8 Years In An Estranged Marriage

The next day, I went to my daughter's sports day alone.When she didn't see her father in the crowd, tears welled up in her eyes. She cried quietly and stubbornly.From the moment she was born, Nate had never been there—not for her milestones, not for a single parent-child event.Even though I stayed with her through the competition, even though she won first place, it didn't make her smile.For a child, the absence of a father feels like the absence of father's love.On the way home, she kept asking me, "Mommy, does Daddy not like me? Mommy, will Daddy come home tonight for my birthday?"I couldn't answer.I didn't have the heart to let her hope and be disappointed again, so I kept texting Nate. Over and over, I messaged him.Eventually, he replied: [I'll come to the birthday.]The moment I saw it, I lit up.I turned to my daughter, smiling. "Of course. Daddy's coming."She squealed in delight, jumping up and down, nearly trembling with excitement.I let out a quiet breath

"Thank you for taking care of us these past few days, Uncle Nate."I stared at my daughter in disbelief. She held her head high with a quiet pride, even though her eyes were brimming with tears. She refused to let them fall.Eight years of a hidden marriage. Not once had Nate acknowledged our relationship publicly.I had stood by him—helped him build his career from the ground up, fought beside him in the legal world, gave birth to his child. And still, he insisted on keeping our marriage a secret—for the sake of his career, he always said.But what about our daughter? His own flesh and blood? He wouldn't even allow her to call him "Dad." Every time, he corrected her—"Uncle." And now, she was finally calling him what he always wanted."Mom, let's not bother him anymore."She tugged at my arm and started pulling me away.I nodded, following her lead. We were going to leave eventually. Leaving now made no difference. I had already given up on him completely.I took her hand, and

The office door was wide open. Everyone had seen what happened, but no one dared say a word. The room was steeped in silence.Nate's expression was grim. He didn't chase after her. Instead, he sank heavily onto the couch and rubbed his forehead, visibly worn out.He was the head of the firm. Selena, as his subordinate, had let her personal emotions bleed into work and shown attitude toward her boss. Of course, he was upset.My former colleague, the one who always shared gossip with me, sent this clip just to complain about Selena's incompetence."She relies too much on connections," she said, "always trying to take shortcuts."She even made a bet: how long could Nate put up with Selena?I didn't respond. Just sent back a smiling emoji and left it at that.Back then, Nate used to scold me all the time. But I knew it was because he wanted me to improve. So I listened, took his criticism seriously, and worked hard to get better.I only made it to high school before my parents pass

Sam let out a long sigh and continued, "Yeah. I tried to get her to stay, but she was determined. Said she was going to find her husband. I had no reason to stop her."Nate's face darkened like spilled ink, his eyes simmering with rage. The veins stood out starkly on the back of the hand gripping his phone.Then he let out a cold laugh."Oh? And since when does she have another husband?"Sam was speechless."How could you approve her resignation?" Nate snapped, his voice rising. "I'm the boss—resignations need my sign-off—"Before he could finish, a soft, clear child's voice cut in over the line."Daddy, who are you talking to? Why aren't you in bed?"Nate froze."I'm almost done. Be good and go to sleep," Sam replied gently, his tone completely different. In the background, there was the faint sound of him patting his child's back.Nate stood there, stunned.A few seconds passed before he slowly ended the call. Then, as if a light had switched on somewhere inside him, he mu

"So, I've always been a scheming woman in your eyes," I said quietly.But I wasn't disappointed. More than that, I was seeing through it all.He was such a proud man—how could he ever truly bow his head for a woman?"Nate, did it ever occur to you that I was the one who was hurt that night?"He stepped closer, and I stepped back, slowly, until I had nowhere left to retreat.Leaning against the wall, I stopped. He paused too, confused, looking at me."What do you mean?"I said nothing. My mind drifted back to that night.Nate, drunk, was being steadied by me as I helped him to his room.I took off his clothes, tucked him in, then turned to leave.But just as I reached the door, he grabbed my arm, shoved me onto the bed, and lunged at me.His eyes were glazed, his face flushed with desire. I understood instantly—he'd been drugged.I struggled with all my might to get away, but it was useless.What chance did a woman's strength have against a man's?He tore off my clothes an