The Diary Of An Unloved Wife Chapter 01
After my father passed away, he didn’t leave me an inheritance, but rather two candidates for marriage.
On the day I was supposed to marry one of them, Felix, he eloped overnight with our housekeeper’s daughter.
Left with no other choice, his younger brother, Beckett, took his place.
On our wedding night, I hid out on the balcony and cried secretly because I missed my dad.
Beckett kicked the door open. His eyes and lips were full of mockery. “Are you really that heartbroken to be marrying me instead of Felix?”
Over the next five years, he brought a different woman home every week.
I swallowed the bitterness in my heart and did my best to be a good wife to him.
Until today, when the woman by his side hadn’t changed in four months, my heart sank.
She clung to his arm. “Beckett, your wife looks a little upset.”
Beckett looked at me expressionlessly and let out a scoff.
“My wife? She doesn’t even want to be. The person she’s always wanted is the one in the house across the street.”
That night, a gas leak in the house caused a fire.
Beckett carried that woman and rushed straight out of the house, while I gradually lost all strength in my limbs from inhaling the thick smoke.
I collapsed onto the floor. As I watched his retreating back leave without a second of hesitation, something inside my heart simply snapped.
I decided to personally cut ties with this absurd five-year marriage.
***
I didn’t know how I was rescued.
While my consciousness drifted in and out, I heard the sound of explosions, fire engines, and Beckett’s voice comforting Harlow.
The only thing missing.
Was the sound of him caring about me.
When I woke up again, I was already in the hospital.
The room was so quiet that I could only hear the ticking of the monitors. Beckett wasn’t there.
My body ached. Thick bandages were wrapped around my arm, and waves of sharp pain pierced straight to my heart.
Maggie, who had worked for my family for twenty years, pushed the door open and walked in.
“Iris, you’re awake.”
She hurried over to help me sit up.
I looked around. I didn’t ask where Beckett was. I simply said, “Go look into Harlow’s background for me.”
My tone was as calm as if she wasn’t my husband’s new lover.
Because over the years, I had investigated every single person who appeared by his side to make sure they had no ulterior motives for approaching Beckett.
But this time, Maggie didn’t answer for a long time.
I looked at her in confusion, only to see her slide down the edge of the bed and collapse onto the floor, her hands gripping the bedsheets tightly.
“Iris, it’s my fault for not raising my daughter right! That’s why she did something like this!”
I froze.
“Harlow is your daughter?”
She nodded, looking as if her heart was completely shattered.
“I’m sorry, Iris. Please don’t fire me. Just let me stay. I’ll do anything to apologize to you on my daughter’s behalf.”
For some reason, I let out a laugh.
She was someone my father had left behind to look after me. She had taken care of me for five years, and I never expected that in the end, even she would betray me.
“Then congratulations. You and your daughter placed the right bet.”
She cried even harder.
Just as I was about to tell her to leave, the hospital room door was violently pushed open.
Harlow arrived.
Followed by a man acting like her protector.
“Mom! Get up, it’s my fault!” She cried until her face was a mess. “Iris, if you want to punish someone, just punish me, okay!”
She had just reached her hand out toward me.
When Beckett grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. “What are you apologizing for!”
“Iris is my wife in name only anyway. She’s not willing, and neither am I.”
Harlow sniffled.
“But there’s something else I need to apologize for.”
“I’m sorry, Iris. The person who eloped with Felix back then was my older sister.”
Even as she said she was sorry, the look in her eyes was full of provocation.
My body stiffened.
Suddenly, I smiled. I just found it all utterly ridiculous. “That’s great. The sisters can keep each other company.”
She choked on her words and hugged Beckett even tighter.
I quietly watched the two people pressed against each other.
From a moment ago until now, Beckett hadn’t looked at me once, hadn’t offered a single word of concern, and showed absolutely no guilt.
And I didn’t ask why he hadn’t saved me either.
I pressed my hand against my stinging right arm and looked at Maggie.
“Don’t worry, I won’t fire you. From now on, you and your daughter will both have to rely on the Whitmore family to provide for you.”
Hearing those words, Beckett’s gaze finally landed on me. He furrowed his brows for a moment before quickly relaxing them.
I rolled over.
“Get out, both of you. I’m tired.”
The sound of the door closing echoed behind me.
I remembered back then, even though my father had chosen two candidates, his favorite was always Felix.
After he passed away, I did what the terms required, but no one knew that Beckett was the one I’d always wanted to marry.
But now, the results were pretty much the same.
The cold wind howled outside.
The December weather in Boston chilled me straight to the bone.
I got up to close the window.
But at a glance, I saw the two people laughing and playing in the garden downstairs.
They were far away.
But I could still clearly see the gentle smile on Beckett’s face.
It was an expression he had never once shown me.
I only looked for a second before pulling my gaze away and returning to the hospital bed.
My head grew heavy again as a fever set in.
Right before I passed out, I used the last bit of my strength to confirm my acceptance into the doctoral program at NYU, which I had received a few days ago.Â