1: Blinded by Love

“NEGATIVE AGAIN?” Celene bit her lip as she met her mother-in-law’s disapproving gaze. She clutched the side of her pants, wincing as the negative pregnancy test was hurled at her head.

She trembled with the desire to fight back, but she knew it would only cause more harm. Her husband adored his mother, and any conflict with her would surely disappoint him. So, instead of reacting, she took a deep breath and crouched down to pick up the pregnancy test.

“You’ve been married to my son for almost three years and until now, you still can’t give him an heir?!” Martha’s voice rang out as soon as Celene straightened her posture. “Are you even a woman?!”

“I already visited the hospital, and the OB confirmed that I’m perfectly healthy. So, it’s possible that Jarred could be the one with issue—” She wasn’t able to finish her sentence off when suddenly, the door swung open, and both women’s gazes snapped towards it.

Celene’s husband stood in the doorway, a woman at his side and a large suitcase in tow. But what caught her attention the most was that she recognized the woman standing next to her husband.

It was his first love.

“Jarred?” Celene’s voice was filled with confusion, mirroring her expression. However, her husband didn’t bother explaining and instead went inside, tugging the suitcase along while Agnes, his ex-girlfriend, followed closely behind.

“Mom, can you show Agnes the guestroom?”

“Wait, what’s going on?” Celene’s heart pounded in her chest as she watched Agnes and her mother-in-law head upstairs with the maid carrying a suitcase. She was taken aback by her mother-in-law’s lack of confusion and willingness to help.

For a moment, Celene was at a loss for words, her mouth hanging open as she tried to process what was happening.

Agnes then turned her head towards her and a smirk appeared on her face, making Celene frown before snapping her head back at her husband.

“Jarred, explain—”

“Agnes will be living here temporarily,” he responded while walking past her and settling onto the couch behind her. She spun around, her eyes widening as she watched him loosen his necktie and lean back against the backrest. The utter shock etched on her face.

“What? Are you trying to say that I, your wife will be living under the same roof as your ex?” Celene almost laughed in disbelief. The absurdity of the situation was becoming overwhelming, and she didn’t know how to handle it all. Not only had she failed to get pregnant again, but now her husband had brought his ex-girlfriend home as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“I was almost hit by a car in the parking lot earlier and she pulled me out of harm’s way. She revealed that she had escaped from her abusive ex-husband. So, in return for saving my life, she asked if she could stay at my place temporarily, no more than a week or two.”

Celene remained quiet, her brow furrowed as she absorbed every word he’d just said. She then shook her head in disbelief as she gazed at him, wondering how he could stay so collected and unfazed by this absurdity.

“Are... Are you being serious? Do you know how twisted that sounded?” she questioned, her voice shaking ever so slightly.

“Twisted? How is helping someone in need twisted? I just told you her ex-husband was abusive, enough for her to run away—”

“Since when are you in touch with her?” Celene cut him off abruptly, her expression becoming stern as she narrowed her eyes. She may have become a people pleaser when she married him and endured her mother-in-law’s mistreatment, but this kind of disrespect was not something she would tolerate from him. “Answer me, Jarred. Since when—”

“Shut up!” He raised his voice, causing Celene to flinch and her eyes to widen in shock. It was the first time he yelled at her like that, and it stung her eyes. Jarred let out a deep sigh and ran his fingers through his disheveled hair before gently guiding her to sit on his lap. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to raise my voice.”

“Don’t cry,” He comforted her, brushing away the tears that had started to fall from her eyes and gently planting a soft kiss on her forehead. “I just got a bit frustrated. I know that my actions were not appropriate, but please try to understand my reasoning. I’m just helping her for a bit as a payback. If it wasn’t for her, I could be lying in a hospital bed right now, or even worse, dead.”

“You’re the one I married and the woman I love now. Any feelings or history I had with Agnes are long gone, so there’s no need for you to worry about her.” Jarred wrapped his arms around her torso and caressed her cheeks. Celene just pursed her lips, frustrated by how easily she gave in to him.

A simple gesture of affection and all her anger melted away. It was pathetic.

