Ch: 1 The Wife He Never Chose.

​Nerissa’s POV

​"You look breathtaking tonight, Nerissa, that shade of blue really brings out your eyes and I'm so glad you decided to wear the family heirloom I sent over this morning," my mother-in-law, Malia, said while she squeezed my hand and I offered her a small, practiced smile, but before I could find the words to thank her, Lysander stepped up beside me.

​"She would look good in anything, Mother, but perhaps we should focus more on the guests who actually contributed to the foundation tonight instead of fussing over a dress," Lysander said with a sharp voice, his eyes already scanning the room until they landed on Seraphina Vale, who was standing just a few feet away.

​"Don't be so dismissive, Lysander, Nerissa has been the backbone of this charity’s organization for three years and you know it," Xander added while he joined us, his expression stern as he looked at his son. Lysander let out a dry chuckle and tucked one hand into his pocket, reaching out to signal a waiter.

​"She does what she's told, Father, that's what a good wife is for, isn't it?" he muttered, and the silence that followed was heavy. I kept my head high and my expression neutral, refusing to show the pain because it only made him feel more justified.

​"Lysander, that’s enough," Malia hissed, but she was interrupted when Seraphina glided over and draped a hand naturally over Lysander’s arm.

​"Oh, don't be so hard on him, Mrs. Blackwood, he’s just stressed about the merger and I was just telling him how much he reminds me of his grandfather when he gets this focused," Seraphina chirped, her voice dripping with sweetness. 

She didn't acknowledge me at all, whispering something into Lysander’s ear that made his entire posture soften.

​When dinner was served, the tension grew at the head table, and Malia leaned forward with a hopeful glint in her eyes. 

"You know, seeing all these families here tonight makes me think about the future of the Blackwood name, and I was wondering when you two are finally going to give me some grandchildren to spoil?"

​The clinking of silverware stopped instantly, and I looked at Lysander, hoping for a polite deflection, but he set his glass down with a heavy thud.

​"Children are a product of love and mutual desire, Mother, they aren't a business transaction or an obligation to fulfill a legacy," he said, his voice loud enough for the surrounding guests to hear. He turned his head slowly, his eyes dark with cruelty. 

"And since this marriage lacks the former, I have no intention of bringing a child into this house. In fact, Nerissa, make sure you don't forget to take your pills when we get home because I refuse to be trapped by a mistake or some desperate attempt at a payday."

​I felt the blood drain from my face and looked down at my plate, hiding my trembling hands in my lap. Seraphina let out a small giggle behind her wine glass while the rest of the table fell into a suffocating silence, and I endured the humiliation until the gala finally ended and we got into the car.

​"I hope you’re happy now," Lysander snapped the moment the door closed, his shadow looming over me in the dim light.

​"What are you talking about, Lysander? I didn't say anything at dinner," I replied quietly, staring out the window at the passing streetlights.

​"Don't lie to me, you’ve been whispering in my mother’s ear for weeks, using them to pressure me because you think if they take your side, I’ll eventually give in," he sneered, grabbing my chin and forcing me to look at him. 

"It doesn't matter how many charity events you host or how much my parents adore you, you are a placeholder, Nerissa. You will never be the woman I wanted, and the sooner you accept that you’re nothing but a contract, the better off we’ll both be."

​He let go of me roughly, and I just pulled my coat tighter around my shoulders. 

"I have never complained to them about you, not once in five years, but you believe what you want because it’s easier than admitting you’re the one making everyone miserable."

​He didn't respond, spending the rest of the drive on his phone while I counted the seconds until I could be alone. When we finally got home, he headed straight for his study, leaving me to walk up the stairs to our cold bedroom by myself.

​I sat down at my vanity, reaching into a hidden drawer beneath the velvet lining to pull out a thick folder buried under my jewelry. I flipped through the pages, my eyes landing on the seal of Vane Holdings and the documents that proved I was the sole heiress to a conglomerate that made the Blackwood fortune look like pocket change.

​He thought I was an orphan he saved from the streets, having no idea that five years ago I used my family's untraceable offshore accounts to bail his father out of a debt that would have ended their name. I had given up my identity and my freedom just to be near him because I believed my love would be enough to change things.

​I picked up the birth control pill he had left on the bedside table, holding the small white tablet between my fingers before swallowing it dry.

​"How much longer do I have to keep loving someone who already chose another woman?" I whispered to the empty room, tears finally breaking through my composure as the five years I had spent protecting him felt like a prison I had built for myself.