"Yes, mother." Jen said, "Cassie is the worst thing that could happen to our family. I mean, she is utterly useless. She doesn't keep Calvin happy. Even after three years of marriage, Calvin doesn't care about her. He wishes every day that he could marry Becky instead. How I wished it was Cassie that suffered in the accident instead of poor Becky."
“I agree.” Fiona sighed, “For the past three years, I've been sick of waiting for an heir. Cassie is useless as it is, but I’d expected that she could at least give me a grandchild. She is honestly good for nothing.”
Anger arose within me upon hearing her words. I didn’t know what came over me, perhaps it was the threat I felt in Becky waking up, or the false allegations of my incapability of childbearing, or that I was utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally to tolerate them anymore, that I sought to give it back to them for once.
Without giving it a second thought, I walked out of the kitchen and into the living room, ready to face the two evil women in the house.
“Well, if you’d ask your son, you’d understand why you’re not getting your heir.” I said, grabbing their attention.
Fiona was surprised to see me, but I detected a hint of satisfaction in the small smirk that was forming on her face. She was satisfied that she could finally stir a reaction in me. All along, that was what she was aiming for.
“What do you mean?” She asked with a frown.
“I mean that your son doesn’t want to give you an heir anytime soon.” I said. "He's the reason we're not having a child. Not me!"
“That can’t be true.” She said, “He said that you’ve been trying for months-“
“Trying for months?” I repeated with a bitter laugh, “No. We haven’t even tried once, Fiona."
It was true. Although we had been married for nearly three years, he never once agreed to have unprotected sex with me. Everytime I tried to escalte things between us, he would take a step back. It would break my heart that he didn’t fully accept me as his wife, and that he wasn’t ready to start a family with me. I had countless arguments with him about the same, but they got me nowhere.
“But..” She stammered, “He said that you were-”
“He lied.” I said, “I wanted to have a baby for months now. It’s him that’s not ready to commit. So if you have any problem, you have to take it up with him.”
FIona widened her eyes in horror, looking over at Jen in appallment. Her face turned red as embarrassment
and her eyes burned with anger. “You!” She yelled. “Of course he doesn’t want to sleep with you! He never loved you!”Her words felt like a slap on my face. The truth was, she did not reveal anything I didn’t know before, but the bitter reminder of it always managed to hurt me. There was nothing else in the world that I craved for more than the love of my husband.
“I don’t blame him for not wanting to start a family with you. You trapped my son and got married to him.” She said, “He had no choice back then, but now, he can get rid of you very soon.”
“Yes,” Jen added, “Becky is going to wake up soon, and Calvin is not going to waste another second to dump you for her. Our family will finally be complete.”
I couldn’t help but widen my eyes at her words. Despite how much I tried, her words managed to get to me, as deep down, I knew that she was right. Despite all these years, I stood no chance against Becky, the woman Calvin truly desired. If she was indeed going to wake up, it was only a matter of time before he left me.
I’ve known Calvin for five years, and it was always Becky that his heart sought for. Even when she was well, it was only her that he desired.
"You think just because Calvin married you that he will be with you forever?" Fiona taunted me. "He married you because he had no choice. You were a cunning bitch that made a cruel deal with him. You thought he would forget Becky eventually, but he didn't."
No, I want to deny all of this. I have my reasons. Becky, my best friend, unfortunately went into a coma three years ago. Calvin was heartbroken, but he married me anyway. I thought that overtime, he would forget her and make space for me in his heart, but clearly that didn’t happen. He was still keenly watching over her, awaiting her recovery.
I had nothing against her, and I desperately wished that she woke up and got better, but I couldn’t help the sorrow that would bring to my life. Like Jen said, there was a high possibility that Calvin would change his mind about our marriage.
Tears welled in my eyes as I contemplated the possibility of our separation, and right then, the door on my left blasted open. To my surprise, it was none other than my husband.
Calvin Anderson.
He scanned the room, his face hardening with a frown. His eyes finally landed on me, narrowing with anger.
"What’s going on here?" he demanded, walking toward me.
