Betrayed by One, Desired by Four

Bella’s Pov

It’s been months since I got married to Alpha Aiden. He treated me like scorn but treated Athena like a fragile flower. It hurt but I had already fallen in love with him. I shrugged off the thoughts then I continued preparing the food. Once I finished, I quickly took it to Aiden’s room.

  Yes, we were married, but he didn’t even want to stay in the same room with me. He said he found me repulsive.  

  I could hear Athena’s laughter.  

  I tried to stabilize my emotions.  

  One day, he would love me. He would understand that I loved him so much and that I was his wife.  

  I knocked. The laughter didn’t die down, but no one responded.  

  I pushed the door open and said, “The food is ready.”  

  And I was greeted by the sight of them embracing.  

  He was feeding her fruit, and she was giggling, touching his chin.  

  My hands were shaking.  

  I was boiling inside, but I still timidly said, “I made something for you.”  

  Aiden looked visibly irritated by my interruption of their lovely conversation.  

  He shouted, “I have maids for this! I’ve told you countless times there’s no need to bother. Now get out and don’t let me see you again today!”  

  I quickly said, “My father is coming today. You promised me that when my father was coming, we would pretend to have a loving marriage. So please… Can you continue honoring your promise?”  

  I glanced at Athena.  

  She was upset, but she quickly changed her expression and said, “Aiden, let me go now. Your father-in-law is on his way.”  

  “You know where to find me when he’s gone, right?” she added, smiling. “I’ll wait for you.”  

  He looked at her so lovingly.  

  “You’re always so thoughtful, Athena.”  

  Their exchange made my heart break even more.  

  Then Athena left.  

  Aiden turned to me. “Pack your things quickly and move to my room.”  

  I left the room, my mind spinning, my heart aching.  

  As I stepped out of the room, my head bowed in humiliation, I nearly bumped into Athena. 

  She leaned casually against the doorframe, arms crossed over her chest, her sharp eyes smirking and filled with amusement.  

  For a moment, she just stared at me, as if debating whether to speak. Then, she continued smirking, then she said, “Must be exhausting, isn’t it? Pretending like you belong here. You try to play the role of a loving wife, but Aiden feels nothing but disdain towards you. It’s not too late to pack your stuff and run back to daddy.”

  My fingers tightened around the tray in my hands, my knuckles turning red because of the pain. But I refused to let her see how much her words affected me.  

  I lifted my chin slightly. “I am his wife and you are nothing but his hidden secret lover,” I said, though my voice wavered. “Like it or not.”

  Athena chuckled, moving her head slightly. His wife in name, maybe. But in every other way?” She leaned closer, lowering her voice to a whisper. “That spot belongs to me.

  The tray trembled in my grasp, but I forced myself to remain composed. “My father will be here soon. Who knows what he and I might do while pretending to be loving husband and wife. Who knows if our affairs in the bedroom would lead to me conceiving an heir for him.”

  Athena’s smirk faltered just a little, irritation flashing in her eyes before she covered it up with a scoff. “Enjoy playing pretend while you can.”

  Then, with a swish of her hair, she walked past me, leaving the faint scent of roses in her wake.  

  I stood there for a long moment, my heart pounding in my chest. I wanted to hate Aiden for humiliating me like this. I wanted to despise Athena for the way she taunted me.  

  But more than anything, I wanted Aiden to look at me—just once—the way he looked at her.  

  Swallowing the lump in my throat, I turned on my heel and went to pack my things.

  My father came shortly afterward.  

  I put on the brightest smile for him.  

  He looked a bit worried. “I hope he’s treating you well?” was the first thing he asked as soon as he stepped in.  

  I nodded. “Yeah, Father. He treats me pretty well.”  

  Aiden held my hand—the warmth of it something I hardly ever felt, despite being his wife.  

  My father’s gaze lingered on me for a moment before he spoke again. “I’ve been hearing strange rumors… Don’t mind the fact that I asked that question right away. If you don’t mind, can I stay here for a few days?”  

  Aiden’s grip on my hand tightened.  

  I quickly said, “Father, you never spend the night here, and all of a sudden, you want to stay for days? It’s not like I don’t want to spend time with you—it’s just so sudden.”  I added it immediately.

  Aiden’s grip loosened slightly after I said that.  

  I scoffed inwardly.  

  He probably doesn’t want to be away from Athena for too long.  

  My father coughed. “I have some things to do around here. It’ll just be convenient to stay.” He then looked at Aiden. “It won’t exceed a week. You don’t mind, right, Aiden?”  

  Aiden smiled. “Of course not, Father. I’ll tell the maids to prepare your room immediately.”  

  I didn’t know why he agreed so easily, but I knew I was going to be severely punished for this later.  

  But I couldn’t say anything more.  

  My father might get suspicious, so I swallowed my words and smiled.  

  My dad and Aiden spent hours talking until it was time to retire for the night.  

Then Aiden said out of the blue. “Bella should be exhausted right now, we should retire to bed now.”

 Eventually, my father stretched and said, “I’m tired. You should sleep early too.”  

  He grinned, obviously pleased by Aiden’s ‘consideration’ for me.  

  If only it were real.  

  Aiden led me into the room and gently closed the door behind us.

   As soon as the door shut behind us, the air in the room suddenly froze. 

  Before I could brace myself, Aiden grabbed my wrist and yanked me forward. 

  My breath paused for a moment as he shoved me onto the bed with enough force that the mattress made noises.