Sofia Andrew
After years of pretending to be the perfect wife for my husband to see me as a woman with beauty and a loving wife, and not just a mere contract, I did not succeed. He hates me for a reason I’m not even aware of. No matter how much I try to be a good wife and get him to know me, he pushes me away. After years of marriage, nothing has changed between us.
It’s just ironic. Every woman is jealous of me for having the most sought-after man beside me. A handsome, powerful, charismatic millionaire. But that is just the biggest joke of the year. If only they knew the truth—that when we’re alone, he’s as cold as ice, calculating, ruthless, and revolting. I’m the one who suffers the most because of his bad attitude. Sometimes I ask myself, why, of all the men in the world, did I have to fall in love with someone like him? Why did my father have to force me to marry him?
But as much as I am blindly in love with him, I won’t let him humiliate me. He’s a master of manipulation, and I’m still caught in his web.
“What are you thinking?” I heard my best friend, Amelia, ask me.
“Oh, nothing. I’m just thinking about the meeting tomorrow. The partners are bothered.”
“As they should. This is the first time that Angel asked for a meeting that early. Hasn’t he mentioned anything to you?”
“I am the last person he’ll talk to. Aside from ‘Get lost’, ‘I don’t want to see you’, and many more hateful words.”
“In front of everyone, you’re the perfect couple.” I sent her a death glare. “People envy you. He’s gorgeous, and you’re not so bad yourself. It’s a shame that everything’s a lie.”
“Do you think he has a lover?”
The mere thought of that made my heart squeeze in pain. I am not stupid. Angel is a man. And a man like him won’t be able to last long without sex.
“Maybe, but carefully hidden from the media. Angel will never ruin his good husband’s image, of course.”
“Can’t you get along? Have you ever wondered why he’s so angry with you?”
“At first, I thought he was forced to marry me because of our family. And then I thought Elisa left him because of our engagement, but over time I realized that he hated me for something else. I don’t know anymore. I am tired of finding reasons.”
“Did it ever occur to you to confess your feelings to him?”
“And how should I tell him? That man is only ever kind to me in front of the media, company, or our families.”
“You think he doesn’t like you even a little bit?”
“No. That man doesn’t feel any kind of love for me, and I’m used to it, but I won’t let him humiliate me. You know me, Amelia. But actually, I am nervous as to what he’ll say tomorrow.”
“Who isn’t? It was unexpected, and we all have no idea what it’s about.”
I glanced at my watch and clicked my tongue when I saw that office hours were over. “We better go now because we have to be early tomorrow, and Angel hates tardiness. It’s already hard enough that I have to tolerate him at home.”
“Okay, but I want to eat first, Sofia. Don’t you want to go with me instead of being in that big empty house?”
“Nah, another time. It’s been a rough day, and I want to rest.”
I stayed in the jacuzzi to rest my tired body. When I came out after a while, I saw him standing in front of the window. His physique from the back is truly a sight to behold. The way he carries himself is sexy. I was just a few steps away from him, and his scent invaded my nose.
He took me by surprise when he turned around, and I saw his infamous charm. But as quick as it came, it soon faded when I saw his eyes narrowing angrily at me and his forehead forming a familiar frown. This time, however, I saw wonder, confusion, admiration, and something I couldn’t quite read. His eyes fell on my body, still covered in a towel, and I just realized that my long, wet hair was all over my face and body. I must have looked horrible!
“Why? Will you now control how long I should take a bath or what time I should be here?” I asked calmly but with a hint of bitterness.
“No. You are free to do whatever you want.”
“Everyone’s wondering what the meeting tomorrow is about. May I know the reason or should I wait like them?”
I laughed mockingly. “Forget it. Even if I explained it to you, you wouldn’t understand. So, I’m the new president, and you’ll now focus on your company?”
“And what would I want from you? You have nothing but the company. Now that I think about it, your cars were given to you by both me and my dad.”
“You can keep them if you want; I have no problem with that.”
“How dare he! So he noticed my efforts, but he just didn’t care enough!
“That woman has a name, and it’s Elisa. A woman who’s a lot better than you, and the one you need to beg her forgiveness to.”
“And why would I do that?”
“You lied to her. Because of you, she left me. And if that wasn’t enough—” He stopped himself, and I saw pain in his eyes that I couldn’t understand.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“When did you ever? But because of what you did, I won’t ever forgive you. You disgust me, and you will continue to do so until the end.”
“Do you know what your problem is? You have no idea about what’s happening around you!”
“You played me for a fool and manipulated me into marrying you. You pretended to love me, but it was all a lie.”
“What did I ever do to you and her?!”
“She’s more worth it than you. She’s honest, beautiful, bright, and the most dignified person in the world.” Oh, please, Angel, if she’s anything you mentioned, I’m a sister in a convent close to being a saint. “You can’t accept the fact that she’s better than you in any way, but now everything will go back to its original place.”
“How will everything go back to normal? What are you saying?”
“Elisa came back and we talked. We fixed things between us, and we want to get back together. And you won’t ruin that for us. I won’t allow you this time, so sign the paper.”
That is the reason behind his demand. That woman is back.
“Why did you come back when you could have done it before?”
“That’s not your problem. What’s important is that she’s back and you’re in the way.”
“She’s the victim you said. She’s the poor victim in this story. Angel, I am curious as to why a smart guy like you who can read people wasn’t able to read her, but that’s fine.”
“There you go. Now you can go and celebrate with your girlfriend. I just hope that you won’t flaunt it for everyone to see,” I said calmly, even when I was nothing but.
He just stared at me for a few seconds with confusion, surprise, and wonder in his face.
“Do you need anything else, sir?”
“You signed,” he stated, as if still in shock.
“That’s what you wanted, right? I signed, so you can now get out of my room.”
Please let him leave because I’m close to crumbling down. If he stays even for a minute, he might see me in a pathetic situation.
As soon as he left, the tears I’d been holding back fell like waterfalls. But instead of clear water, it’s tears of blood from my heart that he just broke into pieces.
“I wish you the best, Angel. Enjoy your life with the woman who deserves you. I am Sofia