"Your wife’s been bullying us all morning!" Fiona said, earning a glare from me. What a liar. "She won’t leave us alone. I think she wants us to move out."
"What are you talking about?" I asked. "I never said anything like that."
"Why would she admit it in front of you?" Jen added, pretending to act casual.
I sighed, exhausted from their lies. I couldn’t deal with this anymore. I turned and walked upstairs to my room. Once inside, I let my tears fall. The frustration, anger, and helplessness I’d been holding in finally poured out.
Since marrying Calvin three years ago, my life had been like this. It wasn’t perfect before, but at least I had the freedom to do what I wanted without constant rejection. I loved Calvin more than anything, but being married to him had caused me more pain than joy. Even as a child in the orphanage, I’d never felt so helpless. Now, surrounded by all his wealth and success, I felt completely empty. I had nothing of my own to cherish.
The door suddenly opened behind me. I wiped my tears quickly and turned around. Calvin walked in, heading straight for me. Before I could say anything, he grabbed my arms and pulled me against him, kissing me forcefully.
"Calvin, what are you doing?" I yelled.
Ignoring me, he started to pull up my shirt. What was going on? Why was he trying to take my clothes off?"Calvin!" I said, grabbing his hands to stop him. "What are you doing?""Didn't you tell my mother that we haven’t been intimate lately?" he said, glaring at me. "I’m fixing that."I stepped back, disgusted. "No! That’s not what I meant! Fiona said—""I don’t care what she said, Cassie," he interrupted, moving closer. "I don’t want to look like an incompetent husband."He pulled me toward him again, but I slapped my hand over his mouth. "No, Calvin! This is ridiculous. I’m not doing this.""Why not?" he demanded. "You wanted a child to secure your place in the family, didn’t you?""Please. I don’t want this!" I cried, feeling the tears well up. He loosened his grip, giving me space to breathe. "I don’t want it like this. Not when you’re so angry at me.""You know I hate it when my mother gets involved in our private life. You promised to respect my privacy, but you told her everyt
I gasped when I saw him. He looked stunning in his new tuxedo. I had always thought he was the most handsome man I’d met, but tonight, he looked even better."What the hell are you doing here?" He demanded as he came to stand beside me. "I asked you to go in as soon as you arrived." "I was talking to-" I turned my face to look at Mr De Luca, but to my surprise, he was nowhere to be found. He had left. "Talking to who?" Calvin asked in impatience. "We're already late, let's go." It hurt to see that his eyes didn’t show admiration like I hoped. He seemed indifferent. I had spent hours getting ready for him, but it felt like I didn’t matter at all."How do I look?" I asked. He raised an eyebrow and gave me a dismissive glance. "Appropriate. Shall we go?"I blushed, embarrassed, but I couldn’t let my tears ruin my makeup. I swallowed hard. "Yes."Grabbing my arm roughly, he dragged me inside with him. Right then, Calvin’s phone buzzed. He read the message, frowning. "What’s wrong?" I
That night, I reached home very late. Yet, Calvin was nowhere to be seen. No matter how many times I called him, he diverted my calls to voicemail. Dejected, I went to bed alone, praying that he returned home safe the next morning.When I awoke the next morning, the house was surprisingly silent. Fiona and Jen have apparently gone out very early in the morning and didn’t come back. This might be the only good thing that happened today.After getting ready, I settled down by the breakfast table as the maid served me some food. It was my favorite; pancakes with maple syrup with a glass of orange juice on the side.“It tastes delicious. Thank you so much.” I smiled at my maid, “Did Calvin come home last night?”“No, ma’am.”“Did he inform any of you where he has been off to?”“Er.. yes, ma’am.” She muttered, “He rang us this morning to ask for some papers to be sent to Westwood hospital.”The spoon I was holding fell from my hand in surprise, clinking against the plate. Widening my eyes,
