my phone?" he snapped, leaning closer to me with a sinister look that frightened me.
Although Ethan had never been a warm person, and his demeanor in our relationship had always been lukewarm, never taking the initiative. I had never seen him with such a menacing gaze.
Trying my best to withstand the pain in my heart, I looked into his eyes. "Your sudden change. Is it because of S?" His gaze shifted again. "Don't you ever trouble her. If I find out you’ve inconvenienced her even the slightest bit, I will not let you off." With that, he yanked the phone from my hand and stormed off.
As soon as he left, I couldn't help but break down in tears, sliding from the sofa to the floor, sobbing my heart out. Suddenly, I heard a noise and looked up, tears streaking down my face.
It was my estranged sister-in-law, Mia. She had never liked me, always believing I was of low status and not worthy of her well-to-do brother.
She walked in with her head held high and a victorious smile on her lips. "Why haven’t you packed your bags yet? Are you planning to continue leeching off my brother? Bitch."
My lips trembled as I looked up at her. "You know about this too?"
"Yes, so what if I do? What are you going to do about it? In this family, you're like a dog we give our leftovers to. You really don't have the self-respect to leave, even now that Sister Susan is back," Mia retorted.
Aghast, I stared at Mia again. "Susan? Is that her name?"
"Yes, Sister Susan is Brother Ethan’s childhood sweetheart and crush from high school. She left after college to practice abroad. Now that she's back, it’s time for you, the leech, to leave," Mia said, looking at me with a menacing glint in her eye.
Heartbroken, I managed to croak, "Why didn’t you all tell me? If I knew Ethan had a sweetheart, I would never have married him." Burying my face in my hands, I cried bitterly.
"Tch! As if," she scoffed. "Do you think if it weren’t for Grandpa’s last wish for Brother Ethan to marry you, he would have?"
That was another blow to my heart. I had genuinely believed Ethan and I loved each other. Who knew it was just wishful thinking? He hadn’t even married me willingly; he only did it to fulfill his grandfather's last wish. I smiled bitterly to myself. "Oh, Alexandra Thompson, when did you become so cheap? Sacrificing so much for someone who doesn’t even love you?"
At that moment, I lost hope of salvaging our relationship, realizing it had never been genuine to begin with. I had endured snide remarks, insults, and disrespect from various sources since marrying Ethan. I had worked tirelessly to satisfy his mother and sister, only to find out that all three years of effort had been a joke. He was simply using me to pass the time until his true love arrived.
Looking back, everything began to make sense. Whenever I was insulted, Ethan never took action to defend me. He would only comfort me in private. Yet when I asked about Susan, he became like a mother hen protecting her chick.
I smiled bitterly, then went into the bedroom to start packing my meager belongings. It was shocking to realize that the wife of Ethan Blackwood had so little to her name. Even the lowest servant in the mansion could insult me, and I didn’t have the power to fight back.
As I looked around the villa, filled with painful memories, I resolutely stepped out, tightly clutching my small, pitiful luggage in my hand.
