I Rejected My Husband And Chose His Best Friend Instead

LILA

My name is Lila, but Lowell called me Claire for the five years we were married.

He said it was a pet name he loved, and if I loved him as much as I claimed to, I'd accept it. Just as he asked me to give up my dream of being a writer so I can focus on playing my wifely duties.

"Look, Lila, I have enough to take care of you and your future generations. I don't want people thinking my wife has to scribble on paper to eat."

The words made me feel small, but I'd come to know he meant no harm. He was just a cold man who didn't know how to show his emotions.

I thought if I agreed to all he wanted, his heart would finally be mine. That after twenty years of pining after him, Lowell would finally see my efforts and love me back.

His family was no different. His mother and sister saw me as their personal maid.

Once, his mother called me at midnight because she was craving her favourite cake, which they sold two towns over.

"My family holds a special place in my heart." Lowell had said. "You should do all that she wants so you can grow closer to me."

He never holds me in public. He never smiles at me and strongly refuses to consummate our marriage.

But last night when Lowell returned home with a beaming smile, happier than I'd seen him in the last five years, I thought he was beginning to open up to me.

"You're so beautiful, Claire. You feel so good, Claire. I can't wait to be with you for real." He whispered as he took me for the first time. I cried in delight, thinking he had finally let down his walls.

The next day, I cooked his favourite meals and set up a romantic dinner to celebrate, only for him to bring home a pretty woman I'd never seen before.

"Lila, Meet Claire, my childhood friend and first love."

I thought I was Claire? That it was his special name for me?

But without a second thought, I went back to being Lila.

It was then that I realised that to Lowell, Lila never existed. I was just a replacement... a placeholder until the real love of his life returned.

As I watched him and his family fuss over the slender woman like she was a fragile egg,

I made up my mind.

I wasn't going to abandon my identity just to be loved by him. It was time to leave.

As if on cue, my phone rang.

"Miss Lila. The 10-million-dollar trust fund your grandmother left you remains. All you have to do is accept to marry the heir of Carrington's industries," the lawyer said for the umpteenth time.

This time, I didn't think about it. I was desperate to leave this godforsaken place, to live as myself.

Staring at my oblivious husband and family who were smiling at the woman he really loved, I nodded.

"I'll do it. Just give me a month to divorce this bastard."