“What?” My mind went blank.After a moment of silence, he said abruptly, “I need you to leave!”I clenched my fist, was that it? Since she was here, was he going to toss me out like a used tissue paper? I clenched my fists at my sides, staring at him in disbelief. I wasn’t some object he could toss aside when it no longer suited him. I had feelings, and I deserved far more respect than that.“What if I don’t agree to leave?” I said, taking one step closer to him. Calvin’s eyes widened in surprise as it was the first time in years that I dared to go against him. All these years, I’ve been silent because I was begging for his love and attention. I was hellbent on impressing him, and yet, despite so many efforts from my end, he chose to turn a blind eye toward me and only sought for Becky. If that was the case, then I no longer had to swallow my pride.“What’s wrong with you?” Calvin glowered, “Do you really think I’ll ever be happy married to you? Why would you want to be in a marriag
"Calvin wants a divorce?" Kelly’s voice rose in shock, and she nearly dropped her coffee. We were sitting at a cafe, and after Calvin left, I realized I couldn’t keep fighting this battle alone. For years, I had dealt with our marriage struggles by myself, keeping it all hidden from even my best friend. But now, I needed to talk."Shh! Be quiet!" I hissed, glancing nervously at the coffee on the table. The cafe was crowded, and I started to worry this wasn’t the best place for such a conversation, but it was too late to change. I needed to get everything off my chest."It's going to be public soon anyway," Kelly shrugged, sipping her coffee, “Tell me everything.”I frowned, the thought of a divorce still stinging. "We’ve been fighting since day one," I said bitterly. "Everyone thought we were perfect, but it was all just for show. We were never happy."She raised an eyebrow. "But why? You and Calvin always seemed so… ideal."I sighed, "It’s a long story."Kelly glanced at her watch. "
I stared at the blank white ceiling of the room. I'd been staying in the hotel for a week. The room was small, but it was neat and clean. Honestly, it felt so much better than living in that big house before. Especially without Jen and Fiona's constant torment, and far away from my cold-hearted husband. I’d been looking for a place recently, but it wasn’t easy. My parents wouldn’t help me, and my sister and mom made sure of that. I couldn’t ask Kelly to take me in either, since she was already doing so much for me. She offered me her couch, but I just couldn’t bring myself to let her carry that burden. So, I kept looking for a house, but luck wasn’t on my side.I rolled onto my side and glanced at the clock. Oops, It was 9 am! I needed to go. I still had an hour to get to the hospital for my appointment. Yes, despite everything, I still had to go donate blood for Becky. I didn’t want to go at first, but then I remembered she was awake now. Maybe I could finally get answers from her.
When I next woke up, a blank white ceiling came into my view. In the periphery, I noticed a plastic tube hanging from a rod, quickly recognising that it was an intravenous drip set. A constant beeping of a machine interrupted my thoughts, grabbing my attention. Slowly, the smell of sanitizer filled my nostrils, and it didn’t take me long to recognize where I was. At a hospital. I blinked my eyes to clear my view and tried to move my hand. A sharp pain shot up my forearm, making me realize that there was a needle inserted there. As I looked down, I noticed a cannula inserted into my hand, slowly infusing me with fluids. I then felt a gentle touch on my forearm, making me look up at once. It was Kelly. I frowned at her. “Kelly?” I said. I quickly realized that my voice was groggy, so I cleared my throat. “What are you doing here?” “You recognize me?” She said in relief, “Good, we haven’t completely lost you then.”“What?” I said, “What happened to me?” “Well, stress happened.” She
When it was finally time for discharge, Kelly had an emergency. “There’s an important meeting I need to attend, Cassie.” She said, “Do you think you’ll manage on your own with Enzo?” By this point, all the essential paperwork had been taken care of and my IV line was removed. I was prescribed oral medication for the next few days, and there was absolutely nothing to worry about. However, as part of the protocol, I had given some blood tests and we were awaiting the results of those. In the meanwhile, Enzo spoke to me about my relationship with Calvin and on what basis he was filing for the divorce. After spending a couple of hours with him, I realized that he was genuinely good at his job and hiring him would help me get a fair share of bargain during the divorce proceedings. He also managed to help me ease into the conversation very quickly, and before I realized, I was opening up to him about a lot of things. Thanks to Kelly, I managed to develop a healthy acquaintance with him i
