Chapter 3: Condemned

My body trembles in anger as I glare at the mother and daughter duo. They are wearing triumphant smiles, like their wicked plans have finally worked.

“What did I ever do to you?!” I shout, my voice shaking. “Why would you do this to me? Why?”

“You don’t deserve to be here, Isla!” Aunt Linda spits. “We don’t want you as part of our family. You shouldn’t have been Marcus’s wife in the first place, much less have a child for him!”

Cara steps closer, her eyes filled with malice. “You’re such a low life!” she barks in my face. “You think we’re going to let you sit here and enjoy Marcus’s wealth?”

Aunt Linda lets out a cruel laugh. “Marcus hates you! He was forced to marry you just to save that pathetic family of yours!”

My chest tightens, anger boiling in my blood.

“What a fool you are for staying in a miserable marriage, hoping that he’d love you?” She clicks her tongue. “You’re not the type of woman Marcus would look twice at!”

“That is why she took advantage of his drunken state, seduced him, and got pregnant! She wants to use this baby to get his wealth!”

“We will never let that happen!” Cara yells, grabbing my hair.

“Let me go!” I cry as she pulls, while her mother slaps me across the face like I’m a child who has done something shameful. “Let me go!” Tears rush down my face, but Cara only pulls harder.

She shoves me, and my head slams against the wall. A loud cry escapes me as blood oozes from the wound.

“She is so pathetic!” Aunt Linda laughs.

“She has hurt his ego by cheating with the gardener!”

“I didn’t cheat with the gardener!” I scream, tears streaming down my face. “I would never do that!”

“How are you going to prove yourself then?” Cara smirks. “Marcus will never believe you! And you better go pack your bags, because if he returns and finds you here… we won’t stop him from putting the bullets in that belly of yours!”

A wave of crushing emotions lands over me. “I will never forgive any of you for this!” I cry, running out of the room.

“That’s right!” I hear Aunt Linda shout behind me. “Pack your bags when you’re done crying!”

****

Aunt Linda and Cara have never wanted me in this house. They’ve always constantly abused and humiliated me, reminding me that I’m nothing but property my family handed over to Marcus in exchange for saving my father’s business.

And Marcus has never stopped them. He never cared… until today, when he showed a flicker of concern as they called me a whore.

Maybe he was changing… perhaps learning that I’m carrying his child softened something in him, before they ruined it all over again.

Marcus is a proud man. He would rather I cheat on him with a business rival than a common gardener. But I would never do either. How am I supposed to prove my innocence now?

The entire household has turned on me. Johnson has betrayed me too; the same man I gave my monthly allowance to for his mother’s medical bills. And now they’ve shown him a video of us together. How then will I prove my innocence and save this marriage?

I love Marcus so much… more than words can capture. I always believed he would change someday… that my dreams of having a real life with him would come true. And now, with a baby on the way, I cannot let everything slip away.

I cannot imagine raising my baby alone without his father. So I will do my best to prove my innocence. When Marcus realizes his mistake, it will soften his heart toward me, and he will finally see that I have always loved him and remained loyal despite his cruelty.

“Sir… I would advise that you investigate this matter before taking this step. What if this whole thing is a mistake?”

“It is not!” Marcus barks, his voice filled with anger. “That is exactly how women are! All they do is cheat, sleep around with men without shame!”

My chest rises and falls in panic as I listen to the conversation.

“Especially Isla. I don’t touch her, this marriage is nothing but a contract, so of course I’m not surprised she would stoop so low!”

This is what he thinks of me…

He rakes his hand through his hair, then slams both palms on the desk, making me jolt. “This is exactly what my mother did! That bitch ruined our lives with her filthy behavior. And even though I don’t care about my wife, I can’t believe I actually married a woman like her.”

The man sighs. “I understand you… but—”

“Enough!” Marcus snaps, glaring at him. “You have an hour to get the divorce papers ready!”

My heart sinks, eyes widening in stunned disbelief. “That woman is not spending another day in my house!”

My body trembles as pain and anger courses through me. What is the point of trying to explain myself? He has already painted me as guilty. And with everyone against me, he will never believe me.

Tears run down my face as I walk back to my room, my mind blank. There’s nothing I can do now. There’s no way I can save myself.

“Isla!” My mother’s voice drags me out of my thoughts. I turn around, my family is here, and they don’t look happy.

“How could you do this?!” Father yells, shaking his head in disgust. “Do you have any idea what we will lose?!”

“I didn’t do anything…” I sob, breaking down again.

“You’re so unfortunate!” Mike, my brother, snarls. “You should’ve chosen a man outside the mansion! How could you have an affair in your matrimonial home!”

“They are lying!”

“Oh please,” Mother rolls her eyes. “I understand you have your own needs and desires… but you should’ve considered what would happen to the family business if he found out!”

I stare at them in disbelief. Of all the people I trusted, I never expected my family to also point fingers at me. Worse, they only care about the so-called family business.

“I made a huge mistake trusting you to keep the family afloat!” Father says, his eyes filled with hatred. “I wish I had a smarter daughter, not a selfish whore!”

My chest tightens, suffocating me as I shake my head.

“If Marcus divorces you, we will also disown you! You will be of no use with that bastard in your belly!”

“That’s right!” Mother agrees. “Forget you had a family. You will raise that bastard alone!”

“My child is not a bastard!” I yell, my lips trembling. “Stop calling my child a bastard!”

Marcus’s footsteps approach the room, making us go silent. My heart thuds wildly, my breath shallow.

“Marcus… please believe me…” I cry the moment he walks in. “I did not cheat on you! They are lying.”

He glares at me with disdain, clutching the divorce papers in one hand and the gun in the other.

“The only reason I’m not ending your miserable life is because I’m going to use you to show the world what happens when someone betrays me. It’s been too long since I’ve done this.”

I fall to my knees, sobbing. “I didn’t do it… please… give me a chance to prove my innocence. We can have a DNA test!”

“You disgust me, Isla! I’m glad you did this. I’ll finally get rid of you!”

My throat tightens, choking me.

“No!” I shake my head, sobbing harder. “This baby is yours… I’m carrying your child!”

“If you ever call that bastard my child again, I will yank it out of your belly!”

My heart shatters like a knife plunged deep. I stay still, my body shaking.

“Now sign these papers and get out of my life!” he barks, throwing the papers at me. “If I ever see you close to me or my territory, I will have you beheaded in the most painful way imaginable!”

The world spins around me. I blink, forcing my brain to wake up as I pick up the papers and pen with trembling hands. Without hesitation, I sign them. I refuse to stay with a cruel man, or beg for a love I never received. No one will call my child a bastard or accuse his mother of infidelity.

I look at him one last time, and for a second, something in his eyes shifts before hardening again.