Falling For His Forsaken Wife

The storm outside had been raging for hours, but it was nothing compared to the storm inside of me. Rain flowed down the tall windows of our mansion, the droplets racing each other until they blurred together like tears. The candles I had lit hours ago had melted into shapeless wax, their flames fighting for life just as desperately as I was fighting for love from my husband.Dinner sat on the long, beautifully dressed dining table, untouched and getting colder each minute. I had laid everything out with the kind of care only a hopeful wife would show—his favorite wine, the dishes I knew he once loved, and the cutlery polished until it gleamed. And yet, none of it mattered. He acts like they were all meaningless to him.I sat there, my back straight, my hands folded tightly on my lap, staring at the empty chair across from me. Alexander Reed’s chair, my husband, and my everything.I whispered his name into the silence, with a wish deep down that he would appear right in front of me.

The morning air was rough, sharp, and almost mean. It was like the world was trying to tell me that I didn't belong anywhere. The weight of my bag dug into my palm as I tightened my grip on the handle.It wasn’t just luggage I was carrying; it was everything that remained of my marriage, of my hope, of my broken dignity.The city stretched before me, alive with its usual rhythm. Cars honked, people hurried along the sidewalks, and the smell of coffee came from a café on the corner. It was the same city I had lived in for three years, yet it looked unrecognizable to me now. It was too loud, too bright, and too indifferent. To the rest of the world, it was just another day. But for me, it was the day after the end.I forced myself not to look back. I knew the mansion was still there behind me, with the tall gates that I have lived with. That house had been my palace and my prison, my battlefield and my coffin. If I turned, if I allowed myself even a slight turn at all, I knew I would cru

The house felt wrong.I stood in the kitchen, staring at the untouched breakfast on the counter. The cook had made my usual—black coffee, scrambled eggs, and bread. Everything exactly as it had been every morning for the past three years. Everything was exactly the same, except Emily wasn't sitting at the small table by the window, quietly eating while reading some book.I shook my head. Why was I even thinking about that?"Alex, baby, are you listening to me?"Vanessa's voice cut through my thoughts. She was on the couch in the living room, wearing one of my shirts and nothing else. Her legs were stretched across another cushion, and she was scrolling through her phone with one hand while gesturing with the other."I said we need to redecorate this place. It is so boring and old-fashioned. My interior designer friend can come by this weekend."I turned to look at her. Vanessa had always been beautiful, the kind of woman every guy would want. Her blonde hair always drew attention, and

I changed my dress three times before Miguel arrived. The blue one made me look pale. The black one reminded me too much of the formal dinners I used to have with Alex, sitting across from each other in silence. I finally settled on a simple green dress that Mrs. Martinez had given me. It was nothing fancy, just cotton with small flowers, the kind of dress I would have chosen for myself before I became Mrs. Reed.When Miguel knocked on my door at seven, my hands were shaking slightly as I reached for the handle.He stood there holding a small bunch of wildflowers, the kind you might pick from a roadside. They were nothing like the expensive arrangements Alex used to have delivered to the house for special occasions. These flowers looked like Miguel had chosen each one himself."These are beautiful," I said, taking them."I picked them on my walk here. I know they are not much, but they reminded me of your paintings.""My paintings?""Mrs. Martinez showed me the one you left drying by

The pounding on my door continued, each knock making my heart race faster. I grabbed my robe and wrapped it around myself, my hands shaking as I approached the door."Emily! I know you are hiding in there like a coward!"Vanessa's voice was angry, nothing like the sweet tone she used when Alex was around. I pressed my back against the door, trying to think. How had she found me? Why was she here?"Open this door right now, or I will make a scene that will wake up this entire motel!"I did not doubt she would do it. Vanessa loved drama and loved being the center of attention. The last thing I wanted was to drag Mrs. Martinez and the other guests into whatever mess this was.I unlocked the door and opened it just a crack, keeping the chain latch in place."What do you want, Vanessa?"She looked different than I remembered. Her usually perfect blonde hair was messy, her makeup smudged. She was wearing a wrinkled dress that looked like she had slept in it. This was not the polished, put-t