Cassie’s POV My heart refused to calm down until I saw Enzo walking inside. His eyes were red, his face filled with sorrow and regret. Yet, he managed to give me a kind smile. “Hey.” “The baby’s fine.” I muttered. Enzo walked up to me quietly, and sat down on the edge of the bed. Taking my hand into his, he gave it a gentle squeeze, “How are you?” “I’m okay.” I said, “It wasn’t that bad. I think I just got too scared.” “I got your note.” He said, his eyes looking at her entwined hands. “You did?” I said, exhaling, “Well, I meant it. I love you, Enzo.” His eyes found mine then, and then he instantly leaned forward to plant a kiss on my lips. “I was so scared for you.” “Me too.” I said, “I was afraid that I would die without telling you how I really feel. I delayed it for too long, Enzo. I was afraid to admit my own feelings. I guess… I guess I was not ready to accept that there was… that I love you. I guess I was scared that I would lose myself all over again, or worse.. That
Enzo’s POV Life was cruel. Anybody who witnessed my life in the last few months would agree with me on that. I just stepped into a meeting when I got Kelly’s call. She was wailing on the phone, barely holding up to tell me what happened. But I managed to deduce something. Cassie met with an accident. There was a car involved, and she was unconscious at the scene. My brain was paralysed for a moment. I froze in time. It wasn’t until my colleague asked if I was alright that I realized that I wasn’t. I instantly cancelled the meeting and got out of there. On my way down the elevator, the hospital called me. They were examining Cassie, and they won’t know how she is doing for a while. And there was no news about the baby. Every passing second felt like an eternity. I sped past all the signals, breaking every traffic rule as I went to the hospital. As soon as I got there, I headed into the emergency, suspecting that that was where Cassie was. “Mr. De Luca?” said a nurse at the recep
By the time evening rolled around, I couldn’t help but feel content with the day. It felt great to get behind the computer, doing what I truly loved. Once I got done with work, I called Enzo.“Hey,” I said, heading down. “Are you coming to pick me up?” Enzo paused for a second, “Shit, I completely forgot.” He said, “I’m so sorry, Cassie. I got held up at work. Why don’t you wait for a few minutes? I’ll send my driver right away.” “No, don’t worry about it.” I said, “I’ll just take the bus. The studio’s just ten minutes away from here.” “No, no. I’ll send the driver. It’s not going to take long.” “Enzo, it’ll take fifteen minutes at least. I can reach the studio in that time.” I said, “It’s fine. It’s not like I have to walk there. The bus is convenient.” “I’m sorry. I don’t know how I forgot.” “You’re a busy man, it’s fine.” I said, “I’ll see you for dinner?”“Yes, I’ll pick you up from the studio at 8?” “Done. Can’t wait to see you.” With that, I cut the call and got outside
I rolled my eyes, “Don’t try to deny it, Calvin. I know you’re having a baby with Becky. And you know what? Go ahead. I don’t care. We’re divorced, and let’s not forget that.” He was enraged with my words, “Shut up, Cassie. I’m not having a baby with Becky.” Oh, my God. This man. He was insufferable. How could he lie to me about it after everything? “Yeah, well, then, someone else is. Because I saw her at the hospital the other day when she came for her checkup.” Calvin widened his eyes, sinking back into his chair as though realization just struck him. He grabbed the water bottle and chugged it, his hands shaking. What was happening? Did he really not know that she was pregnant? “Who was she with?” He asked. “Alone.” I said, “Did you not know?” He shook his head and abruptly got up. “I need to go.” “Wait, what about our meeting?” I asked, but he didn’t stop. He stormed out of the room. “Bloody hell.” I muttered to myself. “What was that about?” I instantly dialled Enzo’s nu
