7: REJECTED WIFE

“The Smiths are running out of patience” Ethan’s mother declared.

Ethan sat still at the far end of the couch, watching his mother as she rambled on about some ‘engagement’ and losing the Smith’s alliance.

From where i stood, I could see them clearly and their conversations were loud enough for me to hear.

Eavesdropping is wrong, I know. But my goddamn husband just told his mother I was no one important and there was no way I wouldn’t get to the bottom of why he didn’t bother to introduce me to my mother in-law.

Sneaking out of my room was a bad idea because the more I listened to Ethan’s mother talk about how much she wanted him to be with someone else the more upset I got.

I had to pinch myself, I needed to remember that whatever happened, this marriage was fake and I shouldn’t be upset about Ethan making plans for his future after our deal was over.

Why he even offered to marry me still made no sense to me. He could very well afford to pay for my silence. Why he chose this route made no sense to me.

“Are you even listening to me?” the woman barked as she waved her hands in front of Ethan’s face.

He seemed to be focused on something.

He was focused on me. The fucking mirror had given off my hiding spot and from the look on his face, I knew he was pissed.

“Ethan?” his mother said, snapping her fingers to get his attention.

“There will be no need for the engagement party with the Smiths” Ethan finally spoke up.

His mother face twisted in anger. “What..why?”.

“There’s no need” he said flatly as he rose from where he was seated and headed towards my hiding spot.

I turned to the large stairs and tried to make a run for it.

“Madison” Ethan called out, making me halt in my tracks.

There were two options; pretend I did not hear and run back to my room or face this weirdo and his mother. Running wasn’t really an option because my roommate was unhinged enough to come upstairs and drag me out of my room, so I turned around and offered the fakest smile I had ever pulled off in my life.

“Ethan, I just came to grab my phone” I lied.

He walked to me and wrapped his arm around my waist. I saw colour drain from his mother’s face.

“Your phone is in your hand” Ethan whispered in my ear before lightly smacking my ass.

“What the fuck are you doing?” I muttered as we walked to where his mother was seated.

“Mother, this is Madison Taylor King” Ethan said, pushing me forward for his mother to see.

“Hello Mrs King, it’s wonderful to finally meet you” I greeted curtly.

“Madison Taylor King?” she repeated, ignoring my greeting.

“King?” she asked again.

“Yes. Madison is my wife” Ethan said, tightening his grip on my waist.

His mother went pale like she had seen a ghost.

“Wife?”.

“When did this happen?” she asked as she eyed me from up to down.

“Madison and I dated briefly in high school. When I heard she was back in town, we went on a couple of dates and I asked her to marry me” Ethan replied.

He was such an easy liar, how did he think of such a fake story in just a couple of seconds?

“Who are your parents?” his mother asked, her displeasure obvious in her tone.

“My father’s name is Orlando Taylor, I never got to meet my mother” I replied.

“Typical” she scoffed.

“What does your father do for work?”.

“He doesn’t work. He was diagnosed Leukaemia and had to be laid off. He currently lives in Denmark with my brothers” I replied.

Talking about my father made me feel insecure. I loved my dad more than anything in the world. After my mother left me off at an orphanage in America, my father spent 15 years searching for me. He was the best and provided for me and my siblings. Life was great until his illness started.

“where is your mother from?” Ethan’s mother continued her interrogation.

“She’s American. She dropped me off at an orphanage and I never heard from her again” I said.

I could feel a knot forming in my chest. My family was a very sensitive topic to discuss.

Sensing my unease, Ethan rubbed my back slowly. As much as I despised him, this action made me feel less hate for him.

“Where do you work?” Ethan’s mother asked. If we weren’t in the living room of a house, I would have assumed that the FBI had finally caught up with me for not filing my taxes correctly.

“She works as a manager in the Marketing and accounts department of Kings” Ethan replied for me.

He was all sort of things evil and vile, but the way he tried to make me look good in front of his mother warmed my heart.

“Manager? Already?” the woman raised her eyebrow.

“Yes. She’s very good at what she does” Ethan replied.

“Apparently, that’s not the only thing she’s good at doing” Ethan’s mother scoffed.

“I do not approve of this arrangement” she said coldly, leaving no room for argument.

She immediately got up, smoothed the frock of her dress and picked up her birkin that she had carefully displayed on our centre table.

“Let me get this straight, some random orphanage whore you had a fling with in high school managed to find a way to seduce you and you decided she would be a better wife than Peter’s daughter?” she scoffed.

“Mum, please” Ethan pleaded but his mother seemed adamant. She stared at me like someone with a mission.

“Please what? Her own mother couldn’t accept her and dumped her at an orphanage, what makes you think I would accept her?” she spat.

If my heart was outside my body, it would have visibly shriveled up and died. I was a strong girl, nothing ever made me cry but Ethan’s mother’s words were so hurtful that I couldn’t hold back the tears.

I hated my mother for not giving herself the chance to love me, I hated Ethan for creating this stupid deal instead of just paying me off, I hated myself for accepting the dumb deal.

Who was I kidding? What on earth made me even think the richest family in North America would want a common nobody to marry their son?

I was stupid. And Ethan’s mother had given me the reality check my brain desperately needed.

“I don’t want to find you here by tomorrow, Miss Taylor” she said before dragging Ethan out of the living room.

I was left alone. The silence was overwhelming, I was clearly not wanted here and staying here would only make them hate me more.

My heart and my brain were out of sync. My heart wanted to stay and hear what Ethan would say. My brain on the other hand, forced my legs up the stairs till I was locked in my bedroom and standing inside my closet with my suitcase.

I began to pull down the neatly arranged clothes, stuffing them into the suitcase.

My emotions were getting the best of me and I could barely think. One thing was certain, I wanted to be out of this suffocating place. Far away from these snubs who felt like they were better than everyone.

I heard the door knob twist repeatedly, followed by knocks. I walked back to the bedroom and sat on the bed.

The knocks grew louder each passing second.

“Maddy, open the door” Ethan said from outside.

I ignored him and returned to packing my clothes.

He kept knocking for several minutes before finally leaving.

He proceeded to calling me over a million times. The situation wasn’t up for negotiation.

I was done. The deal was off and nothing he could possibly say would change my mind.