“I promise I’ll make it up to you, alright? How about a trip overseas as an early celebration for our third anniversary?” He gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek, and Celene responded with a hesitant nod before wrapping her arms around his neck.

She wasn’t sure how she was supposed to feel at that moment, but being blinded by love, she chose to trust him, causing Jarred to grin, and quickly exchanged the topic.

“By the way, are you and mom arguing before I arrived?”

“N-no,” she stammered as she let go of him, still perched on his lap. “She was just disappointed because the pregnancy test came out negative, yet again.”

“I see. Don’t hate mom, okay? You know she desperately wanted grandchildren, and I’m not getting any younger. It’s important for me to have an heir, but don’t feel pressured. We can just keep trying until you become pregnant.” Jarred smiled before leaning in to kiss Celene, his hands cupping her cheeks.

At that moment, she chose to believe every word and reassurance he offered, unaware that they would eventually become nothing but deceitful lies.

CELENE STIRRED UP from her sleep and rubbed her eyes, feeling a bit disoriented until she realized it was morning. She reached out to her side, expecting to feel her husband’s warm body next to hers, but he was already gone. Frowning in confusion, she got out of bed and went to freshen up before making breakfast for Jarred like she always did.

However, when she arrived at the kitchen’s door, she was taken aback as she saw Jarred sitting on one of the barstools at the counter, engaged in conversation with Agnes while she cooked.

The sight nearly sent shivers down her spine. She was the one who was supposed to be cooking for her husband, not Agnes. And to top it off, Agnes was wearing the apron that Jarred had given to Celene.

She tightened her fist and took a deep breath, regaining composure before entering the kitchen. She then wrapped her arms around her husband from behind and kissed his cheek affectionately.

“Good morning! Why are you letting the guest cook?” she asked, glancing at Agnes who had just turned off the stove and turned to face them.

“She insisted, she said she didn’t want to stay here for free, so she wanted to help with the chores at least,” Jarred responded as he reached for her hand and linked his fingers with hers. Celene’s lips curved into a smile, pleased by his public display of affection towards her. She assumed it was his way of reassuring her, but the harsh reality was that Jarred was only doing it to make Agnes jealous.

He had always hoped that she would regret ending their relationship years ago, and now that he saw a chance to make her feel remorse, he planned on taking advantage of it.

“I’m sorry, Jarred mentioned that you usually cook breakfast but since I woke up early, I thought I should help. I hope I didn’t offend you by taking on some of your duties.” Agnes nervously fidgeted with her fingers; her face etched with nervousness.

“Don’t worry about it. If helping out around the house will alleviate any guilt you have for staying in a married man’s home, then feel free to do so.” Celene smiled, causing Agnes to tighten her lips as she tried to control her expression, suppressing the urge to scoff at Celene’s taunts.

No matter how much her ex’s wife tried to get under her skin, it wouldn’t change the truth: Jarred had allowed her to live in his house, without any hesitation.

That alone speaks volumes about Jarred still caring for her feelings more than his wife’s.

“Do you really have to word it like that?” Celene’s body jerked at the sound of her mother-in-law’s voice. She reluctantly loosened her embrace on her husband and turned to meet Martha’s raised eyebrows.

“She didn’t say anything wrong, Mom,” Jarred said, taking his wife’s side which made Celene’s heart flutter, “Let’s just eat, Cel and I still have a meeting we need to attend.”

Martha’s face twisted into a scowl as she glared at her daughter-in-law, who sat triumphantly next to Jarred at the dining table while the maid set out their plates. Agnes took off her apron and joined them, feeling relieved that Martha seemed to prefer her over Celene.

This made it easier for Agnes to manipulate and take what she believed was rightfully hers. As a divorced woman, she was determined to win back Jarred’s attention, especially now that he was successful, unlike when she had left him before.

Meanwhile, Celene was filled with a sense of contentment. She had been anxious about Agnes potentially threatening their marriage, but now she saw that Jarred was staying true to his promises. She started to believe that there was no reason for her to be afraid anymore.

Little did she know that her world was about to come crashing down; one that she could never imagine in her dreams, never expect even.