A week later, I was standing in front of Clark and Mason Corporation. Despite Enzo’s reluctance to let me work, I signed with them earlier this week. I would be one of their programmers, and if all went well, Professor Clark said there would be bigger roles for me to fulfil. “All the best.” he mumbled as he lowered the window of his carLeaning in, I planted a kiss on his mouth. “Thank you.” “I’ll pick you up in the evening.” he said, “or worst case, I’ll send my driver.” “Okay.” With that said, I walked into the building. It didn’t take me long to find their office, where Melissa, one of my teammates, took me inside. “Hello, Cassandra. I’m so glad to finally see you.” She said, “You can imagine how difficult it was for us after our programmer resigned last month. The entire team has been eagerly waiting for you to join us.” “I can’t wait to meet them either.” I said, “Although, we’re supposed to meet our client today. Isn’t it?” “Yes. He’s already waiting for us.” She said,
A phone call woke me up the next morning. It was eight in the morning, and the person calling me was my professor, Michael Clark. “Switch it off.” Enzo said, pulling my body deeper into his embrace. His voice was thick with unfinished sleep. Sighing, I gently pulled his hand away. “Sorry.” I quickly mumbled before I hurried into the kitchen to take the call. “Mr. Clark. Good morning.” I said. “Good Morning, Cassandra. I hope I haven’t caught you at the wrong time.” “Not at all.” “Right, then I’ll cut to the chase.” He said, “I called you to ask if you’d be interested in working for me?” I frowned, “I’m sorry?” “I heard you’ve resigned from De Luca’s firm. If you are looking for an exciting job, we have an opening for you. If you’re interested, I’ll email you all the details.” “I…” Wow. “Mr. Clark, I’m not sure if… I didn’t really think about-” “It’s alright. I don't need an answer right away. Think it over, I’ll send you an email in the meantime. Just, write back to me in a
I never truly gauged the depth of his emotion. I knew he was an intense person, and whatever he felt, he felt deeply. It was evident in his acts of service. But there, seeing him so weak and fragile made me realize that there was so much to him that I was unaware of. “Fucking hell, Cassie.” He said, letting out a grunt. “I could not forgive myself for it till this day.” I said, “But what could I have done? I had no choice.” “You should have come to me.” He said, “You should have told me. I could have helped you. Heck, I could have hunted your father down and put him in front of you.” I shrugged, “I don’t know, Enzo. I guess I was scared for him and didn't want to take any risk. I was desperate to meet him, and they took advantage of that.” “No shit.” He said, “I’m not going to spare her.” “No, please.” I said, putting my arms around his shoulder. Turning him to face me, I said, “I've had enough with her. I don’t want her anywhere in our lives now.” “She won’t come as far as a
I let out a shaky breath, wondering how I got myself in this situation. Enzo was just coming around, and revealing the truth to him will anger him further. Plus, he was drunk. “Why don’t we go to bed, already? We can talk tomorrow.” I said, and walked to the switchboard to kill the lights, but Enzo caught my hand. He pulled me back to stand before him, fixing me with a stern look on his face, “You’re trying to escape the conversation. You’re hiding something from me.” “I’m not hiding anything.” “And now you’re lying.” He said, getting up. “I knew that there was more to the story than what you were letting on, Cassie. It wasn't like you to randomly leave me like that. Tell me, what was the real reason?”“I told you what the reason was. That is all there is to it.” “I don’t buy it.” He said, “I can see it in your eyes that you didn’t mean it. I can see the regret in your eyes. You’re not proud of how you handled things. Why would you regret things if you truly wanted to do it in t
“You won’t get it,” Enzo said, disappointed all over again. I wanted to say something. Anything. To reassure him that I understood him. That I’m open to his love. But I couldn’t. Something held me back. Maybe it was my own shame, or the fact that it might be too late. His shoulder slumped in defeat. Glancing at the watch, he said, “I better get going.” “Wait.” I said, desperate to make him stop. It didn’t feel right to let him go. Not like this. I needed an excuse to make him stick around for longer. “It’s raining outside.” I said, looking at the window. “There was a storm warning earlier. I think you should wait.” He sighed, “I’m exhausted, Cassie. I haven’t had dinner either. I-” “I’ll cook for you.” I said, “Or if you can’t wait, I have leftovers. I can heat that up for you.” He considered it for a moment. Perhaps the gods were on my side today, that Enzo begrudgingly agreed. I could tell that he was still irritated with me, but it was fine. I knew his anger wouldn’t last v